[center][h1][b][color=9354FF][abbr=1.) a state of disorder or disrepair; broken 2.) peaceful ruler]
◆◆◆◆◆[/abbr] "△△△"[/color] [abbr=1.) son of Hendrick 2.) ruler of the home; estate ruler 3.) lord’s manor][color=9354FF]◆◆◆◆◆◆[/color]◆[/abbr][/b][/h1][color=9354FF]Location:[/color] Vikena’s Estate
[color=9354FF]Time:[/color] 11:00
[color=9354FF]Interactions:[/color] Dr. John Williamson [@Conscripts]; Lady Charlotte Vikena [@princess]; Lady Thea Smithwood[@Tae][/center]
When Dr. Williamson appeared at the entrance with Delilah, △△△ feared something dreadful had happened to Duke and/or Lady Vikena—a worry that the good doctor quickly extinguished with a gentle reassurance that he did not come to the estate in any professional capacity. He gave △△△ the short version of the series of events that led him to visit the Vikena’s, which led to him encountering a Varian count at the front door, which led to said count apologizing for forgetting that even doctors pay social calls. The count offered a cookie from the gift basket to Dr. Williamson for the offense, and another to Delilah to buy her silence. The three chatted until Dr. Williamson excused himself. He had one foot over the threshold when △△△ asked him, [color=9354FF]“In your professional opinion, is it medically possible to determine if someone is or has been under the influence of magic?”[/color]

[hr]
[color=BBC7E1]“H-hello there Count ◆◆◆◆◆.”[/color] The sound vanished before it reached △△△’s ears, but he kept the smile pinned to his face. If he ignored the oddities he acquired, everything else functioned as normal. How often do people need to check their reflection in a day, anyway? If his appearance looked weird, someone was bound to inform him in some manner, whether it be verbal or by gawking. He had entire conversations with people without anyone bringing up their names. This was just like that. There was no need to feel sad about it.

[color=9354FF]“Hello there, yourself,”[/color] He hesitated a bit before testing the waters, [color=9354FF]“Lady Charlotte.”[/color] △△△ arguably overstepped his bounds by addressing Lady Vikena by her first name, without the proper title, the night before. However, she also called him ◆◆◆◆◆, and based on the staff’s interaction with the future duchess, he got the impression that the Vikenas were not stringent about protocols.

[color=BBC7E1]“Have you met Lady Thea?”[/color] Lady Vikena gestured towards a young blonde woman with vaguely familiar eye colors.

[color=#035E7B]“I don’t think we’ve had the pleasure of meeting yet.”[/color] Lady Smithwood’s smile was stiff, put on for Lady Vikena’s sake. If anything, it seemed as if △△△–a stranger–had intruded on an important moment between friends. His smile turned into the more apologetic variety before he bowed.

[color=9354FF]“It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Lady Smithwood. I’m—”[/color] △△△’s throat constricted on the name before it could come out. A bead of sweat formed as his throat continued to tighten and refused to relent. It only released him when he said, [color=9354FF]“I’m Lady Charlotte’s new friend,”[/color] instead.

He knew he paused too long, but before anyone could ask questions he attempted to redirect their attention elsewhere. △△△ wiped the seat off and fidgeted with his bangs. [color=9354FF]“Look at me stumbling over my words. I’m sure you receive compliments like this often, Lady Smithwood, but your eyes are quite stunning! Heterochromia, yes? My grandmother has heterochromia too. Although they’re a few shades darker than yours.”[/color] He closed his left eye and pointed at his right eye. [color=9354FF]“One eye is the same color as this,”[/color] then he opened his left eye, [color=9354FF]“and her other eye is a very dark blue. Actually, most of the time they both look black, but in the right lighting you can see how blue her left eye is.”[/color] The thought of his grandmother’s eye color triggered an image of a shark to flash through △△△’s mind. He clapped his hands in sudden excitement. [color=9354FF]“Like sharks! Did you know sharks don’t actually have black eyes? They’re deep blue! In fact—”[/color] The part of the brain responsible for restraint prevented △△△ from dumping useless trivia on the ladies. The point was to divert their attention, not his. [color=9354FF]“Pardon me. I have a habit of prattling.”[/color] He cleared his throat and quickly said yes to the tea.

[color=9354FF]“Oh, I know what would be wonderful with tea.”[/color] △△△ lifted the gift basket, [color=9354FF]“I’ve come bearing gifts for you.”[/color] He held the position until he lowered the basket. [color=9354FF]“Okay, I may be lying a bit. It’s mostly gifts for Kier and,”[/color] At the mention of Kier, he glanced around the room and he frowned slightly at the absence of Vikena’s furry family members. The smile reappeared when he spotted one of the fuzzballs. △△△ pinched a small portion of the cat treat from the basket and knelt down, beckoning the kitten to come closer. [color=9354FF]“And offerings for the new master of the Vikena household…”[/color] He saw Delilah mouth a word in his direction. It took a second or two for △△△ to string the letters into a meaningful word. [color=9354FF]“Lord Champion,”[/color] △△△ lowered his head deeply, as if in reverence, as he waited for the kitten to approach. Champion curiously sniffed the air, his nose twitched repeatedly as it guided him to the source of the delectable smell. [color=9354FF]“Aros,”[/color] △△△ whispered. The kitten stared at him blankly, not comprehending what he just said, but unwittingly fulfilling the command. The count rewarded Champion for “waiting” with the treat.

He stood back up, pulling out a decorative can and a box to show to the noblewomen, [color=9354FF]“For Lord Champion’s human subjects, I have cookies and chocolates. I wasn’t sure how many people would be here, so there might not be enough for everyone, but…”[/color] △△△ peeked into the can. [color=9354FF]“If we’re civil about this, I believe everyone in the house can have at least three cookies each.”[/color] He winked at Delilah. Four for her. [color=9354FF]“Afterwards, we can have a very mature, very organized discussion about who can have the rest of the cookies. As for the chocolates, well, we’ll have to battle to the bitter end for these, because there’re only four pieces in here.”[/color] He returned the sweets to the basket before handing it over to Delilah. He trusted she knew what to do with them.

After Delilah left to retrieve the tea, the count stepped closer to Lady Vikena. [color=9354FF]“Seeing that the house is not in utter panic and chaos, Miss Ruby is nowhere in sight, and you’re looking much better.”[/color] He glanced in Lady Smithwood’s direction and lowered his voice, uncertain how much she knew or whether Lady Vikena wanted her to know about it.  [color=9354FF]“Am I correct in assuming that you’ve found your father safe and sound?”[/color]