An Open Invite

[Lady Grace]

Grace disguises her hurt poorly. Yet again lack of thought and enthusiasm had distracted her from what was important.

But reaches out a hand beneath the card table to find Laurence's hand for reassurance.

[Laurence]

Laurence's hand finds Grace's and squeezes gently, the blank look on his face softens ever so slightly at the obvious hurt on Grace's face.

"We need to speak Primogen, soon."

Keeping hold of Grace's hand, Laurence uses his other to start gathering the cards and shuffling them back into a completed deck.

[Valentina Audley]

As Angelina sings, Valentina smiles and relaxes a little. Her stitching stops and she clasps her hands over her knees listening and smiling at Angelina. Thank goodness the girl knew how to behave!

She joins in Grace's applause for Angelina. "Thank-you darling, that was lovely." She smiles genuinely pleased with both Angelina's performance and her idea of asking the girl to sing.

As Dukes leaves she stands and drops a small neat curtsey to him, then sits gracefully and listens to Grace and Laurence's songs, appluading them each as well when they end.

She pretends politely not to listen to Grace and Laurence, or to notice that Laurence is using one hand for a task most people need two for, instead she says to no-one in particular.

"Very well, if we are all to sing, I offer this to the gathering."

And she puts her sewing aside, stands and begins

"One evening there did ramble
Across the hills so fine
A lady fair who thought to dare
Converse with Reynardine
Her hair was black, her eyes were blue
Her lips were red as wine
And he smiled to gaze upon her
That sly old Reynardine
She said, "Strange sir, be civil
My company forsake
For I'm a noble damsel
And you are some rake"
"Oh no, " said he, "No rake am I
Caught up in Cupid's train
I'm a pilgrim traveler
Who's heading home again.
I have no wife to call my own
Or spend my wealth upon
A lonesome bed I sadly keep
Between the dusk and dawn
If by chance you search for me
To make my fortune thine
You'll find me in my castle
Inquire for Reynardine"
Sun and dark, she followed him
His teeth did brightly shine
As he led her into the mountains
That sly old Reynardine
That sly old Reynardine."

She seats herself and smiles at Jean-Jacques. "I believe it is your turn darling..."

[Jean-Jacques]

Jean-Jacques, who had been pleasantly enjoying the songs, faces Valentina as she provides the challenge.

He looks quite uncertain,

For a moment his mouth opens, then closes,

His eyes seems to sparkle and he smiles

He then, with rather more bravado than talent, sings (more spoken, similarly to the version below) a song seemingly from a well practised memory..his accent is gone as he sings

“Oh, Oh, Danny boy, the pipes, the pipes are calling
From glen to glen, and down the mountain side.
The summer's gone, and all the roses falling,
It's you, it's you must go and I must bide.

But come ye back when summer's in the meadow,
Or when the valley's hushed and white with snow,
It's I'll be here in sunshine or in shadow,
Oh, Danny boy, oh Danny boy, I love you so!

But when ye come, and all the flowers are dying,
If I am dead, as dead I well may be,
You'll come and find the place where I am lying,
And kneel and say an Ave there for me.

And I shall hear, though soft you tread above me,
And all my grave will warmer, sweeter be,
For you will bend and tell me that you love me,
And I shall sleep in peace until you come to me!”

https://open.spotify.com/track/5o4SqGek ... 1pQ86w6Mjg

[Lucius Servius]

Lucius yawns and makes his way in the direction Aldrich and Auralia went.

On the way, he slowly caresses Angelina's shoulder silently whispering into her ear as he passes "does it feel so bad to have left the ocean of thorns that you sing its laments? Tut tut my pet."

[Bronwyn93]

Angelina finished her song and smiled, dipping a curtsey with a shy laugh as she stepped aside to watch the others start to sing. She watched with rapt interest as they each performed.

She had started to relax after everything going on, getting more into the performances than thinking about the fear from earlier. But as soon as she saw the elder walk near her, that tension returned, and she visibly cringed under the touch on her shoulder, her lips pressing into a tight line at his almost silent words. She glanced around quickly to make sure no one else had heard before shooting a glare at him as he passed.

[Posh-Tim]

As the songs wend their way through the house, time passes. It's been ten minutes or so since Keane disappeared behind the screen in the corner along with Anton. Keane re-emerges and looks around at the attendees still in the room. Brujah and Toreador, the room holds quite a presence. His face moves through a series of expressions, at first an almost childish laughter then, which switches to a far more grim expression when he looks around before finally being forced into a more passive and easy going facade.
Anton emerges closely behind Keane and stays beside him as he sweeps back into the room. To those that are paying close attention the hem of Keanes robes are crinkled and Antons shirt is now showing the slight traces of pink.
He nods at Valentina again as they return but largely ignores the others as he and Anton take up their previous space on the sofa, Anton sitting in a quietly stunned state next to Keane.
"I see all the Elders saw fit to leave. The songs were very lovely though. Was there to be another round of games? Perhaps some more of the game of questions if others would care to join in?"
He scans around the others looking for approval.

[Caru]

"So this is where you all are!" Caru chirrups, popping her head in from around the kitchen. "Vex said there was an east wing, but I didn't believe him because houses don't have wings. Whoops. Guess he was right about his house. I eventually looked outside, thinking, you know, like a bird has wings there." Caru's nose scrunches up delicately.

She's nominally in her twenties, Embraced young (certainly the girl didn't carry the scents of a human; overlaid above the Undead void were the earthy scents of pine and woodsmoke). Dressed in comfortable travelling attire, the woman bears a Scandinavian set of features. Her hair is almost white blonde, and very straight. She has a few scrolls strapped to her back, and a leather satchel across her hip. Warm green eyes - much paler than Anton's: almost neon lime green, slightly unnatural - soften in greeting.

"I hope I'm not interupting? I am Ancilla Caru, of Clan Gangrel. A pleasure to meet you all."

She walks in and shrugs off her satchel and scrolls, dumping them beside a chair that she takes near Valentina. "Hey Miss Audley! How have you been? And uhhh..." she squints over the the Malkavians. "I don't think I know either of you? A pleasure to meet you!"

[Anton]

After a beat Anton says, "Neonate Anton Kilner, of Clan Malkavian." He gives a tight nod, and a faltering smile. For all the minutes that had passed, he's recovered somewhat, but the boy's aura is wadded with humiliation and discomfort. He looks shaken.

"Yeah, who figured? I had a friend whose house had two wings, but they built an extension on one and had no idea what to call the crooked offshoot. So they just called it the north wing and the north wing tip. A bit like a bird unicorn."

"You chatted to Vex?"

[Jean-Jacques]

Jean-Jacques looks briefly confused and frowns,

That’s Caru!......How on....is she alive?.....Enkidu was I dreaming, no fuck get a hold of yourself, it hasn’t happened yet!

He then smiles as Caru enters and introductions are underway.

“I believe we have met at Elysia in Aquae Sulis Ancillae Caru, I am Jean-Jacques Marcheaux, recently unreleased and ward of Primogen Granville of clan Brujah in the city.”

He smiles and bows toward the gangrel