rogueinladysclothing | A much needed change of scenery [Tagging Iphigenia]

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A much needed change of scenery [Tagging Iphigenia]

Amelia's never been much of an explorer, but the beginning of her foray into therapy has already taught her she needs to be more open to pretty much everything. More accepting, too, but one step at a time.

She hadn't really tired to set up an exploration date with Iphigenia, but when a beautiful Grecian princess gives you that smile and says "yes, let's," there's not much of a way to say "no." Besides, Amelia is intrigued by the young girl and is not at all unhappy about the chance to get to know her better.

The Parklands stretch out before the two women as they reach the end of the Forum. Amelia has a passing thought that she's not dressed all that well for this, but it's pushed aside quickly. She's not afraid to tie off her skirts if necessary anyway.

"So," Amelia says, turning to Iphigenia with a smile, "where should we begin?"

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Iphigenia's more than pleased to be exploring, especially with Amelia. She's not only happy to see something new, but glad she's made a friend here.

She smiles back and points ahead, towards the horizon.

"I see a lake--maybe there's a waterfall nearby!"

She honestly feels very much at home.

"Might be a little chilly for a swim, but it sounds like a great place to begin our exploration." Amelia smiles and takes the lead, crossing the large open field leading to the lake at an easy pace. The breeze coming off the lake has a subtle chill to it, but the sunshine makes it tolerable. The whole experience is a pleasing one and Amelia finds herself smiling for what feels like no reason at all.

It's the first time Amelia's felt like smiling 'just because' in a long while. There's a desire to laugh just a little as well, but she manages to hold it back as she closes her eyes and takes in a deep breath. So much is different here from her home, but sometimes... that difference isn't as bad as she might have first believed.

Slowly, she opens her eyes and turns to Iphigenia, her smile still wide across her face. "I take this exploration venture to mean you liked to do things like this before you came here?" She's going to avoid bringing up the fact that Iphigenia basically died to get here if at all possible, but she's curious to know more about her companion.

Iphigenia follows Amelia, then. She shivers a little when the cool breeze hits her at first, but she decides that it's so nice just to be outside that it doesn't bother her too much. Besides, she was never the complaining sort, anyway.

When Amelia asks her that question, there's a touch of sorrow in her eyes as she responds.

"I never had the chance, truthfully," she replies. "I was a princess, stuck in a fortress of a palace, until my death. I always wanted to explore, though."

Amelia frowns a bit at the revelation. "You weren't able to sneak out even once?" Why she makes the assumption that everyone is willing to keep trying to climb trees and pick locks until they stop falling or alerting their family to the noise is uncertain, but there it is. Perhaps this explains much of Amelia's outlook on almost everything...

"I hope today is the start of many exploration adventures, if that's what you're looking for from life," she adds after a moment.

She shakes her head.

"No, not at all. I was watched very carefully--I was the eldest, after all, and my honor was at stake. They had to watch me."

Iphigenia does smile a little, though.

"I want to explore, yes," she replies. "Now I have the chance."

"Now I'm beginning to wonder if that's why my father was always so frustrated when I stepped all over the suitors he brought to me..." She winks at Iphigenia. Of course she knows that's at least one of the reasons he was always so mad. He was never exactly quiet about his disapproval of her antics.

"Then let's not waste this opportunity." Amelia's smile mirrors that of her companion. The sad look doesn't suit the princess and Amelia decides she'll make a point of getting her to smile more often now.

The edge of the lake comes up to greet them after a few more minutes of easy walking. Off to their left, on the far end of the lake, large trees with branches like that of a willow hang out over the water, with some of them dipping below the rippling surface. The short grass of the field they passed over slowly gives way to taller grass on their right, obscuring their vision around most of the lake. The far side is difficult to make out, given how large the lake is and the large moss-covered rocks that appear to mark the end of it. Amelia stops and turns to Iphigenia. "Which way shall we go?"

She giggles.

"You were bold to do so," she points out. "Though in the end, I refused a suitor of my own." She shrugs. "He wanted to marry me, but I chose glory instead. Or, so I thought."

She looks over to the left, at the branches dipping into the water. "Let's sit under the trees. It looks nice there."

"That's a better reason for turning him down than I ever gave." Only her father heard the reasons why she wouldn't marry the suitors he brought to her, but she was never kind in her answers. "I think, in the end, I was just being selfish for doing so, even if I was being selfish for the betterment of my family." ...that's an exceptionally deep and honest answer. Someone's therapy sessions have begun to help already, it seems.

Amelia smiles and nods. "I agree. Let's go." It's a little cooler by the edge of the lake and the shade offered by the large trees, but Amelia doesn't appear to be bothered too much. She's all content smiles and thoughtfulness as they wander beneath the trees. "Had I been thinking, I would have suggested we stopped and gotten food for a picnic out here," she says after a few minutes of comfortable silence.

"I'm sure you were not being selfish," she says, trying to be reassuring. Iphigenia can't imagine Amelia as being anything but brave and selfless. At least, that's how she sees her friend.

She sits down under one of the trees, her skirts spreading out around her, like a flower in bloom.

"Yes, we should have a picnic out here sometime," she agrees. "But for now, I don't mind just sitting and talking."

"That's kind of you to say, but I'm afraid I was terribly selfish." She has no problem admitting that now, even if she did just a few weeks ago.

Amelia takes a seat next to her and tucks her skirts in gently. "It is a nice day for simply being outside," she agrees. "So, what's on your mind?"

"I've been thinking about how much more freedom I have here than back home," she replies, smiling a little. "I never even imagined something so liberating as this existence, and although I miss my homeland, I think I can maybe make a new home here. What do you think?"

"If we're being honest, I've been avoiding the thought until very recently." Her eyes settle out on the rippling water. "My world is unobtainable right now, but I've been hoping to see it again someday. It's hard for me to let go of where I came from south so much left behind."

She sighs softly and turns back to Iphigenia, smiling a little bit. "I'm glad you're beginning to feel like you've found a good place for yourself, though."

"You shouldn't lose hope," she says, trying to sound encouraging. "But at the same time, maybe this place can be your home away from home--at least, for the time being. Think of it that way, perhaps."

Iphigenia doesn't want to lecture Amelia, but she does want to lend a little helping hand, advice-wise.

"It's becoming easier to keep hope, knowing that people here care about me." She smiles a bit more openly. "I like the idea of this being a home away from home, though. As if I'm here visiting friends for the first time."

Amelia appreciates any and all advice her friends have to offer. It can't hurt to get a new perspective on matters.

"Yes, think of it that way! We're all here for you--at least, I know I am."

She's an eager advice-giver, it seems. Iphigenia knows it's hard to leave home behind.

ooc: Ugh, I'm sorry I haven't tagged back until now! I had a busy holiday weekend.

The offer of being there for her earns Iphigenia a small blush. "I... well, thank you. I really appreciate it." She wasn't expecting it, but that makes the offer no less welcome.

"I'm not really used to that sort of thing from anyone - here or at home." It's much different when someone offers to have your back in battle versus being there when you need a friend.

OOC: It's okay! Holiday weekends are busy and I seriously don't mind backtagging. =]

"I'm not either, truthfully," she admits, looking down at her lap for a moment. "That's why I wanted to reach out. I know how it feels, in a way."

Iphigenia shrugs.

"I was surrounded by people back home, but I never really got the chance to make any friends."

"Seems we're both bad at this whole 'friends' things - I had a tendency to keep people at arm's length, or not really let them in if I did let them get close. But I'm trying now. And I'd like to have friends." She gives Iphigenia a small smile. "I hope this means we can be friends."

Little does she realize they already are.

"Oh, it absolutely does!" she exclaims, grinning. "I think that would be very nice."

She's beyond thrilled to have someone just to talk to.

Amelia laughs heartily. "Then consider yourself my first officially named friend in the Nexus, for whatever that may be worth. I hope this doesn't mean you expect me to get you into as much trouble as I've been in over the rest of my life. I'm not sure the Nexus could handle that." She smiles in spite of herself. Getting in a lot of trouble together could be lots of fun.

"You know..." she begins, looking amused, "I've never really even tried to get into trouble. So."

She giggles.

"There's a first time for everything, right?"

Iphigenia's response gets a raised eyebrow. "Not once? You mean no one ever scolded you for not doing something properly the first time?" Amelia finds that hard to believe, but she doesn't know anything about the life of a princess. "If that's true, then I think we have to do at least a little something to counteract that."

"Well, yes, I suppose they have," she says, shrugging. "But it's not the same as an actual adventure, you know. I didn't get much of that back home. And besides, getting scolded for doing something a little bit wrong--well, that's easy to brush off, in a way."

She smiles.

"I had a sheltered life. But now I'm willing to change that."

Amelia nods. She hadn't exactly thought about it like that. "If that's the case, then we should find some kind of adventure to go on together. The Nexus is full of strange and wonderful things - it's simply a matter of deciding what you find to be the most interesting at this point." There's a smirk to go along with that last part, because it's true and they both know it.

"Well, what interests you, right at this moment?" she asks, curious. "We could plan an adventure together, for sometime soon."

She thinks for a moment, resting back on her hands and staring up into the branches of the tree. "I think I'd like to explore more of this place," she says after a long pause. "Not just the Parklands, but the whole of the Nexus. There's so much I've been ignoring while I've been here, I feel like I've been missing out."

She grins, clearly excited.

"I'd like to explore too! I feel like I've been a little nervous about it up until now, but yes, I really want to get to know the Nexus, in all its strangeness."

It's a good thing Iphigenia's so excited, because exploring isn't usually Amelia's idea of fun. Someone has to be doubly excited to help make up for Amelia's cautious enthusiasm.

"Then we should make a plan, figure out where to start. Do we start in the Parklands when we're better dressed and have a nice lunch to eat when we're tired? Do we start at one end of the Commercial District and visit every shop until we reach the other end? Do we explore the reaches of the Forum and see how many homes and buildings that require further investigation? There are so many options - and I have no idea what sounds like a good place to begin." She smiles sheepishly, but it's obvious she's looking forward to where this all leads.

You can pretty much count on Iphigenia to have enthusiasm, Amelia.

"Oh, the Commercial District sounds fun," she replies. "I'd like to see all of the shops, and people-watch, too."

These are things that a princess living in a heavily-guarded palace never got to do. So, maybe it's the little things.

"There are plenty of shops to explore. Some with more mundane things, like food and clothes, but I've passed by a few that sell some rather... exotic looking things. Like a whole shop dedicated to different varieties of chalk for making art or a shop that sells only sweets." How she managed to walk out of a candy store without trying one of everything is anyone's guess. "It could take days to get through it all."

"Well, we should definitely visit the sweets shop," she says, giggling. "I mean, we'd probably eat ourselves sick, but memories would be made, right?"

Or maybe Iphigenia's just got a sweet tooth and never really realized it until now. Figures.

"We could visit on multiple occasions as well. It's not like we could cover the whole of the Commercial District in a single day, after all." Is she suggesting multiple trips to the candy store so that they can, in fact, try all the things?

...yes, yes she is.

"Oh, that's an excellent idea! We could certainly make return trips, to make sure we know the area very well."

She's really having fun with this.

"But of course. If for no other reason than to know at least one area of the Nexus very well, right?" Amelia winks at her companion and tries desperately to stifle a laugh as well. "One can never have too many safe places to be, that much is for certain."

Iphigenia giggles again.

"Definitely," she replies, thinking that this is the first time in a while that she's enjoyed herself so much.

"And besides," she continues, grinning, "I really do like sweet things."

"Maybe you can help me understand sweet things, then. They're not really common in my world and I've only had something called dark chocolate since I arrived, which isn't really all that sweet." She smiles brightly. "It would be helpful to get a second opinion on all of these things."

"We always had dried fruit back home, which was sweet enough--and sometimes our wine would be sweet too," she admits, grinning cheekily. "But I want to try everything. I don't even mind if it makes me sick."

Well, she probably would mind. But hey, it's an experience, right?

Amelia laughs heartily. "I'm glad you don't mind, though I hope we don't get quite that far. With so many days ahead of us here in the Nexus, I don't mind pacing us just a little slower."

It would be quite the experience, but likely a very unpleasant one. Amelia will try to curb her princess friend's excitement just enough to keep her from getting sick if possible.

"You know, you're right," she decides. "I don't want to rush either. And we shouldn't, after all. Let's savor what days are ahead of us carefully. We should plan our visit."

"I like the sound of that," Amelia agrees with a smile. "Let's start our planning with the basics - when would you like to go? Early in the day or late? Should we plan to have a real meal first to make the candies all the sweeter?" So maybe the questions don't all seem related, but to Amelia they are. And each one is very important for candy trying decisions!

"Early in the day--but we have to make sure we've eaten breakfast first," she replies. "It'll be good to have some food in us before we try the sweets."

Now Iphigenia's on the right track. Amelia nods along with all of her friends decisions. "All right, breakfast it is. Something savory would be good, I think. Do you have any favorites we should go have?" Breakfast foods are not Amelia's specialties. Eggs, toast, and coffee is really all she wants most days.

"Back home, we'd usually just have fruit or something else quick, but perhaps we'll need something more substantial--and not so sweet."

She smiles a little, now remembering Mycenae and its food for a moment. It's easy to get lost in memories, she thinks.

"I've heard wonderful things about something called waffles. Some people drown them in a sugary liquid as well, but they're supposed to be a nice, fluffy, and savory breakfast food aside from that. Maybe we should try them?" She knows a few people who would be proud of her for suggesting to step outside of her usual dietary comfort zone, but it seems a good time to do so when she's setting up a date with a princess to try a large amount of sweets.

Her eyes widen at the description.

"Oh, that does sound delicious!" she replies eagerly. "I would gladly try some waffles."

She smiles. "Then it's settled. What time shall we meet to begin our foray into all the delicious things the Nexus has to offer?"

"I think perhaps this weekend," she replies, pausing a moment to smooth out her skirts. "We can make sure we've eaten something, and then go exploring."

"That sounds like a perfect plan. Shall we meet in the Forum?" It's an easy spot to find someone, after all.

"Yes, that would be perfect," she says, grinning. Iphigenia's pretty pleased that she has a new friend to go on adventures with.

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A much needed change of scenery [Tagging Iphigenia]

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Ugh, sorry about not getting back to you on this one! Totally my bad.

It's okay! I've been slowish too.

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