location: palace gardens — the garden party.
with: @etheraely — alara.
the flowers in the palace gardens are both a reminder of her england—the one from her childhood and maiden days before she was swept away by her mysterious, handsome businessman to italy—and an england completely a stranger to her. this england makes her feel like a visitor in her own home, sometimes. perhaps it's all that time spent making rounds under parasols and in carriages, sitting in parlors wearing a smile that isn't often truly a smile. there has not yet been enough time for childhood wonders anymore. certainly, no time for childhood friends who are now simply just friends, childhood long forgotten.
so it is a pleasant surprise to see a face that brings back memories from many, many years ago, no longer a childhood friend and maybe barely a friend and more aptly an acquaintance. perhaps pleasant would not be the right word for it. do friends curtsy to each other, priscilla wonders? she bends her knees.
"alara." her voice is warm when she says alara's name, like a greeting meant for someone she has long cherished. surely rissa would not mind if priscilla calls alara a friend, even if just for tonight. "i hardly see you anymore," she says. it doesn't sound like an accusation as much as it is a fact. a smile follows, and it's a genuine one in spite of the words. "with your marriage looming, we won't have much time for each other, will we?"
