Géraldine Grangier
Citizen
Former Heliotrope adept; Fully marqued
Thou, and no other.
Posts: 2,001
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Post by Géraldine Grangier on Jul 21, 2011 15:35:50 GMT -5
I nodded, sighing. “I suppose it would be. But wouldn't it be a beautiful gesture, to brave it, for him?”
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Post by Douleur nó Shahrizai on Jul 21, 2011 21:14:53 GMT -5
It was then I understood more about her and this man. “Ah,” I said with a smile. “You love him.”
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Géraldine Grangier
Citizen
Former Heliotrope adept; Fully marqued
Thou, and no other.
Posts: 2,001
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Post by Géraldine Grangier on Jul 22, 2011 1:16:14 GMT -5
I blushed, then, brightly. To admit that I loved a comte, a man of such high birth, a man, too, that I knew only for a few days spent together and some well-cherished letters.
And yet it was so.
I nodded, simply, feeling my throat tighten.
He'd never replied to my admission.
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Post by Douleur nó Shahrizai on Jul 22, 2011 17:41:27 GMT -5
“Might it not make him worry for you then if you were closer to danger and not still here where you are safer?” I suggested.
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Géraldine Grangier
Citizen
Former Heliotrope adept; Fully marqued
Thou, and no other.
Posts: 2,001
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Post by Géraldine Grangier on Jul 23, 2011 2:50:43 GMT -5
I looked down into my glass, then back to Douleur. “--- in truth,” I said softly, “I don't know.”
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Post by Douleur nó Shahrizai on Jul 23, 2011 17:51:09 GMT -5
“Oh,” I said, then my brow furrowed as I thought. “Well then, perhaps the only choice is to follow your heart.”
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Géraldine Grangier
Citizen
Former Heliotrope adept; Fully marqued
Thou, and no other.
Posts: 2,001
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Post by Géraldine Grangier on Jul 24, 2011 17:10:50 GMT -5
“I need to know,” I said softly, eyes on Douleur, and a bit wider in my emotion. “Is he dead, or hiding from me, because I – may have blundered and couched my love on paper? Is he hurt? Is he -- I need to know,” I said again, because it was a realization.
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Post by Douleur nó Shahrizai on Jul 25, 2011 18:54:17 GMT -5
“Then it sounds as if your path is already laid,” I replied.
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Géraldine Grangier
Citizen
Former Heliotrope adept; Fully marqued
Thou, and no other.
Posts: 2,001
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Post by Géraldine Grangier on Jul 26, 2011 1:29:36 GMT -5
I couldn't help but look over my shoulder to the Tsingani women – though they seemed to be engrossed in a game of dice, and had no visible interest in Douleur and I.
“It does,” I replied with a new sense of decision. I found myself smiling a little, “Thank you, Douleur, you are very kind.”
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Post by Douleur nó Shahrizai on Jul 26, 2011 20:48:47 GMT -5
“Thank you, but I think I just told you what you already knew,” I said with a grin. I glanced at the older women and then back at Geraldine. “And, you didn’t even have to pay me.”
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Géraldine Grangier
Citizen
Former Heliotrope adept; Fully marqued
Thou, and no other.
Posts: 2,001
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Post by Géraldine Grangier on Jul 27, 2011 1:24:46 GMT -5
I chuckled, grinning back. “Hmmm, no. Though now I'm tempted to offer you a drink,” I replied, my manner open and friendly. “I have a feeling that we should get to know each other.”
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Post by Douleur nó Shahrizai on Jul 28, 2011 0:45:09 GMT -5
“I like that idea,” I said, smiling and then taking another couple bites of stew. It was beginning to cool and I wanted to finish it before it was cold.
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Géraldine Grangier
Citizen
Former Heliotrope adept; Fully marqued
Thou, and no other.
Posts: 2,001
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Post by Géraldine Grangier on Jul 28, 2011 13:29:06 GMT -5
I didn't speak for a while, because it seemed Douleur was hungry, and instead I took another sip of my wine. Just then, the waiter passed, and I smiled, waving him over. “A drink for my friend, if you please.”
“And what will Madame order?” He asked, a touch too obsequiously for the place where we were, which made me laugh inwardly.
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Post by Douleur nó Shahrizai on Jul 29, 2011 0:47:54 GMT -5
“Just another glass of wine, thank you,” I told him with a smile. He smiled at both of us and then headed off.
I chuckled and looked at Geraldine as I pushed the now empty bowl to the side. “He seems a little proper for such surroundings.”
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Géraldine Grangier
Citizen
Former Heliotrope adept; Fully marqued
Thou, and no other.
Posts: 2,001
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Post by Géraldine Grangier on Jul 29, 2011 11:48:02 GMT -5
I chuckled kindly. “He has impeccable manners. Perhaps he should consider applying at the Portes du Paradis, instead.”
And I tucked my hands under my chin, and smiling at Douleur, I asked, “So, I suppose the question comes inevitably, as trite as it is – are you a resident of Night's Doorstep yourself?”
She had the manners and elegance of an adept, I found - but she spoke with more freedom, too. She might have been a marqued adept, perhaps.
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Post by Douleur nó Shahrizai on Jul 30, 2011 0:38:10 GMT -5
“No,” I said, shaking my head a little. “I was an adept at Valerian until my marque was purchased by the Duchess Shahrizai. Now I reside with her as her assistant. Yourself?”
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Géraldine Grangier
Citizen
Former Heliotrope adept; Fully marqued
Thou, and no other.
Posts: 2,001
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Post by Géraldine Grangier on Jul 30, 2011 10:27:29 GMT -5
“I grew up at Heliotrope and made my marque very recently,” I replied, with a touch of quiet pride. “I opened my own salon, but with war at hand...”
I shrugged, then smiled again. “But that's not a very large problem, considering the grander scheme of things.”
Landis, though, had told me that he'd been finding trouble locating patrons - I was beginning to wonder if salons weren't running out of style.
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Post by Douleur nó Shahrizai on Jul 31, 2011 18:12:11 GMT -5
“Congratulations on both your finished marque and your salon,” I told her. “I’m sure once the war is over businesses will return to their normal busy state.”
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Géraldine Grangier
Citizen
Former Heliotrope adept; Fully marqued
Thou, and no other.
Posts: 2,001
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Post by Géraldine Grangier on Aug 1, 2011 23:55:36 GMT -5
“Of course,” I replied. “It's just bad timing, I opened shortly before war was declared. I'm hopeful, though.”
Landis had been less encouraging, I had to admit – but perhaps it was a personal trait too? I prefered to be optimistic.
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Post by Douleur nó Shahrizai on Aug 2, 2011 22:37:05 GMT -5
“Well, if the past holds true for the future, d’Angelines will regain their partying spirit in short order once the war is over,” I said with an encouraging smile.
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Géraldine Grangier
Citizen
Former Heliotrope adept; Fully marqued
Thou, and no other.
Posts: 2,001
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Post by Géraldine Grangier on Aug 3, 2011 2:50:31 GMT -5
I couldn't help but chuckle. “So it is,” I replied. “I've not been to a fete in a while – in truth, I would love to go to one again, there ever was something exhilarating to it.”
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Post by Douleur nó Shahrizai on Aug 3, 2011 19:01:59 GMT -5
“Yes, they are quite exciting to get ready for and you never knew just what would happen,” I said. My experience with fetes had always been mixed.
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Géraldine Grangier
Citizen
Former Heliotrope adept; Fully marqued
Thou, and no other.
Posts: 2,001
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Post by Géraldine Grangier on Aug 3, 2011 19:08:46 GMT -5
“I've only been to a scant few,” I admitted, “but the onces I attended were lovely. I've been blessed with loving patrons.”
Queen Sabrina's Coronation fete was etched in my mind, among others – though so was the Duc L'Enver's wedding. Then again, in both cases, I'd been contracted by men I had a special liking for.
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Post by Douleur nó Shahrizai on Aug 3, 2011 22:54:26 GMT -5
“You are truly blessed then,” I said. She was a nice enough person I could not feel anything negative towards her for having had such luck with her patrons.
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Géraldine Grangier
Citizen
Former Heliotrope adept; Fully marqued
Thou, and no other.
Posts: 2,001
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Post by Géraldine Grangier on Aug 5, 2011 11:11:57 GMT -5
“I would lie to say that I was not,” I agreed. “What of yourself? The Duchesse must like you very much, to have purchased your marque – is there no excitement in her service?”
I couldn't help but wonder if it was political, or if there were secret schemes that Douleur was involved in. Though of course if there were, I did not expect her to tell me.
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Post by Douleur nó Shahrizai on Aug 5, 2011 23:52:31 GMT -5
“The Duchesse bought my marque as a kindness,” I replied, looking down at my glass. “One of her kin treated me….poorly.”
I took a drink of wine and looked up again. “Being in her service is wonderful, like nothing I have ever known before.”
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Géraldine Grangier
Citizen
Former Heliotrope adept; Fully marqued
Thou, and no other.
Posts: 2,001
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Post by Géraldine Grangier on Aug 6, 2011 9:58:19 GMT -5
I noted what Douleur said about being treated poorly, and her pause told me it was an understatement. Had I known her better, I might have asked, but as it were, I didn't dare.
“I'm glad that you found a place where you are well treated,” I said kindly. “I suppose we've not met the same branch of this family – the only patron I had then was... he was interesting, and harsh, true, but I keep no ill memories of him.”
True that my assignation with Aramis had ended oddly - but I'd always thought I was partly to blame for it.
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Post by Douleur nó Shahrizai on Aug 6, 2011 16:18:05 GMT -5
“I had encounters with many members of the Shahrizai clan, and not all of them were bad,” I said, hoping she didn’t think I was disparaging the family. “But just as with every family, there are differences from one to the next.”
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Géraldine Grangier
Citizen
Former Heliotrope adept; Fully marqued
Thou, and no other.
Posts: 2,001
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Post by Géraldine Grangier on Aug 6, 2011 18:48:23 GMT -5
“I would suppose,” I replied, “just as in any house, of course.” Of course, I knew little of it – I had no family to call my own, and had been only tangentially exposed to clannish behaviors. It seemed to me, though, that perhaps the Thirteen Houses might also count as such.
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Post by Douleur nó Shahrizai on Aug 7, 2011 17:47:16 GMT -5
“Indeed, I come from a large family and it was the same at home as it was at Valerian, differences as much as similarities,” I said with a chuckle.
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