She remembered her duties as a hostess and was about to ask for tea...

[ameliaashford]

Laughter drifts into the Mansion as a young woman with golden hair (and cornflower blue eyes) walks through one of the doors and into the general hallway. She is dressed in an exquisitely cut day dress in pale pink muslin. She is turned back toward the room she just exited, clearly expecting a reply from someone still inside the room

Comments

[cute_shinigami]

She might come upon a tall, rumpled-looking young fellow with mussed brown hair falling over his forehead and into his peculiarly brilliant violet eyes, as he's lumbering along the hallway, carrying a rolled-up rug. But on seeing her, he'll pause and smile at her in a friendly way. "Hello there! You must be new here," he says, cheerfully.

[ameliaashford]

Amelia is momentarily distracted by the unknown stranger appearing at what she still believes to be the Chase. It doesn't take long for her upbringing to kick in, though, and so she curtsies. After all, what else can one do when confronted with a stranger, particularly one that looks like Asato. Amelia thinks briefly on whether speaking to the stranger is appropriate, but eventually her desire for answers beats the requirement of propriety.
"Good afternoon, sir," she says with a kind smile plastered on her face. "Actually, I've been coming to the Chase since I was a small child, but I don't recall ever seeing this hallway." That's the best Amelia can do... for now.

[cute_shinigami]

The gent with the rug sets his burden down, leaning it against a wall. "Ah, well, you probably haven't seen it before because you probably aren't there any more," he says, apologetically. "You've stepped into a place known as the Mansion, or at least, that's what everyone here calls it."

[ameliaashford]

Only when the gentleman looks straight at her does Amelia notice just what it was that confused her before: he has violet eyes! She blinks several times in rapid succession and tries very hard not to gape - that isn't polite. As such, Asato's comment doesn't really register at first. "I'm sorry, how do you mean, I'm not at the Chase anymore?"

[regency_twihard]

If Amelia should venture into the library, she might come upon a young lady of about her own era sitting at a writing desk, bent over a journal in which she's scribbling away. She might not even notice she has company until she's prodded a bit...

[ameliaashford]

After having been shown the ropes by Asato, Amelia returns to the main hallway and starts exploring. It doesn't take her long to locate the library - somehow, the interiors of most mansions appear to be somewhat similar. She enters and sets about exploring the collection of books, hoping that there is some comfort to be found there. While she would normally never disturb someone at work (unless for a very, VERY good reason), she eventually approaches Catherine because it's a relief to see someone at least appearing normal... She clears her throat softly in an attempt to get the woman's attention. "Pray excuse me... but are you familiar with this library's organization?"

[regency_twihard]

She looks up, rather surprised, but a smile crosses her face. "Oh, yes, I am not the librarian of this place, but I spend a good deal of time here," she says. "Is there anything that I can help you with?"

[ameliaashford]

Amelia gladly answers the smile, relieved that she at least hasn't committed any faux pas in addressing the lady. "Well, I was trying to understand how the books are organized, really. At home, we always organized them according to subject matter, and it was easy to find a novel to read."

[surfaceshine]

Dean, as used to be usual, can be found in the kitchen. He's a tall, chronically rough around the edges, active modern man in his late twenties or early thirties, currently dressed in worn and torn jeans, a charcoal grey henley, and an open red plaid overshirt. If she gets a good look at his right forearm at any point in their interaction, there's a very newly healed, bright pink scar from what could be assumed to be a rather vicious dog bite.

Right now, though, he just wants something to munch on, though he would probably talk to anyone who interrupted his search by entering the room.

[ameliaashford]

If there's one thing that hasn't changed dramatically in centuries, it's that for an English lass, tea is the cure for every problem. So, after settling in her room - courtesy of Asato - she goes in search for the kitchen... Only to find that occupied by someone else. Amelia is slightly stunned by the gentleman's apparel which is unlike anything she's ever seen. She cannot help but tilt her head sideways... and stare. In all probability, that's what Dean would find if he were to look up: a pretty, staring female with a very confused expression on her face.

[surfaceshine]

Oh, Dean is no gentleman. And he's accustomed to that particular expression, so when he hears someone at the door and glances over his shoulder at her, he is not in his turn extremely surprised. Or even remotely. He is, however, slightly buzzed though it would take someone who knows him very well to notice that immediately; he flashes a half-hearted smile and turns back to his task, shoulder-deep in the current cabinet and rummaging around by feel.

"Mornin'," comes the lazy, midwestern American drawl.

[ameliaashford]

The drawled greeting kicks Amelia into gear and she politely stops staring. Moving slightly further into the kitchen, she returns the greeting in a very proper Queen's English: "Good morning to you as well. Are you part of the staff in this place?" It doesn't - yet - occur to Amelia that Dean might be as much of a guest as she is.

[in_summer_leaf]

If Amelia should walk down the long hill to the lake, she will find Hisoka there. He is hip-deep in the water, floating a model sailboat that he has just finished making. And although he is clearly absorbed in what he is doing, he would not at all mind company.

[ameliaashford]

Amelia has taken to walking outside after all the excitement inside the Mansion. A brisk walk on the grounds might be just the thing and she assumes that since the Mansion appears to be similar to other homes from her time, that somewhere on the grounds there will be a pond or lake with well tended paths leading to and around them.

As she crests the hill, she is indeed presented with a view of a lake nearby. The one thing she notices however is that there is a shape in the water. Thinking this person in trouble - for who would go into a lake willingly, when the risk of drowning is VERY real - she rushes to the lake side, temporarily forgetting her manners, and calling out - but not very loudly - for the person's attention.

"Hello? Sir?"

[in_summer_leaf]

Hisoka looks around. "Oh, hello! You must be new here," he says.

[ameliaashford]

"Are you alright? Do you need help getting out of the water?" At first, it doesn't register for Amelia that the boy doesn't appear to be in any kind of trouble. She's a little out of breath and slightly flushed from rushing down toward the lake.

[killedthesnake]

If Amelia wanders the grounds much, she'll likely run across Neville's greenhouse, built not far behind the Mansion proper. He'll be inside tending his plants. He's almost always friendly, and happy to meet new arrivals.

[ameliaashford]

After the lake, Amelia discovers the greenhouse. Relieved that there is something else she recognizes, she walks briskly towards the door and opens it carefully. On the inside, the greenhouse is rather different from the conservatories she knows. However, she is intrigued by all the unusual plants and so starts wandering around. Neville will most likely find her studying some plant or another, clearly absorbed in the beauty surrounding her.

[killedthesnake]

Neville's wards warned him of someone's approach, and so he watched the stranger enter quietly from near the back. He'd grown accustomed to new arrivals finding their way to his greenhouse, and he's happy that it seems so welcoming. He clears his throat as he approaches her, so he won't startle the woman, and offers her a friendly grin. "Hello. Are you new to the Mansion?"

[ameliaashford]

A small EEP! is heard in reply to Neville's unexpected greeting. "My apologies! I did not know anyone was in here!" Amelia whirls around, only to be confronted with someone who - at first glance, in any case - bears more than a passing resemblance to her husband, Luc. As such, she is momentarily stunned as she looks at the friendly face.