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Post by Nattie Petrova on Apr 24, 2010 23:16:47 GMT -5
Nattie pushed a bit of hair out of her face, as she walked through the opened doors, a gaggle of girls following her, in severely overly priced dresses.
They were given a few days in the city from school, and after seeing the sights the girls couldn't figure out anything interesting to do. Someone suggest the opera and as much as Nattie hated having to go out and get dressed up, just to sit down in the dark, she agreed.
Standing in the center of the foyer, the girls went off to look at the drapes and talk to the other people standing about waiting for the opera to start.
Nattie didn't much care for socializing either, these people probably didn't have the standing she did. But neither did any of her friends.
((Looking for literally anything here.))
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Post by Nicolas d'Enjolras on Apr 25, 2010 16:45:31 GMT -5
((I've got a spare Nicki? I just can't bear to retire him, but he doesn't seem to have anything to do. Ignore him if you'd rather someone else come along))
Nicki strode easily inside, followed by his valet, who took his well-made coat to the coat check. As his family were long-time patrons of the Garnier, and as he was now the had of the house, he was required to put in an appearance. Unfortunately his twin, Adrienne, was too busy with Chuck and her daughter to be bothered with being his arm candy this month, so he was here alone.
As always, people muttered upon his entrance (mostly about his sister's reputation or his father's murder), but he staunchly ignored it. Eventually one of his acquaintances would come up and start a conversation, but for now he was alone.
"Monsieur le Comte?"
He turned to face his valet, and gratefully accepted the proffered champagne. He'd wait a few minutes before retreating to his box.
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Post by Nattie Petrova on Apr 25, 2010 20:51:25 GMT -5
((Like I said I'm up for anything, I just want to get her established and feel around the character for a bit before looking for any serious plot.))
Nattie heard the murmuring and squinted her eyes a bit, when whispers were involved she usually headed in a different direction. Sadly however, she had no choice as all exits and entrances to their seats were blocked by the whispering crowd. Turning with a small huff, she noticed a young man accepting a glass of champagne from someone, she immediately recognized as some sort of man servant.
The young man was attractive, in a conservative sort of way. Unlike many of the men her father had so many times introduced her to, Russian men were much larger, more burly, and nothing she was attracted to. It might have been the deciding factor in her decision to attend school in Paris, although she'd admit it to no one.
Adjusting her gloves she turned in his direction, not attempting to stand out of course, that wasn't in her. Although she knew an attractive young woman, standing alone, in a busy room, would garner some attention. And it wasn't so much to grab his attention, again, socializing wasn't her main interest.
It was simply something that she did, that any other 18 year old girl might do.
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Post by Nicolas d'Enjolras on Apr 25, 2010 21:22:17 GMT -5
As was to be expected, he did of course notice the girl adjusting her gloves, though as they were not acquainted it would not be proper to say anything to her. Besides, she looked very young--one of the hundreds of silly girls with rich parents who couldn't hold an interesting conversation.
He nodded at her when they made brief eye contact, a small smile on his face. He expected it would be the extent of their interaction.
The small smile became pained when he spotted Appolonia d'Aubin, cheeks rouged and hair too yellow to be natural, headed towards him. He graciously (and gracefully) bent to kiss her ring-encrusted hand, looking like someone told him he would be having cod-liver oil instead of wine at dinner. She always seemed to plague him at social events, and he was convinced she'd bribed the managers into synchronizing her opera attendance with his family's.
((I figure she can save him by way of champagne spill or something? That or she can know Appolonia, who I figure is about her age. I'm stuck for ideas on how to actually get them to meet :/))
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Post by Nattie Petrova on Apr 25, 2010 23:26:34 GMT -5
((What about both, she knows her, knows her game, and decides to try and save him for her terror by knocking in to his wine glass.))
Nattie returned his smile as their eyes met, a calm nod before slowly turning about. If he was to talk to her, than it would have been his moment, but as his eyes left her's she was certain that an interaction between the two was not meant to be.
Then she saw her.
Appolonia d'Aubin was less than a year older than her, yet she acted as if she were twelve and more important than anyone else in the room. As Nattie knew well enough, her families standing in society wasn't even close to the other girls in their class. She turned slowly, making it seem as if she was simply admiring the architecture she watched as Appolonia made her way to the mysterious man.
Keeping her gaze aimed at a tacky statue near the two, she saw the mans face as he leaned down to kiss her hand. His face read exactly what Nattie's stomach felt, and it was too much for her to take.
Normally, she'd have left whatever poor stranger that Appolonia had tacked on to, to their fate. But as she was in an odd mood tonight, Nattie decided to help the poor man. Edging her way slowly through the cloud of people she came up close to the two, pretending still to be admiring the horrid statue, after a moment of listening to the horrible girl talk, she turned around and slammed in to the mans drink.
"Oh, oh my, I am so sorry."
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Post by Nicolas d'Enjolras on Apr 26, 2010 6:29:06 GMT -5
((I'm going to assume it spilled on Appolonia. I dislike her.))
Appolonia gasped, then sneered unpleasantly. "Really, Nattie, you should watch where you're going." She was almost in tears--though she was more upset at having her monopoly on Nicki broken than being spilled on, though that probably played in. She looked down at the growing wet spot, huffed, then turned on her heel and stormed off.
Nicki let out a breath, then turned to Nattie and bowed.
"I am thoroughly in your debt, Mademoiselle. I thought she'd never leave."
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Post by Nattie Petrova on Apr 26, 2010 16:29:52 GMT -5
Nattie smiled "She's quite the terror" she replied, her accent strong but not unintelligible, good speech instructors made sure of that. "I go to school with her at Madame Villette's, sadly."
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Post by Nicolas d'Enjolras on May 1, 2010 15:51:15 GMT -5
"I admit, when I returned to Paris I was pleased to hear she'd been sent off to school, as I'd see less of her, but now that I realize I was merely wishing her on others I feel terrible," he said pleasantly.
"But, I've been terribly rude. Comte Nicolas d'Enjolras, à votre service." He bowed politely.
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Post by Nattie Petrova on May 1, 2010 17:56:16 GMT -5
Returning with a curtsy "Countess Nadezhda Aleksandra Serafima Petrov, wonderful to meet you, but please, call me Nattie" she smiled softly and straightened her back.
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Post by Nicolas d'Enjolras on May 1, 2010 19:32:50 GMT -5
"Enchanté, Nattie. Call me Nicki," he said, as he pressed a light kiss to her knuckles, then straightened.
"Now, what is a Russian countess doing in Paris? I only assume you are Russian because of your name; please correct me if I am wrong."
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Post by Nattie Petrova on May 2, 2010 0:59:30 GMT -5
"Je vous remercie, and you can not tell from my accent?" She asked with a small smile "I am here for school, life is... difficult is Russia right now, and I was tired of tutors. It was Paris or Germany and I know French so much better than German, so... here I am."
((Fear my horrid French!!))
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Post by Nicolas d'Enjolras on May 12, 2010 16:28:17 GMT -5
((I'm so sorry! I forgot this was happening :/ ))
"And thank goodness; Germany is absolutely dreadful. Factories popping up all over the place, Prussians running about in uniforms, squabbling, attempts at unification. It's all just very... German."
As a Frenchman, he was practically required to dislike the Germans after the Franco-Prussian war. The German Empire loomed threateningly to the East, and had some disconcerting connections to England.
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Post by Nattie Petrova on May 13, 2010 0:12:57 GMT -5
((S'all right dear, I'm here all the time anyway.))
"It's all quite dirty" she furrowed her brow "it is so alike with Russia right now, sadness seems to envelop the streets. France however seems to be working itself out all right, the revolution... I heard, must have been terrible."
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Post by Nicolas d'Enjolras on May 13, 2010 21:32:50 GMT -5
He chuckled. "Which one? I can't keep track of how many there've been any more."
Of course he had fought in one, years back, when he was only seventeen. Still had a nasty scar and a limp that showed up when it was cold and damp. After his father's involvement in such politics, Nicki had tried his best to stay out of it and take care of his family and himself as best he could.
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Post by Nattie Petrova on May 13, 2010 23:35:08 GMT -5
"The latest one" she giggled with a short sigh "it was a few years ago, I was quite young when father was talking about it. I do not remember much of it." She scrunched up her face, in a quite unlady like way, before realizing what she was doing and coughed in to her hand, it all took a few second to go down, but it was all quite obvious.
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