Snow had fallen, snow on snow

[Christine Daye]

Christine's eyes are wide in shock and embarrassment. This was not how she thought the conversation would so.

...still... all knowledge is worth having...

"...um... thank you... Wilbur... um..."

She's nervously twisting her fingers together. Then, to Helen:

"...did you hear about the plans for the next Elysium? ...or not Elysium... I mean... the Valentine's party... at the Quintessence...?"

Anything to change the subject. She was wondering if one could actually die of embarrassment.

[annabelle]

Upon the reference of the party Helen’s mood changes immediately. A frown marks her features.

“As much I respect Valmont and Reggie and enjoy Toreador parties…I am not sure I will attend this one. Not in the mood really.” Her gaze darkens and she withdraws.

“Who is that Valentine I don’t know. At least I’ve been encouraged by a certain someone in a high position, to bring my opium in this party. He said it will be more fitting in a Toreador party. Don’t think there is enough opium to handle this though.”

“What do you know about this party? Do we need to be escorted? Everyone is taken nowadays and if I am to attend it will be an embarrassment to attend unescorted.” She says grumpily.

[Christine Daye]

Christine shrugs.

"I don't know much about the plans, but I suspect that neither do the organisers yet."

She giggles.

"...and no, you do not need to be escorted... it is open to all the Court... there will be a poetry reading... and your special drink will be much in demand! Or... we can escort each other? Maestra will not mind... she will probably be terribly busy."

She gives Helen a curious look.

"Tell me, what did you do to Katherine when she was... intoxicated?"

[annabelle]

"Oh my, It would be an honour to escort each other... However, I believe you should be escorted by her Majesty. You are the ward of the Prince afterall, you need to claim your rightful position by her side. I know politics are of no concern for you but you need to play, even passively.

I won't have any problem finding an escort rest assured. And if Maestra is busy afterwards we can escort each other for the rest the night." she says with a bored look thinking all of the excuses she can use to not attend. She wasn't a complete masochist afterall.

She then bites her lips with guilt.

" Katherine... Right...I've heard she touched you.... and you got upset so...so...I adviced her, as a good friend, to not touch anyone but her Sire for the rest of the night. " and with that she winks wickedly at Christine.

"You know a typical Ventrue advice."

She relaxes further in the chair.

"Haven't seen her yet, I am not sure she is upset with me or not, but quite frankly I only asked her to take a sip in the beggining. And then she kept coming back for more. Back in my days not offering your drink or your meal was rude. Also refusing to share if asked was an unspeakable act, I did what was polite. She really brought this all down on herself. I held no responsibility of her mishaps, I actually ended up helping her for the sole reason of not upsetting you more. Edgy!

I had enough blood opium to pass out by the end of the night. Unfortunately or fortunately, everyone was so eager to taste it and I ended up not having enough for myself. Harry might help me with more supplies in the future. That lesser harpy has her priorities straight." she says with a dramatic sigh.

"And her choice of attire is intriguing. Never seen that before...Should invite her for a walk around the pubs. Lovely place."

She then laughs lightly and covers her face and groans.

"Violeta is really entertaining but in truth or dare I shouldnt have chosen dare. My sister will look down on me upon seeing what I did or what I asked. I am pretty sure she did see it, I've been told she stayed around, I wish she was distracted at that moment." and then she groans some more, almost comically.

[Christine Daye]

"Oh, politics!"

Christine pulls a face.

"It's so tedious... but needs must, I suppose... and I don't want to let Maestra down...."

Her eyes widen in shock as a thought strikes, and she looks suddenly distressed.

"You don't think that I will have to stop being her ward, do you?"

She hums for a moment, calming herself. ...and nothing else matters...

Then, in one of her characteristic mercurial changes of mood, she giggles.

"Oh, we shall have a wonderful time together, I am sure! And thank you... for Katherine... she has gotten more and more... touchy.... recently... and I find I simply cannot abide it! It's not so bad if I am warned... or if it is just a gentle handclasp... I can tolerate that... the polite niceties... but a full on ambush of a hug!"

She shudders in horror.

"... Katherine has not the right to such liberties! Best she save them for her husband! ... did you hear that Mr Jackdaw has a dog? A Jack Russell? Alas, it is a boy dog, so no puppies expected... I was very disappointed."

She tilts her head, considering.

"Yes, Harry is lovely," she agrees. "If she is going into trade in Egypt, I hope that she will bring back some more green silk for me. And i know what you mean about sharing... there are... traditions... that Katherine seems woefully ignorant of..."

Christine sighs.

"...I would give her the food of faerie... except the though of having her enchanted just fills me with sick horror!"

She looks sympathetically at Helen.

"If your sister was watching, then she would have seen it was all a game, nothing more... so do not let it bother you... besides, it sounds like you and your sister loved each other very much..."

Suddenly her face turns to an empty corner of the room, and she appears to be listening to something. Then:

"...yes Papa... I know Papa... yes... yes... yes... I know!"

[annabelle]

"Stop being her ward?!" Helen looks at Christine with a dissaproving look and her posture becomes more rigid.

"That won't happen and you shouldn't be thinking that. There is absolutely no reason and if there is and I am not aware... we will prevent that at all costs." Helen's expression is serious, dangerously so.

She closes her eyes and relaxes back to the chair.

"My little sister was holy and pure. There is nothing in this world I wouldn't have done for her wellbeing. Nothing... We agreed when we were kids that if I find a way to break the chains of our royal statutes, she will follow me everywhere. And she did. She could have left but she didn't. I would have done the same for her... "

There is a hesitation but she adds
"I saw her in the fire court... " a trembling starts.

"She...told me my soul is light as a feather." the pain in her voice impossible to hide "I always thought my soul is tainted but she said otherwise... how is it possible to be light as a feather when I constantly feel like I am drugging a dead weight every single night of my human and kindred life?"

She opens her eyes and they are lost somewhere...eyes glassy and catatonic
" Puppies... I brought a kitten from Constantinople...a white fluffy kitten...a souvenir from my roots, a part of my homeland that is living and breathing. I can come with it next time if you want to..."

She seems lost somewhere but when she sees Christine's delirium she snaps back to reality and just observes her with a frown.

[Christine Daye]

Christine scowls at the empty corner, then turns back to Helen and smiles overly brightly, for all the world like she is deliberately ignoring someone else in the room.

"Well... for what it is worth... I believe your sister. And agree with her totally. So there."

Her tone is gentle.

"...after all... who knows you better than your own sister? ...I always wanted a sister.. or a brother..."

Her head whips around again to the corner, and she sticks her fingers in her ears.

"Stop it, Papa! Stop it! I know! You wanted a son... better a son than a useless daughter! But now you're dead! Stop it!! Or... or I shall ask..."

She bites back whatever threat she was going to make, takes a deep breath, and sings to herself.

"...Comfort ye, comfort ye My people, saith your God.
Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem,
and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished,
that her iniquity is pardoned.
The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness;
prepare ye the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert
a highway for our God...."

The note fades, and she looks at Helen, madness flickering in her eyes, and giggles once more.

"A kitten sounds delightful!"

[annabelle]

Helen looks at Christine with sadness. So many heavy weights they carry in this world. Trying to recover from madness or drifting into it.

"Are the scars of our human years imprinted forever in our minds?" she asks Christine softly but it was a rhetoric question.

"I think they do, like the physical scars...static and painful. Time cannot heal them and we follow time regardless."

"Foolish fathers...expecting their sons to be superior of their daughters." she says with a lifelong held anger. There is something relatable in Christine's delirium.

"Now they are all dead Christine. Six feet under..." bitterness flows through her tongue.

"I didn't shed a tear for my bastard brother... such a piece of shit." her tone flat not caring for the unlady like curse.

There is a moment of silence.

"You remind me of my sister." she finally admits quietly.

[Christine Daye]

"...oh... oh.... "

Christine's obviously at a loss as to how to respond to Helen's last statement.

"...thank you... I... I am honoured... "

Her tone is quiet, but genuine. Then she jumps up from her chair, suddenly manic and excited, gesticulating at Helen.

"Come! Come! Let me show you something! Come on! How are you with heights? And ladders? Come! Let me show you a secret! One of the Holy Places... the boundaries..."

She stops suddenly.

"...only if you wish... "

[annabelle]

Helen grins
"I am all about heights...Let's go..."