→ 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

[diogenesis]

Mycroft had known Sebastian had something to do with the creature; the handwriting on the glass, done in black marker, is his (though it's not in a language Mycroft knows [interesting]). That the wizard is able to create a semi-aware being out of only light, however childish he may think it, is more than enough to impress a baseline human from a non-magical London.

“Indeed,” Mycroft says in bemused agreement.

The light Beatrice gives off from inside the glass is soft and pleasant—he can see why Irene enjoys it, despite it being in the form of an animal—and he admires it for a moment before speaking again.

“I confess, Mr. LeMat, that I was surprised to hear of your close acquaintanceship with Ms. Adler. You must have become friends quite quickly.”

[heardmermaids]

"Oh? I know I'm a bit rubbish at making friends, but she's a lovely woman and willing to endure an unending stream of inane questions," he says happily. As far as he knows, she's a colleague of Hasi's, partial to Shakespeare, and has a habit of collecting interesting people for her own reasons. Sebastian can infer a few things based on her behaviour and mannerisms, which is why he treats her very much as he would Mrs. Malfoy.

Be kind, polite, a little self-deprecating, and hope she doesn't have need to poison you.

[diogenesis]

“Is she,” Mycroft replies, eyebrows raised. It's not a question. Is it a joke? Probably, but it's hard to tell.