valdemars: (lady 2)
Lady and Lord Valdemar ([personal profile] valdemars) wrote in [community profile] aungier2013-07-01 02:21 pm

All Soul's Day- November 2nd, 1888

Date: November 2nd, 1888
Time: 10:00am - 10:30 am (service- characters may stay for longer, though)
Location: The chapel
Characters: Everyone [OPEN/CLOSED]

Summary: The household gathers together in the chapel for a short All Soul's Day service.
Warnings: None.


The Valdemar family are not, by and large, particularly religious. "My faith," proclaimed Lady Valdemar once, to the horror of her husband's parents, "lies while science and science alone. If God should have a hand in that, so be it. I couldn't care less either way."

Yet here they were, gathered together in silent prayer before the altar and the glassy purview of King Solomon and a host of angels, huddled in the dark pews at the front as if in collective repentance- not that Her Ladyship seems particularly repentant. From the slant of her shoulders to her poker-straight back to the upward jut of her chin, all of her bearing is far too proud for a humble servant; she watches her husband take to the lectern with an almost feline boredom, thin lips pursed. Even a servant watching from a second floor balcony might note the smear of carmine on them, as if brushed on for the sole purpose of better expressing her disdain.

"The righteous perish, and no one ponders it in his heart; devout men are taken away, and no one understands that the righteous are taken away to be spared from evil." Lord Valdemar seems uncomfortable with so many eyes upon him, and he studiously avoids his wife's stare. He dabs at his brow with a handkerchief before continuing. "Those who walk uprightly enter into peace; they find rest as they lie in death."

His voice, though low and quiet, echoes throughout the space with a new importance that could only have been built into place by a canny architect with an ear for dramatics. A Madonna relief rolls her eyes piously to the ceiling; a spider inches its way down her shoulder and drops onto the organ, silent for years now.

The final stretch now. "I live in a high and holy place, but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite," he finishes- and, the bible closes in a dusty thump. With another mop of the brow, he murmurs something pleading about feeling faint before bolting for the hallway wearing a martyred look.

Lady Valdemar sniffs. "A migraine," she informs no one in particular, rising from the pew. She makes it sound like an accusation. "His health is so tenuous these days."

But for all of her snide comments, that she is the one left rather than her husband does allow for a little breathing room. If anyone should want to light a candle or speak a silent prayer of their own, now is the time.


[This is an open post for all of the household. Threads may either take place during, before or after the service. Lady Valdemar will also be available to speak with, assuming your character is either of the right station or has an excuse to do so- say so in your post's subject line if that would interest you.]
failedprotagonist: (I was born to bring)

[personal profile] failedprotagonist 2013-07-12 05:50 am (UTC)(link)
He returns her smile easily enough, though his is a faint and quiet kind of smile. "I hope you enjoy them," he says.

"No, I don't hunt deer with hounds. That's for the riding parties. I stalk the deer, myself. Dogs might lose patience with that. Too long and too quiet for them, on the whole. Mine are well-trained enough to manage, but I bring them out mainly for birds and other small game."

He speaks of the animals fondly, himself. They're loyal companions. Sometimes he thinks he prefers them to people (with some exceptions). "They're good dogs."

[personal profile] motherof_bone 2013-07-12 05:38 pm (UTC)(link)
She imagines him, stalking the deer. Something quiet and dangerous coiled in the shadows, waiting. It fills her with a cloying dread, that thought. The thought of men waiting to bring blood from the innocent with swiftness and slyness. Taking whatever they desire. She wanted that power for herself. She wanted to be the one to rend, to make things scream.

She runs her fingers through her hair several times, uncomfortable with the turn her thoughts have taken. Her eyes lower to the hems of her skirts, which stir only a little in the brisk air.

"I would like to meet your dogs," she murmurs, attempting not to lose the thread of conversation and seem too strange. She didn't like to be peered at too closely, as if tapping fingers on the glass might break her pretty veneer and all would be exposed about a pretty girl with a bloody mouth. "I like dogs, very much. Someone once told me I have a good heart like a dog. Loyal."

A young man she had met in the village where he family lived West of the Valdemar House. He had very pale skin and dark eyes. He would smoke cigarettes at the cafe while she drank tea and chattered to him about fairytales. His smile was sharp when heads went rolling.