Sir Bert's manor

Sir Bert sat in his office, hoping that today would be the day a suitor answered his summons. He was fed up with Eleanor, his twenty-one year old daughter. She was the only one of his children that remained unmarried. Nobody wanted to be near her, let alone marry her. But he hoped that there was one person, someone, anyone, that could earn her friendship. He was taken from his thoughts by a rapping at the door. It was his assistant, Cort. "Sir, you have a visitor. I believe it may be a suitor for Miss Eleanor."
"What are you waiting for? Send them in!" He sat at his desk, practicing looking warm and inviting.

Pholos, wearing his smart, pinstriped suit, glided into the room when the butler opened the door. "Sir Abroghain! I am the sorcerer Pholos Andriste, at your service." He gave a deep bow. "When I received your letter, in regards to the beautiful Lady Eleanor, I felt honoured. I hope I am not too late; I am eager to suit your daughter... if you find myself agreeable." He smiled gently down at the man, his hopeful father-to-be.

"Beauty she may be, but the rose has thorns," Bert replied. "So far, you are the only suitor to take me up on my invitation. My daughter has a bit of a reputation. If you would leave your belongings in the foyer, I will have some of the staff bring them to your room. In the meantime, Cort, bring Master Andriste to the sunroom. I'm sure that's where Eleanor is."

Cort led Pholos to a room on the ground floor of the manor, made entirely of glass. Many different flowers bloomed, ant in the center was an immaculate rose bush. Each rose was deep velvet red at its heart, fading to a pink at the tips so light they were almost white. Eleanor sat on a bench, back to Cort and Pholos, sharpening a dagger. She wore a pink velvet suit with satin and silk shirt and stockings. Oh her feet were white silk slippers. A large red rose was embroidered on the back of her jacket. She hummed a melancholy tune, a lullaby well known in this part of the country

"Miss Eleanor," Cort said. "You've got a visitor."

Eleanor turned, her brown eyes sparkling with annoyance.

OOC: to anyone joining Taming the Rose. You don't have to wait for an opportunity to jump in. Sir Bert is usually in his study, unless specifically stated otherwise, so just have your character go into the study and he'll have one of his servants or pages take you to Eleanor, or to your room.

Sofia took in a shaky breath as she stood outside of Sir Bert's study. She felt nervous about going in. Though she knew she had to. Her parents would not allow her back home if she did not try to win the princesses's hand. Sofia took a lock of her hair and tucked it behind her left ear. She held her breath as she gently opened the door to the study. Sofia smiled at the king and curtsied. She held her hands behind her back. Sofia gave the king another smile.

"Good evening Sir Bert, I am here to try to win your eldest's daughters friendship. I hope you will honor me with that chance," she said a bit quickly. Her voice was soft and gentle. As she waited for the king to reply she fiddled with her fingers behind her back. Sofia wore a lavender v neck dress with long sleeves. The dress hugged her body from the waist up. Once it got to the waist the dress loosen; it was flowy. On her feet Sofia wore sliver sandals. She also wore a pearl necklace and earrings. Sofia's hair was out and tucked behind her ears.

OOC: Eleanor is not a princess. She's the daughter of a knight. But she's still fairly wealthy and socially important.

BIC: "Of course you may have the chance, Madame Sofia. Eleanor is at the moment in the company of another suitor, but I will have Artur bring you to your room." Artur, a young page of about thirteen, led Sofia to her room, a room fit for a royal guest. The bed frame and other furniture were made of ebony wood and everything was draped in silk. "I will inform the Lady Eleanor of your wish to meet with her right away, Mistress. Hold tight. There is a bathing room behind that door, should you wish to freshen up."

((Okay, sorry I got confused >.<))

"Okay, thank you Sir Bert," she said. Her eyes wandered over to Artur, she gave him a smile. Sofia took her bags and followed the young man. When she got to her room she placed her bags down. She thought the room looked beautiful. Sofia turned her soft gaze onto Artur.

"Thank you for bringing me to my room Artur. You may tell her she can take her time coming to see me, she is with another suitor. I wouldn't want to be a bother. Also I do not mind waiting for her to come meet me," she told him. She gave him another smile before she walked into the bathing room. Then she proceeded to wash her face.

AFter a few hours, a knock came at Sofia's door. Without bothering to wait for an hour, a short, slender blonde woman opened the door and entered the room. Her golden hair was braided and she wore a pink suit. Her brown eyes studied the other woman. After a moment of silence, the blonde finally spoke. "I suppose I should introduce myself, although I'm certain you know who I am, already. My name is Eleanor Abroghain, eldest daughter of Sir Bert Abroghain, war hero of the Battle of Andover. Blah blah blah. My father insisted I had a chat with my guest. I must say, I thought you'd be taller." Eleanor's bluntness was as legendary of her father's heroism. it was no wonder that she was twenty-one, five years older than female marriageable age, and still unwed.

Sofia was lying in the bed when she heard the knock on the door. She closed the book she was reading and slid off the bed. Sofia took a step towards the door, but it opened. She froze in place. Sofia stared at the women as she did not know what to do. 'Is this Eleanor?' she thought. Sofia was relieved when the women spoke. She curtsied and smiled at her. Although Sofia blushed when the woman commented about her height.

Umm, h-hello Ms. Abroghain, it is a pleasure to meet you. Oh and I am quite short," she said. She glanced around the room. Sofia slowly ran her fingers through her hair. She had washed up and changed into a white sleeveless sleeping gown. She thought Eleanor wasn't going to come after the first two hours. Though she still wore her hair out as she did not plan on going to sleep anytime soon. Her gaze returned to Eleanor after a while.

"How are you doing today Ms. Abroghain? What have you been up to today? Would you like to go for a walk around the mansion or something? she asked, trying to make conversation.

((Got access to a computer; I didn't know Oklahoma would be a deadzone for me; otherwise, I would have waited))

Before Eleanor had even heard of her second suitor, Pholos had interrupted her comfortable dagger-sharpening session.

"I'm sorry to have interrupted you, Milady." Pholos flashed a pearly smile. "This seems to be a great place to relax, focus on a soothing activity, trying not to be bothered by idiotic men and women trying to force you into marriage. Unfortunately, this wheel must turn, and it has turned to me. I am Pholos Andriste, at your service." He gave her a proper bow. "I'd go on about how the rumors only understate your beauty, but I am sure you've heard that much too often. We Iydraani have a habit of repeating the obvious. I hope to only take a moment of your time today, in order for us to mark our boundaries with each other. Lady Abroghain, let us talk business. I'd like to know your feelings on this marriage situation, so that I may do my best to find a compromise, a way to further both of our interests. May I sit?"

@Sofia

"I don't do 'walks,' " Eleanor said, obviously bored. "Today, I sat in the sunroom and sharpened my dagger. Talked with a gentleman who wishes to court me. And argued with my father about his ridiculous insistence that I wed."

She sat on a chair without being invited. Though, since it was her house, she didn't think it would be rude. And she didn't care if it was. "I suppose I ought to at least try to get along with you. Where are you from?" She didn't sound as if she were particularly interested. In reality, her father had threatened to sell her favorite horse, Sunstorm, if she deliberately sabotaged the contest he had set up.

@ Pholos

Eleanor gestured to the bench, but the look in her eyes made it clear that he wasn't to sit directly next to her. "I don't see why I must wed at all. My sisters and my brother have all wed and produced offspring, ensuring the continuance of my father's bloodline." She glanced at the suitor. "I suppose you aren't terrible looking. But then again, neither was the last man who came. He was too soft. He lasted an hour and a half in my company, I think. You look a bit more hardened." She held out her hand. "Do you carry a weapon? I'd love to see it."

Sofia nodded after Eleanor had answered her questions. She nervously bit her lip. 'Maybe I shouldn't suggest any other ideas. She must prefer to stay indoors,' she thought. Her large frost blue eyes glanced down before they watched Eleanor sit down. She smiled at Eleanor before she took a seat on the bed again. Sofia sat on her hands so she wouldn't fidget. She looked at Eleanor.

"Well I shouldn't be too hard to get along with. Oh and I am from PinnyStone, it is a few towns over. It is actually know for its jewelry an- oh wait, I have a gift for you," she said. Sofia quickly got up and went over to the closet. She opened one of her bags and pulled out a small pouch. Inside the pouch were two diamond bracelets. Sofia placed the pouch in Eleanor's lap.

"There you go, my parents want me to give that to you as a present. I hope you like it," she said. Sofia eyes widen as she realized something. Her cheeks turned a ruby red. She looked at Eleanor from under her long and thick lashes. "Oh, please forgive me, I forgot to introduce myself, I am Sofia, Sofia Leon," she said. She then walked over to the window.

She looked out towards the stables. 'I wonder how Snow is doing, maybe I will go to the stables later to check,' she thought. Sofia had brought Snow with her as she didn't want to be here alone. A minute or so later she looked back at Eleanor. "What are some things that you like to do? Are there things that you don't like to do?" she asked. Sofia glanced out the window once more to look at the stables. Finally she moved away from the window and sat down across from Eleanor. Sofia leaned into the chair as she observe the room.

Pholos sat on the far end of the bench, respecting her privacy. "I do have a small dagger, rather elegant in design. It is suitable for my needs, but is by no means a work of craftsmanship. I am a sorcerer, and tend to favor arcane methods of defense and offense." That said, he pulled his dagger out from an inner jacket pocket, and held it out to her hilt-first. It was of an ornate design. The hilt was made of a strange black metal, shaped like the tentacles of an octopus wrapped around a hidden hilt. The upper portion of the octopus, instead of its head, was of a voluptuous woman, from whose bosom the blade sprung.

"She's the goddess of commerce in my birth country, Kalismore. Though this dagger can stab just as well as any store bought item, it is more a memento of my family than a weapon for me. It's sturdy enough, though. It's made to be a weapon. And as for marriage..." he shrugged. "It's possibly just for appearance. As I understand it, an unmarried daughter is scandalous, no matter how well she can take care of herself. And perhaps he wants to ensure that you have a home and money to rely on besides his. He doesn't want to have to worry about you."

Pholos held up his hands in a 'what can you do' pose. "I would suggest finding someone who will bother you the least. That way, you can placate your father, and continue your life in as close to what you are comfortable with as possible. Obviously, I would be so willing, or there would be no point in me saying it, but I expect that you still have others to speak with. So! Since we should get to know one another, I'd like to know more of your hobbies."

@ Sofia

Eleanor opened the bag and pulled out the diamonds. She preferred rubies, herself, but she supposed these were pretty in their own way. She slipped them back into the pouch without a word.

"I mostly ride my horse, read in my sunroom, and practice weapon play," Eleanor remarked. She looked at the clock at the mantlepiece. It was nearly six o'clock. "I should go get ready for supper. It's in a half hour if you'd like to join us. Straight down this corridor, down the stairs, straight down that corridor, and then the big hand-carved-mahogany double doors on the left hand side. Can't miss it." She stood and left the room. "My father and other suitor will be there."

@ Pholos

Eleanor took the dagger. It was pretty, but she preferred her own. She examined it and handed it back. She showed off her own blade. The hilt was ivory, carved with flowers and thorns. At the heart of each rose was a small ruby, Eleanore's favorite stone. The blade was about six inches long and sharp, well-cared-for steel. "I spend most of my time riding my horse and reading here in the sunroom. I also practice weaponry a lot. Since my duty is to marry another and not to inherit the title, I don't get to study languages or politics or any of the other fun stuff and I refuse to study foolish things like embroidery and cooking." The door opened and a servant walked in. It was the newest page, a boy called Artur.

"Miss Eleanor, Madame Sofia Leon awaits your company. I can show you her room if you like."

"Very well," Eleanor sighed. It was a sound of irritation, as if she thought this whole suitor business were beneath her. "Master Pholos, if you would join my father and I for dinner, it would be... well, I am supposed to say an honour, but I honestly don't care whether you show up or not. Any of the servants can show you the dining room. Supper's at six thirty. There are clocks everywhere in the manor; mother was obsessed with them." She followed Artur out of the sunroom.