aefenglom | UN: Lady Maria

Entry tags:

UN: Lady Maria | Video

Name: Lady Maria
Date: Ieneur 20-something
Format: Video

[It is video, but the video is not of Maria. Instead, it is of a flatbed horse-drawn cart. To the front is attached a buckskin colored draft horse, and inside... are what appears to be crates of glass bottles. Curiously, they all appear to currently be empty, from what can be seen, but there's labels, and embossing on them.

Maria speaks from somewhere behind the camera, but her quiet, gentle voice carries enough to be heard just fine.]

Thank you to everyone who gave feedback and tried out the gins I sent out for Modranicht. Your comments were valuable to make a couple adjustments I had been hesitant about to the formula, and I think the results are all the better for it. The first batches for commercial sale are now ready, and I am picking up the bottles for them.

There are two types of gin that will be available... [Her hand reaches down, and picks up one of the bottles. When she lifts it, the sunflower embossing remains on the shoulder of the bottles, but there's a fancy label indicating the alcohol meant to be contained within is Dorchacht Rose Gin, made with specially cultivated Dorchacht roses.] The Dorchacht Rose is made from the wild roses from the region; they are hallucinogenic by nature. The effect is mild, and I infused it with other plants used to make love and happiness potions here: the effect is to allow you to remember pleasant memories, whether they be of home or here. It does have a decent alcohol kick, and a higher ABV.

The other... [She puts the first bottle down, and takes out a second. This label calls it Summer Garden Gin.] Also has a distinct rose note, but has a gentle floral accompaniment to the juniper. It has no magical effects. I also reeled back the ABV on it a little. It should make for a pleasant sipping alcohol, especially with a bit of ice and a lime wedge.

And finally... [Putting away the second bottle, she pulls out a third. This says it's a limited edition mead.] My bees produced far more honey than I was expecting, so I decided to make a small batch of mead.

If any among you wish to purchase of a bottle, I'll set aside some for you; otherwise, they will be available at a few bars and taverns in Aefenglom and Dorchacht. Furthermore, if any of you wish to taste test for future batches, let me know. It's free alcohol, in exchange for some feedback. I don't see much of a downside, if you enjoy a variety. I'd like to perhaps see about wines and brandies sometime in the future.

I'll even deliver it, if any of you wish, whether you buy it commercially, or wish to taste-test future batches. I need to get out of the house more often anyway, and it will be good exercise for the horses.

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Not at all. I will see you then.

[She has stuff to attend to today and tomorrow, but a pleasant evening catching up with a friend(!) sounds like a good idea.

So, she does her bottling, does her day's deliveries, and is just going to keep bottling more while waiting for him to arrive. Might as well be productive with her time.]

[Alucard does indeed show up, and he swings by mid afternoon instead. There's a neat little package tucked under his left arm, wrapped in simple brown paper with red bow.

He knocks, but then clarifies:]

It's Adrian.

[Luckily, she is home by then. She's about to debate making one more small delivery when the knock at the door sounds. Not expecting him, it's really only when he clarifies that she makes a soft noise, and heads toward the door. Upon opening it, she is greeted by... him, as he said, with the food he expected. She nods, and motions back into the common room.]

Welcome. [Then, slightly more lightly:] It has been a bit too long hasn't it? [Okay, maybe not terribly long, but it has been a little bit since she's seen him - really seen him.] I'll bring the bottles up from the kitchen. We can sit by the fire.

[And then sets off to do that while he gets his coat off and settles in.]

I trust you won't mind if I help myself to a knife and cake server then?

[He decides not to acknowledge the matter of time, because it seems impertinent at best. Last he had checked in, it was rough. Better to not dwell on it.

Alucard does take the scant moment to hang up his coat, but then? To the kitchen. To the kitchen for a plate to put the cake on, and the rest. He's pleased enough with the offering he's made, and when Maria returns, he'll be by the fire with a cake next to him.

A pound cake, with a streusel toping and a thick run of blackberry jam throughout for moistness and for color contrast. There's two pieces already, cut, and Alucard is damn well luxuriating in the fire. He could nearly be melting in the chair.]

I hope you don't mind that I presumed the size of cake you'd like.

No, not at all.

[She's fine with it, as she walks back in, two glasses and a couple bottles with her. One of them looks like it's already been opened, but she also assumes he doesn't mind. If he wants a fresh bottle to take home, she will happily hand one over.

She gets the drinks poured and served, then settles in. A cup of alcohol, and her sweet cake. A bite of it reveals it is... rich, but delicious.] Not enjoying the winter freeze? Were you out for long?

[It is by almost nature of Maria's fire affinity that the house is nice and warm, and that there are more than just the fireplaces heating the rather sizable mansion. It's a nice reprieve from the snow and cold.]

Not any longer than required.

[Alucard reaches over for the glass, and he's careful as he takes it. This is, technically, supposed to be him helping. Kind of.

So fuck it, he'll take a sip first and then ask what kind of input is actually needed. The warmth on his tongue matches the warmth of the house perfectly.]

I almost feel like we both need overly fuzzy blankets on our laps to complete the cliched image, you know.

Perhaps we do, but I unfortunately lack those in this house. Most of those are for the pets. [Unless he wants something that's like... hyena dirty. Though they were recently washed since the Hyenas had cubs recently.

After another bite of the cake, she settles back with her drink. The piece is not forgotten, but she wants something to wash it down with.

Then, she raises an eyebrow.]

Though if we're going to be old women, perhaps crochet or knitting needles would be more appropriate. Mm, perhaps embroidery. I haven't had to do any needlework in some years.

[She once again says it so straight-faced, it's hard to tell if she's serious or not.]

I suppose we'll live.

[He absolutely does not. And he's absolutely making a mental note that he needs to buy Maria a blanket or two that is meant for people.]

Embroidery seems a young woman's game. Lots of finesse that older fingers might not be able to manage. [But okay, now he has to know.] You used to embroider?

I was raised a noblewoman. When I was young I was made to learn all sorts of things that women ought to know. Art, embroidery and sewing, languages, etiquette, as well as other typical schooling things like reading, writing, and arithmetic. It wasn't until I was in my teenage years that I eschewed most of that in favor of martial pursuits. Even then, that was mostly because my real love had always been reading, and learning, but sitting sedentary was frowned upon, and frustrating when I started to get toward marrying age. It seemed every other noble that visited the library when I was there so coincidentally happened to have an eligible son that they wanted me to meet.

[That seems like two lifetimes ago at this point, though. Maybe she's been in Aefenglom for too long. She swirls her drink, and takes another sip.]

But I suppose the short of it is yes, I have had some experience embroidering before. I probably could not do much with any skill any longer.

[Alucard takes a slow slip of his drink, listening to everything Maria says. It's not untrue of women of his time, but it feels terribly far removed from how he was raised all the same. Some of it is from being an only child, but the rest? The rest comes from watching his mother. Her hands were always busy, sometimes with a needle, but never for sewing or mending. She was healing, or else doing experiments to advance her art.]

It's hard to imagine you in such an environment - and I mean that respectfully.

[Maria, for as long as Alucard's known her, has always been action oriented. Yes, there were moments like this, but they outweighed all other encounters in the woods. Even gardening required a fair amount of physical labor.]

I'll not comment about marrying age, or the attempts to force it. Just that I'm fairly thankfully that being an inhuman noble, such arrangements weren't a thought in my father's mind. [Not that Dracula would be happy with Alucard's life choices, all things considered.]

You could embroider rude statements on fabric and see if anyone's ridiculous enough to buy them, I suppose.

[She huffs a noise that very well might just be a chuckle into her cup, taking another sip, before lowering it.] I know. Strange to think I was once a little girl who had frilly dresses and expensive porcelain dolls.

[She sets her alcohol down, and picks up the cake to start finishing her slice off.] But I also had a very strong... bloodline, nearly as strong as the Queen herself. It made me very desirable as a partner, both for my own strength and for the potential to pass it along to children.

[A sigh, a little shrug.] I suppose I could, but I have plenty of other things to occupy my time, anymore. Between the garden and my new distillation efforts, plus the job I have... I find myself with far less free time.

Not strange so much as something that makes perfectly logical sense, but isn't something that immediately springs to mind when I think of you.

[Alucard's cup is empty now, and he's careful to put it down.]

It always comes down to blood, doesn't it? [Especially so in Maria's case, but just in general it seems to be the truth.] Were any of these young men ever introduced to you, or were you only ever dealing with a parental mediator?

[Not that one seems better than the other.] I think you're just giving yourself things to do, and are being industrious with them. A good thing, and--

[A thought occurs.]

For your drink experiments, have you settled on how you intend to label bottles going forward?

I met a few of them, face-to-face. Hell, I found a few of them on my own time - the ones closer in age to myself, and those that had also walked the path of being one of the Cainhurst Knights.

[Lady Maria, admitting to indiscretion? Well, yes, actually, once upon a time she was a relatively normal person with a relatively normal social ability.] But yes, it is all about the blood. Especially with nobility; strength in the family line is always desirable. But... at least my mother understood. She'd had a similar problem, and people clambering to wed her, as well. I didn't always get along with my mother, but we did have our moments.

[Still, she sighs, and stretches her legs out a little more. She's getting more relaxed, just sitting there. The alcohol is kicking in, and, despite the fact she barely ever shows it, Alucard is actually quite nice company.]

I think I have found a label system that works. The Lumenflower as my personal logo of sorts will be ever-present, I think. I rather like how the gin bottles came out, as well.

[She does take a moment to lean forward and turn one of the bottles so he can see better.] But I wasn't as impressed with the mead. Part of that was probably the timeframe - I had a shorter window to order and get those done.

Oh, you were much bolder than I ever even tried to be. [Alucard grins.] I was - and still am, come to think of it - far too shy to so much as ask someone for a walk alone together.

[Alucard takes a scant moment to stretch his legs, nodding along to show he's listening.] How was her decision made on that front, if you don't mind my asking and it isn't too demanding? My parent's courtship is hardly a normal thing of their time, or er. Species, quite bluntly.

[There's only a gentle buzz in Alucard's head, although part of him does want to change that. The rest? The rest of him has remembered there's more cake he hasn't eaten yet, and so he returns to the half-eaten slice on his plate.]

Hm. I could try something, if you give me an idea of how you wish it to look. Even if isn't to your taste, it might help you settle on something that is.

Well, I also grew up in a culture that rather prized excess and wasn't afraid to be a bit deviant, atop that. [She sighs, and waves a single hand as though to shoo away the concept of shyness.] Well, but that's all fallen by the wayside with me by now.

[Now, it's less that she's shy, and more that she's too depressed to have a libido. Surprise.]

Still, that culture did lend a certain amount of power to the matriarchal opinion, and my mother's decision was... to allow me to make most of my own decisions, after a certain point. She knew I was smart, and knew I could choose well, as far as potential suitors. I think we both figured after I went away to college that I'd return with a decision as to whom I wanted to wed, or at least to open myself up more to the option of it.

[And then she never returned. Still, she takes the opportunity of being near the bottle to pour herself another glass.]

Well, the mead was a limited-run thing. If I ever do it again, though... I think I would like to keep the bees-and-honeycombs motif, but I would prefer something a bit less... busy. Yet, I still have to keep some of the flowers to the background. I'd also want to incorporate the Lumenflower better.

Mm, I'm curious if I would have gotten along with this earlier iteration of yourself as well as we get along now.

[The what if is a true fascination, although likely nothing would come from it. Alucard might have a passing crush. That'd be it, as his own reserved nature would impact quite a few things.]

I see. It sounds like there was a truly remarkable amount of leeway for you in the matter. The world my mother occupied didn't allow for such things at all. Class dictated a great deal of things, and gender impacted it moreso. [Being a Wallachian peasant sucked.] But here we both are.

[Alucard takes a thoughtful bit of his cake, considering what she describes. There's a faint image forming, although he isn't about to leap up and demand pen and paper.]

You could have a border of flowers and swirls with the Lumenflower centered at the top. of the border. The honeycomb and bee might separate the vintage's blend from the name of the producer, although you could experiment with size.

Perhaps. I was... certainly more sociable. Perhaps not as much as my relatives and fellows, but it was a marked change from how I usually am now. If all else failed, I did still enjoy reading and learning; it would have been an easy segue into a conversation.

[Yes, she is very well aware of how reticent and taciturn she is. She sips her gin before continuing on.] But... yes, I suppose there was. Something about the Blood Queens afforded them leeway and dedication that I had not heard much of among the other noble families in other parts of Europe at the time. Being related to one meant a lot of the respect transferred over... but... I didn't have that later on. I had to simply prove myself at my craft then. I preferred it, but I didn't necessarily hate the advantage of my position at Cainhurst. It meant I never did have to wed.

[... But that's all in the past, and she is keen to continue the conversation into the one about the labels.] But yes, the label. That... hmm... it may work, but I'd need to see some kind of... draft or prototype before I'd commit to it. Not that I have any doubts as to what your idea is, but sometimes an idea and what ends up on paper can look very different.

Mm, and to direct it to something mutual, like swords. Or else I could speak too much of architecture, although that I don't think you would enjoy.

[That's something Alucard generally does keep to himself. He's good at engineering, he finds real joy in design. Working to build his crypt under Gresit was genuinely fun, even if it became a hard necessity in the wake of his mother's death.]

I think you'd kick me out of your house if I said you were lucky, so I'll say this instead: up until it all went to shit, you had a little bit of fortune with you.

[That feels like a good way to sidestep away from the topic if Maria so wishes, attention on bottling and labels perhaps much more relevant these days.]

If you'll give me a day or two, I could present a few variations on the theme. In terms of lettering and aesthetics, what impression do you wish to achieve? Something classier, more rough and tumble...?

Well, my upbringing instilled in me a certain... taste in aesthetics. There was theoretically nothing wrong with the bottles of the mead, and they got the point across perfectly, but it just wasn't to my own standard.

[She thinks about it for a moment, moving the plate from her lap to the table. ]

Flowers are what I am best known for, so to include them on any bottle I produce is a given, with few possible exceptions. Regardless, I will always order the bottles themselves with the lumenflower embossed into the shoulder.

[With that, she reaches out to take the bottle, and turns the label over in her hands. It's good, and she won't really argue with it.] Would that I could simply pull Cainhurst from my memories and show you what I mean - I've a snowglobe with it, but it's just the exterior. It does no justice to the actual way it was decorated. Still, I suppose elegant is the closest word for it. Elegant but... mm... luxurious. A bit of a flair of the dramatic. Floral, of course, but the focus for the mead bottles was more on the bees and honey motif rather than the flowers themselves. If I were to do, say, a vodka, it would just be purely flowers, because it's not as though potatoes are very aesthetically pleasing. But a wine or brandy may call for grapes, for instance.

[Alucard considers this, nodding along. He grew up with a proto-art deco aesthetic, all deep reds and gleaming golds, and he still defaults to that particular taste. There's something about it that works for him, all impartial lines still creating something beautiful through geometery.

Elegant and luxurious. Floral notes. Alucard has an idea, but there will be a few versions of it.]

The potato flower can be beautiful.

[He grins. Joking, of course.]

I think I have an idea, although it may carry some inflections from my own surroundings. My father's taste was terribly dramatic, but the luxury of it was meant to be off putting rather than welcoming. Adding sweeps and curves to it might put me in the general are that you're envisioning.

[She simply cocks an eyebrow at the joke. Yes, yes, but it's clear the whole time that she much prefers different kinds of flowers than that.

Instead, she sets the bottle back down, and leans back.] Yes well, perhaps we can trade notes about it some time. I wonder if my family would not be perfectly comparable. We had our own taste in... offputting. Regardless, offputting would not necessarily be what is wanted for a commercial product, of course.

I think it'd depend. My father's offputting was aesthetically pleasing in the extreme, he enjoyed bold geometric designs above everything else. It was scale that made everything unnerving and dramatic, along with the castle's exterior architecture.

[Some time, it seems, is now for Alucard. He's warm enough from the drink and it feels nice to talk about home.]

There are wings that stretch out from halfway up a tower, with no additional support, for example.

[You know what, she's game. Usually she doesn't like to talk about herself, but...]

That sounds... mmm... what they would have liked to do in Yharnam, but could not figure out the architecture for.

[Okay, so maybe she will say a little bit:] Above the Grand Cathedral was the Astral Clocktower, where I lived some time. The clock face was some... probably twelve, thirteen meters in diameter. The whole thing towered over the city itself.

Cainhurst simply looked like a castle, albeit one with quite the library.

[It's time for another drink, and she pours one for herself.]

Do you have paper and pen around? I feel like talking about architecture is going to just be pointless the longer we go on.

[He doesn't mind drawing the castle. It's home, after all.]

Did the tower still have bells and the like, so you were up every hour with the chimes? [Alucard's eyebrows go up. It's mostly a joke, because he does understand how rare it is for Maria to talk about herself. If she needs an out, he wants to provide it.]

I'll find some. Give me a moment.

[She has some in her desk, she thinks, and stands, heading back into the house, and holding up a finger about his question. She'll get back to that in a moment.

She returns from the upstairs a few minutes later with some paper, a pen, and two snowglobes. Yep. First, she delicately sets it all on the table, lifting one of the snowglobes off the paper, and pushing forward the sheets and the pen.]

The Astral Clocktower... [And she brings forward one of the snowglobes that has a huge tower in it.] Did have bells, but the point of it was not actually to tell the time. The clock itself read and interpreted the stars, and when the bells rang... it was to start the Hunt, and during other certain astrological phenomena. Which I should have been awake for anyway.

[She motions to the other snowglobe.] That is Cainhurst. They're surprisingly accurate depictions, though without the rest of Yharnam's skyline, it's a bit difficult to tell you just how big the Astral Clocktower actually was. It certainly stood out.

UN: Lady Maria | Video

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