Ó Móráin Estate
Early Evening

With the new year at hand, Melanthe decided to make good on some of her resolutions. One being to do a better job of connecting with some of her dear friends, especially since she had been feeling lonelier at home of late.

One friend in particular who she was determined to visit was Liadán, who Melanthe realized that she had never visited at her home. She decided that she was being such an awful friend in not doing so, seeing as Lia had visited her in blustery Siberia.

Armed with one of the most beautiful flower bouquets imaginable for this time of the year as well as her belated Christmas gift for Liadan, Melanthe had aparated to just outside of the Ó Móráin home and knocked on the door, patiently waiting to be let inside.

After a brief pause, the Russian witch was greeted by a house elf opening the door. A look of surprise came over the elf's face at the sight of a visitor.

After the initial shock, the elf looked Melanthe over expectantly and asked with perfect politeness, "May I help you?"

"I am here to see Ms. Ó Móráin," Melanthe supplied. She was annoyed that the elf had yet to invite her inside, given the cool weather.

The house elf's wrinkly features seemed to get even more so as she was told, "My mistress says she's not to be bothered right now."

And then the nerve of the little creature to attempt to shut the door in her face!

Melanthe immediately stepped forward and brushed past the elf and into the lavish foyer. "I appreciate your attention to your mistresses orders," Melanthe began with sugary sweetness. "But I assure you that when she hears who is here to see her, she will be fine with seeing me."

The elf still seemed to be recovering from such a brutal rebuff and practically sputtered, "Fine, I shall show you into the sitting room for you to wait...."

Melanthe rolled her eyes and waved off what she saw would be the elf's attempts in keeping her from seeing Liadan. "Pfft," she muttered. "It's quite alright. I'll announce myself."

Readjusting her armful of offerings to her friend, Melanthe purposely marched down the main hallway. She peered into the aforementioned sitting room and saw that it was empty and proceeded past the equally lavish ballroom. Still seeing no signs of her friend, Melanthe continued on towards the back of the home.

As she went, she gaily called, "Lia, dear! Where are you? Come out, come out, wherever you are!"

Liadan had informed the house elves that she was not to be disturbed under any circumstances. She was working on a ritual to inspire fertility at the farm, one she had discovered in a book that Lothario had located for her. Liadan had tried everything to help her farm, to get the creatures to stop dying, to improve the success- and she had done multiple fertility rituals, just waiting on one of them to finally work! Voodoo was a tricky thing, she had discovered, and when you messed up a ritual by one tiny bit, everything seemed to go haywire. She had discovered this when attempting to do one to promote financial success a couple of months ago.

She ignored the first time she heard her name being called, hoping that she was hearing things. But the overly gay voice of Melanthe was coming noticeably closer, and Liadan cursed. Thoes elves were going to have their ears shut in the oven every night for a month! "Damnit, damnit, damnit," she muttered, rising from the circle she had made on the floor with candles. She blew all of them out, rushing to put everything away that she had been using for the ritual.

"Ouch!" The wax dripped onto her hand, and she dropped the few candles she was holding, watching hopelessly as they rolled from where she was standing, finally coming to a rest when they bumped into Melanthe's shoes.

Liadan flushed a dark red, and pushed a hand through her hair, fidgeting awkwardly. "Melanthe! What are you... doing... here?" she asked, watching as the elves rushed behind Melanthe, muttering profuse apologies. "I will deal with you two later," she snapped at the creatures. "To the kitchen, both of you, put on some tea and fetch us some snacks."

After they left, Liadan continued to gather up the candles and stash them into a small cupboard in the corner of the room. Extracting her wand, she cleaned the chalk markings on the floor and faced her friend. "I was in the middle of something," Liadan snapped. "I know that they told you I wasn't to be bothered, they are good elves, why did you ignore them? When I give specific orders, I give them for a reason. Do not undermine my authority to the help. And now all the work I was doing, ruined! And you just have no idea the possible consequences of just barging in here!" Liadan stomped her foot, appearing very much like an angry child. "You don't just rush into someone's home and barge into room's unannounced!"

Melanthe practically breezed into the room where her friend was, oblivious to the idea that she might be unwelcomed and hardly aware of what she might be interrupting. So it took her a moment or so to register that anything was amiss as she came to a stop and something bumped her shoes. She shifted her bundle in her arms to pick up one of the errant candles and she held it as she took inventory of her surroundings.

She continued to do so as she responded to her friend's question. "Well, I thought I would pay my very dear friend a visit," she began. "I feel horrible for never having visited your home before and thought I would surprise you." Her brow shot up as she watched the exchange between mistress and house elves, but she noted that this was not entirely unusual.

Still, Melanthe sensed that her presence was not altogether welcomed, especially when Lia proceeded to hastily finish cleaning up whatever it was she was doing. And her snappish explanation that followed was brutal indeed!

Melanthe looked at her friend quizzically and queried, "What consquences? All I did was come by to say hello and spend some time with you, Lia dear." She paused and again looked around the room. "I am sorry for ruining your....whatever it was you were doing." Melanthe sighed. Perhaps her friend had a lot of private matters that she kept close to her than she realized. "Well, perhaps I should go....and leave you to it..."

"I wasn't doing anything," Liadan said briskly, tucking her wand away. "I... I shouldn't have snapped at you, I'm sorry. Why don't we go back downstairs to the sitting room?" she suggested, quickly locking the cabinets with a small key. "The elves will have a nice snack for us, I'm sure. And I do not want your first visit to be cut so short." It was hard to make up for her failed hospitality, and Liadan knew it, but if she ran Melanthe off so soon, she would feel horrid for it in the coming days.

She reached out and took Melanthe's hands in her own, and squeezed them tightly. "Come, I'll show you around why they get everything ready! Don't you want to see my rooms? They're lovely, I promise. Gorgeous Italian furniture I had imported just a couple of years ago to replace what I had as a child." She tugged on her friend's hands, pulling her toward the door and away from the closed cabinets. "Don't be hurt, Melly my darling, I was just frustrated. I did not expect any visitors, or at least warning of them."

Liadan summoned the book that lay open on the floor, tucking it under her arm. "Come, follow to me the library and we can put this away and then we will visit my room." She ushered Melanthe out of the room, and locked the door behind her, then turned left down a hallway. "What brings you to my estate?" she asked. "Is Lotte coming along? Or will it be just us? You and I rarely spend time together anymore unless the boys are with us. I get so bored with them sometimes. Sergei and Gregori bicker like school children." Yes, focus on anything other than what had just transpired- that was the wise thing to do. 

"Not doing anything," came Melanthe's unconvinced murmur in response. Her brown orbs had been carefully observing her friend's behavior, attempting to read into her actions for what might be the more truthful response. Clearly Liadán's haste in encouraging their further socializing downstairs was an indication to the Russian witch that something was amiss.

As Lia continued to overcompensate by tugging her towards the door and wanting to show her around the home, Melanthe hesitated even more. As Lia escorted her out of the room and locked it, already headed off with the intent of getting Melanthe to forget anything she saw, Melanthe gently tugged her hands free and tilted her chin upwards a little stubbornly.

Melanthe stopped walking and plainly told her friend, "Yes, a snack and a tour sounds lovely....as does a bit of gossiping.....but in a little while." Her skeptical brow was arched just so as she quietly demanded, "After you tell me what you've been doing." So far as Melanthe knew, it wasn't like the two of them to keep secrets from each other. So far as Melanthe allowed herself to believe, she and Lia were as close as friends could be. And that meant that they shouldn't keep anything from each other. Nevermind her own little blindspot that failed to acknowledge her own dark little secrets that she had failed to share with Lia. Keeping quiet on that front was for her friend's own good.

Melanthe crossed her arms over her chest and pouted a bit. "It wasn't my intent to upset you, Lia. And no, Lotte is not coming. That I know of. Would you rather she was here instead of me?" she asked with an overdramatic huff. "I bet she knows what you are doing since you both are so close..."

Liadan sighed when Melanthe stalled. What she was doing? What she had been doing was incredibly private, and Liadan wasn't certain that she wanted to share it with her friend. No matter how close they were. "Sometimes, Melanthe, dear, a person is entitled to keep her secrets, wouldn't you agree?"

"I'm certain that we all have them. And what I am doing in the privacy of my own home is my business. If I had wanted it to be made public, then I would have been doing it in the middle of Diagon Alley. All that you need to know, dear, is that I wasn't stuffing a man into the cupboard and that it is nothing that would be of interest to anyone other than myself."

But then Melanthe tried to pull the guilt card. In all honesty, no- Liadan would not rather Charlotte be here. Since the double dating had began, she had gotten to be much closer to Melanthe than she had imagined. "Don't be ridiculous, Melanthe. That game will not work with me- and you ought to know better. I invented guilt, Melly."

She rolled her eyes at the insinuation that Lotte knew what she was up to. The only person who knew what she was doing in her spare time was Mr. Grimm, and the people who suspected based on her book purchases. But nobody was ever at her home while it went on, and she did not discuss these things! (Alberic excluded, but he was teaching her, so that was different.)

"As I said- my secrets are my own. Charlotte doesn't know, you do not know- nobody knows. I prefer to keep it that way. Now stop being ridiculous and let me show you 'round so that your visit has not been wasted." Liadan tugged on Melanthe's wrist again, still trying to pull her away from the room.

"Of course we are entitled to our secrets," Melanthe agreed. Certainly she had her share of them. She just did not like being so distant from someone like Lia, who was as close to her like a sister as friends could get. And the number of friends who she was close to like that was quite small.

Melanthe knew that she had good reason to keep her distance from those she met, but she also knew that in order to maintain her sanity, she needed her friendships. She should do something to appease her friend now. With a sigh, she said, "Of course what you do at home is your business, my dear. I feel the same way." Then, after Lia proceeded to brush her off even more, including her gentle scolding about guilt tripping her, Melanthe stiffled a giggle. She rolled her eyes and threw up her hands. "Oh, fine. I will leave it be for now," she told her friend simply. Then she narrowed her dark eyes and pursed her lips as she allowed Lia to tug her from the room. Before she gave in completely, she wagged her finger playfully. "But just so you know, I will weedle it out of you eventually, luv. You might be better off telling me now..."

Melanthe knew that she had good reason to keep her distance from those she met, but she also knew that in order to maintain her sanity, she needed her friendships. She should do something to appease her friend now. With a sigh, she said, "Of course what you do at home is your business, my dear. I feel the same way." Then, after Lia proceeded to brush her off even more, including her gentle scolding about guilt tripping her, Melanthe stiffled a giggle. She rolled her eyes and threw up her hands. "Oh, fine. I will leave it be for now," she told her friend simply. Then she narrowed her dark eyes and pursed her lips as she allowed Lia to tug her from the room. Before she gave in completely, she wagged her finger playfully. "But just so you know, I will weedle it out of you eventually, luv. You might be better off telling me now..."

Liadan knew that Melanthe would be persistent in discovering her secret- but she was not entirely certain that she should tell her the truth. What would her dear friends think if they knew she spent her spare time practicing voodoo rituals? Charlotte would be properly scandalized, Liadan was sure of it, but Melanthe's opinion was up in the air. She had no idea. "Lucky for me, then, that I am quite immune to all forms of weedling," Liadan said. "Besides, it's hardly anything interesting. I doubt you'd even be interested once you discovered it anyway."

That being said, Liadan led her friend into the library. Liadan walked past a table that had a few of her books open on it- not thinking to gather them as well to put them away, lest Melanthe nose around in them. "I'll just put this away," she said, walking over to the ladder and sliding it to the furthest corner of the room. She flicked her wand, and the stacks separated- revealing a few old shelves behind them, stuffed full of ancient tomes. This was where she kept all of her material of a questionable nature. Liadan climbed carefully up the ladder and placed the book into an empty space, then climbed back down, and murmered another spell to hide the shelves again.

"This is the library," she said to Melanthe. "There are books in here so old they're barely readable. My family has been collecting them for generations. I'm afraid the additions I've made barely fit into the shelves anymore- but my interests vary greatly from those of my ancestors, it would seem. They're hardly organized, either, which makes it harder to find things. My ultimate goal is to organize everything one day- but it is such an incredibly daunting task I've yet to undertake it."

"Lucky for us both that we are so cunning and secretive," Melanthe lightly commented with no further intention of badgering her friend. She was being playful now, even if her comment hit closer to home than she fully realized. She dutifully followed Lia into the Library an. d lazily walked over to the table that had open books on them.

Her brows shot up curiously at what she found. Instead of it being a book about romance or the history of Lia's family, it was something with a far more surprising content. Melanthe's eyes then carefully watched as Lia tried to tidy the place up.

The dark haired witch narrowed her eyes suspiciously as her friend spoke about organizing her books and deciding she should help her out, she picked up the errant text on the table and carried it closer to the ladder that Lia was stepping down from.

Melanthe feigned flipping through a few pages as she held the book open in her arms and she casually mused, "Hmm...well, I'm thinking that this one might be best filed under Voodoo. Or, perhaps with other texts detailing magical practices that tend to be frowned upon by the general public." Melanthe closed the book and clucked her tongue. She held the book out to her friend and pretended to toss her a look of disapproval. "Varied interests from your ancestors?"

Liadan had just finished explaining her intention to organize when she saw Melanthe flipping through a book, and the comments she made caused Liadan to turn a dark shade of red- whether from anger or embarrassment it was hard to to tell. She walked over to her friend and gently took the book, snapping it shut. "I've family members who happen to practice voodoo," she said to Melanthe. "My cousin Torquil is married to one of them, and she is quite skilled at what she does. I located this book and intended to have her look it over."

Granted- Delilah was not as interested in the sort of voodoo that had captured Liadan's attentions. Darker spells were dangerous, especially if you didn't know what you were doing- which made Liadan's experimentation even more taboo among the majority of the magical community.

"Voodoo isn't something to play with if you don't understand it," she said to Melanthe. "Just because I happen to have a book on the subject doesn't mean I spend my time making voodoo dolls or cursing people." And it was true. Those were two things that Liadan did not do. Mostly she had been working with fertility rituals to attempt to further increase production at her farm- especially considering that her farm had definitely fallen flat in the last few months.

"You'd hardly find this book interesting anyway. Though I do trust you to keep this to yourself. If the wizarding world as a whole knew that I was keeping books like this, then I might find myself into trouble- and since you are such a dear friend, I'm sure you'd really hate to see that, wouldn't you Melly?" Liadan asked, ascending the ladder again to place the book on the shelves. "I really can't afford that kind of a blow to my reputation, dearest. It's bad enough that my farm is falling to pieces."

Melanthe chuckled lightly as Lia gently tugged the book from her hands and closed it. She figured she must've touched a nerve and to see her friend fumble to divert her attention was slightly amusing. "Oh please, Lia. You do not need to explain away your family's shady doings to me. Surely you know that my family does not have the reputation for being squeaky clean. There's hardly anything you can say about what your family does that could surprise me," she told her friend matter-of-factly.

Melanthe did not consider herself to be overly snobbish about much, but when it came to the Dark Arts she couldn't help be just a tad. Melanthe grinned at the thought of Lia making voodoo dolls and being anything but the (sometimes) sweet and innocent thing that she was. Melanthe knew full well that her friend was a formidable witch who shouldn't be trifled with.

The dark witch watched as her friend replaced the book in its rightful place among the rest of the library. "I suppose I can keep this quiet," she teased. "And I certainly wouldn't want anything to happen to you." After a pause, she told Lia, "Speaking of your farm's misfortunes of late, I do hope you will let me know if there is anything that I can do to help. Even if it is to purchase some goods to help show the public that they should continue their business with you as usual."

"It seems to be a common theme among pureblood families, doesn't it?" Liadan asked as she came down from the ladder. "I suppose we are the only people with any grasp on the true way of wizarding life anymore. It's a shame how far so many people have strayed from their roots!"

"Now- about that tour," Lia said, grabbing Melanthe by the hand to drag her from the library. "Where would you like to start first?" she asked. "My bedroom?" Lia led the way the stairs. "It's not quite as dated as the rest of the house. When I was younger my mother and father refused to let me redecorate. They were afraid I would mess it up. But I've finally gotten it to look just how I want."

Liadan reached the stairs and led Melanthe past quite a few doors before reaching the end of a hallway. She opened the door to her own room. The bed was in the middle of the room, with two rounded edges on either side. One annexed roomed held a fainting couch surrounded by large windows. The other side of the room was Liadan's vanity and wardrobe. "The room next door is what I use as a closet. I just have so many clothes and shoes it wasn't practical to keep them in the closet in this room. It's still full of all the clothes I had as a little girl. I plan to keep them for my daughter some day. I want her to be a proper little witch."

"I intend to try to get some of the other rooms aired out and taken care of. It's just so empty without a large family. And to think- when I get married the whole estate will fall into disrepair from being so empty." She sighed dramatically. "It's the curse of being the last of your line."

"Strayed indeed," Melanthe lamented with a sigh. "But then, I suppose it is getting tougher these days to ensure we remain pure with so many not being committed. We have to band together -- those of us who are committed."

"Inasmuch as I tend to dislike the family my aunt has married into because they just don't seem up to my family's magical standards or capabilities--" Melanthe was speaking about the Dark Arts, even if Lia didn't realize. "I do have to commend them for their desire to keep the purity intact." A long pause ensued as Melanthe allowed her friend to drag her to wherever she wished. Then she brightened. "Speaking of which, you might actually find one of my 'cousins' to be quite good looking and charming. And he is in need of a decent, loyal pureblooded woman in his life. Perhaps you'll allow me to set you up on a date, especially if you and Gregory have no hopes of working out."

Melanthe didn't say those words because she wanted to be insensitive to her friend, but it was a well known fact that she and Gregory were quite different in terms of personality and their future goals. As much as Lia and Gregory might make a stunningly beautiful couple, looks could only go so far in ensuring happiness. Melanthe wanted her friend to be happy and a person like Lia needed a partner who could fit her very specific requirements and demands.

Entering Lia's suite of rooms, the dark witch was impressed by its lavishness. She walked over to the fainting couch and, after pretending to swoon -- complete with the act of resting the back of her hand on her feverish brow -- she sank down onto it. "I think I am in love....with your taste."

After a moment, Melanthe dropped her hand and the act as Lia began to talk about a more sobering subject -- family and lineage. She grumbled in reply, "Yes, I know what you mean. My brother, Arturo, would make a terrible heir to the family business. And that is why he's not allowed anywhere near it. Not that he would willingly do it anyway....he's just not....dark enough." Melanthe's eyes remained steady on her friend's face, interested in her reaction to those words.

"I'm certain you'll stay quite pure. I hear you've managed to keep Sergei wrapped around your little finger," she said with a grin. "Quite the catch, isn't he? It's a shame Gregory could not be more like him. If only he were a successful, career driven individual. Instead he was only concerned with trying to weasel his way into my knickers and fighting with any man who looked at me wrong. I detest chivalry when it is unwarranted."

"It would be different if they had deserved it," she added. "But he was just always looking for a fight and he had such a gambling problem! Always playing poker and making bets. He lost so much money on a quidditch match that Sergei had to bail him out. And I'm just not interested in marrying someone who is incapable of taking care of me properly. You and I both know I tend to be rather high maintenance."

And then Melanthe mentioned setting her up with one of her cousins. "Oh, I don't know," she said dismissively. "I think I might be better off to take a break from the world of romance for a while." Naturally Melly had no clue about Christian. "Besides, I would hate for Gregory to take it out on your relationship with Sergei if he discovers that you're setting me up with somebody else."

When Melanthe said her brother wasn't dark enough, Liadan shrugged gently. "It seems to be the trend in newer generations of purebloods. I know that in comparison to my parents I'm a docile little lamb!" Minus the voodoo and head shrinking and other tribal magics... Oh, yes, and that whole kidnapping a baby thing. But nobody needed to know about that. Especially not Melanthe.

"Although I never pegged you as dark yourself, dearest. Perhaps the two of you are not quite so different in the long run?" she asked with an arched brow. "Unless my dear little Melly is keeping secrets from me? She wouldn't do such an awful thing, would she?"

"Yes, I will always stay pure," Melanthe declared matter-of-factly. She admitted to being as snobbishly pure as some of the other family connections. She had her standards for who she dated, who she would associate with and the like. It was hard for her to even consider relaxing those standards for anyone.

Luckily, unlike Lia and Charlotte, Melanthe's romantic attachment was to a pureblooded man. She didn't have to worry about what people thought of him as a potential significant other because he was practically perfect in every way. She only hoped that her friends would discard their interests in anyone not worthy of their affections. They could do so much better.

Melanthe glowed as she spoke of Sergei. "Yes, and he has me wrapped around his. Perhaps he will propose sometime soon. But I am in no rush for that. As long as I know that I am the only woman he is even considering asking, I will be happy. Besides, there are some.....things....that I need to wrap up before I become Mrs. Sergei Morozov." As Lia went on to talk about the other brother, Melanthe sighed in disappointment.  She had known about Gregory's philandering ways and his lack of ambition outside of enjoying himself in France. Sergei had mentioned his regret as far as his brother was concerned.

"I agree. You deserve better than Gregory," Melanthe said, reaching out to pat her friend's arm. Even though she did tend to think that Lia was sometimes overly picky and could be difficult to deal with, she wouldn't expect her to settle for less than what she was worth.

So of course Melanthe was going to nudge her in the direction of anyone who could be considered suitable. She would hate for her to make a mistake she might regret later.

"Oh just go on one date with Oscar," Melanthe pressed. She then waved off Lia's concerns about Gregory. "And don't worry about him. He'll be fine. And he wouldn't dare cross me by interfering in my relationship with his brother. I could easily convince Sergei to cut him off of his precious luxuries.

Melanthe's brows shot up when Lia said she didn't peg her as being dark. With a smirk, she told her friend, "Oh, didn't you know, Lia Dahling? Dark is my middle name." She laughed. "And why would I keep anything from you? I would tell you anything if you asked me...."