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Post by Lord Sebastian de Winter on Dec 10, 2013 21:55:08 GMT -5
The brothers arrived back at the Festival in the late morning. There was still mist clinging in the air as they made their approach, thanks to the moisture coming off the nearby lake. Sebastian found it to be a rather refreshing feeling to say the least. Triadon was a lovely city, but it suffered the same problem as all cities: too big, too many people and too stuffy in an odd way. Only Triadon castle got any refreshment so to speak due to the ever-flowing waterfalls. He had to admit that it was good of Jasen to drag him out here.
Since Katalin was the Royal Physican, he had a feeling that she would be spending more time around the royal pavilions than those of the de Winter family. Once his belongings had been secured and a bit of breakfast enjoyed, the scholar ventured out in search of his little Katie. When he didn't find her near the pavilion, he headed toward the edge of the forest, knowing that she might out collecting some late summer herbs and mushrooms. Normally, he was fairly decent at tracking her, but this was unfamiliar territory to him...
Post by Lady Katalin de Winter on Dec 16, 2013 10:49:15 GMT -5
Katalin wasn't that difficult to find. Sebastian knew his sister well, knew her habits and tendencies and how to use the vast store of knowledge to best advantage. As the King had meetings, she took her leave to ensure his privacy and went for a walk through the woods to find some herbs that grew in this part and to refresh herself. She did not know these woods so well either, so stayed close to the paths to avoid getting lost, her pace slow and steady. There was no need for haste, not when she was not needed back at the King's pavilion until afternoon.
Humming softly to herself as she bent to pick a few stems, she hadn't bothered with a hat, her dark hair streaming loose down her back. The basket was set at her feet, a dark green skirt worn to hide the worst of her efforts. The King had endeavored to send a guard with her, but Katalin refused, stating she would be safe enough and not gone long enough to make much of a difference. That, and she simply did not want to be crowded, now more than ever. Sebastian, however, would be welcome... when he found her.
Post by Lord Sebastian de Winter on Dec 17, 2013 12:06:19 GMT -5
Katalin did have a thing when it came to her own personal space. Sebastian was much the same way, which was probably why he enjoyed the relative solitude afforded to him by the University. He could be at peace with his tomes, his ideas and his plans. Certainly, it got lonely from time to time, but he coped. Having a few friends to interact with from time to time helped. The famous tavern just down the street did the same. But when it came to nature? Sebastian felt out of place.
... Which was odd, considering. An engineer could appreciate the design of a great many things, but nature's designs were different. Some designs were practical, but executed in an inefficient manner, and yet, he had to admire how nature could adapt to changing situations. Buildings could not adapt, really. One had to adapt them in advance, rather than after the fact. A tree could regrow if it had fallen with its roots still intact, for example.
Now. Where was Katalin? For the matter, where was he? "Oh, bother, not again." He sighed, scratching at the back of his head. Once again, he got distracted by his own train of thought. "Er. Katie? Are you out here?" He called out.
Post by Lady Katalin de Winter on Dec 19, 2013 18:06:32 GMT -5
Unlike her brother, Katalin enjoyed these sojourns into the woods where she could be alone with her thoughts and away from the pressure of people. They expected smiles and blithe chatter, or gossip and flirtation, neither of which were in keeping with her nature. The walks in the woods were her time to relax and refresh herself before facing the Court again.
Hearing a voice that undoubtedly belonged to Sebastian, she straightened and frowned, casting a gaze around for a sight of her brother. He was not precisely hopeless with the woods, but he was also not so comfortable in them as she was. Sebastian was indubitably a city dweller, or at the very least, a University dweller, a world where streets were laid out in regimented patterns that made logical sense. The woods were the diametrical opposite; he was likely lost. Best she go and find him before he did himself an injury with his tendency to thrash about.
"Over here, Sebastian!" Called back, Katalin retrieved her basket and began to head in the direction she thought she heard the voice come from, trusting to her senses and his to find each other.
Post by Lord Sebastian de Winter on Dec 20, 2013 20:23:36 GMT -5
Oh, thank the Triad. He let out a relieved breath when he heard his sister's voice. He had not been so far off the mark as he believed. A smile bloomed on his face as he drew closer to her and once he was clear of the brush, he was content. There she was. "Ah, there you are! I thought you were the lost one for a moment there!" He decided to tease her as he approached, embracing her in a warm hug.
"Really, Katie, this forest? What were you thinking?" There was a twinkle in his eye. Being near her put him a decent mood.
Post by Lady Katalin de Winter on Dec 24, 2013 11:32:25 GMT -5
He looked as if he'd gamely battled the forest to reach her, sparking a teasing smile from her before Katalin was wrapped up in a Sebastian hug. Nothing brought her greater comfort, gladly returning the embrace to her brother before she lightly kissed his cheek. A confirmed urbanite indeed was Sebastian, further validated at his incredulity at her choice of location.
Katalin laughed, touching his cheek as she brushed a leaf from his skin. "Some herbs do grow best in a forest, Sebastian. And so I decided to take advantage of my proximity to the forest to seek them out. What were you thinking in trying to find me in a forest when you have such a lamentable sense of direction?" Teasing right back came easiest with this brother, closest to her in age and temperament.
Post by Lord Sebastian de Winter on Dec 27, 2013 12:03:08 GMT -5
The kiss to the cheek was welcomed. "Oh, it always starts the same. I figure you were in the forest for one, and so, I go in to look for you. I always keep track of where I came from. Then... I get distracted by something. A tree, a bird, ... even a rock can do it, I get turned around, and here I am." He spread out his hands before waving them dismissively. "You're right. I really should stop coming out here." The young man chuckled at his own ineptitude.
"And you, sister, how are you doing? How are ... things?" That was a good word to describe the myriad of events in the Court.
Post by Lady Katalin de Winter on Jan 1, 2014 11:40:37 GMT -5
Katalin laughed, shaking her head at her brother's incorrigibility. Some things would never change, and Sebastian's long-winded, complicated but logical explanations were chief amongst them. It was an anchor of stability in her otherwise often chaotic world, offering her a silent reassurance. "Or if you do, wait for me first so that you don't get turned around and lose your way since I'm here to make sure you don't get so distracted you can't find your way."
Things... an interesting choice of word that could convey so much or so little weight depending on how she took it. She left the smile on her face as she looped her arm through his and considered it. "Things are... calm and stable for now that the King of Sarkozsy is here and Princess Emma is back in Triadon. Tension seems to finally lessen, but then with the sudden decision to relocate to Twinport, who knows?" Gladly changing the subject, Katalin had to ask, "What persuaded you to dust off yourself and join us?"
Post by Lord Sebastian de Winter on Jan 1, 2014 12:01:00 GMT -5
"Well, there is that, too, I suppose," he admitted with a fond smile and a shake of his head. "If you want to be all practical about it," the statement was offered as a warm tease as he let her loop her arm with his. She would lead the way for the remainder of the conversation for he had no idea where they would go next. No doubt she had other herbs that she wished to collect.
"My goodness, the tsar himself is here?" The question was posed with interest. That certainly changed things. That meant the situation was far more serious than Sebastian realized. "So, I suppose it is true that Prince Nikolai has gone and failed in his duty." Sebastian still felt the pang of disappointment in that. He remembered the offer Nikolai had made to him. "Why-" And then she asked her question.
"Oh, well, ah, Jasen insisted that I take a break from my studies. That and I wanted to see you again. All of you. It's a bit lonely back in Triadon right now."
Post by Lady Katalin de Winter on Jan 1, 2014 12:21:58 GMT -5
"I fear I must," was her reply to his comment on practicality. "One of us has to have a foot firmly on the ground and a sense of direction." Amused in turn, Katalin guided him towards the next clearing where she intended to gather wild sorrel, finding it was far more efficacious than what she was able to grow. Humming to herself contentedly, she was startled out of her reverie by his question.
"Oh, yes. There is to be a meeting between the Kings to discuss what happened and how to resolve the issue," Katalin nodded, glancing over at her brother with a touch of interest in hers. "I'd say that's a fair statement, but what's really bothering you about it? Is it the concern that if he failed in one regard, he would have failed in others?" She hadn't forgotten the talks the two had enjoyed regarding architectural design and the like when the families met for dinner.
A smile bloomed afresh at his admission, earning him a light kiss on the cheek. "It is lonely without you too, so I am glad you came. We may all be looking to travel back to Oakdale after the Joust. What think you?"
Post by Lord Sebastian de Winter on Jan 3, 2014 11:34:12 GMT -5
"I have feet planted on the ground, I just can't very well control where they go," he quipped in his defense with a suitable sniff. The sniff was the important part! It was to convey that he was indignant, in an albeit playful sense. "Though, you do win out on the sense of direction. If I do not have a pathfinder or a compass on hand, I would wager I'd be in a fair amount of trouble. Then imagine how disastrous my building projects would go!" That was a scary thought.
Sebastian looked down at the question, "Yes, I suppose so. It was an exciting offer, I have to say, but now it feels rather sullied and marred. As though... it doesn't have any meaning. I wasn't that invested, I suppose, but something like that has never really happened to me before. I am not certain I feel sympathetic to their cause. I'm not certain I can." It was harsh, but it was the truth.
"That is what Jasen said," he nodded thoughtfully, "And I agree. It's been too long since we've seen Oakdale."
Post by Lady Katalin de Winter on Jan 7, 2014 13:19:15 GMT -5
The sniff made her laugh softly, finding it the quintessential Sebastian reply. "If you do not control your own feet, Sebastian, then who does? I would hate to think you danced to someone else's tune, though you do it well." Katalin enjoyed teasing her brother, as he often made it very easy for her to do. "I only have a better sense of direction," she reminded him, "because my supplies do not come in the form of books and they are seldom delivered to me. I must go to them."
Walking with her arm looped through his, Katalin sobered at the change in his demeanor. He was hurt, justifiably so, but she hugged his arm gently. "Don't lose hope. Perhaps something will come of the King being here. I cannot imagine that he will let all of the Prince's promises go unfulfilled. I know you are hurt and angry; I would be too, but give it some time, hm?" He was often encouraging her to be fair and to give others chances; it was only fair that Katalin returned the favor.
"It is, and I miss home." Being in the court all too often reminded her of her mother, whom Katalin missed dearly. "I would like a chance to escape for a few days, if it's possible. If we sail, it won't take that long to travel either."
Post by Lord Sebastian de Winter on Jan 7, 2014 15:26:40 GMT -5
"Oh, yes, I see, of course," he laughed with her in turn, appreciating the fact that she was teasing him. It was nice to be in her presence again. He didn't enjoy being away from her for too long. "I will keep that in mind when there is a ball next time. Perhaps, just to make a point, I will actually go to one." Even though he hated the darn things. He was quite shy and not that good of a dancer. It was something he could never quite master. "I might ask you to give me a few dances out of pity."
He sighed, "Oh, I know. I know they had very little to do with how he acted, but it is still disheartening. Nonetheless, if they wish to hear me out, then ... I may go to them. Princesses Anastasia and Katya were friendly enough to me." Not to mention, they were quite lovely. He found it difficult to talk around them, though. He was doomed. Really, he was.
"Escape from work? Never. It will always follow you no matter where you go. That is not necessarily a bad thing, I don't think," he gave her a fond smile.
Post by Lady Katalin de Winter on Jan 7, 2014 16:19:53 GMT -5
No one relaxed her like Sebastian, something Katalin very much needed these days. The strain of caring for the King was beginning to take a toll on her, but in the company of her brothers, she knew peace and the solace of people who understood her. "If you need help on the dances, come and get me, I could stand some practice myself if I am to join you. Perhaps we should make a pact, go together and ensure that we're not wallflowers?" Her eyes met his, full of teasing and merriment.
"Let them come to you," she retorted. "If they truly desire your services, and I believe that they do, then it is unlikely that Princess Anastasia or her sister has forgotten and have not been able to approach you yet." Katalin understood where Sebastian was coming from and how he felt, but she was trying to follow Jasen's lead in this. "If they do, then remember that you have a valuable talent. It is only right that you should be the one sought out. No one says you have to agree or that you are bound by any existing terms." No one would undervalue her brother if Katalin had anything to say about it, especially considering how matters progressed with the Fyodorovs prior to now.
"No, not really... yet there are times I would like to take time away and not have it follow me." Unlikely, she knew, but she determined she was entitled to feel so. "Don't you ever feel the same?"
Post by Lord Sebastian de Winter on Jan 7, 2014 16:35:17 GMT -5
"That is probably for the best, yes." He remembered that Katalin was not all that fond of going to big events with a lot of people, especially ones in which she had to dress up. Katalin, in Sebastian's opinion, was a perfectly beautiful woman but she didn't feel she was. He also wondered if Katalin honestly preferred to go relatively unnoticed. Could he fault her for such? Drawing himself out of his thoughts, he smiled at her more fully. "Yes. We can do that. It's about time I get myself out there anyway, I suppose?"
He gave his sister a long look at the advice that she had given him. It was rather practical, he had to admit, and it would keep him safe. There was no need to agree to go somewhere only for it to be a total bust. That would be even more crushing! "Alright," He said quietly. "Thank you. I've never had to do something like this. Why, the other day, Carissa de Vere expressed an interest in my services." He laughed disbelievingly. "Can you believe that? A duchess wants me?"
He shook his head. "I don't think I can ever set my role as a scholar aside. I'm always thinking, imagining and wondering. I can't help myself. Even when I am supposed to be relaxing, I am pondering on what I should make or design next."