Katherine rests – or, more aptly, fidgets – in the window seat, two fingers keeping the curtains parted as she watches the front drive for her guest. She seems as anxious as a child waiting for a much-anticipated present. She spent hours getting the maid to fix her hair just so, although the style she labored so long over seems, to the casual eye, to be a carefree tumult of curls over one shoulder. After choosing and discarding a half-dozen dresses, she at last settled on a simple gown of emerald green, suitable for a ride or a picnic.

Seated not far from her sister, Elise rests in a chair facing the nervous woman. The chair is the very same one that she had chosen as her own so long ago when she was a child. It's an old chair, one that would not be shown to guests one intended to impress. No, it was her father's chair before it was retired to this room and claimed by the elder of the two sisters. "Katherine, you may wish to try and calm yourself. You would not wish to seem too eager," she says.

The younger poodle turns to her sister and sticks her tongue out. "I'll be calm when he arrives," she says almost sensibly, flipping a few pages of an otherwise forgotten book in her lap. "I may as well get it out of my system while no one's around to watch." She glances down at the book, then back up. "Well, no one I need to worry about, right? You won't tell him, surely?" Katherine looks fretful at the thought.

"Of course not. You may think I amuse myself by making you worry, but that is only the case sometimes. And, most certainly not regarding something this important to you," replies the elder sister reassuringly. Perhaps also comforting is the fact Elise has not dressed herself in an Inquisitrix's uniform, or for that matter, anything so greatly imposing. No she wears a very simple powder blue dress, and a simple necklace that has upon its length a stone of what could possibly be Sifran crystal. Dressed as she is, she looks far removed from her role as a soldier of the Temple.

"Thank you, Elise," Katherine answers, heartfelt. After a moment, she adds, "You look lovely this afternoon, too. I don't recognize the necklace – did you get it in Gallis?"

Elise smiles softly at her sister's ease. She then drops her gaze to regard the necklace thoughtfully for a moment. "This?" she asks before lifting it with a hand. "I was given this some time ago when I was unconscious from my … encounter with Jiraud. Eve Kurai, whom you may know as the ex-Duchess Kurai, brought it to me."

"Oh. Well, it's quite – " The clopping of hooves from beyond the window interrupts her, and Katherine abandons her line of thought and turns from her sister to peek out through the curtains. Her pleased expression immediately gives way to dismay, and she drops the curtain as though it were something slimy. "Oh, why him?" she half-whimpers, tugging at the fingers of one of her gloves.

The other sister tilts her head curiously at the expression of her near-twin. She abandons a quick request as to who "he" may be, and reaches over to peer out the window for herself. "Him? Have the First Ones brought you something other than your white knight?" she asks now that she can see the man.

The younger poodle shrinks back to let Elise see past her. Outside the window, the newcomer is concealed within a lavish carriage, done in maroon with silver trim, and bearing the crest of a dragon rampant on its doors. "Ugh. They most certainly have." She slips to her feet and tugs on the bell pull. "It's bound to be that dreadful Dominic sin Glase."

Elise flicks an ear. "He certainly seems here to make a statement. Undoubtedly the very same statement we both have been hearing since our parents joined the Procession," she mentions in dismay. Stepping away from the window, Elise turns to face her sister. "Shall I meet, and dismiss, him before the one you are waiting for arrives?"

"If you like." Katherine makes a moue of distaste. "I am all in favor of having Armand tell him we are both unavailable, myself. No need for you to subject yourself to him, Elise."

"Perhaps that would be best," admits Elise. She reaches up and fidgets with her necklace thoughtfully. "I … was almost looking forward to it. I suppose I have grown so accustomed to dealing with those so much worse than he, that sending him away is amusing." A shake of the head and the elder sister laughs softly.

"A terrible habit of yours, Elise," Katherine chides. "That is what servants are for, after all." At that moment, a portly but stately Rottweiler, dressed in an immaculate butler's uniform, steps into view of the open door. "You rang, my lady?"

Elise cannot help but smile at her sister, knowing well her own fault. "Yes, terrible I am sure. You can blame the Temple for teaching me such a thing," she teases her sister. Then, she turns toward her butler and gestures toward the window. "See that if it is anyone save for my dear sister's expected guest or the Temple, that they are notified that we are both occupied and cannot be disturbed."

The Gallee bows smoothly. "As you wish, my lady." He vanishes.

"See how easy that is, Elise?" Katherine adds for emphasis. She resumes her seat by the window, peeking cautiously through the lace, lest her face be spied by her unwanted visitor.

After her sister looks away, Elise rolls her eyes. She then lowers herself back into her selected seat and folds her hands across her lap. "I wonder if it might be possible, that I might be able to spend some of my free time upon the sky island of Caroban. Have you heard any mention of travel to and from that island?" The elder sister watches her near twin with some curiosity, both because she awaits a response and to see the react to whatever occurs outside.

"Caroban? Why ever would you want to go there?" Katherine asks, her frown half-hidden from her sister as she sits mostly facing the window. The sound of the hoof-beats stops, and the faint clink of spurs on cobbles can be made out. The younger poodle shivers delicately.

"I have some interest in seeing what became of a mage after the wars. I had thought him dead, but recent evidence proves … otherwise. I need more information however," answers the Templar. Noting her sister's reaction, the other poodle leans slightly forward. "Has he arrived?"

"Yes," the younger female responds in a whisper, although there's no chance that the visitor might overhear them. "Well, Dominic has," she adds for clarification. "Not Grant." She looks morose. The doorbell sounds below her.

Elise settles back into the chair and frowns faintly. "Well, we can hope he leaves quickly then. These sorts can be so dreadfully persistent. I have faith Armand will be able to turn him away."

Moments after the bell rings, the muffled sound of voices can be heard below. Katherine fusses with her hair for a moment then says, "Oh! You were saying something about a … mage?" She tilts her head as she turns to face her sister, uncertain. "Did I hear you correctly?"

The elder sister turns and watches the door to the room, her ears perked ever so slightly so that she may listen better as to what transpires below. "Yes, a mage … ," she answers after a moment of silence. "He is a dream, no … a mind mage. I had thought he perished during the war, but that is not the case. I thought to research him, and the troubles on the sky island of Caroban. Assuming, that is, they allow for such things. A donation may be in order."

The conversation downstairs drifts up intermittently. "… no … Lady Elise de Bellefeuille … ," in an unfamiliar voice, then, "… too … " in Armand's. "… certain?" comes the unfamiliar one. Another pause, then the sound of the front door closing, and spurs on cobblestones again.

"A mind mage? Where did you run across one of those, Elise? Did we use them during the war?" Katherine asks, glancing out the window again.

Just as her sister, Elise too glances toward the window. "He was someone I knew before the world changed so much. Before the wars. I believe he was at the time allied with a country that later became our enemy. Unfortunate, however, I still wish to know more of what has become of him," she answers quietly. "It would also seem Armand has dismissed our guest."

"Praise the First Ones for that," Katherine sighs in relief as clopping hooves recede into the distance. "But this mage… " She rubs her forehead. "You met him before the war? Wherever was that?" she asks curiously. "I don't remember ever meeting a mind mage. Was he at one of the parties you went to before my coming-out?"

"I met him on a few occasions. At a private ball that not many attended, at a fair, and … other places I do not recall so well. He has the most striking eyes. Pure green, such as one might find on a rare stone." The poodle smiles a little, reaching up to brush some loose curls from her face. "I would not think you have ever met him, especially with other important figures I have spoken with. The Champion of Shadows, for instance."

Katherine shivers again. "Those Champions… " She lets the sentence trail off. "He sounds very mysterious, your mage," she adds after a moment, then her attention is drawnto the window once again, at the sound of a new set of hoof-beats.

"The more I learn about him, the more of a enigma he becomes. If anything, he is a mystery to me. One I intend to … " She leaves her sentence unfinished in favor of reaching for the window and peering outside.

A black-furred poodle, wearing a hat with a long trailing plume on it, rides a sprightly Drokar across the cobbled drive to the door. "Grant!" Katherine breathes out exultantly. "Quick! We must receive him in the formal parlor." She slips to her feet, smoothes her skirt, then dashes out the door and down the staircase to the first floor.

"Coming!" is all Elise can call after her sister. She leaves her seat and quickly follows after her excited sibling in an effort to catch up with her.

The younger poodle drapes herself across the divan, twitching at the zolk of her skirt so that it falls just so to the floor. She arranges her hair over her shoulder with expert precision, then props her book before her.

In an effort to seem unassuming and to not detract from the centerpiece that should be her younger sister, Elise settles herself in a chair by the fireplace. She makes no effort to fuss with her situation; the only effort she makes to distinguish herself is in her placement. With the fireplace close, so too is the mantel that is arranged with objects from her life. The chair is also a choice in authority. With its placement at what may be thought of as the preferable choice of seating, it helps to show that this is her manor. Patiently here she waits for the guest to be shown in.

Moments later, Armand comes to the door. "My ladies, a Lord Grant de Ayde is here to see you. Shall I show him in?" he asks with deference.

"Do show him in, Armand. I wish to see his face," answers Elise.

"De Ayde? Is he related in any way to Baron de Ayde?" asks Elise quickly and quietly of her sister.

A bow from the butler, then he disappears. "Baron de Ayde? Who's that?" Katherine whispers back.

A glance is cast toward the door before Elise turns her attention again to her sister. "A Baron I had met in Gallis. However, I do not believe our guest and the baron are related, being that the baron is a German Shepherd."

The butler returns with the guest at his side before Katherine can respond. "My Ladies, Lord Grant de Ayde," he offers. In a discreet undertone, he adds, "I will see that refreshments are brought in presently," then vanishes once more, leaving behind a black poodle who would tower over the two sisters even if they were standing. He's at least six and a half feet tall – almost too tall for his breed – and well-built. His fur has been trimmed short all over, including the length of his ears, save for a curly mane along the top and back of his head. The short fur highlights a well-formed muzzle and alert eyes, and he stands before the two females with his hat in his hand, looking, perhaps, a bit nervous.

Elise leaves her seat in order to meet the new arrival. "Greetings, Lord de Ayde. We have been expecting you. Please, be seated." Her tone is formal, but not without inflection – certainly not the voice she uses to command soldiers or speak with those she is displeased with. She gestures about to the arrangement inviting the man to be seated.

The man smiles hesitantly at the older poodle. "Thank you, my lady." He does not yet move to take a seat, however, still looking at the younger poodle draped on the chaise lounge.

Katherine turns the page of her book casually, then flips a satin ribbon down to make her place, before glancing to her guest and bestowing a glowing smile upon the Lord de Ayde. "How lovely to see you again, Lord de Ayde," she murmurs. "Please forgive my lapse. Elise, this is my suitor, Lord Grant de Ayde. Lord de Ayde, my beloved sister, the Lady Elise de Bellefeuille."

Elise remains standing as a courtesy to her guest. Sitting before the black poodle could be seen as bad taste, after all. She inclines her head at the introduction. "So good to finally meet you, Lord de Ayde. I trust you will join us for awhile, so that I may learn more of you?"

"It's a pleasure to meet you at last, Lady de Bellefeuille." Grant offers to take her hand. "I will be happy to stay as long as you'll have me, " he continues earnestly, while Katherine slides her book onto the coffee table, rolling to lay on her side and watch her guest and sister.

Elise offers her hand and smiles faintly. "I am afraid my duty to the Temple means I am oft away, however, I am genuinely interested in those my sister chooses to keep company with. I look forward to meeting them, in fact, as I have you. Do be seated and we will converse over tea," she tells him.

De Ayde gives Elise's hand a firm shake, in military style, and repeats, "Thank you." He eases himself onto the loveseat, placing his hat gently on the coffee table.

The hand shake is returned, although with hesitation leading one to guess a shake was not what was expected. The head of the household seats herself at the chair by the fire place and settles her hands in her lap. "I admit though my sister has mentioned you, I know little more than your name. Through no fault of hers I am terribly uniformed. Would you be so kind as to elaborate upon yourself?" she inquires.

The dark-furred poodle smiles wryly at the inquiry. "I suspect she told you little because there's not much to tell," he answers Elise simply.

"Lord de Ayde!" Katherine interjects, her ears pinking. "That's not true," she protests.

"Oh? Well I regret that I am little aware of you simply because I have been stationed at a remote location. Letters get lost, and duty does not always leave me time to read them." The elder sister tilts her head ever so slightly. "By my sister's objection, I would think you do have something of yourself to mention. Please, no need to be modest."

Grant smiles reassuringly at Katherine, then says, "Really, it's not a very interesting tale. I've served the Temple most of my life … graduated from the Academy in 6096 … not long before you entered it, Lady de Bellefeuille, as I understand?" He pauses to make the inquiry.

Elise shifts her gaze to regard the collection of items on the mantle. The objects she searches for are the arranged mementos from her time in the Officers' Academy. "That would be correct. Tell me, what branch did you serve? And might there be any notable events in your career you may wish to speak of?"

The male poodle's gaze follows Elise's to the mantelpiece, and he shifts a bit on the couch at her inquiry, glancing back to Katherine for reassurance. "I'm Security, Lady de Bellefeuille. I suspect you know how it is … I pulled patrol duty prior to the war, and served on one of the airships during it. Long periods of waiting for something to happen, then short periods where you only wish you were still waiting." Another wry smile as the poodle looks down at his hands. "I understand you were involved on the assault on Faraon's Dome?" He grimaces with the realization that this may not be a politic topic.

Elise returns her gaze from the mantle and nods to the question, and topic. "Yes, I remember airship duty all too well. I was the commander of the Guard upon the vessel I assigned. Dreadfully boring, but for a few days, an utter nightmare." She reaches over and runs her paw along her sword hand. "Faraon's Dome. I see you realize it was anuncomfortable action due to the machinations of that criminal overlord Faraon. First Ones be blessed, the Champion of Shadows was aware; his actions saved many a noble life. Were you present during this battle?"

"No," he shakes his head. "I was on a mission elsewhere at the time. I did hear it was a nightmare, understandably so. But I also heard that your actions were instrumental in clearing Rephidim's name, as well."

"I did what was necessary. My only regret was that I did not realize sooner what had occurred," says Elise. She turns to her sister and smiles. "Tell me Katherine, is he being as modest as I suspect? Would you care to mention anything?"

The younger sister grins impishly at her older sibling, while their guest buries his face in his hands. "The entire mission was planned precisely by Arch-Inquisitrix Esther, and exceedingly well at that. It was quite straightforward, extremely smooth. Being involved hardly makes me a hero," he mumbles.

"Oh? So you were involved were you? Well, I will not pry. I know full well not to do so, as much as I would like." The elder poodle smiles and looks to the door. "I had met a de Ayde before. Interesting man, Baron de Ayde. Have you ever met him?"

Katherine continues to grin triumphantly, while the male poodle looks relieved to have the topic changed. "Ah … Baron de Ayde? In Gallis? Would that be Baron Lechat de Ayde?"

"I believe so. He accompanied me upon a tour of the reclaimed territories. I regret I did not have more time to converse with the Baron and other guests, due my everchanging placement. The undead were none too helpful in that either," answers Elise. She returns her gaze from the door looks to black poodle.

Grant seems about to comment on the subject of the baron, then stops. "Undead?" he inquires faintly, with Katherine's voice echoing the sentiment.

"You never said anything to me about undead!" the younger sister says indignantly.

Elise blinks, almost as if just realizing the topic was unusual. "Undead? Oh yes, the undead. Sylvania appears to be quite full of them. I assisted a soldier of a local barony in fending off some undead horsemen. By her words, they are something of a problem in the region. Despite being dead, they do show a manner of intelligence, if not the resilience of a living person. And they are quite ghastly," she explains. A nod, and she continues. "Yes, some undead are more intelligent than others. But enough of that, you were to say something Lord de Ayde?"

The black-furred poodle appears to be having some trouble getting his train of thought back on track. He rubs the back of his head. "Ah … Oh, yes. The Gallisian de Ayde family is a distant relation to mine – by adoption some generations back. The Gallisian Baron chose to adopt a German Shepherd child and managed to get his title passed to the boy, rather than to his nearest blood kin, in Rephidim. I understand that it was during one of their revolutions, and the politics of the day favored such machinations."

"Now that is most unusual. The de Bellefeuille name traces back to Gallis from before the first de Bellefeuille lifted a sword in the defense of Rephidim. But ours is an uncomplicated heritage, unlike the intrigues of yours. Fascinating." After casting another glance to the door, Elise smiles at her sister, then regards the man again. "Soldiering appears to run in your blood as well, or am I mistaken?"

Grant shakes his head. "No, not like it does in yours. My great-grandfather had a military career, as well, but my own father, and his father, chose peaceful careers."

The head of household runs her gaze over the man and taps the edge of her chair with a nail. "Yes, perhaps it has simply been your life. Anyway, when is it that you met my sister? I do not recall when and where ever having been mentioned?"

Katherine joins in the discussion now, taking advantage of the change of subject. "He leapt bravely into conversation to defend you, Elise," she says, smiling gaily at him.

Elise's eyes widen slightly in mild surprise. "To defend me?" she repeats. Curious, she looks to her dark colored guest. "What of this, Lord de Ayde?"

The tall poodle shakes his head at Elise, starting to say, "No, Lady de Belle – " but Katherine waves him to silence, overriding him. "You cannot just ask him to tell you anything, Elise; he is just terrible about admitting anything that might put him in a good light. Anyroad, it was at one of that awful lady von Sedgewick's parties a week or so after it happened, and that horrid nephew of hers was saying the most appalling things about you and the whole assault. I was trying to make him stop, when Lord de Ayde came over and simply shredded him. He went on at great length about how the entire mission was undermined by Faraon from the start, and that everyone – you especially – had made the best of a bad situation, and that … hmmm … how did you put it … " She pauses to recollect it.

Elise smile turns into something of a grin, and this she shines upon de Ayde. "Well then, as much as I dislike hearing I needed to be defended at all, I must thank you for your defense of me and of the Temple. It is a credit to you, Lord de Ayde. Though I do wish you would not be so modest. I do want to hear your story in your own words."

"Let me see … I think this was it." Katherine recites: "'Gentlemen who have never lifted a sword, much less been involved in a battle, no doubt find it easy to criticize those who have. That does not, however, excuse your blithering ignorance or astounding lack of common sense. If you ever find yourself under assault by a platoon of armed men – and I sincerely hope you do – then you may find you have another take on the matter entirely.'" She smiles innocently at Grant. "Was that right? It was more impressive when he said it," she asides to Elise.

The dark poodle smiles weakly at the sisters. "Er … more or less," he mumbles, the insides of his ears deep red.

"Well then," the elder poodle claps her hands together gently, "I do believe I have heard more than I think some would wish me to hear. I am however, pleased to have heard it. Lord de Ayde, do accept my hospitality and join us tonight for dinner." The snow-white poodle stands, gesturing the two to remain seated. "I have however, taken enough of your time. I will take my leave in order for you to speak amongst yourselves before dinner. I will be strolling the grounds, as I have some matters to consider."