The explosion of color that the season of autumn usually brought had not faded, even though it was well in the midst of winter; the trees were coated with snow, yet it seemed to shimmer with an iridescent quality, and continued as far as the eye could see. Cecilia and Irene’s cheeks had been pinched into pink rosettes by the cold wind currently blustering through the park. Thankfully, Cecilia had had the sense to hire a carriage through the park on their way to the museum. Irene settled further into the seat, adjusting the blanket across their laps as she flipped to a new page in her sketchbook. She moved the piece of charcoal in her hand quickly, happy with how confident her strokes seemed to be getting (and to do so during a carriage ride, well that was nothing short of a miracle!). They were moving at a leisurely pace, but quick enough for Irene to only have a few seconds’ time to register what she wanted to sketch. Going as fast as she could, Irene flipped to another page, glancing up only momentarily to catch the face of one of the passersby. His features seemed to shift briefly before settling into an appearance that made Irene drop her charcoal.

“Cousin Cece stop the carriage! — Elias!” Irene’s cry of glee echoed throughout the park as she twisted in her seat, upsetting her sketchbook, her pencils and charcoal. A second glance only reaffirmed for her that the person she’d seen out of the corner of her eye, walking past them in the park, was indeed who she thought it was. But she’d recognize that gait anywhere, and plus Elias had a bit of a far-off look in his eye, didn’t he? It was natural he might not have seen her.

“Elias, Elias it’s me! It’s Irene!” And before the coachman could draw the carriage to a halt, Irene seized hold of the side of the carriage opening, using either side to give her the momentum to leap out. She clearly paid no mind to the mild startle she’d given the horses (and coach, for that matter).

“Irene — what in God’s name!” Her cousin’s laugh followed her as she hit the ground running, picking up her skirts ever so slightly to gain better ground.

She was certain that was him! The figure in the distance shifted, as if the air around him had gotten disrupted. Had she been moving at a slower gait, perhaps she would have stopped at the visual oddity. But she was running too fast, and the figure turned around and it was Elias. Letting out a whoop of laughter, Irene dodged the other patrons in the park, quickly realizing the closer she got to him, the less time she had to slow down; so she settled on throwing her arms around Elias to result in a more than chaotic hug.

---