#wdstart

[latetobloom]

Location: Hyde Park

Status: Open

Emmeline was in the park with her maid nearby. Her brain didn't seem to stop these days. With her preparing years for this Season, it seems she still wasn't ready. Endless sounds, from the screaming in the Place de la Revolution in Paris. Her friends and their families being killed, or them scattering to flee the country. It seemed the only thing that calmed her was the sound of the ducks in the pond, the serenity and calm being the only thing to calm her mind.

[mccnbeam]

Devika feels the need to curse — loudly and emphatically, with compound words of her own invention. The source of this afternoon's anguish? Her brand new gloves, stained with mud from a small puddle outside of White’s, knocked carelessly from her grasp by a man too drunk or too rich to bother with an apology. He's still stumbling about close by, with the sun still high in the sky, no less.

Ladies aren’t supposed to curse, a reality that seems particularly unfair, given that civil society so easily tolerates the lingering gentleman, who seems two teetering steps away from falling into the gutter. “Do you know Malayalam?” she poses the question to the only other figure within earshot. “If I say something very, very offensive in Malayalam, unrelated to you, are you the type to transcribe it phonetically for prompt deposit into the rumor mill?”

[noblefavor]

location: hyde park for: open!

Winding the menagerie of shaped hedges, Sydney finally joins the fringes of the crowd with ease, passably indecent in his attire, stature holding confidence that courts offense. Shortened breath passes for haste, flushed cheeks for summer's inferno, and Sydney could defeat the world's greatest magician at an act of quick-change. A hand attempts to tame his hair from its handsome disarray while the other tucks his cravat over the bruises trailing his neck. Straightening his posture, Sydney clears his throat, and lifts two glasses from a passing server's tray. He is never lonesome for long (even tousled, it is easy to see why), but the thrill lies in the hunt rather than the prize. "You may require this to survive the night," Sydney confides in the person nearest to him, dropping his voice as if sharing his darkest secret. He extends a glass to the other along with the offer of more entertaining conversation. "The hostess is rather fond of inviting poets to perform recitations, and I fear we all are not as gifted as Shakespeare with a quill pen."

[cabellrosa]

open ; location: almon's books

Cabell has made his way to the bookstore after hearing his younger sister's offhand request for more poetry books around the house. He finds himself a little stumped, however, when he realizes he's forgotten to ask her the names of any authors or titles he could recognize as he scans the shelves. "Excuse me, might you have any insight on what an inquiring young mind would most gravitate towards?" he asks the nearest patron, keeping his voice polite and quiet. He is very much an enjoyer of fine arts, but that is unfortunately limited to simply enjoying and not yet retaining information on names of great works or which authors are worth their salt.

[elainexhale]

Who: Anyone Where: Hyde Park

Go promenade- she had been told.

It'd be the best place to find a suitor- she had been told.

While the weather was gorgeous and the scenery impeccable, the whole ordeal left Elaine feeling bored and restless. She'd rather be out on an adventure or at home reading a book by the window, listening to this lovely breeze drift through the bushes of flowers that sat outside- walking around a park making doe eyes at men was so boring. But, her brother told her it would be the best way to intrigue them, let them wonder who that new, beautiful girl is- and her dance card would be full at the next event.

She had been smiling at someone a ways away when she felt her foot bump against something- a ball. Elaine broke her eyes away from them to examine the scene before her. A singular ball and a young boy, sadly sat against the foot of a tree, watching the other children play in the grass.

Her heart ached for the boy- he reminded her of the youngest of her brothers, always wanting to play with other children of the town but teased and pushed aside for a large portion of their childhood. And the days where she would be roped in to playing games with all of her brothers, from the moment the sun peeked over the horizon to the moment it disappeared again. Even though it wasn't the most proper thing to do, she couldn't help but kick the ball in his direction. "It's too nice of a day to be sad. Kick it back! Come on!" She laughed and lifted the hem of her skirt just enough so she wouldn't trip over it- giving her maid a mild heart attack as she trailed behind her.

She played for a few minutes, only stopping when the child kicked the ball into the foot of a stranger. Elaine quickly approached them- speaking to the boy over her shoulder, "Careful! Don't want anyone to be caught in the crossfire." She looked over at them, a warm smile on her face. "That is unless, of course, you want to play too." She laughed gently, pushing her hair away from her face. "I'm sorry about that. Are you alright?"

[henry-etta]

open ; location: abbey green

Etta typically delights in taking strolls about town when allowed. Of course she's chaperoned by some ladies maids, though they've been around the estate long enough to know her and trust her, and vice versa. She doesn't feel stifled or controlled when she's with people from her manor, as long as it's not her mother, so Etta relaxes a touch as she walks along Abbey Green, letting her eyes drift along the storefronts, wondering if she ought to let her whims take hold and give in to the window shopping in order to alleviate her restlessness. What her eye instead catches from a distance is the fluttering of something falling out of someone's pockets or purse, unbeknownst to the owner. "Wait! Excuse me, wait!" she calls, hoisting her skirts up with one hand and trying to hail them with the other as she starts to pick up into a run after them. She can hear her ladies maids calling after her not to be so careless, but she's entirely too focused on her new escapade as she scoops up the object from the ground and closes the distance with the unsuspecting target. "Just a moment, you've dropped this!" she tries one more time, hoping they'll finally hear her.

[interwcven]

— 𝐎𝐏𝐄𝐍 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐑 !

𝐌𝐀𝐘𝐁𝐄 𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐇'𝐒 𝐅𝐀𝐌𝐈𝐋𝐘 was right - she shouldn't run off by herself off her family's property. however , that never stopped her from just somehow wandering into the nearby market , eyes peeled for a new item to add to her collection. the scents , sights , and stories she gained by going to the market always brought her running despite her parent's wishes. today was no different , as dinah's yet again run off - but for good reason. an upcoming social occasion called for a new dress , something that dinah had decided called for an impromptu hunt for the best fabric in all of england. it wasn't long before her pursuits were interrupted by a vendor pestering her to buy their product. despite shutting them down rather bluntly , they continued to pester her for business. maybe it hadn't been the best idea to show up in some of her finer clothes , their intricate designs perhaps signaling far more wealth than was entirely true. whatever the reason , she can't seem to get the vendor to leave her own. fantastic. if it was up to her , she would've had a much more aggressive tactic to rid herself of them. but now that she'd entered society , and her father's recent pressures to marry looming over her head , she's trying to be less reactive. with so many more eyes on her now , it was much more important to control the hothead she tended to be. it seemed to be getting later by the second , and if dinah wanted any chance of getting her browsing done in time , she needed to rid herself of them. " oh good , you're here ! " she suddenly explains , cutting off whatever requests the vendor was exclaiming. " you must forgive me , it looks like i have to go. you see , i have some business with my ... with my ... ? " turning around to face them , her eyes express more than her words can , silently pleading for the other to play along. please , come up with something good.

[latetobloom]

🌸𝐀𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐨𝐨𝐧 𝐓𝐞𝐚 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐛𝐲'𝐬🌸

Location: Wetherby Estate

Status: Open

To be honest, Mingxia knew very little people in England. Her parents hated that she hardly knew anyone, particularly her mother, Hua Min. Through an invitation, they were invited to have tea at their London estate in Mayfair. Private and intimate, but not too intimidating so that they could have a meaningful conversation. Hua Min made sure that they had the best tools to perform the Chinese tea ceremony. 

Mingxia sat in their drawing room and waited for the guest to arrive. Once the guest had arrived, she stood up in her chair and dusted herself off to greet them. “Hello! I am Lady Magnolia Weatherby. Such a pleasure to meet you.”