→ take me to wonderland.

[thedominatrix]

Who: Irene & guests.
What: Birthday drinks.
Where: Syriac Well.
When: 24th Shadri.
Notes: An outfit.

Birthdays are busy when you maintain a variety of different social circles. There's the enormous, lavish, exclusive party she throws, where she stays stone cold sober and pushes drinks on everyone else, to fascinating results- there are numerous private one on one dinners for the people who all need to feel like they're her favourite, like they're getting the special treatment, poor things, and that's almost fun just because of how dishonest it is except the boredom tends to negate that. But then there's this, which is play and not work, Irene inviting people because she likes them rather than because they need to feel invited, and because when she likes people she has to insert herself into their lives and demand as much of their attention as possible.

The surroundings are incredibly sumptuous, of course, stirred by a slight breeze from the open balcony doors. The atmosphere is intimate, private, slightly heady and unreal, urged on by some excellent wine (far from the only thing on offer, of course, but particularly notable) and Irene's languid charm, her usual society persona toned down ever so slightly as if to say well, you all know the truth, which is a very insidious sort of lie that she can still have fun telling. She's being very attentive to her guests- an uncharitable observer might suggest, in fact, that she pounces on them as they arrive.

But they wouldn't get an invite.

Comments

[thedominatrix]

"Oh?" That's drawn out as Irene slowly unfolds the paper, eyebrows up and smile eager. She runs her hand over the cover of the book, looking at it with great interest for a moment before returning her gaze to him, her curiosity obviously piqued.

"You are a secretive one. Go on," she says, her voice a low, excited murmur.

[heardmermaids]

"Turn to number 129, read the last two lines aloud and then the lock will be set to your voice." Provided she follows his directions, after she's finished speaking, a series of blank pages will open up in the middle of the book. While Sebastian's own diary is keyed to his personal signature, he's reasonably sure this ought to work for someone without any innate magic.

"As you need more pages, they'll automatically form, and the lock itself isn't, well, it's not cursebreaker worthy, but what it lacks in strength, it makes up for in stealth."

[thedominatrix]

She gives him a look and a slow smile, then flicks to the appropriate poem, reading the words aloud in a practiced and performative tone, enunciation perfect. The grin that appears on her face is real, accompanied by a surprised kind of chuckle, a real and genuine enjoyment of new things which makes her seem much less unreachably poised.

"Just like yours. It's brilliant," she says, running a hand over one of the blank pages. Whether she's capable of putting down hard fact in such a concrete way remains to be seen- but she will use it, in one fashion or another. "Thank you."

[heardmermaids]

"You're very welcome and if you need anything about it changed or if you've suggestions, I'd be happy to do what I can." He knows it's not a particularly exciting or unusual gift, but it's something he made himself and he feels that Irene should be able to get some real use out of. Even if it's only to keep track of her most secret grocery lists.

[thedominatrix]

"You're giving me an excuse to pester you; I think you must like it," she purrs, flipping the book shut and tapping him gently on the chest with one corner, mock stern but with a grin curving the corners of her mouth upwards irrepressibly. "Of course, next year you'll have to top it, and then the year after you'll have to top that, and-"

There's a brief break, like she's forgotten her lines. Next year, and next year, and next year, here, in this one city, until what? Until when?

"Well. At some point you'll have to end up gifting me a village," she says, recovering her conversation with barely a hitch, charming as ever, smiling wide.

Until when?

[heardmermaids]

Sebastian smiles, ducking his head as if he's somehow missed that little hiccough in the conversation. Surely, he didn't hear a thing and, if on the off chance he did, he wouldn't dream of addressing it.

"I can't do that, Ms. Adler. I only borrowed the last one and it's terribly rude to get someone a gift that must be returned. What would the neighbours say?"

[thedominatrix]

"Nothing worse than what they already say," she promises him, smooth and perfect over the quiet, crumbling chaos that's going on inside her.

It won't last, it never does, she'll have a drink and have a laugh, flirt and joke and endear herself, go to bed with Vanessza or Odessa or both and sort herself out, ignore the facts. If she can convince other people to be blind to reality, she can convince herself.

[heardmermaids]

"We will get home, Ms. Adler," he says with an odd sort of quiet intensity that looks profoundly out of place on a handyman but somehow at ease with his features. "I did it before, I found a way to force the issue, and if I can do it once, I'll do it again."

"That said, now isn't the time for such things. Will you tell me all the best things I need to know about the others here?"

[thedominatrix]

There's a moment before Irene answers, surprised into a brief pause, and then everything about her falls into place and fits a little more naturally than it did a few seconds ago as she rearranges and rebuilds herself, calmer now. His statement has, of course, just raised more questions- but there's nonetheless something reassuring about hearing it. She doesn't see why he would lie.

(With that in mind- what strange company she's keeping lately).

She smiles. There's no need to respond to his earlier statements, not verbally, so she simply says, "Of course I will. Let me see- who do you already know? Hasi I think you must know from the Vault- rather a few people here frequent it, actually."

[heardmermaids]

"I've never been during working hours, but I've done my share of repairs and posted event flyers up at work." It's not uncommon knowledge that he's the one who's been tacking the notices up on the Hellsing staff corkboard. "And I know Mr. Holmes a little as well."

Lucius and Sebastian have a motley collection of running theories about who and what Mycroft is when he's back on his homeworld.

[thedominatrix]

"You do? Gosh--" She gives him a very irreverent smile. "Well done. He's hard to catch. Well! That man there is Alan Shore- an interesting raconteur in the way a venus fly trap is an interesting plant. Watch out."

Which would be her version of a glowing recommendation; that she mockingly gives it with the air of someone telling a ghost story says just as much about her as it does about Alan.