Roleplaying
2004 Archive
2005 Archive
Seminars
| When: | 13 January 2005 |
| Who: | Hadrian, Sapphira |
| What: | The deputy mayor and the entrepreneur encounter each other again and a bit of questioning and verbal sparring occurs between the pair. |
The Rose Garden
In the middle of the local park, there's the Rose Garden. It's carefully tended to by an older man, Julian Paterson. He loves spending hours in the park making sure that the roses and grasses are all perfectly aligned, the grass trimmed; they were his family. Of course, while he serves neither side, and anyone who meets him would say he's the nicest old man you could meet; few know the true secret to his garden. He keeps the soil fertilized by burying dead bodies, mostly the homeless, beneath it. He just doesn't see anything wrong with killing them to maintain the perfection of his garden.
The wind blows through the park with only a whistling sound of it moving through branches. Not another sound comes from the park, as almost everyone has went home for the day. Only a few people who like late night walks seem to be out on this night, one of which being Hadrian. His knee length coat is tied shut, his hands in his pockets, as he seems to just be taking in the fresh air today.
Sapphira is off on one of the less known paths admiring the beauty of the rosebushes. Every few steps she leans over to inhale the scents of the different varieties.
The paths of two of the park goers seem to cross by chance tonight. Hadrian happens to catch a glance of Sapphira walking up ahead off the beaten path. He approaches quietly, though by no means is hard to spot. "Miss Sence, it's a bit cold out tonight to be walking around so dressed, care for a coat to warm up?" He asks quite cordially, his melliflous basso voice not easy to hear out in the open at times, but once affixed on it most find it easy to listen.
Sapphira turns at the sound of the semi-familiar voice of the deputy mayor. "I actually haven't been outside for that long, so the cold hasn't started to affect me," she replies as she tosses the end of the long scarf she's wearing back over her shoulder. "I'm usually quite warm which is why I can get away with no coat."
Hadrian nods ever so slightly, "Well, nonetheless, a pleasure to see you again. What brings you out here in the quiet of the night, Miss Sence?" Reaching out a hand as if to shake, when Sapphira reaches out, he takes the hand in a slightly different way and raises it gently to kiss it. He's afterall a politician, but a gentleman first.
Sapphira raises an eyebrow at the medieval gesture. "And here I thought chivalry died out centuries ago," she muses and gently pulls her hand back while -- gasp, shock, horror -- behaves herself. "The garden is beautiful and I felt it only right that I return to enjoy its vanity."
"Chivalry may be dead, but there are certain things to just being a gentleman in this day and age." Hadrian lets the hand go and puts his own hands back in the pockets. "Afterall, it's rare to find those who have intelligence and manners." He seems to have gotten off topic for a moment, as he shakes his head in thought over the prevelance of morons in the city. "Its vanity? Interesting view on something that has no true personality."
"The vanity of their caretaker through the garden itself. Why else would someone invest so much time in such a thing that could get ravaged by disease or animals?" Sapphira asks, waving a hand at the different bushes.
Hadrian seems to consider it for a moment, "Much like God designing the Garden. Vanity knows no bound when you consider the creators of such beauty." Noticing something, Hadrian walks over to coral colored roses and leans over to pick just one. "The beauty though isn't just within what you see. The beauty is everything about the place. The very feel of this garden exudes a sense of serenity that you can't match anywhere else in the city. I applaud the vanity of the person who created it, because of what it brings about."
Sapphira shakes her head, sending her long ponytail swinging slightly. "The serenity may have simply been a by-product of the garden with beauty being the primary desire," she glances towards the city-lightened skyline. "And it has only been increased by visitors that wish for those peaceful moments during the modern era of being always on the go."
There's actually a faint, deep resonant chuckle that comes from Hadrian. His mouth isn't open though, it's a rumbled chuckle from his throat and chest. "Those are the very people who don't know that they can be as free as they want by just stepping outside the city for awhile. Serenity or not though, the place is stunning. Let those who walk through have their moment of 'paradise', reality will catch up with them quickly, and slam them into a wall." This time, it's quite evident that there is more to Hadrian than meets the eye.
The deputy mayor gets a faintly surprised look from Sapphira. "You speak as though you've encountered this a number of times already," she comments.
There's a shrug from Hadrian, "I can't help but be somewhat cynical about humanity. My position has let me see all sides of this city. Some of which are dark, others which pretend to be light. There are only a few glimmers of true light in this city." Hadrian looks back over toward Sapphira.
"Now, now, sir," Sapphira says as she waggles a finger at him. "Keep this up and you'll start turning some heads. Have you always lived in Austin or are you a recent resident?"
Another shrug, as there's the faintest glimmer of a smirk on Hadrian's face. "I'm from New York City originally. Though I've lived here the last ten years."
Sapphira takes a few steps off to the side to examine another variety of rosebush. "So what made the switch from ice cold winters to blistering hot summers, if I might be so forward to ask such a thing?"
Hadrian still holds one of the coral orange roses in his right hand. There seems to be a slight rise to his eyes as he smiles at the description of the switch. "Many reasons. Mostly to deal with this is where fate took me. I followed, and now I serve it by serving the city." If one didn't know better, you'd almost think he was talking about something else entirely.
Sapphira murmurs some sort of response to the rosebush she's admiring. Isn't there some hypotheses out there on plants having better growth when serenaded by the sounds of music? Although if one was looking at Sapphira, they'd notice that her gaze is firmly directed towards Hadrian.
Roll by Sapphira: (6) (6) (1)
There's a moment where Hadrian's almost taken in by the charm, not that he's not already affected by Sapphira's natural charm. But there's a flicker in his eye as he realizes what's happening. He reaches out his hand with the coral orange rose, "I suspected," is all he says.
Sapphira scowls at the rosebush her attention is supposedly on as her Song vanishes off harmlessly into the night. "Suspected what, deputy mayor?" the woman asks, turning towards him with a vaguely confused look on her features. She's had practice.
Hadrian remains holding the rose out for her to take as there's a slight curl to the corner of his lips in a smile. "There are many things I suspect, Damaris... if I might call you by your first name?" He asks, as his voice gets just slightly deeper with the rumble of someone who talks from his chest and lower throat rather nasally or high-throatted speech. "But one, was that we were of like nature. While I'm not quite on the same plane of existance as you are, I doubt highly we're that far apart. We both have a common interest it would seem. Corruption of humanity."
Roll by Hadrian: (5) (2) (5)
Sapphira accepts the profferred rose with a faint smile, although whether it's for the rose or at the words could be debatable. "That isn't such a difficult thing to do in this day and age," she replies while evading the comment of planes of existence. "You can call me by my first name but I wouldn't suggest it in more public places."
There's still that quirk of a smile on Hadrian's face, "The question is, what is your true name... that you wish not to be called it in public?" The smile grows a tad bit wider, "Or is it that you think either of our reputations will be soiled by being seen together?"
Roll by Sapphira: (5) (1) (1)
"I'm afraid you'll have to work on finding that one out on your own, Hadrian," Sapphira purrs with her own little smile. "My reputation does not affect me one way or the other. Whether it is good or bad, I can only draw business to my shop. As for your reputation, if mine is in the dirt you might need to look into some cleaning."
"I doubt yours is in the dirt, and even if it were," Hadrian puts his hands back in his coat pockets. He gives the slightests of bows, "I leave you now and hope to run into you more often. I leave you with this." He reaches out and hands her a hand written note, his own writing, in one of the most precise caligraphy-like script many have seen. Once handed to her, he walks off, a smirk still on his face. The card reads...
I am your unconsciousness
I am unrestrained excess
Metamorphic restlessness
I'm your unexpectedness
Sapphira gives the card a read before slipping it into a safe place within her fitted clothing. How she does this exactly requires imagination and timing. "Thank you," she replies to the departing man. "I suspect we'll encounter each other again."
Previous: Logs or 2005 Archive