January 8th, 1890 — Tearoom, Destiny Hotel, London
In truth, the pendant was nothing overly exciting. The look of excitement on your child's face when you opened it Christmas morning, though, sent a surge of pride and affection through you, and you had made quite the song and dance out of finding a chain just right to hold the bronze disc, no larger than a sickle, and thin, with the image of a sun carved into it.
You wear the necklace today as you attend tea, hoping that someone will remark upon it so that you may regale them with the tale of your child's generosity. After all, most at that age have not yet mastered the Christmas spirit!
Once Guinevere Lukeson posts, another 1-2 ladies are welcome to join in!
The holidays had been a rocky season this year, but Guinevere did hope that things would get better with time. Giving and receiving gifts did help bring cheer to the mix, and Guinevere was ready to show off her new necklace.
Meeting a few fellow women of society for tea, she hoped to tell them all about her Christmas and ask how they have been. It seems like forever since she truly socialized since her 'return to the living'.
She shifted in her chair, blue silk crinkling as it shifted with her. The chairs were uncomfortable, hard wood with only a hint of fabric cushion. The stuffing seemingly had clumped in one spot and was causing the discomfort. She frowned into her tea cup as she sipped, though once she removed the cup from her face, her face was once more neutral with a faint smile.
How was your Christmases?" Winnie questioned the table, not directing it to one woman or another. Her own had been spent visiting with her parents. A fair about of her siblings and their spouses as well had come.
It was a shame that these chairs were not up to standard. Especially given the high standards and quality for the rest of the hotel. She would have to speak to someone about this. With her status, hopefully they would listen.
"Different. I do hope that things settle for next year." The idea of having to get used to Christmas without Ryder was still hard. But hopefully with the new additions to the family it would get easier.
She stiffed for the briefest of seconds as she remembered the woman's lost. Unlike herself, she doubted that her tablemate had murdered her husband and therefore likely actually greived for his loss. "It is hard, but things will eventually find a new normal, I promise. Did your children come home from Hogwarts this year? And your eldest just married that Flint girl didn't he? Any neat presents?"
"They did come home. Oh, it felt so tense the whole time. But that seems to happen with change." She sighed softly at the thought of the fight she had had with Sybille. But that was something she had to think of in her own time. She glanced down at her new necklace and touched it briefly for a moment. "This is one of my gifts. Isn't it lovely?" She didn't even know where it had been bought at, but that was half the fun of presents.
RE: {SWP 9} Unintended Consequences - The Suggestionizer - February 1, 2020
You lean in to examine the pendant, but, feeling yourself fill with a sense of foreboding, lean back abruptly.
WHAT DO YOU DO?
a. Compliment the pendant
b. Try to change the subject
c. Insult the pendant
d. Express your peculiar feeling
All attempt at comforting and distracting the grieving widow was promptly forgotten as the Mrs Lukeson drew attention to the jewelry that laid around her neck. Winnow leaned forwards to get a better look at the pendant, but after a moment, rocketed back in her chair. "Is it... magic?" She'd wanted to say cursed, but she didn't think that would be well received. "It feels... odd."
Confusion began to show on Guinevere's face. "I don't think so. No one has mentioned anything to me." She said with slight concern as she looked down at the pendant.
RE: {SWP 9} Unintended Consequences - The Suggestionizer - February 9, 2020
You feel rather uneasy—not about the pendant, no, but about the question being asked. Why does Mrs. Crawford distrust such a beautiful gift?
WHAT DO YOU DO?
a. Ask her gently if she can clarify what she means
b. Demand to know why she asked that question
It took her a moment to think. There shouldn't be anything wrong with it. "What do you mean by odd?" She inquired, hoping to hear Mrs. Crawford's reasoning before getting too defensive.
She bit her lip as Mrs. Lukeson questioned her statement. She didn't know quite how to describe it, not aloud. She could barely untangle the feeling in her own head, the one that was screaming for her to not get near the pendant. "I... I'm not sure how to describe it. It just feels... wrong. Like something bad is going to happen. It feels, sentient - not like it going to talk, but like... it has control of something outside it."
She let her hands fall down in her lap, at loss of what to say. She needed to say something more, to warn Mrs. Lukeson, but she just wasn't sure how to make the woman understand that something was wrong about the gift her child had gotten her. No mother ever thought her child could do wrong, or at least, that was what she'd seen. She didn't have her own children to know.
Guinevere couldn't imagine her children buying anything harmful. So these accusations did not sit well with Guinevere. "You must be mistaken. It's simply a necklace."
RE: {SWP 9} Unintended Consequences - The Suggestionizer - February 13, 2020
You find it more and more difficult to restrain your irritation—no, your anger—at the aspersions cast upon your lovely holiday gift.
It seemed rather irrational, but the feeling of anger towards Mrs. Crawford's words began to grow more and more. She did not appreciate the tone at all. How highly unlike her. But soon the anger seemed to outweigh the sense of wanting to be polite and considerate of what this woman was saying. Before the fellow lady could reply to Guinevere's first comment, she decided to make another. "I do not appreciate what you are trying to imply. My children would never do anything to harm me, nor anyone for that matter!" By the end her volume had increased, and she even felt an urge to stand due to her anger. Though at least she hadn't gotten that far... yet.
"I wasn't implying that, Mrs Lukeson," she intoned, uneasy increasing with the woman's agression. "I simply meant that the necklace itself had an arura of unease. Not that one of your children gave it to you maliciously. Most probably would not have noticed. I just tend to really enjoy collecting artifacts, that is all. Or maybe something activated it later on. It has been two weeks."
Her fingers gripped tightly into the wood of the chair arm. Confrontation was never her strong suit. For the most part, she preferred to avoid her problems or end them as soon as possible. She really had no clue what was going to happen if Guinevere got angrier or didn't calm down.