[ mornings in the late spring are dewy, fresh. the weather up north is preferable to the marshlands of the south, where she and her brother once lived. philippa, who approaches anything with the usual levels of confidence and flair, had been uncharacteristically nervous for madeleine's arrival. her exquisite text-friend who spends her days passing by wrought iron gates in paris and walking by manicured parks, is here in the flesh.
she just wants these weeks together to be beautiful.
there are small cabins in arcadia, one of which she has taken care to decorate and make comfortable for them both as they spend some time a way's away from civilization. she's hung glass mobiles from the trees that tinkle in the breeze and sprinkle rainbows across the porch. there are even rose petals in the outdoor tub this morning, as promised.
entirely in her element, her heart feels light and she walks on air in those first few days. she gently takes madeleine's hand across the small breakfast table. ]
[ Maine is a short flight from Montreal and she had taken a couple of weeks out of her calendar for the specific purpose of visiting Philippa, a break that proved much needed. Mr. Tremblay had made her work hard for her money. Really, it had been a rough weekend. Coming to the woods with the other girl has been a soothing step back into the kind of wilderness she has never experienced before, even Chartres was mostly fields and stone. The trees here are so tall. The cabin so cosy, a luxury, surely, that she will rarely be offered in any other contexts.
Thus, as Philippa takes her hand over breakfast, referring to the tub that she's decked in rose petals and an outdoor view, she smiles and inclines her head slightly to one side in amusement. You did, she murmurs, gently, stroking the girl's fingers softly before releasing her, returning to her bread with butter and other luxuries they've picked up at the harbour town nearby. She likes how at home Philippa seems in this environment, it makes it a bit less disturbing how she's a complete stranger to it herself.
A bit safer.
She glances out at the tub through the window, the petals still littering the water remnants at the bottom of it, the way she left it this morning. She felt like a goddess, doing that soak. As if nature itself was answering to her. Philippa's very own brand of magic, she thinks. That unyielding optimism. ]
Will you find me more rose petals when these go bad?
[ it's the opposite of a gilded cage, what philippa offers her. it's meant to be a longer taste of that kind of life, quaint and vibrant, an escape from the world madeline knows. it's an offer that only someone like phil can make, not any sort of temptation, just another act of kindness to someone she has come to care about.
the touching, she likes, keeping it tender and benign, and she already misses her hand when they return to their breakfast. she pulls the kettle over and replenishes her own floral cup with her personal blend of white tea and blueberries. her long legs are pulled onto the adirondack chair, folded into a pretzel, her hair braided away from her face with ribbons woven through her black strands. she seems to glow with happiness today, though that might just be because madeleine seems to be happy. at peace. ]
I can certainly conjure that up, [ she replies after a sip of her drink, deciding she needs a spot of sugar. as if the jam she had brought wasn't enough for her sweettooth. ]
[ Nature's so close out here, nothing like living at the centre of Paris where the closest to nature you'll get is Jardin du Luxembourg or Bois de Vincennes with their sculptured trees and flower bed arrangements. That, at least, she's learned from growing up in Chartres, isn't nature, is it? That's humanity's attempt at reining nature in. It's pretty, but hardly very wild at all.
Out here, when she looks out the windows, the trees are untouched, the lake is crystal clear and no one's around for miles and miles. They're just the two of them, Philippa and her and Madeleine, very much in spite of herself, likes the lonesomeness of being together with just one other person. The solitude in companionship. It's new to her and Madeleine likes new.
Watching the other girl as she makes herself a new cup of tea, she mixes herself a cup of coffee, water and instant, teaspoon clinking against the sides of her plain, white cup. She drinks it black, when she isn't out - her coffee. Not even milk. Coffee to the core of it, like she's stripped to the core, too. Here. Now.
Managing a smile at Philippa's question, she glances towards the large window panels that offer a view of the lake, if she could be bothered to stand up. She'll bother in a moment. She wants to go out, after all. ] Can you bathe in the lake? Is it safe? [ Meaning, are there more leeches out there than in general society? It's not a trick question, she'll probably go no matter the answer. Madeleine was never afraid of getting bitten, just a little. ]
[ she likes the excitement of city life. the ways of humans never cease to spark her curiosity. but like a plant kept out of the sun, she knows she would surely begin to wilt being so far from the wilds. even her older brother who travels so often still manages to come back home. they lived in many places before his child was born and he found himself a single father, and she the aunt and co-parent.
it is a good life, a life that makes her happy.
despite her planning, couple getaways such as this one are unusual if only because she tends to venture out here solo or with family, tending to the land, resting, and recharging. to bring someone out here for an extended period of time is rare. at madeleine's question, she smiles around the rim of her cup and shifts to sit back on her heels, leaning across the table. a lake bath? that is her idea of a good time. ]
Oh. Yes, it will be safe out there. Most people come out to play in the warmer months but I think it'll be just warm enough when the sun is high in the sky.
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2021-02-18 08:11 pm (UTC)she just wants these weeks together to be beautiful.
there are small cabins in arcadia, one of which she has taken care to decorate and make comfortable for them both as they spend some time a way's away from civilization. she's hung glass mobiles from the trees that tinkle in the breeze and sprinkle rainbows across the porch. there are even rose petals in the outdoor tub this morning, as promised.
entirely in her element, her heart feels light and she walks on air in those first few days. she gently takes madeleine's hand across the small breakfast table. ]
I did promise you a bubble bath.
no subject
Date: 2021-02-19 12:55 pm (UTC)Thus, as Philippa takes her hand over breakfast, referring to the tub that she's decked in rose petals and an outdoor view, she smiles and inclines her head slightly to one side in amusement. You did, she murmurs, gently, stroking the girl's fingers softly before releasing her, returning to her bread with butter and other luxuries they've picked up at the harbour town nearby. She likes how at home Philippa seems in this environment, it makes it a bit less disturbing how she's a complete stranger to it herself.
A bit safer.
She glances out at the tub through the window, the petals still littering the water remnants at the bottom of it, the way she left it this morning. She felt like a goddess, doing that soak. As if nature itself was answering to her. Philippa's very own brand of magic, she thinks. That unyielding optimism. ]
Will you find me more rose petals when these go bad?
no subject
Date: 2021-02-19 07:30 pm (UTC)the touching, she likes, keeping it tender and benign, and she already misses her hand when they return to their breakfast. she pulls the kettle over and replenishes her own floral cup with her personal blend of white tea and blueberries. her long legs are pulled onto the adirondack chair, folded into a pretzel, her hair braided away from her face with ribbons woven through her black strands. she seems to glow with happiness today, though that might just be because madeleine seems to be happy. at peace. ]
I can certainly conjure that up, [ she replies after a sip of her drink, deciding she needs a spot of sugar. as if the jam she had brought wasn't enough for her sweettooth. ]
What would you like to do today?
no subject
Date: 2021-02-20 05:29 pm (UTC)Out here, when she looks out the windows, the trees are untouched, the lake is crystal clear and no one's around for miles and miles. They're just the two of them, Philippa and her and Madeleine, very much in spite of herself, likes the lonesomeness of being together with just one other person. The solitude in companionship. It's new to her and Madeleine likes new.
Watching the other girl as she makes herself a new cup of tea, she mixes herself a cup of coffee, water and instant, teaspoon clinking against the sides of her plain, white cup. She drinks it black, when she isn't out - her coffee. Not even milk. Coffee to the core of it, like she's stripped to the core, too. Here. Now.
Managing a smile at Philippa's question, she glances towards the large window panels that offer a view of the lake, if she could be bothered to stand up. She'll bother in a moment. She wants to go out, after all. ] Can you bathe in the lake? Is it safe? [ Meaning, are there more leeches out there than in general society? It's not a trick question, she'll probably go no matter the answer. Madeleine was never afraid of getting bitten, just a little. ]
no subject
Date: 2021-02-20 08:04 pm (UTC)it is a good life, a life that makes her happy.
despite her planning, couple getaways such as this one are unusual if only because she tends to venture out here solo or with family, tending to the land, resting, and recharging. to bring someone out here for an extended period of time is rare. at madeleine's question, she smiles around the rim of her cup and shifts to sit back on her heels, leaning across the table. a lake bath? that is her idea of a good time. ]
Oh. Yes, it will be safe out there. Most people come out to play in the warmer months but I think it'll be just warm enough when the sun is high in the sky.