A Suitable Suitor

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Summary

Xenith has made either the brave or foolish mistake to responding to Mrs Foxx' notice on the board. He comes to tea to find out more.

Contains Bad Language

The Roleplay

Marw Foxx thought herself a proper woman, she felt she was charming, eloquent and despite her age, still striking. That view however is not commonly shared, most disliked the eternally elderly woman, even her own blood, her own offspring often couldn't stand to be in her presence. Yet drowning in her belief of herself, her ways, she had sent a hand written invite to Xenith de Lourdes, delivered by a young boy who took on odd jobs. That invite would have promised an afternoon of tea in the Foxx shop/home in Solol with this precise time and date. Of course as lady of the house, she wouldn't have met him in the store but the shop girl Najya would have a she would have guided Xenith through the taxidermist wares for sale, some quite cliche and others...bizzare in concept and then through the consultation room with it's faux mountain display with a dozen stuffed goats, and then to the stairs where Xenith would have to climb to go to the home quarters. There Marw would be, cigarette in hand, bringing a tarnished three tier afternoon tea tray out of the kitchen and to the den, layers laden with finger sandwiches and slightly stale iced fairy cakes.

Xenith ,for his part, arrived promptly and dressed to impress with his finest silk suit. He has a leather portfolio with him filled with sheets of vellum, tucked under one arm. He makes his way through the Foxx Compound, and when he finally meets Marw, he bows deeply and greets her in a voice both deep and smooth, like a honey coated boulder rolling down a mountainside. "Mrs. Foxx, I presume. Xenith de Lourdes, at your service. Thank you for agreeing to speak with me, and for inviting me into your lovely home."

Marw sets the tray down upon the coffee table in the centre of the room once it is clear her company has arrived, the furniture all back in the day would have been grand and fine but much like Mrs Foxx, age had been hard on them, worn patches, tarnished colours, some make do and mend to it too. A smile slips her mouth, lips of painted plum and cracked, with the pigment seeping deeper into the crevices, she sweeps her skirt to approach him. "Ah Mr de Lourdes, a pleasure. I am Mrs Foxx." If only it was Ms, she can't help think. Still she lifts a hand and offers it to the gent, not to shake. Oh no. With palm down and knuckles to the ceiling and with the curve of her fingers, a couple wearing over sized purple cocktail rings, it is quite clear the old bitch expects the man to kiss her hand as one would 'back in the day', 'the good old days' they certainly were. Whether he would have the manners to comply or not, she would soon sweep her hand into the room to invite "Take a seat, tell me how you would like your tea and help yourself to food. Then we can talk."

Xenith takes the gradual onset of decreptitude of the once fine room in stride, doing a fair job of ignoring patchwork and discoloration. Marw herself receives the same benefit, as Xenith looks at her with the same warm expression he would give to any young beauty. He has, apparently, had a lot of practice in ignoring the aging of once fine things. He takes her hand lightly, thumb atop and fingers curled under, then presses his lips lightly to the back of his own thumb, as in his circle it would be rude to kiss a lady's hand directly. He smiles brightly as he settles into a seat near the coffee table after being invited. "I'm afraid I'm a bit dull in that regard, Mrs. Foxx. No milk, no sugar." He does not need a second invitation before he takes a dainty bite of a sandwich, despite the fact that it makes him look like a giant, and he could clearly swallow it in one go were he so inclined. "Also, I don't typically bring this up, but given our conversation today it might be worth noting. Technically I am The Honorable Xenith de Lourdes, or Sir de Lourdes. You may, of course, call me Xenith."

Marw of course is quite charmed by the rarity of a man these days having such manners, such grace had been lost by the youth and riff raff today. So with a pleased little smile, the woman who dressed as if she were in a constant state of mourning, nearly always black, though mourning the fact her husband still lives, she sweeps back over to the table. A little wince as her back doesn't take kindly to bending right then but she powers through, a plain black tea for him in a twee rose painted teacup, matching saucer and gold gilding around the edge, another relic of her life that somehow seemed to survive all being thrown at it as much as she would have loved to have this set that she received o her wedding say to find a way to smash into smithereens. Then pouring herself a cup though risking the tea running over as Xenith announces his title, someone who knew Marw well enough would almost see the gold signs in her eyes as she jumps to the age old conclusion that those with titles have wealth. Catching it just in time and adding a smidge of milk and sugar to her own, taking a seat next to the man, body angled towards him, one leg crossing over the other with just a hint of her ankle with it's rumpled tan stocking showing from under her long black skirt. "The Honourable Xenith de Lourdes..." she repeats in such a way as if inviting him to tell the tale but not quite asking such a blunt question but with silvery brows lifted over her milky blue eyes as she looks at him, how could one not indulge her in the tale as she says nothing else to try to force his hand.

Xenith sips his tea politely, his eyes glancing down at her exposed ankle for a moment before returning to meet Marw's gaze. Whether he's merely amused, or impressed at her daring, his eyes still carry a telltale twinkle as he launches into the heavily abridged version of his sordid tale. "My father was the Baron de Lourdes. His title did not vest in me after his passing, but I am still due certain honorifics from my own station. If I took a wife, as a hypothetical apropos of nothing, she would become a Lady, and a peer of the realm."

Marw is mostly paying attention but slightly distracted as she realises that a man with a title, as desirable as it would be to have one in the family, those kind of folks are often as attached to their name as she is to her family's. She makes a mental note that it would simply have to be hyphenated....Foxx de Lourdes....no, need the Foxx part last, de Lourdes-Foxx...perfect. Still having mentally married the man to her daughter without his awareness, she smiles and gently nods "My condolences for your father's passing. H..." She was just about to ask how he had died, curiosity almost forcing that ill question out but most were not as fascinated in death as Old Mrs Foxx, eternally on the doorstep of death but never allowed to enter that realm, cursed to suffer eternity in a decrepit state. Instead she moves onto business with another inviting hand motioning to the food as she sips her tea before she speaks again. "Of course you are a smart man, you have pieced things together and you clearly have deduced that one of my daughters is in the market for a husband. She is a quiet shy kind..." She is not, Valdis is a feisty strong woman, independent and confident but Mrs Foxx has no qualms in lying, oh no, she will lie and con anyone to get her way, attempt to bribe, blackmail or even drug her daughter with sedatives if need be to play the part. "...and of course she wishes me to approve of any suitors for her before she meets them. If you were to get to that stage then perhaps an activity would be best for you. How do you feel about hunting? We have plenty of shotguns for you to borrow should you not have your own, Valdis is quite a skilled shot. My grandson has hunting dogs for you to take and Dwain, my son runs the horse racing course in Tiassale so if you needed access to their stables for a beast then it is close by."

Xenith smiles warmly over his tea, but is not so gauche as to admit he saw through the many layers of deception involved in this meeting. Instead he merely accepts the invitation to go hunting with an unmarried daughter as a pleasant and unforseen surprise. "I've never been hunting with a firearm before. Bow a few times. My real joy was always boar hunting, on horseback with a spear. I'd be eager to learn." He sets his leather portfolio down on the floor between himself and Marw, apparently changing the subject. "I've always found the joining of two houses, two families, a delicate procedure best entered into with honesty and understanding. Openness. I also know you must be concerned for your daughter's future, her wellbeing and comfort. As chance would have it, just this morning I was meeting with one of my accountants. In this folder, I have the details of my financial investments, as I was unable to return home before meeting with you. Might I excuse myself to visit your restroom?" Xenith, assuming directions are given, will rise to give Marw a few moments of privacy with his papers. If one were to snoop, the documents would detail partial ownership interests in several wineries and shipping concerns which result in a considerable income. The records are also clearly abridged, to the eyes of anyone with some financial acumen. The details of exactly which shipping concerns are hidden through accounting wizardries, and it is equally clear these are not his complete holdings, merely those he wished to share.

Marw can't hide the little glimmer of surprise at Xenith's inexperience with a gun, a weapon that she and most of her family favour which of course is likely due to her belief it is superior to other weaponry and of course it is helpful for the business. Still she says nothing on that matter but points to the dark long hallway that leads doe the house "Third door to the left." Tea cup set down, hands clasped upon her lap and a smile as if she were a sweet nun as he leaves. Once Xenith reaches the hallway he should see the further state of disrepair of the house, what once was a red carpet is almost completely worn down the middle, black and grey flock wall paper peeling at parts and black ornate frames with portraits of the many Foxxes hanging. He might see more than just a few oil paint representatives of the family, Joyanne the quiet and favoured daughter would squeak at seeing someone unfamiliar roam the place, her bedroom door would be quickly closed. Opposite the bathroom, a door ajar would be Marw's bedroom, her husband in there, two separate twin beds and the old man, once known for his sharp intelligence barely a shadow of his former self, murmuring to himself, sat in his underwear and seeming to be confused when reading a newspaper and then if Xenith should venture too far, the back staircase which would have been used by servants when the house was more a manor, a brunette gaunt looking woman, a half painted canvas in one hand and walking down the stairs and for a split second, that woman would not look human but like a rotting corpse but perhaps just a trick of the light as she carries on down to the ground floor, in a world of her own. Marw however, an opportunist and a nosey interfering cow, reaches out for her silver framed spectacles on the coffee table the instant he has gone, the chain put behind her head and then perched upon her nose as she pounces on the portfolio like a vulture on a corpse. Quickly she starts to scan the papers, the old woman could be at risk of falling in love with Xenith herself just for the wineries but when she hears the toilet flush, the portfolio is snapped shut, set back down where it was before but likely at a different angle, and there she waits as if she had been the whole time, hands clasped on her lap, smile but of course the spectacles upon her nose. Of course once he becomes reacquainted, she can't help but ask "How come you are in the market for a wife at the moment? Did your last one suffer an accident?"

Xenith has made friends with far too many strange things since coming to this land to let a momentarily rotting woman affect him too strongly. Instead he dither in the hall long enough to try and identify a painting of Valdis before returning to Marw, smiling warmly and helping himself to the last cooled sip of his tea. He nods gently at the new angle of his documents. "Never married. Traveled freely in my youth, and when my father passed unexpectedly my attention was given to wrapping up the affairs of his estate. I've been in negotiations a few times before, but my mother and theirs never quite saw eye to eye regarding the details." He does help himself to another sandwich, dabbing his lips daintily after. "Also, in the interest of full disclosure, you should know that I don't own any real estate outright at the moment. Setting up an entire household, as a bachelor, seemed excessively ostentatious. Building a home would of course be my first priority if I began courting."

Marw does indeed have a painting of her daughter there, certainly a striking woman though that is a sore point for Marw, a vain woman who misses her own youth and beauty has left her jealous of her pleasing to the eye offspring, perhaps that is one of the reasons why Joyanne who dresses more plainly is favoured. Still mind on the goal for her daughter to be secured in wedlock, she nods in attentive understanding as if she would be the ideal mother in law though truly she is the woman who gives mother in laws a bad name, just ask the wives or husbands of her married children. "Ah, should I take it that your mother will be in contact at some point to discuss further progress? Or perhaps are you taking things into your own hands? I understand completely, homes often need a woman's touch to become more than just a house as well, something I have the utmost confidence that my dear Valdis would achieve for any husband of her's."

Xenith shakes his head, a bit of sadness touching his features now, but his voice still quite firm. Clearly he has mourned, but is mourning no longer. "I'm sure my mother would quite like to speak with you, but unfortunately she too has passed. Thus I am left adrift in this, as with so many things, to muddle my best way through without the guidance of a wise woman." He holds up his hands in a show of helplessness, what can be expected of him, he's only a man after all. "I suppose I must entrust myself to your sage advice, Mrs. Foxx." Xenith also, incidentally, recalls seeing Valdis in person the other day, though he didn't know her name until seeing the portrait.

Marw and Xenith are both sat upon the couch, a three tier tray of finger sandwiches and stale iced fairy cakes. Poor Sir Xenith has made the most unfortunate mistake of responding to Marw's advert upon the board as she tries to find a husband for Valdis. Having been in conversation a little while and the elderly woman having fabricated the truth, spied and become enamoured by the man's title, she is now near determined for a match to be made. So reaching out to gently pat Xenith's hand in what she believes to be a comforting manner, a tilt of her head to partner it, she vows with no genuine sentiment "I will try not to disappoint you. I only want the best for my daughter, her happiness means the world to me. So of course you can trust what I say, any guidance I give will be true. After all I have been married many years. " Unhappily so for the most part but that goes unsaid. "And if you and my daughter are not suited, I can still help you where I can, be there for you where your mother can not be." Of course with a title and a portfolio like that, Marw Foxx is going to make sure her vixen daughter is on board with being suited.

Adamina slips into the den from outside and pauses long enough to hang up her warm, expensive cloak?one perhaps a little more so than the house and the things inside it. She is a tall girl, with dark red hair pulled up and back from her face into a bun. Her clothing is conservative, but the sleeves of her gown are short enough to reveal a tattoo on her left forearm of a kraken whose tentacles are wrapped around a running fox. "Good evening, Mother. Sir." She offers a friendly smile to her mother and their guest?then gives Marw a subtly quizzical look and a faintly arched brow.

Xenith rises and bows deeply at Adamina's entrance. "Good evening, Miss. Xenith de Lourdes, at your service. Xenith, if you please." He smiles down at Marw, not sitting until Adamina does, and beams his gratitude to her. "I am lucky to have seen your letter. If only I had been a few years earlier, perhaps I might have seen the letter your mother posted and had his conversation with her."

Marw Foxx has many looks that say many things, those who know her well would be able to see the slight look of panic at the appearance of Adamina and then see the expression shift into a near glare, one that wordlessly says 'Don't ruin this Mina or I will ruin you.' Of course it is nearly always only her offspring that are fluent in the looks of Marw so hopefully Adamina would get it and comply. Still she offers introductions for the red headed woman "This is my daughter, Mina. Valdis' sister." She can't help but wonder what life would have been like with a different husband, of course with the curse Marw has had, Xenith would have had to have been around three hundred years ago, for the old woman had been in her old age for the last two and a half centuries. Still, she says nothing of this, silence preferably to keep his ignorance. "I am sure your name would have been on my dance card a few times if so. Perhaps though it is fate, perhaps you and Valdis will be famed lovers that in years down the line, hundreds of authors will use as inspiration for their love stories."

Adamina can read her mother's face like a book, it is true, and returns it with a neutral-ish, albeit curious glance. Xenith's words earn him a sincere smile, one that brightens her eyes. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mister de Lourdes?Xenith, if you please. I am Adamina Foxx, but everyone calls me Mina." She takes her seat then, smoothing her skirts almost as an afterthought and sitting straight, without slouching "I do love a good love story," she remarks to her mother. "Speaking of, have you read anything by Evan Dara, either of you? Their romances are just delightful. "

Xenith starts to sit, then pauses, watching Mina carefully. Finally he grins and settles back into his seat. "I love the Gypsy and the Hay." He turns his attention back to Marw after his admission. "I think it would be beneficial to go hunting. Assuming compatibility, really the only topic we have yet to address is the matter of the dowry."

Marw with the reflection of a mirror showing a haggard face of wrinkles, a husband not even capable of witty or interesting conversation in his state, has very little opportunity to experience romance any more so with the name of a particular author brought up, one she has quite a few books of, though hopefully still hidden, she nearly glares at Valdis again and opts to deny "Never heard of that author." Then the dreaded word is uttered, one a woman with more daughters than sons loathes. A thoughtful purse of lips but only for a second as she rallies a defence and then she near visibly bristles and as if he had uttered the most horrific of insults in her house, Marw jolts back and stares at Xenith "Dowry! You ask about the dowry when you have not even met my daughter, spoken to my daughter. This is the first time we have met and discussed this face to face and you are already concerned about the money you would receive? I am trying to find a man that will love my daughter, my daughter will love back, one that will build a home, hope, a future, have children. Is that all you are after Mr de Lourdes?" Yes the title has been dropped as she stares at him in faux flabbergasted horror "I didn't take you as that sort of man that wanted to discuss the dowry so soon. I thought there was more to you than that and I am normally so good at reading people."

Adamina meets her mother's glare with a look of genuine surprise. "No? You can borrow some of mine if you'd like to read them. The one about the gypsy in the hay is excellent, but I think there was one about a werewolf and a paladin too. I think that one was Dara's, but I've read a lot of them lately so maybe not?" While her mother chides Xenith for his financial concerns, Adamina remains silent?at least at first. "That is how noblemen do things, Mother," she says gently. "He means no offense to you or our family by asking."

Xenith just smiles warmly at Marw, watching her eyes during the outburst. He glances about the room, considering for the first time whether this isn't just the wear and tear of age from people to set to replace what was once fine. Perhaps it is the wear and tear of age in the household of someone who can't afford to replace what grows old. When Marw finishes berating him, Xenith inclines his head. "Mere curiosity Mrs. Foxx. I saw her portrait, and your daughter is very beautiful. If you were also offering an outlandish dowry, I would know something to be amiss. Instead, I assume, the dowry is minimal or perhaps nonexistent." Xenith shrugs his shoulders. "I would like to meet her."

Xenith says [to Adamina] : I shall keep my eyes open for the werewolf and paladin story, Mina.

Marw glares so coldly at Mina that the ice queen might want to take note, a silver brow arched "No, noble men do not ask so early Mina or at least not so bluntly. It is quite upsetting. " and then a wince, not one born from old age pain but one out of imaginary ailments. Still with over dramatised upset dominating her expression, her attention returns to Xenith and agrees "A meeting can be arranged and when and if the time comes to discuss a dowry then we will do so at that point but first you two must meet." Of course her mind is already whirring as to whether she can take out a loan as the dowry and then Valdis to slowly squirrel the funds away from Xenith over time to repay it. However for now the drama continues "If you will excuse me, I have a sudden headache and must lie down. Shall return in a few minutes." And that is the first unintentional lie for once her head hits her pillow, sleep will take over the old woman.

Adamina shrugs a little to her mother and opts to fold her hands in her lap instead, one finger idly tracing over one of the tentacles of her fox and kraken tattoo. "Feel better soon, Mother. I'll bring you something to drink in a little while." Now that Marw is gone, the younger of the two Foxx women is left alone with Xenith. "If I may be frank, sir, Valdis is a nice girl and would make an agreeable wife and companion."

Xenith nods to Adamina, gathering the leather portfolio he brought with him. "I am eager to make her acquaintance, certainly. I should be on my way for now, Mina. A pleasure."

Adamina bows her head and keeps her smile. "Have a wonderful evening, Xenith, and farewell. I hope you return soon and that you and my sister get along well."

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Last modified on March 30, 2017, 15:18:43