Back Yard Garden Tea Party

[Vladimir Steel]

It had only been a few days since Vladimir's party, and since then he had done nothing but business, and the amount of paper work he had gone through was so vast, that if you piled it all together it would make a whole new tree, of that he was sure. Needless to say the young Count was in dire need of social interaction that did not involve boring tasks and talks about running a business. So the previous evening, after a long and boring day's work, he had sent out invitations to a selected few for a Garden Tea Party hosted by him in his Nova Home for the following afternoon. It was to be a quiet and quaint event, nothing overly exciting. 

The Tea Party didn't take much planning. Just a simple order of winter themed assorted pastries and simple decorating. He had ordered for the gardens to be pruned before a family sized, circular, snow white table had been placed in the center along with matching ornate chairs. On the table a silver and pastel blue place setting had been set for each person invited, should they attend. Also set off to the side a stool had been set up for the harp player he had also hired. As far as decoration went that was it. The garden was in full bloom of late winter flowers and there were tons of small buds of early spring flowers ready to blossom. It was so late in the season that even a few butterflies and birds had decided to join the party. Vladimir had decided that the garden could stand on it's own and did not require any fluff.

As always, he had picked an outfit that was bordering the line of fashionable and over the top. He wore a fitted, long sleeved velvet midnight blue tunic matched with form fitting leather pants. The tunic had been woven with silver thread to make it seem as if it had been sewn from the midnight sky itself, the sparkling gemstone and silver clasps had even been made in star like shapes. To pull the outfit together he wore black leather gloves and black knee high leather boots with an assortment of silver buckles meant more for flare than to keep them on his legs.

Vladimir had even managed to be dressed and ready before his first guests arrived, which gave him plenty of time to pick the first flavor of tea and tea set. He chose a delicate set, specifically because it matched his outfit and because it was one of his favorites. The cups and tea pot had been expertly grafted to look like blooming royal blue roses with silver vines as handles and silver leaf shaped saucers. When the tea set had been chosen he left to go out to the gardens to double check that everything was in order.

With one last look around and a simple nod, Vladimir readjusted his glasses while he positioned himself in front of the table at the entrance of the garden. He then stood with his hands clasped neatly in front of him and a charming smile on his face as he awaited for his first guest's arrival.

[Yuki D'Avranches]

Yuki had just returned to Nova a few days ago to find two things someone had left a chest for her it didn't seem out of the ordinary and she had it placed in her room across from her bed. Next, she noticed that she had missed a party while she was gone it didn't matter much since she didn't know the person who threw it and it's not like anyone would have noticed that she wasn't there. She had just finished unpacking all of her stuff that made it safely back to Nova, she was mostly happy that the tea set and the tin of tea that she got Adrain as a present has made it in one piece with not a single chip to be found. After placing Adrain's present on the nightstand a knock came at her door she had her one of her handmaiden draw her a bath so that she could get ready for her afternoon tea party.


After her nice bath, she quickly got dress leaving her hair up in a slightly wet bun with plans to brush it. The dress she had chosen was a floor length dress with a two layer bottom. The inner layer is white fading into a light grey around the bottom trimming was two shade of blue the bottom a greyish blue while the top a darker blue with a single threading of a baby blue. The top layer is a thin light blue see through material with a little bit of glitter close to the bottom to give some sparkle to the dress, the trimming on the bottom is a dark solid blue followed by a solid white and blue once again. At her hips is almost like a belt of dark blue flowing over her hips a little adding brighter colour to her dress with a small blue gem in the middle and a single strip of blue down the middle of the front of the dress. The top section of the dress has a nice sweetheart neckline with a blue lacing and a small bending over the white with a heart pattern in the middle with the only thing keeping the dress up being her breast. Deciding to pair it with a small blue jacket with a floral pattern.


Next was her accessories since she didn't believe much trouble was going to happen she left the mana amplifier and placed a simple gold bangle on her left hand. Picking up the necklace that Adrain gave her carefully putting it on letting it rest just above her chest touching the gold wings then the air gem, smiling to herself for a moment. Giving a quick look over n the mirror now only having her hair to work on, taking it out of the bun letting it flow down in curly lengths down her back, running the brush through it a few times to give it a nice wavy look to it.


Finally, finish getting ready she went and grabbed the tin of her own blend of tea wanting to bring a present for the Court that was throwing the party. Before leaving she grabbed her light blue cloak with the white rabbit fur around the hood in case the tea party ran later than planned.


Since it wasn't a far to go for the party she met Sakai Nagamasa at the gates and they walked to the house of Court Vladimir following the directions on the invite she made her way to the garden entrance. As she opened the gate she saw the young Court, giving a curtsy to him being careful not to drop the tin. "Good Afternoon Court Vladimir thank you for inviting me. I am Baroness Yuki of the D'Avranches." Handing him the tin of tea that when opened he would fine white tea leaves, hibiscus, licorice root and cinnamon all dried and wrapped to help mute the scent of the plants. "I hope that it is okay I brought you some tea that my family has recently imported. It is best to drink in the morning to help give a boost of energy."


Using her ring hand to gestured to Hawkeye, "I hope it is all right that my guard has accompanied to your lovely party." Flashing him a bright smile before taking a look around at the garden a light giggle leaving her lips realizing that she somehow chose a dress that matches the decor. Quickly locating her seat, her eyes going to the tea cups and the saucers, slowly reaching out touching the pattern on the cup having not seen that design before. "These cups are beautiful wonderful craftmanship I have not seen anything like them before."

The Dress

[Deleted]

Acacia woke up to a slight knock on her door. "mmmmm....enter", she mumbled sleepily, sitting up and rubbing her eyes. A servant presented her with a scroll of parchment, bowing his apologies and leaving the room. The young baroness unrolled the scroll, quickly reading through the invitation and grinning. Hopping out of bed, she headed to her closet, sorting through her dresses and looking for something suitable. It was right on the cusp between winter and spring, so she needed something that wouldn't make her hot but also wouldn't leave her chilly. Decisions, decisions.

She settled on a long dress that was mostly a deep wine red in color. The top was quite unique in that it was a tank-top with off the shoulder, long, sleeves. The sleeves wrapped around her arms tightly, ending in a pair of lovely gold rings that fit over her middle fingers. The top edge of the sleeves, the straps on the tank-top part, and the top of the bodice were lined in a delicate, pink colored lace. A sheer material of the same color was twist wrapped around her breasts, reaching up over the straps and wrapping back under the tops of the sleeves. There was a bit of the same material wrapped around her wrists and tied into the rings. More of it also wrapped around her hips and waist, tied in front in a knot, with the ends falling loosely together. The bodice was corseted, the inner layer a lighter red, and laced with black thread in the front, the sides lined with more lace. The sleeves were also corsetted, the inner layer the same lighter red color, and laced up her forearms to her biceps with more black thread. The skirts were loose and layered. The outer layer the same color as the main dress, edges lined in pink, and split up the middle to the knotted material. The inner layer was a slightly lighter red.

Satisfied with her dress choice, Acacia started with her hair. It was long, naturally wavy and a lovely brunette. She hated trying to tame it into buns, so she decided instead to pull it up in a half ponytail, pinning it up with a lovely red, rose shaped pin. She tucked her feet into matching red shoes that had a low heel, about 2 inches. For accessories, Acacia chose a lovely necklace that was a gold heart made of vines and leaves, with a red rose in the center. Her earrings were similar, tiny red roses hanging from golden vines. Once she finished, the young baroness left the castle in a carriage headed to the tea party. She brought with her a bottle of expensive rose wine as a host gift.

Acacia arrived only a few minutes late, making her way to the garden entrance, following the directions on the invitation. She pushed open the gate and found that the Count already had one of his other guests. Acacia smiled at the two royals, giving the Count a lovely curtsy. "Good day, Count Vladimir, Lady Yuki. You're both looking quite well. Count Vladimir, thank you for the invitation and might I add that your garden is beautiful," she said, after entering the garden and making her way over to the other two. She presented the Count with the rose wine, smiling. "I brought you a gift, to show my appreciation. This wine is some of the finest rose wine in the region. It is made from flowers grown at my family's barony," Acacia explained, smiling.

[Deleted]

It could be easily said that Melda was surprised to receive and invitation from Vladimir for a tea party. She’d always assumed — and the party rather confirmed — that he liked to keep his distance from her. Regardless, she felt it would be rude to pass on the offer, and decided to go. When morning came she went about her daily routine, walking through the gardens ahead of time, bathing then getting ready. She wasn’t sure of what to wear, but soon realized that Lucinda may be attending this party, and felt it would be best to wear the gift she’d been given. The gown was green in multiple different hues, darker down the middle and lighter on her sides. The bodice had a sweetheart neckline, and the dress itself was strapless. There was a forest green sash across her waist, held together by a golden broach in the front. A scarf went with it, a golden broach holding that together as well, just on top of her collar bone. The scarf when down in from of her shoulders, then back over her elbows resting behind her. Her temp hand maiden helped with her hair, drying it before attempting beach waves of some sort. She pulled half up into an intricate braided bun with small white flowers here and there, while the rest fell down her back, stopping just before the middle. Her signature circlett had been added ahead of time, the opal accented the dress beautifully. As normal, Melda opted out of makeup.

Out of habit, she waited a moment longer, expecting Diamond to enter her chambers and escort her there; that wouldn’t be the case she quickly remembered, and headed out alone. With or without a guard, she didn't really feel vulnerable. He lived in the First District, so the risk of danger wasn't too pressing anyhow. She had a small tin of cookies in her hands, though of course she hadn’t made them herself; they were from the castle kitchen. She arrived moments after Acacia, hearing her bit about the wine.

Beautiful day, wouldn’t you all agree? Melda smiled, her formal look on her face. Appearances must be kept up, and in such a close nit environment, she had to be perky. Count Vladimir, I must admit, I was a bit surprised to see you had invited me; it’s an honour. She bowed her head lightly, the smile still on her face. Lady Acacia, Lady Yuki; a pleasure as always. She placed the tin of cookies on the table. They’re from the castle kitchen; I know you must already have something planned, but a little extra never hurt anyone.

Dress
Circlet

[Vladimir Steel]

Vladimir had not been waiting long when a young girl stepped into his garden. He smiled warmly at her as she introduced herself and returned her curtsy with a quick bow. "Ah yes Lady D'Avranches what a pleasure it is to meet you. I am pleased that you were able to join me for tea this afternoon, I do not believe you made it to my party the other night." It was then that he noticed her attire and laughed, "It seems that you have managed to match the decor and my own outfit. What a charming coincidence." He said taking the tea tin from her hands while gesturing for a servant to come forth. "Why thank you, it is most appreciated I will have to have some for my breakfast tomorrow, though we may break into it this afternoon as well if you would not mind, I absolutely love trying new teas." He winked before waving off her asking about her guard. "The more the merrier I always say, plus a lady these days can never be too careful."

His smile grew as he recognized her, "Lady Sutherland! How are you doing this afternoon, glad to see you again. You look absolutely lovely in that gown, you really do have an eye for fashion! That color brings out your eyes magnificently." As he did with Yuki, Vladimir returned Acacia's curtsy with his own bow, this time however his glasses slipping down the bridge of his nose as he did so. When he had straightened he pushed his glasses back into place with his forefinger, smiling at the young Baroness. Thank you, I do love my garden, one of my favorite things to do is sit out here in the afternoons doing paperwork instead of being cooped up in my office, fresh air does the body good. Ah, and thank you for the wine, you ladies really did not have to bring gifts, though they are very much appreciated." He said taking the wine graciously, and handing it off again to the servant holding the tea tin to be put away for later use.

It was then that Duchess Vanya had made her appearance, she still intimidated him. But he realized that at the party, he was almost down right rude in trying to avoid her, especially since he was the host, and he had invited her. Plus she had seemed to get fairly well along with Lucinda, and any friend of Lucinda's couldn't be all that sour. He bowed, yet again, this time almost gracefully. "Lady Vanya, I am so glad you could make it, thank you for the cookies." He spoke rising to look at her. "I will go ahead and tell the truth. I invited you as a form of an apology. While we had never actually met, I had invited you to my party and instead of being a kind and gracious host, I was, well a bit intimidated by you, and thus all but ignored you. That was wrong of me and I must apologize. That was not the proper behavior of a Count."

After he was finished with his apology to the Duchess, he turned to all of his guests. "Well I had invited more people, but there is no use standing around too long, let us take our seats and see if anyone else shows up shall we?" He listened to Yuki compliment his tea set as he sat down and straightened his tunic, Yes it is lovely isn't it? I can't tell you where it was made or who made it, but it was always one of my mother's favorites. I decided that since winter is so close to being over, that it would be nice to have a last few winter themed pleasantries before they are out of season."

[Deleted]

The carriage rattled as it made its way to the counts house; she was pleased to have received an invitation to afternoon tea. She had her hair done up; an intricate braid wrapped around a pearl studded hair net. The rest of her hair cascaded down in soft ringlets down to her mid back. She had pearl drop earrings hanging from each ear lobe; and a string of pearls across her neck ending in a rose quarts pendent. Her dress was rose silk; the bodice with a sweat heart neckline pulled tight showing off her desirable skinny waist. The corset like bodice also did her god given gifts a slight lift; making the small amount of cleavage slightly noticeable. The sleeves were caped; from the cap the material changed to form quarter length lace sleeves that ended in delicate frills. Around her waist there was a darker pink satin ribbon tied in a bow behind her back. The skirt came to her ankles; and her feet were clad in pink silk flats embroidered with pearl and lace.

She was quite satisfied with her appearance as she had even lined her eyes with coal and applied a light pink to her lips. This morning she had bathed in vanilla and lily oils; giving her a light but intoxicating scent. After all Vlad was a count; and she was of marrying age. It was time for her to bring in some prospects. As the carriage arrived she pulled up her lace shawl; and picked up her box of pastries she had someone pick up from the baker that morning. She stepped out of the carriage and made her way towards where she heard voices. She poked her head into a gorgeously decorated garden; blushing when she realized she must have been late as the count was already sitting. She stepped into the garden and bobbed a polite curtsy first to Lady Vanya as she was the highest nobility then to the host. ”Forgive me, it seems I’ve arrived slightly late. I hope I’m not disturbing anyone?”

Her eyes flicked up noting the other guests; Lady Vanya, and fellow baronesses Miss D’Avranches and Acacia. She was pleased to see her longtime friend included among the guests. She wondered if anyone else would be joining them. Seemed awfully odd that it was only single eligible ladies that were invited. She waited to be invited in; out of curtesy after all she had arrived late.