UN: Lady Maria | Video

[whomthebelltolls]

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.

Comments

[whomthebelltolls]

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.

[cryptsleeper]

[In the little bit of time that Maria is gone, Alucard makes himself comfier and slightly boozier, pouring himself another drink. When Maria returns, the dhampir appears to have happily melted into the chair, as this? This is actually his definition of a nice time spent with friends.

To the snowglobes first then. Alucard leans in, and then there's a soft, delighted noise.]

My father would have wanted to add a flourish to every bit of this. [There's fondness, especially as he looks to Cainhurst.] Absolutely remarkable.

[But it's his turn to clarify, and so Alucard takes a few quiet moments to sketch out his home as he remembers it, rising up out of the Carpathians and towering over even the tallest of trees.

On the side, he includes a few more abstract designs, samples of his father's and his own taste in aesthetic.]

None of it is to scale, obviously.

[whomthebelltolls]

That is... quite dramatic. Looks like it was well reinforced to even start to be able to function properly without overbalancing or falling apart. [She leans forward as he finishes his sketching, tracing her eyes over all of it.] Yharnam had... vastly detailed architecture, but nothing near that, I can think of.

[Then, she sits back a bit.] But, I also cannot say it's too much for me, so apparently your father and I have that in common. Or at least, your father and my family. [Since Maria would have gotten her taste in things from them.]

So I suppose, if you've an idea for a label, I can't think of too many limitations.

[cryptsleeper]

It was, but it was a combination of engineering and magic. My father's castle had engines that used the latter to move location wherever he so chose, and all of that could be done with no over balance or lost pieces.

[The castle, god willing, will move again. Sypha can't have broken it t hat badly.] I don't know if they would have gotten along, but there seem to be a number of points of alignment.

[Score. Alucard hasn't done design stuff in ages.] Thank you. I'm looking forward to the work.

[whomthebelltolls]

Fascinating. And here I thought the mechanisms that made the Astral Clocktower to be curious - but then, I'd also figured some part of it was probably the Great Ones. How else could you have a night that lasted for enough hours to be several days? Or the tombs where time both never seemed to move and kept resetting.

[She shrugs, but that transitions into something almost approaching a smile. Then she seems to think of something, and stiffens a little, before rifling through her pockets. Eventually, she pulls out her keyring. She has her Cainhurst emblem on it. It's old, and beaten pretty nicely, but she does offer it forward a little.] I guess there is one thing... that is my family's crest. I know it shows very little of how things were decorated in the castle, but I suppose it does show Cainhurst's fondness for red.

[cryptsleeper]

Oh, that's definitely Great Ones and not actual engineering, unless the magic and influence was woven into the construction work. I--actually would love to know if that was the case, as that opens up quite a few new pathways to construction.

[He's a nerd, far too excited about something like that. But that Maria's close to a smile? That feels like a new face, even for Alucard to see.

With the reveal of the emblem, Alucard leans forward. Considers, then laughs very slightly.] Red with gold accent was common in the castle too.

[whomthebelltolls]

No, it was just conjecture. The Great Ones did a lot of mysterious things, but any time it felt like time wasn't flowing quite right, there really was nothing else to blame.

[She sets it on the table so he can refer back to it if he needs to. Her almost-a-smile is gone about as fast as it came on.] It's red, it's black, it's gold. It was a very bold aesthetic, hanging from every giant tapestry and banner. I suppose it did help to hide the blood.

[cryptsleeper]

--I shudder at the notion of having more than one explanation for time not working correctly, if I am being utterly truthfull.

[Alucard does lean over, and he is quick to start drawing. Slowly, but the shapes a little more angular.] Yes, that is rather the advantage of blood. My father probably had that thought in mind as well.

[whomthebelltolls]

It would certainly be a sign of powerful forces at play.

[She sits quietly, just watching him sketch. When her glass is empty, she fills it again from the bottle, and only responds when he speaks again.]

I suppose that would be one thing the culture I come from and vampires from your world would have in common. Hell, even one shared by my ancestors before there were even humans in our region. Some things just don't change.

[cryptsleeper]

Indeed.

[Alucard's laugh is slight. Dark. Maria's right of course, but that doesn't make the subject matter any better.]

No, I suppose they don't. But at least some comforts don't change either.

[whomthebelltolls]

No, perhaps not.

[She hardly thinks the aesthetic is comforting, but... well, it's at least familiar. Though increasingly less so the longer she stays in this place.

She settles in a bit, watching him work, sipping at her drink as she feels the urge. It's not uncomfortable silence, but she doesn't say much as she thinks, once again, about her life here. How different it has been compared to the life she lived before.]

[cryptsleeper]

[The silence isn't uncomfortable. Friendly, even, at least on Alucard's end. He's comfortable, warm, and gently full of alcohol. He's managed a good, deep discussion about his parents and home without any negativity and that is wonderful.

He lets out a content noise, and in truth, the rest of the day could be like this and he'd be happy.]