Lena + Adelle - Responsibility
Who: Lena & Adelle
When: 01/02
Where: The market
Ratings & Warnings: G. If Ira started a fake club, these girls would so be in.
There were few things that could bolster Adelle's mood like shopping could. If the young Vaux came home from a day out in the marketplace still in a dour mood, the servants knew to avoid her unless called. However, today, Adelle wasn't in a foul mood. Oh, she was worried with all the rumors floating around, wondering if the intensified Belief was still in effect, but she knew how to handle rumors well enough to combat them if they went out of hand. Spreading even wilder rumors about those she didn't care about took enough attention away from her.
Today's shopping venture was just to uplift a mostly boring day. As boring as a day in Tyrol could be, anyway.
With a servant and a guard trailing her, the noble walked from stall to stall, examining ware after ware, some with a close look and others with barely a cursory glance. Her eyes lit up at the sight of a headdress. "Oh, splendid~" she said to herself, walking towards it with intent. It was a lovely thing, but the colors would clash horribly with her stepmother's complexion and hair color. It would be a perfect gift. "I want this, please~" she told the merchant pleasantly, her lips spread in a satisfied smile.
Lena was also in the marketplace, eying beautiful dresses up and down. Though she couldn't actually afford any of them, she'd long learned her way to getting dresses just as beautiful for a quarter of the price. Well, she could get them for free from Lando, but far be it from her to take advantage of her beloved brother. No, there was a neophyte tailor in a less affluent part of the city. And by Cita, was he talented. Upon much coaxing, the poor sod had been dumb (or perhaps visual) enough to call Lena his muse. That was five years ago. From then on, their arrangement carried on fantastically. He could do the crafting as long as Lena bought the fabric. And, to her credit, his business had improved vastly since then.
But perhaps the indulgence was no longer necessary. No matter what she wore, Lena was beyond beautiful. She chuckled wryly at her thoughts. It was hardly compensation for the weight of her 'curse'. But it was better than being like Cristofolo. Though she desired it, she did not need death to live. Then there was the Magister's ring...
All would be well. She just had to believe... Who was she kidding? Lena rolled her eyes. What had believing -
A servant accidentally bumped into her, nearly knocking the tiny blonde over. Smiling tightly at the ensuing apologies, Lena steadied herself. As she did so, her eyes fell upon the servant's charge. If it wasn't the disastrously moody Adelle Vaux...
She was in the midst of signalling her servant to take the headdress when he bumped into Lena. Giving the young woman a cursory glance, Adelle tilted her head ever so slightly. Not a noble, but there was something different about the way she looked, like her beauty was... inhuman. An Other? They were becoming more open lately, weren't they?
"Pardon my servant, miss~" she said sweetly. "He didn't meant to~" Still, she gestured for the poor sap to pick up the headdress to add to the few other things he was carrying, a silk bag with a few bracelets and a necklace and a new cloak. Luckily for him, he didn't drop anything. He would've been on the streets quicker than he could've turned his head.
Lena smiled graciously. "If he is the servant of the lovely Lady Vaux, then there is nothing to forgive." She folded into a perfunctory but graceful curtsy. "My name is Lena Cosimo."
She critically eyed the headdress. She could find no fault with the adornment, and her gaze soon turned appreciative. "A beautiful piece, my lady. For yourself?"
Her smile in return was just as gracious; Adelle could spot simpering from a mile away. She heard, more than saw, the servant bow and apologize properly once again. "How kind of you to say, Ms. Cosimo~ It seems like you already know who I am."
She glanced back at the piece she picked out and laughed lightly. Her expression and tone was pleasant when she said, "It is, but no, it's a gift~ For someone in my good graces and that I hold dear." As dearly as you could consider someone a stain on your family. A wretched harpy all around. She had heard her stepmother try to subtly convince her father to name another heir.
"It pays to know your way around," Lena replied softly. The girl was strangely reminiscent of herself at that age, with all the superficial cordiality and confidence. Though Lena supposed she had been more angry and desperate. With good reason. At that age, the wounds had been fresh. Her brother had gone, and her mother was dying. A part of Lena wondered if the young Adelle had any idea what it was to lose. "And I have to if I don't want to embarrass my sister."
She laughed gently, meaning to appear self-deprecating. Lena couldn't care less about Diya's sensibilities, but Dee (along with, perhaps, Merena) was a different matter entirely. "It also pays to be generous to those we hold dear. Your someone is exceedingly fortunate. I was just thinking of what to get for my sisters, myself."
"I'm sure it does." Would Adelle stop to care this afternoon? Perhaps she would. She didn't have much else to do until dinner. Her lessons could wait.
"I wouldn't call it generous, not really~ It's just showing my affection." Shrugging her shoulders daintily, she reached into her sleeve for her fan (pale yellow and gold today), flipping it open gracefully in her right hand. "Your sisters?" she asked. Oh, Cosimo! She remembered. "Lady Medellos, isn't it now?" That was Cosimo, wasn't it? Adelle remembered finding that marriage curious, if not amusing. Desperate and obvious, too. It would be fun to see what gossip Lord Medellos would garner with some kind of shackle on him.
"A unique choice in color. People are usually partial to - " tackier "- more vibrant shades of yellow." Lena's eyes followed the graceful motions of Adelle's wrist. There was a familiarity in the way the girl handled the fan, belying some sentimentality. But then again, Lady Adelle's fixation with fans was well-known. Lena wondered what had influenced that. The mother, perhaps? Ah! That was a recent death, wasn't it? Lady Oriane had passed three or four years ago, give or take.
The loose ends of Lena's stray thoughts were tied up. So Adelle had known loss. The child (a funny term, considering Lena was an inch or so shorter) likely had a depth to her that Lena would be careful not to underestimate. "Lady Medellos, yes. Have you met, my lady?"
Her eyebrows raised ever so slightly, but she smiled. "I have a fan in more vibrant shades as well." However, she didn't take them out with her often since she knew without the right dress to complement, brighter yellows would clash horribly with her hair.
"Not formally, no. I've seen her around, though." If Adelle remembered correctly (and she was certain she did), the new Lady was running her own bakery. For what reason, she wasn't really sure, but it was no business of hers. "They seem to be enjoying their marriage well enough~" Especially with the rumors of the king still visiting Diya being abound. There was no ill will or censure in her tone; it was merely conversational and casual.
"Oh, do be assured that I meant that kindly, my lady." Lena paused, considering. "Yes, a vibrant blue would suit you well, if I may say so." It was a color she often suggested for Dee, too. There was something about royal blue that suited delicately structured blondes. Though her sister was hardly delicate.
Mirth shining in her eyes, Lena was sorely tempted to laugh out loud. In a twisted way, 'happy' was right. Dee was living well and doing something she loved. Though, as was the norm with the Cosimo family, there was no dearth of chaos. Despite Dee's grievances, Lena doubted Diya would ever assimilate cleanly into the Cosimo category of 'family'.
"My sister is happy, yes," she conceded, her tone a shade sardonic. "With the way marriages are used as barter, I'm happy she made such a successful match."
"It wouldn't faze me either way," she told the older girl blithely. Adelle was sure in everything she purchased for herself and even in the things others purchased for her. Her confidence let her carry and pull off a great number of fashion choices--even those that wouldn't look good on her. "I do like blue, but I usually like pinks and reds more." Blue was a color she usually associated with Lusine even though the princess' wedding had been rather pink.
"You sound so bitter about marriage~" The Vaux did nothing to hide her amusement, either. "It's expected of you, too." Even if... the Cosimo had somehow made herself Other-like. That might put a dampener on some marriage prospects, but she knew some men would only care for what their eyes saw. It looked like she was nearing or already past the peak age for marriage, too.
"We blondes are lucky to have such versatility in choices." Lena was sincerely thankful for the paleness. It rendered her a clean, empty canvas, gave her the blankness of a chameleon. She could not help but feel that, of all colorings, pale-on-pale most suited her scheming nature.
"I wouldn't call it bitterness, my lady. More realism. Were more to share my mindset, perhaps many hearts would remain unbroken." Marriage was a tool that had been refined to utter profitability over the years. Easy to purchase, difficult to wield, and torturous to discard. "Ah, but if my siblings had their way, I would be sitting neatly on the shelf until the end of my days." Lena laughed, but it sounded like a fond sigh. "I've already begun collecting my cats."
Not that marriage was an option she'd disregarded altogether. Power was power; from where it came did not matter. Though the idea of submitting to someone did not appeal to her, Lena believed she could easily turn the tide in her favor. If ever her choice came to marriage, she'd find one thing or another to hold over her husband until death did them part. And if there was nothing to be found... She would make something. Simple as that.
"How about you, my lady? Have you marriage on the mind?"
Adelle's expression was kept smooth, even attentive as she listened. She could have laughed. All the nobles marriages were political in nature, and if not all, most of them were. Who could profit the most from the marriage, who had the biggest dowry, who had the best family, who had the better reputation--there were a whole myriad of who could marry better and higher in her circles. Love was special but secondary, and you were lucky if it happened. What Adelle meant was more that marriage was something to be accepted, an inevitability. As much as the young noblewoman wished to put it off, she knew she couldn't. It didn't mean she wouldn't, but she knew she couldn't. That was her reality.
"Yes, I'm sure fewer hearts could remain in tact that way." Except she knew noblewomen's hearts that still broke and fell to pieces even though they weren't in love. Laughing, she said, "You want to become an old spinster with a collection of cats? Don't you think society would scorn you?"
Tapping her left cheek and then her lips with her fan, she said simply as she snapped her fan shut, "Marriage is always on the horizon for me. It will be sooner rather than later for me." She shrugged her shoulders daintily. "It's what I expect."
"It was only in jest, my lady," Lena said, grinning in spite of herself. The idea was ridiculous. "But I have seen many formidable spinsters. There exists a fair share of women, married or otherwise, who refuse to suffer ridicule." With more humor, she added, "And I rather like cats, don't you?"
Lena nodded, saying, "You bear your responsibility well, my lady." The words were sincere; Lena had not expected any less from a Vaux. In this matter, she found, noblewomen were particularly jaded, submissive. She could never roll over and bear marriage the same way they did. It was a tool she would pick up of her own accord, and only hers. Though Lena understood duty, she answered to no one's expectations. (Or, at least, she wanted to think so.)
Perhaps Lena was naive in this, but she had come from a world where she had had to fight for herself. Some things could not be acquired through reputation or money, but through toil and trouble. Hours bent over thick texts, bleeding bodies, and hazardous chemicals - those were her reality. Inasmuch as she aspired to join the ranks of the nobility, there were some things she could never shake and others she could never assimilate.
"Even if the ridicule doesn't affect them, it doesn't mean they're not being ridiculed~" Flipping open her fan again, she touched the top edge to her lips. In this city, ridicule was the worst, especially if people started buying into it and Believing it. "Cats can be quite refined," said Adelle.
She couldn't stop the laugh that bubbled out of her lips. "I take that compliment kindly." As much as she acted the part of a noblewoman, responsible still wasn't a word usually used to describe her. Responsibility sent her running, and she knew it. Her brother and she got along well for a reason.
What Adelle had hoped for marriage was a partner she could manipulate with a family she could control. The prospect of the prince's proposal, however, tossed a hot skewer into her plans. Whatever happened, she would adapt. She had no choice but to.
Lena thought of her own situation. She wouldn't say people were ridiculing her. Being compared to a siren was hardly ridicule, but the concept was the same. In this city, what people said mattered. Though there were many whose strong fronts held unflinchingly... Either way, Lena chose not to comment further. "Do you have a pet, my lady?"
Lena raised her eyebrows, smiling. "Why the laughter?"
"My cousin," she said 'cousin' delicately, like it was almost something she'd rather not say, "recently left her dog in my care. I had been thinking of getting a cat before that, though." Adelle might even just get a cat anyway. If she married, she'd leave the dog behind but take the cat.
"Oh, just something I found privately amusing~ It's not important." She flapped her fan, as if to dismissively wave away the subject. And as if to further dismiss it, she snapped the fan shut again and slipped it back into the pocket in her sleeve.
Lena nodded, smile still in place. Adelle may not have meant to dismiss Lena herself, but if the two were moving into topics that merited dismissal, then Lena knew it was best to take her leave.
"Whatever it is, I hope it continues to give you reason for laughter." Lena bent into a small, graceful curtsy. "I must be on my way, my lady. If you would not mind?"
It was a possible point in Lena's favor that she was quick to pick up social cues. Adelle didn't care enough to form a solid opinion yet, but it was better than a negative one.
Her smile was facetious as she nodded graciously. "Yes, of course. Have fun shopping for"--there was the shortest of pauses as she remembered--"your sisters~"
"Thank you very much, my lady," Lena said. "I wish you the same."
After one last polite smile, she turned and made her way to a different stall.
When: 01/02
Where: The market
Ratings & Warnings: G. If Ira started a fake club, these girls would so be in.
There were few things that could bolster Adelle's mood like shopping could. If the young Vaux came home from a day out in the marketplace still in a dour mood, the servants knew to avoid her unless called. However, today, Adelle wasn't in a foul mood. Oh, she was worried with all the rumors floating around, wondering if the intensified Belief was still in effect, but she knew how to handle rumors well enough to combat them if they went out of hand. Spreading even wilder rumors about those she didn't care about took enough attention away from her.
Today's shopping venture was just to uplift a mostly boring day. As boring as a day in Tyrol could be, anyway.
With a servant and a guard trailing her, the noble walked from stall to stall, examining ware after ware, some with a close look and others with barely a cursory glance. Her eyes lit up at the sight of a headdress. "Oh, splendid~" she said to herself, walking towards it with intent. It was a lovely thing, but the colors would clash horribly with her stepmother's complexion and hair color. It would be a perfect gift. "I want this, please~" she told the merchant pleasantly, her lips spread in a satisfied smile.
Lena was also in the marketplace, eying beautiful dresses up and down. Though she couldn't actually afford any of them, she'd long learned her way to getting dresses just as beautiful for a quarter of the price. Well, she could get them for free from Lando, but far be it from her to take advantage of her beloved brother. No, there was a neophyte tailor in a less affluent part of the city. And by Cita, was he talented. Upon much coaxing, the poor sod had been dumb (or perhaps visual) enough to call Lena his muse. That was five years ago. From then on, their arrangement carried on fantastically. He could do the crafting as long as Lena bought the fabric. And, to her credit, his business had improved vastly since then.
But perhaps the indulgence was no longer necessary. No matter what she wore, Lena was beyond beautiful. She chuckled wryly at her thoughts. It was hardly compensation for the weight of her 'curse'. But it was better than being like Cristofolo. Though she desired it, she did not need death to live. Then there was the Magister's ring...
All would be well. She just had to believe... Who was she kidding? Lena rolled her eyes. What had believing -
A servant accidentally bumped into her, nearly knocking the tiny blonde over. Smiling tightly at the ensuing apologies, Lena steadied herself. As she did so, her eyes fell upon the servant's charge. If it wasn't the disastrously moody Adelle Vaux...
She was in the midst of signalling her servant to take the headdress when he bumped into Lena. Giving the young woman a cursory glance, Adelle tilted her head ever so slightly. Not a noble, but there was something different about the way she looked, like her beauty was... inhuman. An Other? They were becoming more open lately, weren't they?
"Pardon my servant, miss~" she said sweetly. "He didn't meant to~" Still, she gestured for the poor sap to pick up the headdress to add to the few other things he was carrying, a silk bag with a few bracelets and a necklace and a new cloak. Luckily for him, he didn't drop anything. He would've been on the streets quicker than he could've turned his head.
Lena smiled graciously. "If he is the servant of the lovely Lady Vaux, then there is nothing to forgive." She folded into a perfunctory but graceful curtsy. "My name is Lena Cosimo."
She critically eyed the headdress. She could find no fault with the adornment, and her gaze soon turned appreciative. "A beautiful piece, my lady. For yourself?"
Her smile in return was just as gracious; Adelle could spot simpering from a mile away. She heard, more than saw, the servant bow and apologize properly once again. "How kind of you to say, Ms. Cosimo~ It seems like you already know who I am."
She glanced back at the piece she picked out and laughed lightly. Her expression and tone was pleasant when she said, "It is, but no, it's a gift~ For someone in my good graces and that I hold dear." As dearly as you could consider someone a stain on your family. A wretched harpy all around. She had heard her stepmother try to subtly convince her father to name another heir.
"It pays to know your way around," Lena replied softly. The girl was strangely reminiscent of herself at that age, with all the superficial cordiality and confidence. Though Lena supposed she had been more angry and desperate. With good reason. At that age, the wounds had been fresh. Her brother had gone, and her mother was dying. A part of Lena wondered if the young Adelle had any idea what it was to lose. "And I have to if I don't want to embarrass my sister."
She laughed gently, meaning to appear self-deprecating. Lena couldn't care less about Diya's sensibilities, but Dee (along with, perhaps, Merena) was a different matter entirely. "It also pays to be generous to those we hold dear. Your someone is exceedingly fortunate. I was just thinking of what to get for my sisters, myself."
"I'm sure it does." Would Adelle stop to care this afternoon? Perhaps she would. She didn't have much else to do until dinner. Her lessons could wait.
"I wouldn't call it generous, not really~ It's just showing my affection." Shrugging her shoulders daintily, she reached into her sleeve for her fan (pale yellow and gold today), flipping it open gracefully in her right hand. "Your sisters?" she asked. Oh, Cosimo! She remembered. "Lady Medellos, isn't it now?" That was Cosimo, wasn't it? Adelle remembered finding that marriage curious, if not amusing. Desperate and obvious, too. It would be fun to see what gossip Lord Medellos would garner with some kind of shackle on him.
"A unique choice in color. People are usually partial to - " tackier "- more vibrant shades of yellow." Lena's eyes followed the graceful motions of Adelle's wrist. There was a familiarity in the way the girl handled the fan, belying some sentimentality. But then again, Lady Adelle's fixation with fans was well-known. Lena wondered what had influenced that. The mother, perhaps? Ah! That was a recent death, wasn't it? Lady Oriane had passed three or four years ago, give or take.
The loose ends of Lena's stray thoughts were tied up. So Adelle had known loss. The child (a funny term, considering Lena was an inch or so shorter) likely had a depth to her that Lena would be careful not to underestimate. "Lady Medellos, yes. Have you met, my lady?"
Her eyebrows raised ever so slightly, but she smiled. "I have a fan in more vibrant shades as well." However, she didn't take them out with her often since she knew without the right dress to complement, brighter yellows would clash horribly with her hair.
"Not formally, no. I've seen her around, though." If Adelle remembered correctly (and she was certain she did), the new Lady was running her own bakery. For what reason, she wasn't really sure, but it was no business of hers. "They seem to be enjoying their marriage well enough~" Especially with the rumors of the king still visiting Diya being abound. There was no ill will or censure in her tone; it was merely conversational and casual.
"Oh, do be assured that I meant that kindly, my lady." Lena paused, considering. "Yes, a vibrant blue would suit you well, if I may say so." It was a color she often suggested for Dee, too. There was something about royal blue that suited delicately structured blondes. Though her sister was hardly delicate.
Mirth shining in her eyes, Lena was sorely tempted to laugh out loud. In a twisted way, 'happy' was right. Dee was living well and doing something she loved. Though, as was the norm with the Cosimo family, there was no dearth of chaos. Despite Dee's grievances, Lena doubted Diya would ever assimilate cleanly into the Cosimo category of 'family'.
"My sister is happy, yes," she conceded, her tone a shade sardonic. "With the way marriages are used as barter, I'm happy she made such a successful match."
"It wouldn't faze me either way," she told the older girl blithely. Adelle was sure in everything she purchased for herself and even in the things others purchased for her. Her confidence let her carry and pull off a great number of fashion choices--even those that wouldn't look good on her. "I do like blue, but I usually like pinks and reds more." Blue was a color she usually associated with Lusine even though the princess' wedding had been rather pink.
"You sound so bitter about marriage~" The Vaux did nothing to hide her amusement, either. "It's expected of you, too." Even if... the Cosimo had somehow made herself Other-like. That might put a dampener on some marriage prospects, but she knew some men would only care for what their eyes saw. It looked like she was nearing or already past the peak age for marriage, too.
"We blondes are lucky to have such versatility in choices." Lena was sincerely thankful for the paleness. It rendered her a clean, empty canvas, gave her the blankness of a chameleon. She could not help but feel that, of all colorings, pale-on-pale most suited her scheming nature.
"I wouldn't call it bitterness, my lady. More realism. Were more to share my mindset, perhaps many hearts would remain unbroken." Marriage was a tool that had been refined to utter profitability over the years. Easy to purchase, difficult to wield, and torturous to discard. "Ah, but if my siblings had their way, I would be sitting neatly on the shelf until the end of my days." Lena laughed, but it sounded like a fond sigh. "I've already begun collecting my cats."
Not that marriage was an option she'd disregarded altogether. Power was power; from where it came did not matter. Though the idea of submitting to someone did not appeal to her, Lena believed she could easily turn the tide in her favor. If ever her choice came to marriage, she'd find one thing or another to hold over her husband until death did them part. And if there was nothing to be found... She would make something. Simple as that.
"How about you, my lady? Have you marriage on the mind?"
Adelle's expression was kept smooth, even attentive as she listened. She could have laughed. All the nobles marriages were political in nature, and if not all, most of them were. Who could profit the most from the marriage, who had the biggest dowry, who had the best family, who had the better reputation--there were a whole myriad of who could marry better and higher in her circles. Love was special but secondary, and you were lucky if it happened. What Adelle meant was more that marriage was something to be accepted, an inevitability. As much as the young noblewoman wished to put it off, she knew she couldn't. It didn't mean she wouldn't, but she knew she couldn't. That was her reality.
"Yes, I'm sure fewer hearts could remain in tact that way." Except she knew noblewomen's hearts that still broke and fell to pieces even though they weren't in love. Laughing, she said, "You want to become an old spinster with a collection of cats? Don't you think society would scorn you?"
Tapping her left cheek and then her lips with her fan, she said simply as she snapped her fan shut, "Marriage is always on the horizon for me. It will be sooner rather than later for me." She shrugged her shoulders daintily. "It's what I expect."
"It was only in jest, my lady," Lena said, grinning in spite of herself. The idea was ridiculous. "But I have seen many formidable spinsters. There exists a fair share of women, married or otherwise, who refuse to suffer ridicule." With more humor, she added, "And I rather like cats, don't you?"
Lena nodded, saying, "You bear your responsibility well, my lady." The words were sincere; Lena had not expected any less from a Vaux. In this matter, she found, noblewomen were particularly jaded, submissive. She could never roll over and bear marriage the same way they did. It was a tool she would pick up of her own accord, and only hers. Though Lena understood duty, she answered to no one's expectations. (Or, at least, she wanted to think so.)
Perhaps Lena was naive in this, but she had come from a world where she had had to fight for herself. Some things could not be acquired through reputation or money, but through toil and trouble. Hours bent over thick texts, bleeding bodies, and hazardous chemicals - those were her reality. Inasmuch as she aspired to join the ranks of the nobility, there were some things she could never shake and others she could never assimilate.
"Even if the ridicule doesn't affect them, it doesn't mean they're not being ridiculed~" Flipping open her fan again, she touched the top edge to her lips. In this city, ridicule was the worst, especially if people started buying into it and Believing it. "Cats can be quite refined," said Adelle.
She couldn't stop the laugh that bubbled out of her lips. "I take that compliment kindly." As much as she acted the part of a noblewoman, responsible still wasn't a word usually used to describe her. Responsibility sent her running, and she knew it. Her brother and she got along well for a reason.
What Adelle had hoped for marriage was a partner she could manipulate with a family she could control. The prospect of the prince's proposal, however, tossed a hot skewer into her plans. Whatever happened, she would adapt. She had no choice but to.
Lena thought of her own situation. She wouldn't say people were ridiculing her. Being compared to a siren was hardly ridicule, but the concept was the same. In this city, what people said mattered. Though there were many whose strong fronts held unflinchingly... Either way, Lena chose not to comment further. "Do you have a pet, my lady?"
Lena raised her eyebrows, smiling. "Why the laughter?"
"My cousin," she said 'cousin' delicately, like it was almost something she'd rather not say, "recently left her dog in my care. I had been thinking of getting a cat before that, though." Adelle might even just get a cat anyway. If she married, she'd leave the dog behind but take the cat.
"Oh, just something I found privately amusing~ It's not important." She flapped her fan, as if to dismissively wave away the subject. And as if to further dismiss it, she snapped the fan shut again and slipped it back into the pocket in her sleeve.
Lena nodded, smile still in place. Adelle may not have meant to dismiss Lena herself, but if the two were moving into topics that merited dismissal, then Lena knew it was best to take her leave.
"Whatever it is, I hope it continues to give you reason for laughter." Lena bent into a small, graceful curtsy. "I must be on my way, my lady. If you would not mind?"
It was a possible point in Lena's favor that she was quick to pick up social cues. Adelle didn't care enough to form a solid opinion yet, but it was better than a negative one.
Her smile was facetious as she nodded graciously. "Yes, of course. Have fun shopping for"--there was the shortest of pauses as she remembered--"your sisters~"
"Thank you very much, my lady," Lena said. "I wish you the same."
After one last polite smile, she turned and made her way to a different stall.