Faustine
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Contents |
Memoir
For a Lark
At Orchis, they say there was never a more cheerful birth then the one that brought me into the world. That no woman was ever in better spirits and higher humor then my mama, who downright insisted that no less then three adepts be present for the birth, to make sure her witticisms were recorded for later use. By the year's end, she'd used each and every last one in developing a full length theatrical, which she produced for patrons of Orchis house, where she lived and served. They delighted in the comical interpretation of her initiation into motherhood, delivered in the pantomime style.
Mama always said I was the luckiest thing that ever happened to her, and so I deserved being given a good luck name. It was both luck and a blessing to be born into Orchis house, where warmth and laughter were always to be had in abundance. I have no memory from that time that is not gleeful, especially the ones from my illustrious career as a play actress. I was four or five, and given a speaking part in a comedy the house was set to perform for the other houses of Mont Nuit. I took to it with all the flair of a practiced performer from Eglantine, to the degree that mama herself thought I was bound for the dramatic! She always said I took after Papa, who was part of house's tumbling troupe.
It didn't take, though! It was the fun and games of Orchis I adored, not the bothersome work of agonizing over producing a brilliant creation. That's what my brief stay at Eglantine revealed, and the Dowayne was a wise enough man to spot it right away. By then I was close to nine, with a mischevious streak that gave mama's humor an undying source of fuel. My antics were enough to set even the most composed nobleman on his side, when mama got to spinning a yarn (such was her true gift).
How I came to visit Bryony was an accident of chance. I was still months away from my tenth natality, and the Longest Night was approaching. I wanted very badly to be allowed in to the celebrations, and was elated to learn that the House had chosen a costume theme that involved us little ones. A short cameo was more then enough excitement for me, and as time grew closer I was beside myself with anticipation.
One night a pretty woman from the court came in with some friends, and clipped in her hair was the prettiest ornament I'd ever laid eyes upon. I wanted it immediately. It was of a perfect match with the costume I'd already had two fittings for, and I could imagine without difficulty how all the pretty men and women would fall at my feet with such a treasure pinned to my blonde curls. I was a terribly bold child, and made a wager with the woman with the clip as the stake. She was easily persuaded, only there to have a lark anyway, or so she reasoned. I let her pick the most dour looking man in the room, the most unlikely candidate to fall sway to Orchis humor, and wagered I'd break him in less then a quarter hour.
Wealth Seeks Company
When the Longest Night came, I paraded along with the rest of Orchis, that pretty woman's hair pin lodged among my curls, and a grin the size of Aragonia plastered on my face. Two days later, our Dowayne brought me to Bryony and made me wait outside while she had a very long meeting with the heads of the house. They welcomed me in, what seemed like a century later, and told me in detail all the manner of fun ways young adepts of Bryony got to while away their days. I was enamored with the place, and when the day's end had come, I'd had such a grand time playing at chance and luck with the other children that I was sad to leave.
It was the Second of the house who showed us to the door, stooping to ask me if I'd like to return on the morrow for a game of Piquet. So I did, and before the week's end Bryony had negotiated with Orchis to take me in as a fosterling, where I learned the art of a fine bargain and developed a fierce appreciation for a well placed wager. Days blended into years into months into weeks, and I became a novice at the age of thirteen. The other boys and girls my age were brought to the Temple of Naamah, where we pledged ourselves to her service and freed doves to flight under the affectionate and watchful eye of the priesthood.
From the Trois Mille Jois to the log of Seven Hundred Kisses to the
dicing table to the Ecstatica and a thousand hands of cards, I spent the three
years of my novicehood preparing for the debut I would make at the age of
sixteen. It was the winter before the summer season in which my debut would
occur that I was allowed to mingle more freely among Bryony's patrons, who
frequented our house for games and companionship. By the time my debut came, a
half dozen inquiries had been made about me. Each of them were invited to my
debut, as were a few other of the more prestigious patrons courted by our
house.
Our magnificent Dowayne explained the stakes to the guests of my debut, while I knelt at the center of a dicing table, moved into a smaller salon for the evening. I was mother naked for all to see, except for a fine gold chain worn about my neck, suspending a golden ducat, and a chalice I held aloft in both my hands. It was simple, she told them. I would pick a number, and speak it to them out loud. They would each roll the dice, of which there were four; whoever matched my number or came closest would win me for the night. For an attempt at rolling the dice, she told them encouragingly, they need only place fifty ducats in my cup. There were ten of them; none shied away from the wager.
I chose the number sixteen, and though some came close, it wasn't until one of the last few attempts that it was landed precisely. Her name was Madelon, a delightful scion of Azza who owned an extremely successful perfumery in the city of Elua. She was gracious in her victory, but proud, and we passed the night together in bliss. She became one of my frequent patrons, seeking me out to assist her with book keeping - among other, more discrete things - and I could not object to the sweet smelling bottles she bestowed as her patron gifts.
Bryony has been my home these past three decades, and though the last
petal was long ago limned on my flesh, I would never dream of going elsewhere.
My love for a good wager is as deep as my reverence for Naamah's holy arts,
and there is no man or woman in Terre d'Ange who I should not delight at
facing over a good bet.
Personality
Recent Events
Trivia
| House Bryony | |
|---|---|
| Dowayne | |
| Golda Faire | |
| Court of Bryony | |
| • Faustine nó Bryony • Eirene nó Bryony • | |
| Alyssum • Balm • Camellia • Cereus • Dahlia • Eglantine • Gentian • Heliotrope • Jasmine | |
