House Grace

Indie OC RP blog for the four members of the Grace family, Sinéad, Murdoch, their children Gilead and Orla, and occasionally the household staff. For those reading this blog, you can find links to the plot-related threads in chronological order HERE. If looking for my icon packs, you can find them HERE. Mobile Navigation

[the-lady-oneill]

Lethe was mostly grateful for the lack of other people around whom she didn't know who were also trying to address her when her Eldina was right there. Sinead was different, since she was Eldina Ultana's dear friend, and Eldina Ultana was never friends with people who did not consider Lethe to be worth talking to.

"It's cold," she said with a little smile. "But very beautiful, as y'gaviyi says. I think the city was a bit... much for me. Too many new customs and over-friendly people. But I'm excited to visit somewhere smaller."

[the-self-proclaimed-prince]

"I moved out to my aunt's place in Mira when I was... oh ten or twelve. I never thought I would feel that blend of wonder and overwhelm again but Thol was that experience ten times over."

Sinead took a deep breath of the air. Moss and grass and muddy earth, the faint scent of livestock on the cool breeze. That was something that would get stronger as they drew closer.

She glanced over her shoulder. "I may have... idealized things a little. I feel I should warn you that sheep can be smelly and buildings might be creaky and the baths are, as Circe put it, 'not a bath but a pot.' and the food is quite hearty which I'm fond of and suits farm folk well, but-- well, I suppose Hugh isn't here to cause a fuss over that. In any case, I'd like to dispel any pastoral fantasies. It's nature and farmland. As it is."

She felt more concerned about Ultana and Lethe's impressions than she had Seamus'. He was so pragmatic, well-traveled, and accustomed to experiences outside his refined home life that he understood well what he was getting into with visiting a small rural community. Ultana and Lethe were decidedly less-so. Eager to try new experiences, yes, and having a great love of travel. But they were used to a much higher standard or luxury than anything Dankal could provide. Granted, if they took issue with it, it was a bit late now.

[the-lady-oneill]

While traveling without Hugh had felt as uncomfortable as if she'd walked out of the house without her silks (though, in truth, she'd had to do that here as well. She'd been reluctant, but Seamus had insisted and instead helped her choose a few frock coats in appropriate colors), Ultana had been grateful for his absence when the train had started moving. There was no one to scold her about pressing her nose to the glass just to watch the landscape roll by. How good and strange it was to know that you could just keep walking forever and ever and never reach the end of the world! Of course, practically speaking there was the weather to think of, and other people, and wild animals, and the topography... one could not, truly, simply keep walking round and round forever... (how silly!) but even so she couldn't get over the enormity of the world outside. And it was so charming! The people, the horses and herds of sheep, the trees, the little houses and villages they rolled by... she wanted to see it all.

It was... marginally less charming when she and Lethe stepped out of the car and onto the platform and they were hit with the very distinct smell of cattle and mud, which Ultana had the misfortune of recognizing purely due to Hugh's love of the Bokhisii bull-jumping events. Here, at least, it was cut a little by the fresher scent of green, growing things and alleviated by the simple virtue of them being outside, and not crammed into an indoor arena.

Lethe very reluctantly surrendered a bag to Sinead. Ultana beamed at her, returned the embrace, and exclaimed: "It's so good to see you as well! It is so beautiful here, truly. The capitol was remarkable... but it is a city, and cities are cities even when they are outside. Here, though? Kaor'a, Sinead!"

Okay, well, maybe her manners had gone out the window in her excitement. She could not be bothered to care.

[the-self-proclaimed-prince]

Sinead lifted the luggage onto the back of the carriage. "This is just farmland. Perhaps tomorrow we can take a trip to the wildwood preserves. Truly letting nature run its course is a beautifully terrifying thing to behold."

She clicked her tongue to get the horse's attention. Yofina, beauty as she was called, was a pretty and mild-mannered thing with her rich reddish coat and black hair. Sinead imagined had she been less stocky she might have made a good show horse. Yofina nuzzled her, doubtless for treats. "You, young lady, are on the job," she said with a smile.

Then, to Ultana and Lethe, regarding the carriage, "It's a bit of a step up." She offered her hand to help them both before taking her own seat at the helm and with another click of her tongue and motion of the reins, they were off down the road.

"And how are you liking Ceres, Lethe?" she asked.

[the-self-proclaimed-prince]

@the-lady-oneill

The past week at home felt like heaven to Sinead, if heaven were cold. By the thermometer's reckoning it was downright balmy, but Sinead found herself needing a sweater just to get out of bed. Thol's climate had taken its toll on her.

However, the cool breezes, the rolling grassy hills, the gnarled oak trees and the babbling brooks with their muddy shores spoke one word that warmed her through: home.

It was only her third time back since her marriage (loathe as she was to call it as such) to En. Grace. She's found her feet in her new home, easing the bite of knowing if she failed to return to it, her family's livelihoods would be forfeit. She never told them that. It was a burden she would keep to herself, perhaps to the grave, for their sakes and her own. Even so, where she sat in her parents' home in Dankhal, soaking up what time she could with them, she longed for the days when they were just a trainride away.

She remembered that ride well as she sat waiting at the station. While on her own, Sinead enjoyed the hour-long walk to the farm, Ena. Ultana wasn't used to walking muddy roads. Or mud in general. With that in mind, Sinead decided to spare no expense in renting a more comfortable ride. Well, perhaps spare some expense. A fully personal automatic shuttle felt ostentatious. Her parents would never hear the end of it if one of those came gliding up to their front door. But she had rented a stabilized carriage. It was a moderate compromise. Still drawn by a horse, but smooth as a trolley.

The chestnut mare, who had been idly chewing on rough grass by the rural platform, looked up along with Sinead as the train came into view. When it stopped, only one passenger stepped out and what a sight she was! Bundled up in finery. The trail of her coat alone assured Sinead the carriage was a sound choice.

She came forward to hug her and help with her luggage.

"It's so good to see you!"

[the-lady-oneill]

There were so many things packed into those few sentences that made so little sense that it was a relief when Neskel decided to breeze past them all into a question, so that Hugh was not obliged to think of something to say about anti-aristocratic sisters following in their father's footsteps.

"Oh, no," he said. "House O'Neill manages diplomatic affairs...but this is my first time offworld. That's more my brother's department. I'm usually at home with the ambassadors there. This is charming, though."

[the-self-proclaimed-prince]

They chatted a little more, just small talk, about their visit to Ceres and the event. Neskel was, quite honestly, starting to get a bit bored, so it wasn't entirely unwelcome when a young man politely interrupted asking her to join him for a dance.

Neskel looked at his hand, considered, then placed hers on it. "One dance, but this doesn't mean anything."

The young man gave her a wink. "Of course not."

"No really. I've already told you we're not getting back together."

"Of course not," he said again, grinning from ear to ear.

"Pleasure to meet you both," Neskel said to the Eldarin and Eldina O'Neill and then went off to dance, matching wits with her partner along the way.

[the-self-proclaimed-prince]

@xfirstbcrn

Of all the public relations events in Moriah's life so far, this one was the most extravagant, the most important, and the one in which she had the least say. Everything from caterers, to itinerary, to guestlists, to colors was decided meticulously by the Cabinet, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and official contracted event planners to ensure that nothing was amiss for their Thollan guests.

Even her clothes had been picked for her. She wore a blue silk gown with a full skirt and a sheer overcoat, trailing behind her, all embroidered with flowers in vibrant colors and threads of gold. The gown had been commissioned specifically for this event. The crowd felt heavy on her head. The jewelry on her neck and wrists and fingers and ears accentuated the image projecting royalty. They were her mothers'. That, at least, was a small comfort in all this chaos.

The first hour dragged on. Each conversation, polite and diplomatic, drained a little more of her shallow energy. Never without a member of the Cabinet by her side to guide the conversation, she at least wasn't entirely thrown to the wolves. Some day, she could hold her own. Some day she would have to. For now she felt like little more than a pretty puppet. She was a pale imitation of her father.

At the second hour, with a growing headache and stirring nausea, she managed to slip away. It was meant to be just a few minutes, a break from the noise to recoup and than jump back into the fray. If she was gone too long people would notice.

But as she walked down the closed off halls of the palace, the quiet washed over her like a cool stream. The headache began to ease, the nausea began to settle, and only came back when she thought of returning. She wandered. Her feet unconsciously followed a familiar path until she stepped through the double glass doors to her private garden greenhouse.

Stillness. It was quiet, apart from the soft trickling fountain and her own steps along the path. The butterflies slept, hanging from branches and twigs, their wings folded. Moriah sat on a bench by the fountain, removed her crown, and lay down to stare up at the stars through the greenhouse glass.

She had been gone too long.

She couldn't bring herself to return.

[the-lady-oneill]

Hugh was still getting used to how impolite Cerean women were. Of course, he doubted he would. He didn't exactly have much time to become acquainted with them. As such, it took concerted effort to master his expression when Neskel gave him only a brief greeting and then turned her attention back on his wife, like he wasn't even there.

Ultana took the tart, paid Hugh a brief glance, a little apologetic smile, and thanked the other woman.

"Everything I've had tonight has been a delight, I must say. Wouldn't you agree?" this question, she turned on Hugh, splitting the tart in half so he could try it, too.

"Oh, positively," Hugh answered, grateful that she'd pulled him back into the conversation. "Alek Frarden...I think I met him. The artist?"

[the-self-proclaimed-prince]

Neskel nodded. "My sister follows more in his footsteps. As an artist. Not lifestyle. She's all anti-aristocracy and has built a whole image around it, so she can't exactly show up a function like this. I admire her brand integrity." She said it with a certain nonchalance. To Hugh said said, "Eldina Ultana mentioned her family works in residential property management. Is that a joint effort with you or...?"

[the-lady-oneill]

To Ultana's credit, she somehow managed to keep her expression neutral despite the wave of panic that slammed into her at the suggestion.

"Oh," how could she decline...politely? Ultana had no clue what she'd do if Neskel dragged her over to meet her father.

Hugh was the one to save her. He glided into the conversation before she even registered he had approached, placing a hand on the small of her back that nearly made her jump out of her skin in surprise.

"Naratiyi, who's this?"

Ultana let out a breath, smiled, and introduced: "This is Neskel," a pause, then, Ultana flushed red and turned to the other woman. "Oh, I'm so sorry. I never got your family name or title! How rude of me."

[the-self-proclaimed-prince]

"Neskel Frarden," she offered her hand. "You must be Eldarin Hugh O'Neill. Pleasure to meet you. I'm Alek Frarden's daughter. I saw you chatting with him earlier and I'm sure he talked your ear off about his latest art installation."

A waiter passed by with lemon cream puffs. Neskel took one and offered it to the eldina. "I saw how much you liked that fruit tart. You have to try these." With the best chefs and bakers on Ceres catering the event, everything was nothing short of exquisite.

[the-lady-oneill]

For a moment, Ultana didn't know what to say. Women managing real estate was perfectly normal, as was a daughter taking over that job from her mother-in-law. But a daughter inheriting from her mother was such...an odd thing to think about. Certainly not odd from a Cerean perspective. Or, at least, Ultana thought so.

She decided not to comment on it, and instead took a safer: "Oh? What kind of art does he make?"

[the-self-proclaimed-prince]

"Abstractionist paintings, art installations, that kind of thing. He used to work in business management, but retired to follow his passions a few years ago." Neskel gestured with her glass to a stocky man engaged in conversation across the ballroom. "He's over there and loves talking about his art. I can introduce you if you'd like."

[the-lady-oneill]

Ultana didn't know whether to be grateful for the swift change in topic, or worried that Neskel would make all sorts of assumptions with this information and go blabbing to her peers. Ah, well, she supposed that wasn't really her problem right now.

"Residential. We handle nearly all of the rental contracts on the planet. Well, when I say we-- my father's House is huge. Think of them like city states. And you? I didn't catch your background."

[the-self-proclaimed-prince]

"My family's in residential too," Neskel said. "But not quite as extensive as yours it sounds like. We own majority of the rental properties in Mira, which, it being the capitol is pretty lucrative. It doesn't include commercial or, obviously, independently owned properties, so Tunla was exaggerating saying we own half the city. It's more like a quarter. My mom manages most of it, but I stay in the loop since I'm set to inherit. My dad's an artist."

[the-lady-oneill]

Ah, exactly the sort of loaded questions Ultana wished nobody would ask her. Everyone back home expected her and the other Eldinas to avoid these topics, but in truth she didn't know how that would be possible. This was one of the most stark differences between the two planets. How could the Cereans not be curious?

She tucked some of her hair behind her ear, then searched the room to clock her husband. There. Still with Seamus, a good ways off. She returned her attention to Neskel and cautiously said: "Ke'in, that's true."

[the-self-proclaimed-prince]

Neskel thought a moment about how to respond without offending or condoning, and finally settled on, "Well who knows what the future holds." Changing the topic, she shifted to more common ground. "You said your family are landowners? Business, farming, or residential?"

[the-lady-oneill]

The mention of hot springs surprised Ultana, considering how unused Sinead had been to the social baths when she'd arrived, but maybe this was different?

"The part of Thol I'm from has...mm, well it doesn't feel like being indoors. Artificial sky, real plants contributing to the air, a river, water gardens, wildlife, hot springs, that sort of thing. And if one wishes for a change of pace, there's the park district. It has all sorts of biomes available." A little laugh. "Still, no snow and no real rain. It just mists in the morning and in the winter. This is my first time off-world, so it never seemed strange to me. Both Eldarin Seamus and Eldina Sinead tell me that it's a perfectly normal temperature here this time of year, but I must admit it seems cold. I can't imagine how much colder it must get when the weather turns."

Since the other woman was eating, she figured it wouldn't be some kind of faux pas to eat, too. Ultana chose something from another passing waiter that looked to be a tiny fruit tart, and it was good.

[the-self-proclaimed-prince]

"So much colder. I hate the dead of winter, but I hate hot summers more, so the valley is the perfect middle ground. Besides, everyone who's anyone is either here or in Nurkaun." Neskel lifted a fresh glass of fruit wine from a passing waiter. "I hope you don't mind me asking about your world. It's just such a different way of life. And not just the climate. I mean..." she lowered her voice. "Is it true you don't even get to vote?"

[the-lady-oneill]

Ultana had actually been about to take it personally, worried she'd somehow said something so offensive that everyone had found an excuse to leave. Neskel, however, seemed genuine.

Besides, Ultana was not going to complain about having fewer people to navigate around, and she was certainly not going to complain about no longer being expected to maintain conversation with a strange man.

"I haven't seen much yet," she said carefully, "But it's very beautiful. The weather, especially -- yesterday was my first time experiencing rain. I imagine it gets tiresome if you live with it, but admittedly all I wanted to do was stand out in it all day. Eldarin Seamus is planning on taking us up to the mountains for some snow later."

[the-self-proclaimed-prince]

"There are some beautiful hot spring lodges up north. There's really nothing like soaking in warm natural spring water in the snow. It's my favorite way to relax. My family and I take a trip at least once a year." A waiter passed by with a plate of hors d'oeuvres. Neskel took one and handed him her empty glass. "I've heard you keep the climate warm. All that artificial atmosphere sounds so... utilitarian. I mean, I'm not saying I want to go roll around in the grass under the stars, but fresh air is fresh air. How do you bear it?" She popped the hors d'oeuvre, a little puff pastry with a lamb pate, in her mouth.

[the-lady-oneill]

Ultana sighed. "His wife is a religious leader and has a great many responsibilities she's not able to leave on Thol." And would be an absolute nightmare to manage at a diplomatic social event. No one ever suggested she should come in the first place. 'Religious leader' might be a stretch, but Ultana was not very keen on explaining the mess that was the Naethris interpretation of the cult of the Python.

"She's not very fond of traveling anyway. Kita jumped at the opportunity, though, and I don't blame her. It's lovely here." This was genuine. Despite the ordeal of this social gathering, getting to experience the sky, and weather, and temperature changes, and seeing so many plants and live animals and different kinds of people... Ultana was enamored with everything she'd seen so far.

[the-self-proclaimed-prince]

"I'm going to go introduce myself," Ei'kal said. "Sinead's said he's a great conversationalist." She slipped past her friends and made her way across the ballroom towards Eldarin Seamus.

"I should probably be making some rounds myself," Tunla sighed. "It's been lovely chatting and enchanting to meet you, Eldina Ultana. You really should stop by Sel Klar's Boutique while you're in town." She and Ge'ir also departed, leaving just Neskel and Mishpa.

Mishpa, suddenly looking very awkward, said, "Sorry my brother's actually waving me down. I was so good to meet you," and dipped.

Neskel let out a big sigh. "Scattered like leaves in the wind. Don't take it personally." She took a sip of her drink. "So, what's your impression of our humble little world?"

[the-lady-oneill]

Months of preparation could not, in any way, override an entire lifetime of ingrained social expectation.

Just pretend the men aren't here, Seamus had said. It was somewhat doable when Ultana was in the safe company of other women. But now this foreign creature was here and she found herself fighting with every single ingrained instinct, to the point that it was difficult to even register what he had asked her. His smile was cheery, his manner infectious, and he seemed to truly like his wife. Eccentric.

The offered hand was a shock. Right. This was fine. This was perfectly acceptable in Cerean society. Ultana made herself take the handshake, even though her skin crawled with the wrongness of it.

"It's a pleasure to meet you as well," she managed. Her voice, at least -- that polite cadence trained to please a male ear -- didn't fail her.

She cast her eyes across the room in Seamus' direction, both to get away from Ge'ir's gaze and to avoid the chore of looking at him the way you were supposed to in polite Cerean society. Kita stood at her father's side clad in one of her black gowns, looking around the party with thinly veiled curiosity. Ah.

Ultana breathed a little laugh and shook her head. "That's my brother-in-law and niece, Kita." She gestured to Hugh, who was making conversation with another Cerean diplomat alongside one of the more conservative Tyrconnel Eldarins that the council had deemed a safe representative. "That's my husband, Eldarin Hugh, in the red jacket there. Eldarin Seamus' younger brother."

[the-self-proclaimed-prince]

"Ah brother-in-law. My mistake." If Ge'ir was embarrassed, he didn't show it. "I'll have to catch your husband before the night's through."

"Oh that's Eldarin Seamus?" Ei'kal said, brightening at the name.

"Where's his wife? Don't tell me he's single," Neskel remarked, openly ogling. "A man like that cannot be single, politics be damned."

[the-lady-oneill]

"Well, then we have two things in common," Ultana decided to say. "Charity work and parents who deal in residential real estate. In any case, that sounds like a very admirable use of one's time."

Educating disenfranchised youth was so terribly vague, and so Ultana found it hard to compliment. Supposedly, the Cerean public education system was quite extensive, so Ultana was hard-pressed to even think of why that might be a necessary pursuit. She filed it away to ask Sinead about later. How curious.

[the-self-proclaimed-prince]

"Incoming," said Mishpa, the first thing she'd said the entire conversation.

A tall, for Ceres, man with a square jaw and round spectacles swept in at that moment to slip his arm around Tunla's waist and plant a kiss on her cheek.

"How's my little social bug?"

Tunla laughed and patted his cheek. "Buzz buzz and all that. This is Eldina Ultana O'Neill. My fiance, Ge'ir."

Ge'ir kept one hand at Tunla's hip, but offered the other to Ultana. "Pleasure to meet you. O'Neill... You know, I think I was just chatting with your husband. Seamus was it? Is that dark cloud at his heels yours?"

[the-lady-oneill]

Ultana's eyes lit up as soon as Ei'kal introduced herself as Sinead's cousin. And she was grateful for the...partial rescue on the question of where Sinead was. She didn't understand it all herself -- only that Sinead was not exactly in good standing with some important members of Cerean government. Not the queen directly, just some superiors, apparently.

"I do," she said, smiling. "She married Eldarin Murdoch of House Grace. We met at a party my mother was hosting during Eldina Sinead's first year on Thol, and have been great friends ever since."

[the-self-proclaimed-prince]

"She's mentions you a lot in her letters," Ei'kal said, excited to get a peak into her cousin's world. "Actually, she's mentioned that you enjoy charity work." This was with a turn to Neskel.

Neskel waved her hand. "We all do charity work."

"Not like you do," Ei'kal insisted. She turned to Ultana. "Her mom owns half the city, but she still volunteers her time to educating disenfranchised youth."

"More like a quarter and it's mostly residential," Neskel murmured into her drink.

"You're so modest," Tunla chided.

[the-lady-oneill]

Already, Ultana found it a little easier to relax. She took Tunla's hand and shook it after the Cerean fashion.

"A pleasure to meet you. I'm Eldina Ultana O'Neill." Then, to the second woman, "And you?"

[the-self-proclaimed-prince]

The second woman beamed a bright smile. "I'm Neskel, and this is Ei'kal, and Mishpa."

Ei'kal, a woman with soft brown eyes and soft brown curls, dressed with inspiration from the queen's style, perked up at the eldina's name. "Eldina Utlana? Do you know my cousin Sinead? She's married to-- um.. what's-his-name. Something-something Grace."

"Where is your cousin anyway I thought she'd be here," Tunla said, scanning the crowd. "She didn't go shunning high society again, did she? I don't know why she clung to that lifestyle for so long."

"She sent a letter saying she couldn't make it last month," Ei'kal said. Returning her attention to the eldina, she asked again, "Do you know her?"