Deer in the Headlights
ladyofarcen:
When the horseless carriage had finally begun to slow to what seemed like a light canter, Silvia shifted about in her seat. A hand slid along the coarse belt and tugged lightly at it to loosen the strap. Â The tired, young heiress roused from her catnap and wiggled some more in her place. Silvia awoke with a palm pressed politely to her lips, stifling an obnoxious yawn, before she even opened her eyes. There was that dull humming of the carriage in her ears again and now what she recognized as the soft yet crisp sound of the wheels turning into the roundabout. With sleep still very much in her eyes, Silvia glanced at the Sheriff, as the carriage rolled to a halt, and then out the window at his property,
She tilted her head against her shoulder, trying to get a better view of his estate, nearly pressing her cheek to the glass. She heard the door click on her left as Mister Blakemoore was coming around to help her out of the carriage. She took the time to peek at the Sheriffâs home. With her brows raised high, she couldnât stop staring at his estate. Silvia was stunned.
It was small.
The first words that came to mind was that his estate, for as wealthy as she thought the embodiment of the law must have been, was no more larger than a house owned by that of a burgher. It looked more like a summer cottage than Mister Blakemooreâs home. Although it shared some semblance to one of the towers she had read about, it wasnât very wide. Even minor nobles had expansive manors in comparison to this property. Still, it beat spending her morning and nights cooped up in the cramped inn. There was hardly any space to stretch her legs between the âroyal-sizedâ bed, the large cupboards, and the bathroom.
She sighed, chiding herself for that way of thinking. Her short return and stay in Arcen had gotten her used to the life of luxury again. She had experienced a bed in the dirt while many actually lived such lives day to day. The young heiress had to put those thoughts aside and learn to see Piltover how the Piltovians see their city-state.
Silvia climbed out of the carriage with a weary smile, following after her host. With both feet in the door, her body seemed to visibly relax. This wave of relief washed over her face as her baby blues took in the place from corner to corner. Aside from her initial surprise, this was welcoming. She definitely wouldnât mind living here.
âLovely place you have here, Mister Blakemoore,â Silvia tucked her bangs behind her ear, âIt reminds me very much of home.â
An anxiety took hold of him as it always did, the sheriff often finding himself upset by the response of a guest to his home. The mansion itself was smaller than his parentsâ-- for as much as they would yield to him, at least, and yet it even threatened the property laws of High Piltover in size. The next estate over was a fair distance away, though one could walk with a bit of dedication.
And yet, the young miss seemed entirely unimpressed. That was to say, she seemed... comfortable. He extended to Miss Sinclair a hand, helping her out of the automobile and to be steadied. After all, her exhaustion could have lead her to make a bed of the roundabout from the looks of it. The weight lifted easily from Cadenâs shoulders at her words, however, a polite smile crossing his lips in relief. Still, to think that his home managed to remind her of her own brought to mind a curiosity. Gauging her reaction, it was most certainly not smaller than his estate, so he could only assume...
âI do hope you find the accommodations refreshing. While Iâm most certainly unaware of your own residence, I imagine this is better than a hotel room, no? My apologies if it is yet not near what youâre accustomed to, Piltoverâs high population leads to much regulation on property size.â
A moment went by where he wondered why he felt the need to explain this. Was he trying to impress her? If so, was it with his home, or his knowledge of Piltovian legal code? He almost laughed at himself, realizing he rarely had the chance to talk freely of his property. Perhaps a part of him was proud of it, in the end.
âIâm relieved if it does feel a bit more like home to you. Come along, then. Should you not be too tired, I would put on a pot of tea for the both of us. Iâd rather like to know my houseguest a bit better.â
Caden escorted the young lady to his door, a small click of metal as he unlocked the door and held it, and he offered her to step inside first.
âOf course, itâs been a long day, and I would certainly understand if youâd prefer I show you your quarters immediately.â











