661-04-06 - A Visit from the Lady of Quilt Island
| A Visit from the Lady of Quilt Island | |||||||
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| Summary: Lady Adara receives a special guest while bonding with her first child. | |||||||
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What a day, all of the pain, strain, blood, and yet here she is, miniature perfection. Lady Adara Zorich had refused a wetnurse, the new mother sitting up in her bed with a tiny living thing in her arms. The younger sister of the Duchess of the Isle of the Gloomy Jungles was finally a mother after twenty-one years, and now she was along with the little angel nestled up to her breast.
There's a rustle from the wardrobe. A rustle, a bustle, and finally, the door slowly creeeeeeaks open. Out steps Li'l Samuela, rubbing her eyes. Her hair doesn't look all that bad, overall, but more than the odd strain here and there sticks in a different direction. She yawns, blinks her still sleepy eyes a couple of times, and then turns to diligently close the wardrobe door behind herself. She turns to her right and, after a short silence, she speaks to thin air. "Yes, Forelle, I know that we must go check on Auntie Adara." A proper lady, no matter how young, must never leave her quarters, no matter how wardrobe-like, without her handmaiden, no matter how imaginary. She already starts walking with a surprisingly determined pace, for her young age. "I think that by now she-" Well, any sleepiness that there was before has now completely gone. Those eyes go huuuuuuuuge as she literally /rushes/ to her Aunt's bed, and... stares at the new arrival.
Adara's gray eyes dart to the wardrobe the moment the creek starts, she always seemed to be overly observant. A lot of mothers claim they have eyes in the back of their head, if its possible Adara certainly had them even before she became pregnant. Her face shifts from one of cautious protection to a soft smile of warm love as Samuela starts to talk to her 'handmaiden'. Then comes the large eyes drawn like a moth to a flame and Adara giggles softly. The baby idly raises a hand to hug her mother's breast as she lazily suckle on Adara. He night gown mostly covers Adara's body, though one shoulder and half of her chest is exposed to allow the baby to feed, though the baby's body covers much of the otherwise exposed breast. "A proper Lady should announce herself and her handmaiden, or have them announced before entering someone else's chambers." Adara says in a soft, motherly tone to Samuela and adds, "Especially the chambers of another Lady, one must be given the chance to make themself look presentable." Adara lacks any form of make-up, her hair is still a mess, as she wasn't expecting company she looks far from her typical perfectly-groomed state. She doesn't try to prevent Samuela taking a closer look at her new cousin however.
Samuela shrinks a little and looks down. "Sorry, Auntie...", she says, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. And casting another curious glance at the baby. When that is done, she rushes back to halfway the room and, standing on her tips and swinging back to her heels repeatedly, she announces, "Lady Samuela Zorich of Wardrobe Manor on Quilt Island and her handmaiden Forelle demand audience with Lady Adara Zorich and..." she hesitates for a moment, in confusion. "...family.", she finally says, not sure of what the baby is called, nor whether it's a boy or a girl, for that matter.
Giggling softly Adara says, "You request audience not demand it." smiling softly she says, "You have my permission to enter and come meet your cousin."
Samuela, once again, says, "...sorry...", then curtsies and says, "Thank you, my Lady!", and finally rushes up to Adara and stares at the little thing for a good amount of time, unblinking. She interrupts the activity just to look at Adara and just says, "...so tiny..."
Adara smiles softly and says, "You weren't that big originally either little one." in a soft, good-natured tone. She then says, "You want to know a secret about my daughter?"
Samuela frowns. "Yes, but I never was that tiny, either!", she protests, pulling away. "I have never been shorter than..." she sticks her arm out horizontally, palm facing down. She takes a look at her hand, and ponders for a moment. Then lowers it by an inch, barely. "...this much!", she finally exclaims, as if she was shocked at the insinuation. But then the promise of a secret is offered, which causes Samuela to completely forget about the discussion at hand, and rush back to the bedside. "A secret?"
Adara giggles softly and nods. She looks to the left and right slowly, then looks to Samuela and whispers, "How much older you are then my baby. That is how much older your mother is compared to me."
Samuela, in a single motion, frowns, pulls up her hands, and looks down at them. Fingers start going up and down in a complicated dance, the patterns of which she is progressively losing control, but, like a good lady, no matter how mathematically confused, her expression does not give away any of that. She looks just as concentrated as she was at the beginning. "...this much.", she finally says, three fingers sticking up and the others staying down.
Adara smiles and says, "Seven. You have seen seven years from the time you were born to the time my little one was born. It was the same with your mother when I was born, I'm younger then even your two uncles.”
Samuela stares at the baby for some more time. "What's her name?", she finally asks.
Adara smiles softly looking to the baby who has stopped nursing and is soundly sleeping, "Her father and I haven't chosen a name yet." Reaching up to gently sweep what little hair there is aside she asks Samuela, "Going to help me keep an eye on her, and keep her out of trouble?" offering her niece a soft smile.
Samuela straightens up and looks all proper. Well, excluding the few remaining rebellious strands of hair, that is. "I and Forelle will keep an eye on her. We swear it on our honour. Right, Forelle?" She turns to her right, and nods along to what must be a very deep and very important response. And when she finally turns to her aunt, she concludes, "You have heard it yourself. It's our duty now.”
Adara smiles softly, and attempts to lean over slowly to give her niece a kiss on the forehead saying, "I'm sure you both will do a good job." as she adjusts her gown a bit to cover as much of herself without disturbing the baby as possible now that she has done nursing.
Samuela rushes off the door, past the guards. Her voice becomes quieter and quieter as she heads in the distance. "Lissy! Lissy! I saw the baby! It's tiny and pink and cute and it's a girl and it's born older than you than auntie were, seven years ago, and tinier than I ever was... and... and... *sneeze* and.." She cannot heard anymore at this point. Until shortly after, where some shrill noises can be heard. And Samuela rushes back, limp fists on her eyes, tears trickling down her cheek. "Lissy puuuuuuuuunched meeeeee…."
As Samuela comes running back the baby jerks and looks around sleepily, eyes blinking in confusion and it isn't long before she starts crying in her mother's arms. Adara lifts her new daughter to her shoulder, bouncing her gently to try and sooth her as Adara's gray eyes shift to her niece and says in a soft, polite tone, "I cannot do anything about my sister's children unfortunately. Go and tell your mother what happened, she'll handle matters as they need to be handled.”
Samuela sniffs, in a futile attempt at pulling up a bit of the suspicious substance that has leaked from her right nostril, and her attempts at keeping a straight face are shattered by a yell in Lisabette's voice coming from the distance, "Who's the baby now, Sammy?" Samuela can do nothing but run off, whining, "Moooooom…."
Adara simply shakes her head at the antics of her nieces as she returns to trying to calm and sooth her baby.
