Finally, A Reply

[Samar Rousseau]

It took some time for Samar to compose a reply as the Lady of Silver to the note Sebastian entrusted to her male persona. If he had any suspicion of her true identity, he hadn't revealed it, but she now had to be more cautious than ever. Avoiding him was easy enough, knowing he was busily engrossed with his projects, and Gareth had her going at all hours lately thanks to his classes. It would not last forever, so better she handled this before Sebastian began poking into corners and asking questions best left unanswered. Writing the letter took a number of drafts that her thrifty soul refused to waste parchment on, instead working out the phrasing on slate and in her head, until she was finally satisfied with what was said.

Penning it carefully onto the parchment with her favored ink, Samar sanded the letter dry and sealed it with plain candle wax, no impression left in the wax. After all, the less unique the reply, the less he would have to work with on finding his Lady of Silver, as he referred to her, and the safer Samar's secret would stay. Some few words exchanged with Gareth agreed that she was better maintaining her distance from the Scholar, not only to let his focus remain on the matters of his impending Master's rank but to protect her as well.

Marking his name on the outside, Samar slipped out of the apartments she shared with Gareth and crept through the halls of the Masters' students' rooms to find the door that belonged to Sebastian. Pausing just outside, she listened for any sounds of movement that would indicate whether he was present, debating whether to merely slip beneath the door or actually place it in his hands. There were incentives to each, plunging her into an agony of indecision as she shifted from foot to foot, unaware that she was not silent in doing so. Chewing on her lower lip, Samar knew time was ticking away and a choice needed to be made.

So far, she'd heard nothing from within, but that might change at a moment's notice.

Lord Sebastian de Winter

[Lord Sebastian de Winter]

Triadon and the castle had been quiet since the bulk of the Court had departed for the Summer festival. Katalin had suggested that he come along, but Sebastian had refrained. There was a great deal of work that needed to be done. The project was about to executed and several minor details needed to be worked out. One such project was Katalin's house, which was going to be built on the outskirts of the city proper and closer to the lake. He had a thought that the house would need a wall around it to keep any ne'er-do-wells at bay. The estate itself would need to be large enough for Katalin to have her garden.

Other projects needed to be completed as well, and thus, Sebastian preferred to be holed up in his study and venturing out for food as needed. Occasionally, he spared a thought toward his family and wondered how they were doing. Times were tense, that much was for certain. He also wondered if the Lady of Silver had received his letter. Sebastian tried to distract himself and not dwell too much. Dwelling only led to worrying and then doubt.

As of late, he had been working too far into the night. He could hear his sister chiding him for not getting enough sleep already, and thus, he forced himself to retire early. The sleep had proved to be exactly what he had needed, even if he did sleep particularly late that day. It was the sound of shuffling outside, ironically, that woke him up. Normally, he could sleep through the loudest of storms. Clearly, his body was ready to wake up.

The scholar stumbled out of bed, yawning widely as he moved toward the door. The door was swung open so he could look outside. He blinked when he saw... "Samar? Hello. What-... what time of day is it?" He looked toward the window, noting the angle of the light piercing through the gap of his curtains. Oh, dear. Fortunately for both, Sebastian was mostly dressed: an open tunic and sleeping trousers. The hair was a bit askew and he needed to shave. Not his most handsome countenance!