for: @tridcntspearl
location: tully quarters
All was still now; festivities had swollen to their peak and settled, and darkness had set in, save for the candles that adorned the sitting room. Safely installed in the quarters allotted to their house, Ursula was dressed in a modest gown and cap; the sanctity of this room required no showy display. She had penned a notice to Alysanne with great pleasure, having written in a benignant mood that she wished for them to convene for tea. If she were to confess the truth, Ursula had called her daughter to her side to gratify the maternal pangs of her heart; more and more she craved tenderness to return to their conversations, to not let odious burdens not taint their time. Thorny distance had blossomed between them, but moments still arose, when the golden glimmer of childhood returned to Alysanne's eyes; Ursula chased such instances with a fury. As Alysanne's frame emerged beneath the wooden entryway, Ursula stirred into a sitting position; she had reclined within the plush seat, quietly relishing its luxury. She would never indulge in such excess in her own home; the cost would be too great. "Come, sit beside me; let us share a quiet moment of communion together. You have yet to outgrow such things, I hope --- the time I have left with you beneath my roof, has begun to run thin." Her lip wore a pleasant smile, placed neatly upon a countenance that wore an expression only of lightness. It pleased her to look upon Alysanne; her eyes a dark rich gift of nature, and her fathers blood --- but her brow, high and clear, was Ursula's in its entirety. Ursula bore great love for Alysanne's beauty, for it was not merely an endowment of fine features; but imbued with the depth only a fineness of character and mind could bring. "It has been impressed upon me, more clearly than ever, how precious an opportunity we have been bestowed --- to make inroads with the other houses, and find those who champion the same causes. We have not found peace in our previous discussions; but I wish to hear you now, whatever truth you desire to offer me."