The Rose Garden (Haven)

[Eglantine des Rosier]

The Elysium had proven more eventful than Eglantine had expected, having met one prince only to have to leave before even speaking to her replacement! Even more surprising she had been placed in a position of responsibility over a childe, and she had been released only a few months herself. Truly it was a sign of the instability in Bath currently that there was no better foster sire with the time to dedicate to a childe available.

It was troubling that she had not been able to resolve the matter of her acknowledgement, however as Primogen Elijah Fredrics had assured her of continued guest status for the time being Eglantine supposed that would have to wait to be dealt with at the new Prince's convenience. In the meantime she had a great deal to concern herself with, firstly Kira, and then she would need to write a very long letter each to grandmere and mama before she could rest for the day. As the carriage pulled up at her haven she realised that having been lost in thought somewhat she had neglected her charge a little.

"This is my home, or at least where I intend to make myself a home once we have the matter of acknowledgement settled. Do you have any belongings that we need to send for?" It would hardly be difficult to arrange for clothes and the like but if Kira had already acquired a few essentials it would mean they could work on other matters first and add to her wardrobe in a few nights time. "In addition, what would you say is your preferred colour scheme for a bedchamber?" Several of the rooms in the house were being decorated but there were a few made ready for their kind that might suit the young vampire.

The building itself, or buildings rather, was formed of three terraced houses built of the glorious sandstone popular throughout Bath, each with a rich purple door and shining silver knocker. Above the ground floor the windows had window boxes although in the darkness it was difficult to identify their contents, something that would be corrected when more of the rooms were lit with use when she opened the Women's Club. As the driver opened the door of the carriage the middle of the three doors was opened by a gentleman in a suit.

[LittleBird]

Kira sat still and upright for the majority of the journey, she stared out the window piecing together routes and trying to tie together some sense of familiarity as she once again travelled to the unknown.
" A few dresses and such, Miss Des Rosier, and a-" Kira bites her lip to stop herself, remembering a gold ring in a fresh yet in all honesty stale memory, why it's creeping up on her now she has no idea, yet shakes her head as if to chastise or correct herself, "I have not acquired much yet, though some texts were to be loaned to me in the future," she furrows her brow slightly, wondering why amidst such chaos and twisting turns of the evening certain faces were not present to witness, nor add to the fray of discord, "Though with a library to wade through, with your permission of course, such arrangements are hardly essential" she shares a fresh smile at the thought, eager to learn, to improve and discover, hoping such words parted of their future will stay true.
"Colour schemes?" she cocks her head, recalling her the differences in abodes she had laid to rest in of late, from the beautifully lavish though at times gaudy colours of some, to the elegantly simple yet perhaps colour devoid of her first, "I had not put much thought into such things, perhaps, if it shalln't be much trouble, I would very much appreciate a tour of them all please." she chuckles finding it peculiar to talk of colour schemes as opposed to more pertinent matters, yet in such company and after such a evening, a gentle ease and chance to recollect such thoughts and opinions with eyes that are not so raw would be the best course of action; as the evening had shown, the lid should be put on the heat of the moment before it spreads.
As the gentleman opens the door, Kira bows her head and offers a gentle thank you, yet she waits for her host to lead the way before she too departs.

[Eglantine des Rosier]

Eglantine smiled her approval at Kira's words, an eagerness to learn was one of the most important things to cultivate in a child in her opinion, and one it was often far to late to have an effect over by the time a person reached their embrace. It was good that Kira had this enthusiasm. She led the way out of the carriage and into the house with an optimistic bounce to her step, for all that her future in the city seemed to be somewhat uncertain she was still pleased by the potential she could feel in the air. This was what she had come her in search of after all, somewhere she could make a positive difference and where even her currently limited abilities could come to bear, and all the more so with a young woman looking to her for example and guidance.

"Mr Blake, we are to have a house guest, please inform the staff and leave word for Mr Quinn to meet us in the library at nightfall. Miss Kira will be following my sleeping pattern and will not want to be disturbed after she retires." He nodded his understanding as she moved past him and further into the house, handing off her reticule and wrap. "On the ground floor we have the dining rooms and meeting rooms, places for meeting with guests and preparing meals, I am afraid they are currently being decorated." She gestured to the doorways as they passed them beyond which shadowed rooms filled with covered furniture and the scent of paint could be glimpsed, before making her way up the stairs.

"On the first floor is the library, writing room, studio, lecture rooms and the like. Again many of them are in preparation but my first priority is always the library." The affection in her tone as she spoke the word was noticeable. She paused a moment here, considering whether to continue upwards to her living space or detour to a brief visit to the room in question. Kira had seemed interested and Eglantine would certainly like to share it with her, but the temptation to relax into a reading nook with a book might well distract her from the rest of the tour if she was not careful.

[LittleBird]

Kira follows, though she does linger back, as if with bated breath, as Des Rosier addresses Mr. Blake. She appears tense for a moment yet that falls to ease realitively quickly at her foster Sires manner. As the pass the rooms she tries to gaze at the works in progress. and as in the carriage before trying to ground herself in familiarity, "Pardon my asking, but who is this Mr. Quinn we are to meet?"
As they make their way upstairs Kira pictures the lecture rooms and studios being used, curious as to what matters and areas of growth Des Rosier would bestow upon her and even in the future the many ladies who will be attending her Salons. Kira beams at hearing her new Sires voice lilt with a faint joy at the mention of the library, "What writings fill your walls Miss?" Kira has to backtrack her steps, realising her guide too has halted her tracks for the moment, "And what subjects do you wish to add to enhance your collection?"

[Eglantine des Rosier]

"Mr Quinn is my trusted confidante. Should any of the neighbours enquire he is my cousin, and likely yours too for I'm considering introducing you to them as my younger sister. He handles my matters during the daytime and manages a bookshop across the road above which he resides. He knows more of what we are than most of my staff and is bound accordingly." She disliked the term ghoul, accurate though it may be.

As her foster childe asks further questions a wry smile crosses her features and Eglantine decides the trip to the Library is certainly warranted. "For a moment I want you to imagine a life where you have no value but birthing children. The only words you are supposed to know how to write being your own name and your only approved reading the bible, and even then in moderation. It is not my formative years I describe I must add, but a very real situation nonetheless. You are to question nothing, speak no louder than a murmur of agreement to your masculine betters, hold no opinion and never, ever to set foot in the domains of men, such as the library. Can you imagine that? To be denied any purpose or intellect save that of a pedigree bitch or brood mare."

She paused a moment to allow the image to sink in, as they strolled slowly along the corridor. Her voice and the story she was spinning creating a sensation of restraint and restlessness, as if locked in a room barely three feet wide. "In Venice in the sixteenth century, long before you or I were born, that was the life for women. When that was all you had ever known and all you thought you would ever be allowed imagine then your mother taking you by the hand and leading you to a place like this." With that she opened the door, standing aside with a gesture to let the younger kindred enter first and the sensation of restraint dropped away to soaring joy of incredible freedom.

Bookcases lined the walls, the oak gleaming with polish, some stood forming their own walls within the space making a maze of the room. Seats and tables clustered around lamps providing nooks for private reading or gathering spaces for small groups to read together, the dark green of the carpet echoed in the leather of the seats as the wood matched the shelves and pale pink or floral cushions added a touch of femininity to the space.

[LittleBird]

"If that is how you wish to introduce me, I'll follow your lead," she offers a smile once again and asks brightly, "Has Mr. Quinn travelled from France too Miss Des Rosier?"
Kira pauses, recalling how the wisps of her own voice from another time seemed to penetrate the air with a crack, how her dainty footsteps could never be veiled enough from the ears of one who held the situation with a grip she had not experienced before...one who took charge and overturned what she believed was the given order of power at the time. "I can imagine," not that I wish too, "Is that not how many carers look after their Childer too?" she ponders, every action and insight carefully plucked, inspected and stripped of their core before being placed in the hands of a young student? Not to step outside their deliberately limited purview? Kira wrings her hands as these thoughts continue, her own voice barely above a whisper as she asks such things, "I understand it is for our own safety too of course, especially in these times," she looks up at the bookcases, "Which is why it is best to be prepared right? Any writings you would have me commit to memory? Lessons to have stick with me?" she gestures with her hand, as if touching the spine of the books yet is mere inches from making such contact...her eyes squint and head tilts as she studies the many binds of books before her.

[Eglantine des Rosier]

"Mr Quinn traveled with me from Scotland, much as my connections to Paris are many, thanks to my grandmere's interest in my welfare and education, mama resides in Edinburgh. I do find myself talking more often of France than Scotland however so it is a reasonable guess." She smiled, a trace of amusement rather than censure in her correction. "As for how a childe is taught, or how a parent raises their child, I rather suspect there will always be twice as many ways in which that could be conducted than there will ever be children." She thought back to the contrasting ways her mother, father, mama and grandmere had all contributed to shaping her.

"Some restraint is most certainly needed, such as the traditions, self-control and the manner in which we present ourselves to others. However..." Eglantine smiled, "this is not a library for good wives and mothers who never become their own person, only existing relative to the men in their life. There are scientific journals, atlases, travel guides, language primers, novels of variety and substance, anatomical treatises, all here for any woman seeking to fertilise their growing mind." As she spoke she twirled in the centre of the room like a child in a field of flowers and happiness.

"It used to be that the only women permitted the luxury of so much learning and the freedom to define their own lives, paid for it with the dangers and disapproval of being a courtesan. Proving that men have as little idea what it is they truly want in a woman as their understanding of the female mind. A woman who is theirs alone, chaste and silent, who would not be bored quickly of so paltry a prize? Merely a shadow of the person they could have become. Make use of the library as you will, learn all you can, and remember that your learning does not stop at the doorway, we have been blessed with long lives and they are filled with lessons. To quote my sire, a woman's greatest and most hard won asset is an education."

It was perhaps not the time yet to mention that the woman from the tale, who had been denied all hope of learning and then shown the wonders of a library and of socialising with the elite men of Venice was her sire. Scandal was unlikely to be helpful after all. It was deeply hypocritical that a woman was judged for making her livelihood by the only means open to her and yet her patrons were respected members of society. Eglantine refocused herself on the matter at hand.

"I would recommend you take a look at the books towards that corner of the room to begin with." She gestured to the far right. "They are written in several different languages and it seems worth finding out if you can read any of them which may provide a clue to your history. Other than that I encourage you to follow your curiosity." If Kira was anything like she seemed to be she would need no more encouragement to devour the contents of the library than permission to do so.

[LittleBird]

"A Courtesan? I don't-" Kira furrows her brow, trying to place that word...yet something about Des Rosier's words make her sink none the less. To try and shake such unfamiliar feelings she turns to the corner she was pointed towards, flicking through books "You don't paint the picture of liberating freedom there...yet, what is it you feel they want from us? As women, or a mere childe in general? I've been told we our property of those who made us, it seems a common sentiment at court at least. That responsibility lies with you now, yet you disagree with their louder and more frequent voices. Would you deem it better if I played the part of a silent obedient trophy, at least until I learn more, and can be of some worth in their eyes?"

[Eglantine des Rosier]

"Play the part certainly, until you know better what people want to see and how to show that side of yourself to best advantage. As for what men want, or what elder kindred want, well generally flattery to their self-worth, a woman who is strong minded and intelligent but still sees them as her superior, for it to be an obedience rarely given so that it is more valued. Though you should most certainly show respect to everyone." It was a fine line to dance between loyalty and independence, one that did not always come easily to everyone.

"Think of your personality as a jewel of many faces all of which serve to capture the light and emphasise your shine." Eglantine was beginning to worry that she might be complicating matters more than helping at this point, but she had only been released a few weeks ago herself. She did not have the experience to raise childer but this was a responsibility entrusted to her and as much as she might doubt her abilities she would still ensure she did her very best for Kira.

"It has been a long night with much turmoil, perhaps I should show you to the rooms and we can both get some rest. You can choose a book or two to bring with you if you would like?" Eglantine for her part was midway through re-reading One Thousand and One Nights in the original Arabic currently it being one of her favourites, she would have to locate the English translation and encourage Kira to read that at some point...