Who: Juliette & Audrey What: Welcome home, Juliette! Where: The city gates, then the Coulombe estate When: This evening Rating: Tame Status: Complete
The ride had been long and uncomfortable, but considering the rough living she’d been doing these last two weeks, Juliette didn’t feel the discomfort nearly as keenly as she had on the way out of town. And as they crested the final hill and the city came into view, she’d found herself smiling as she urged her chocobo to a quicker pace.
The time away had done her good in more ways than one, but it would be good to be home.
She was still smiling as they cleared the city gates and she sported Alys in the crowd milling nearby. She had left word of when she was due to return, but she hadn’t expected a welcoming committee. She swung down from her saddle, wincing only a little as her muscles protested, and, taking the bird’s reins, walked to meet her sister. Quite the contrast they made, between Alys’ elegant dress and neatly coiffed hair and Juliette’s dusty travel clothing and tight braid, but perhaps the looks of pleasure at seeing each other on their faces were not so different.
“Alys! It is good to see you. I had thought you would be waiting at the estate.” Something she had spent a great deal of her journey home contemplating -- she was returning, after all, to her new (and simultaneously old) home.
Audrey had immediately wrapped the younger girl in an embrace, not seeming to mind the dust on her dress. “I missed you,” she smiled down at the girl, pulling away. Her hand reached towards the youngest Coulombe’s and she gripped it tightly. “Are you ready to see the new estate?” Audrey practically beamed.
“I’ll take Chuckles,” one of the Rangers offered, approaching to claim the rains, no doubt having seen the reunion and drawn his own conclusions.
Juliette thanked him with an honest smile, glad to be rid of the burden of taking the chocobo back herself, because now that she thought of it… “Yes,” she said, “I’ve been looking forward to it very much.” She hadn’t been permitted by the builders to see the interior before she’d departed, but now, at last, she would walk the hallways. Was it fanciful to wish she might remember something? Surely her memory was not so cruel to leave her only with smoke.
Motioning her onto the hovercab she had brought along with her, the Coulombe sisters boarded and went on their way back to the estate. Audrey had let Juliette take the seat closest to which she could see the estate clearly without having to lean over anyone. Her eyes were focused on her little sister’s expressions, looking for every bit of approval that she could. As soon as they arrived, Audrey’s grin grew as she stepped out of the hovercab. “Welcome home.”
Juliette’s lips parted slightly as the building came into view. It seemed there were still workmen completing one of the wings, but most of the exterior was now finished, and the large, beautiful house certainly made an impression, even if its elegant lines sparked no memory for her.
She stepped out from the cab, tilting her head up to examine the facade, taking in all of its carefully-selected details. A replica -- she wondered if it was her grandmother’s taste she was seeing, or her mother’s, or perhaps some mixture of the two with a bit of Alys added in for good measure. “It’s lovely,” she said honestly. It was also completely foreign, but she tried not to let the discomfort she often experienced when faced with new situations show -- not when Alys seemed so happy.
And it didn’t hurt that she spied the mammoth form of Boris bounding across the as-yet-unadorned lawn towards the gate and the two of them.
“Oh shit,” she watched as all 150lbs of muscle came charging at the two. Immediately (and wisely) Audrey side-stepped out of the way letting her little sister take all of the love, simply waiting for her own clumsy puppy to cut the corner and come bounding at the arrival of Juliette. Once the matter of reintroduction to the dogs was over, Audrey led her sister inside. Most of the rooms had already been furnished just as Audrey had remembered them to be. “Everything is mostly the same,” she spoke proudly. “Just like how I remembered the rooms were.” Her grin never left her lips. “Where would you like to start?”
Having given the dog his due adoration, Juliette left him to his own devices and followed Alys inside. There weren’t many furnishings yet, and the rooms were still stubbornly unfamiliar. You were barely out of infancy, what did you expect? But that was disappointing. She’d wished so hard for just a fuzzy glimpse of memory, anything at all of the family she’d never known.
“Show me everything,” she said. “Tell me what you remember. I would like to hear it.” If she could not remember it, she could memorize it instead.
She told her stories of their family. Stories of how Alys and Thomas would sneak into the kitchens, stealing melonpan whenever they could or how she had locked her younger brother in a cabinet in the parlour. In truth, the more she shared her memories the more pity there was towards the second brother. He seemed to have fallen victim to a lot of teasing from a young Alys. She showed him her father’s office, and how sometimes he would sit her on his lap as he worked on paperwork and Alys drew. There was a room with a chimney where their mother sat by a rocking chair, embroidering and watching over her children play at her feet. She painted these scenes for her little sister, including memories of her own she could not possibly remember. How Thomas often looked after her or how Alys would spoil her with food. Stories of how tender her father’s eyes were whenever he cast glance at their mother holding her, rocking her to sleep; of how their old dog would sleep by the crib every night, guarding the newest Coulombe.
They had reached the wing. Audrey had stopped abruptly, her sister one step ahead.”I-- That wing is empty. You can go look at it, I’ll stay over here.”
Juliette stopped a moment later, halted not so much by Alys’ sudden stop and more by her tone of voice. “Why would --” and then it came to her, all of a sudden, that the seemingly innocuous hallway, brightly lit with sun through generous windows, with the sort of modestly elegant paneling that suggested a space reserved for private rooms -- “oh.” She looked down the hall, and thought, for the first time, that perhaps she was fortunate to remember… nothing.
The stories were just stories, and she was a stranger in this house.
“I… perhaps you would be willing to show me to my room?” she recovered as quickly as she could. No doubt the family would now be housed in whatever wing had held the guest rooms prior, and this space…
Well, it would be used in some manner, or perhaps closed up like some sort of museum or memorial to those who were no longer here. The thought made her sad.
“Yes, I think that’s a great idea.” Audrey was quick to take her hand again, leading her back to where they came. “I chose a lovely room for you. It has an excellent view,” She smiled at the younger girl, trying to make the most of it. “And it is away from our rooms, so you’re welcome to sneak Boris in,” she whispered, grinning to the younger girl. As soon as they reached the room, Audrey stood at the doorway, watching for her expressions. “Is it to your liking?”
It was indeed airy and spacious, with a view of the unfinished gardens that was certain to be quite lovely once they engaged a gardener. Her few belongings had already been moved, and furniture chosen, but overall the space was still sparsely decorated, no doubt waiting for her to put her own touch on it. There was a very large dog bed in the corner near a window, and this made her smile.
It seemed Lord Norwood had not gotten a say in this small thing, at least.
She turned to Alys, still smiling, and said, "It suits me well, and I think I will do that." Having the dog to keep her company would go a long way towards making this feel like home. Finally, she was able to set down the saddle bags she had been carrying around. She would get to them later -- or if Alys had already engaged staff, perhaps they would be unpacked for her by the time she'd gotten herself together.
(Thoughts of the empty wing did not retreat, but she attempted to think around them until she could be alone.)
"Perhaps I had best bathe before dinner," she offered. "You look so lovely, and I am just... dusty." It was time to transform once more from warrior to lady. "Is Lord Norwood at home as well?" she inquired. "I would not wish to make either of you wait on me, and it is becoming quite late."
Audrey shook her head. “He’s out right now. He should be back by dinner,” Audrey forced a smile at her. “Do take your time, don’t worry about such things.” Her hand reached for the door knob, ready to give her younger sister her privacy. Before she could close it, she glanced back at the girl with a smile most sincere. “Welcome home.”