Topic: Morning Tea

Tea and Monocle

Date: 2007-10-12 08:22 EST
She had not awoken in the morning, promptly, at five thirty am to ask for her tea and breakfast as usual.

Walter, who had served her faithfully since the death of her father did pay it much mind at first. Integra, while rarely ever oversleeping, deserved a day or two without strict schedule and meetings.

He thought, personally, after the argument she'd had last night with —-Yosef"as she called him in public, now, she might need a few hours of peace and respite.

It wasn't until it was well past one pm he grew alarmed and stirred himself from the phone lines to brusquely make his way to her bedroom door in temporary home away from home they all shared, he, Yosef, and Victoria, at the hotel.

He turned the knob and leaned, peering into the opulent room.

"Miss Integra" Might I inquire as t?" Walter nearly lost his eye piece as Integra stirred.

It was with more calm than he thought he could muster, he closed the bedroom door.

Smoke and Glasses

Date: 2007-10-12 08:23 EST
Integra knew, some where in the back of her mind, floating happily in her dreams filled with the screams of dying freaks and guns firing"that something was wrong. Particularly, that it was far brighter in her room than it should be for five in the morning but 'she could not truly find the energy to get up.

She did not want to get up.

To get up and out of the bed meant she would have to disturb its secrets. And she hated disturbing such things as secrets"mostly these.

"Miss Integra" Might I inquire as t?" Integra's eyes snapped open with comedic, jerk-blinds speed. Walter! Sweet Christ!

"Yes" Yes! What is it Walter" What is wrong?? Pulling the blankets to her as she sat up in the bed, blinking. She was aware and sitting upright, but her brain simply could not wrap about coherent speech. I need tea.

Tea and Monocle

Date: 2007-10-12 08:28 EST
Walter did not open the door a second time.

"Well, Miss Integra, it has been quite some time past since you should have awoken. Might I inquire as to your state of health' Should I ring a doctor" Are you coming down with something??

He did try his best to keep his voice from fretting. It was hard to do; she worked herself to the bloody bone nearly continuously since the incident in London.

Smoke and Glasses

Date: 2007-10-12 08:37 EST
Walter would no doubt hear the usual clumping and unintelligible swearing he had heard since she was a teen and often attempted to dress her self before tea and food. This morning, however, it was muted. Quiet. A little less angry than usual.

"No. No, I am fine, thank you Walter. Truly, it is simply the building of the Manse and such things which have brought me here that weight heavily."

Integra bit her lip. That wasn't exactly all true. That's not the real reason, but "Walter knew enough. She could practically feel his concern radiating through the door as she plopped herself boneless into her dressing table's chair.

"You may come in, Walter. I am decent,? twitching the blood red silk of her dressing gown over her tighter and cinching it.

Smoke and Glasses

Date: 2007-10-12 08:41 EST
(double post)

Tea and Monocle

Date: 2007-10-12 08:42 EST
He eased open the door slowly at the behest of his earlier vows not to re open it. She had told him to come in, and Walter was concerned enough to finally step through the door. Pausing of course, to give her a formal bow, one arm bent at his stomach, the other tucked at his back.

Standing upright once again, he took note of her seated at the dressing table and simply crossed the floor in simple strides to come to a stand behind her. He had done this so many times when she was a child that for some reason today it came back to him with ease.

He reached across to the dressing room table for the fine bristled brush with one hand and gathered her terribly tangled gold hair in the other. His sharp face settled in the same determined lines as ever.

"Does Miss Integra still have nightmares?" He asked of her as delicately as possible, working through a rather nasty knot at the back of her head.

Smoke and Glasses

Date: 2007-10-12 08:59 EST
Integra did not deny him this, since it had not been something he had done since her late teens, and, because honestly' She was horrid to her own hair. She had little patience to do anything with the pale gold wisps that fell nearly to the back of her knees when standing. The best she ever did with it was part it in the middle and leave it.

The sound of the brush passing through her hair was comforting, Walter's strokes were always even, always perfect. Not yet had she placed her glasses back on, so eyes were covered in heavy lids immediately.

They snapped open at his question.

Integra exhaled heavily.

"Not lately have I been haunted by the faces of London, Walter, no." She spoke near reverently of her own men"of the ordeal they had faced. The death of eighty some loyal men due to her own critical mistake"I do not ask for your forgiveness. This is my burden.

"Thank you for asking, Walter," quietly. Some times Integra could let down the fa?ade of balls-to-the-wall bitch. For family.

Tea and Monocle

Date: 2007-10-12 09:08 EST
He bowed his head to her as he could not formally bow, still working out the knots in her hair. Goodness, this would take most of the afternoon.

"Such a mess of knots, Miss Integra! Your sleep must have been fitful, despite your claims of a peaceful sleep." His voice was completely even and indicated nothing. He had a feeling it would not matter anyway. She was very perceptive, far more perceptive than many would give her.

Letting go of a section of her pale hair, he picked up another to tackle that with the same determination a man faces a lion bare handed. He could feel her unfocused blue eyes zero in on him via the mirror and he ignored it, for now.

Smoke and Glasses

Date: 2007-10-12 09:17 EST
"It was, Walter. Rest assured however, I awoke from sleep and its fitfulness whole and hardy." Blue eyes that had been locked on him with a rather indignant ire rising to stain cheeks finally flicked away.

She knew he was only trying to protect her. But perhaps she was growing tired of being coddled and spoiled. Or perhaps she was simply growing tired. There were times Integra envied other women, those who could express themselves in public without the fear of whiplash or newspapers grabbing a hold of it to splash it across every bloody toilet wipe in London—-

This wasn't London. But...At any rate, Integra unclenched her fists suddenly and collected her self before her temper got the better of her again.

"It is my decision. And I know that you and he do not see eye to eye in all things, that you still consider him a monster for what he can do. I know that you love me and only wish to see me happy. Walter, by..by doing what I told you, I believe that I will be happy.

It is something that has been on my mind since I was thirteen. Since I first laid eyes on him. I cannot do to him what time and misfortune has already done to him..I cannot take that away from him again. Do you understand" Can you understand"

For him' For me?"

Integra peered at him through her mirror with the wide eyes of woman and child.

Tea and Monocle

Date: 2007-10-12 09:18 EST
Walter did not answer for a very long time. He consumed his thoughts with the task of taking every single knot out of her hair, carefully and as meticulously as he would prepare her tea, her brandy, her clothing for the day or any of the menial tasks he did for her with great joy.

Quite some time passed, and when he laid the brush aside, her hair gleamed like spun gold. He took some pride in the work he had done and settled gloved hands upon her shoulders, eyes meeting hers in the mirror.

"There is nothing in this world that means more to me than your happiness, Integra. You are the daughter I should have had. If this brings you the happiness that has been missing in your life" I can not deny you it."

He bowed, but to only place a kiss atop her smoothly brushed head.

"No father wishes to outlive his children," he told her, a tight smile appearing. "If you carry on the way you have been, I very much think that I may even surpass you in age. You must do what your heart tells you to.

"And I must go and call ahead to the site to let them know you are coming. You are going to the site today, to see how the building of the manse is coming along, are you not?"

The smile turned from its tight edges to something rarely seen. A genuine and pleased one.

Smoke and Glasses

Date: 2007-10-12 09:19 EST
Integra reached up behind her to place her hand over his gloved one and squeezed. Touched, beyond the ability to find the right words for him.

"That I will, Walter. Thank you." For all of it.

Tea and Monocle

Date: 2007-10-12 09:20 EST
He did not say anything in his leave-taking, only patting her shoulders gruffly and carrying himself proudly back to the door and out, shutting it quietly behind him.