Such a shame, my dear Jordan, God rest his soul, left us just as quickly when the fever set its hooks to him. You have my condolences, and if you find yourselves in need of help in the arrangements, you need only to call upon me. It is a sad business, but I have experience in it.
Sad business. [ There's a certain insincerity to the boy, though it may be more habitual than purposeful. ] Yes. Very sad business indeed. But please, don't trouble yourself. My father's heir will surely want to take care of the particulars himself.
[She gives him a prim sort of look. Says nothing because he is not her son, not hers to correct, but if you were better mannered, you would watch your tone, little Windham.]
It is the nature of community to be troubled over the passing of such a fine member as your father was.
[ The boy has grown tired of condolences and mourning. The old bastard didn't care about much of anything but power anyway. That much, Aubrey supposes, is genetic between them. ]
Troubled. Certainly. Or eager to see him go, but proper enough to pretend otherwise.
[Ill-mannered little thing. Her expression is deceptively vague, willing to accept his wordplay and concession though it hardly fools her. She slips further behind a veil of grieving piety,]
That the spirit has gone where we still fear to tread is cause enough for awe, that judgment has been faced and absolution reached deserves our reverence as well.
Unlike in other matters of business, there is no advantage to be gained in being well-acquainted with the dealings of grief. Thank you for your offer, as well as your condolences...'Señora' Alavanja, correct?
I do not believe we've been properly introduced. It is a pity it had to be under such grievous circumstance. Raleigh Windham IV. [ A bow to his head. ]
-surreptitiously fixes typos.-hisbarbarianFebruary 5 2010, 03:32:06 UTC
Grievous, yes, but it is the nature of death to bring the living together and I won't be sorry if I have the chance to better know the young Windhams. [An offered hand, regal thing in her dark gloves.]
And grief is not a business, but a trial, and one I find that never ends, [She crosses herself with a crisp motion, habit ingrained to a woman who privately does not believe in God at all.] there is still a great many expenses associated with a passing. It is the business of wills and wakes, flowers and coffins that can be navigated more easily with practice.
[She is an intelligent woman. And her expression acknowledges him as an intelligent man until such time as he proves himself to be otherwise. She does not doubt he can handle the affairs and the expression in her dark eyes offers him that assurance.]
[ Raleigh takes the hand, graciously, and -- perhaps exercising more humility than he normally would -- bows at the waist to give Señora Alavanja's gloved knuckles a passing kiss. His eyes keep hers during the process; an unspoken conversation seems to occur quickly between the both of them. Shared acknowledgment of the other and their capabilities, yet untested. ]
I pleasure to finally make your acquaintance. My father made mention of you and your late husband several times before his passing.
Death is not a subject most people allow themselves to dwell upon. Reminders of their own mortality do very little beyond foster fear, the panic that comes with the realization that there is -- perhaps -- never enough time. If I may say so, Señora Alavanja, you do not strike me as such.
[She lifts her chin in understanding. A polite young man with some sense, how refreshing. She accepts his pleasantries and concessions to her late husband's esteem with a mild curve of her lips. Jordan had been a good business man, there is no denying that, whatever else faults he may or may not have possessed. He had died so early in their marriage, she had hardly known him at all. The dead, however, are given a carte blanche to their greatness and innocence, and the custom serves her well.]
I'm sure the feeling is mutual, as I have heard nothing but pride and envy when it comes to your rising star.
[With crosses at her ears and at her throat, the question of death is an easy one, if not an honest one. But she has the reputation of the pious widow, she plays the part.]
Death, we are to be reminded, is not an end, but a beginning. Why fear the eternal peace?
[She watches quietly for his reaction, looking for the signs of a sensible man, not a simpering zealot.]
[ A tilt of his head, as if to concede her point, though his expression hardly does. It is the kind of gesture made for the sake of appearance -- the gloss of piety, of some sense of spirituality (always required, a necessary evil when it comes to politics). ]
Hopefully, you will forgive my practicality on the matter, Señora Alavanja, but I am more concerned with worldly beginnings and ends, rather than whatever final journey my father may now take. [ His eyes flicker up towards the ceiling and the sky that lays beyond. Another hollow gesture loaded with meaning. It does not seem disingenuous though he's certain she sees it for what it is. ]
I am the son of a politician. Pragmatism is not easily shaken off. He will take it, regardless, to whatever peace lies beyond. Us Windhams, however, are still required to carry on.
[ A pause, measurable. ] Have you met my younger brother?
[She thumbs the thin golden cross at her throat with a faint smile to her lips. The bemusement of a spiritual woman with a worldly man, perhaps, for all intents and purposes.]
Practicality is its own virtue and has its own rewards. There is a balance to be struck between the world and the spirit. It is not an easy thing for any of us to find. [The inflection suggests that perhaps she focuses herself inwardly, but when a woman grieves how can anyone fault her looking for solace in the arms of God?]
I did spend a few moments with him, it seemed to me he was in need of comfort I could not provide. [Comfort and discipline meld together in her mind. Certainly the child is given to whatever sour emotions he experiences, but one of his status should realize that no one is interested in how he truly feels and to disrupt the dance is as petty as it is futile.]
[ Raleigh's expression tightens almost imperceptibly -- a slight narrowing around the eyes, a deepening of the creases at the edges of his mouth. It's unsatisfactory to him that Aubrey would be the one between the both of them to make the first impression. But that dissatisfaction is only temporary, quickly filed away for another one of their 'brotherly' chats.
Clearing his throat, he tugs at his sleeves and straightens his cuffs before clasping his hands in the small of his back. ]
My brother has spent too much time feeding off of his own discontent, relegated to the same station that most younger sons inherit. He has, as a result, escaped a firm hand. [ A small nod of his head. ] Until now, of course.
I apologize if he has, in any way, offended you, Señora Alavanja.
I would not be so harsh as to judge him on such an eve. Loss is kind to no one in its fury.
[She does not fool herself into believing Aubrey is suffering anything even resembling loss and thus her impression is made, but she would never be so short sighted as to judge a family by the undisciplined dourness of one teenage boy.]
Don't trouble yourself, Master Windham. [Though there is approval in her tone, her expression, subdued as it is. She is a widow, inheritor and sole owner of the Alavanja trading company with that filthy creature Raymond dead and gone. Not their mother, it is not her place to tell Raleigh how to deal with his brother. Even if she thinks he could use a firm guiding hand. With father gone it is time to grow up.]
You have much more important things to concern yourself with and he was quite civil enough.
[ Raleigh is tempted to disagree, to tell Señora Alavanja that there is no better time to judge young Aubrey. Here, tonight, in this house -- a hundred eyes (so few truly sympathetic) are focused on their household. A new reign is establishing itself and, though his participation is minimized, the youngest Windham still plays a part in it.
In the end, however, he says none of this, though some of it shows in his eyes when he talks. She has proven herself a shrewd woman; there is what she says aloud and what she knows. And although Raleigh is not privy to the later, he at least can tell that it's there. ]
With all due respect, Señora Alavanja, I can think of little else that supersedes it. Certain matters may be handed off, broken down into smaller tasked and distributed among worthy parties.
Only Aubrey and I wear the name of Windham. And so we must both do our fair share. Grieved or not.
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It is the nature of community to be troubled over the passing of such a fine member as your father was.
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Troubled. Certainly. Or eager to see him go, but proper enough to pretend otherwise.
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The dead deserve our respect for what they have lost.
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Then there is no respect earned. The loss is not his, but ours.
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That the spirit has gone where we still fear to tread is cause enough for awe, that judgment has been faced and absolution reached deserves our reverence as well.
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I do not believe we've been properly introduced. It is a pity it had to be under such grievous circumstance. Raleigh Windham IV. [ A bow to his head. ]
Reply
And grief is not a business, but a trial, and one I find that never ends, [She crosses herself with a crisp motion, habit ingrained to a woman who privately does not believe in God at all.] there is still a great many expenses associated with a passing. It is the business of wills and wakes, flowers and coffins that can be navigated more easily with practice.
[She is an intelligent woman. And her expression acknowledges him as an intelligent man until such time as he proves himself to be otherwise. She does not doubt he can handle the affairs and the expression in her dark eyes offers him that assurance.]
Reply
I pleasure to finally make your acquaintance. My father made mention of you and your late husband several times before his passing.
Death is not a subject most people allow themselves to dwell upon. Reminders of their own mortality do very little beyond foster fear, the panic that comes with the realization that there is -- perhaps -- never enough time. If I may say so, Señora Alavanja, you do not strike me as such.
Reply
I'm sure the feeling is mutual, as I have heard nothing but pride and envy when it comes to your rising star.
[With crosses at her ears and at her throat, the question of death is an easy one, if not an honest one. But she has the reputation of the pious widow, she plays the part.]
Death, we are to be reminded, is not an end, but a beginning. Why fear the eternal peace?
[She watches quietly for his reaction, looking for the signs of a sensible man, not a simpering zealot.]
Reply
Hopefully, you will forgive my practicality on the matter, Señora Alavanja, but I am more concerned with worldly beginnings and ends, rather than whatever final journey my father may now take. [ His eyes flicker up towards the ceiling and the sky that lays beyond. Another hollow gesture loaded with meaning. It does not seem disingenuous though he's certain she sees it for what it is. ]
I am the son of a politician. Pragmatism is not easily shaken off. He will take it, regardless, to whatever peace lies beyond. Us Windhams, however, are still required to carry on.
[ A pause, measurable. ] Have you met my younger brother?
Reply
Practicality is its own virtue and has its own rewards. There is a balance to be struck between the world and the spirit. It is not an easy thing for any of us to find. [The inflection suggests that perhaps she focuses herself inwardly, but when a woman grieves how can anyone fault her looking for solace in the arms of God?]
I did spend a few moments with him, it seemed to me he was in need of comfort I could not provide. [Comfort and discipline meld together in her mind. Certainly the child is given to whatever sour emotions he experiences, but one of his status should realize that no one is interested in how he truly feels and to disrupt the dance is as petty as it is futile.]
Reply
Clearing his throat, he tugs at his sleeves and straightens his cuffs before clasping his hands in the small of his back. ]
My brother has spent too much time feeding off of his own discontent, relegated to the same station that most younger sons inherit. He has, as a result, escaped a firm hand. [ A small nod of his head. ] Until now, of course.
I apologize if he has, in any way, offended you, Señora Alavanja.
Reply
[She does not fool herself into believing Aubrey is suffering anything even resembling loss and thus her impression is made, but she would never be so short sighted as to judge a family by the undisciplined dourness of one teenage boy.]
Don't trouble yourself, Master Windham. [Though there is approval in her tone, her expression, subdued as it is. She is a widow, inheritor and sole owner of the Alavanja trading company with that filthy creature Raymond dead and gone. Not their mother, it is not her place to tell Raleigh how to deal with his brother. Even if she thinks he could use a firm guiding hand. With father gone it is time to grow up.]
You have much more important things to concern yourself with and he was quite civil enough.
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In the end, however, he says none of this, though some of it shows in his eyes when he talks. She has proven herself a shrewd woman; there is what she says aloud and what she knows. And although Raleigh is not privy to the later, he at least can tell that it's there. ]
With all due respect, Señora Alavanja, I can think of little else that supersedes it. Certain matters may be handed off, broken down into smaller tasked and distributed among worthy parties.
Only Aubrey and I wear the name of Windham. And so we must both do our fair share. Grieved or not.
Reply
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