#earthrunes

"Miss Zara? the room is ready?" Ivanka says primly

"...aye?"

"Minus the furniture" She says "But if you'll see for yourself if this is not a bad time?"

She gums at her lip. "Did they.. ah... improve it much?"

"twas quite a dithering. I fear I was forced to put my foot down at points. Please see, for yourself"

Zara nods, and follows.

The stair well has a lead off she did not expect. this is no new construction, but rather a precarious looking set of steps added in, a bit crooked and twisting just to get to the room. Further, it has a rusty lever installed on the outside allowing one, who is already in, to move the ricket path so none may get in. This is still the outside

"In case you do not wish to be disturbed while here.. but obviously that has naught to do with interior design. it was repurosed from a victorian building scheduled for destruction"

"...aye..."

And they enter the room proper...

and there is .. naught changed. Naught a thing save the 13 have touched up the webs here and there

"I fear the thirteen had quite a row about the style of webbing. I leave it to you to guess who wanted to try avant guarde designs, and who insisted on Edwardian meets Garden? And which sisters fought for traditional gothic shroud. "

It is the same room. no new wall panels, no paint jobs, no adaptations of those crooked little nooks attached to the crooked room

"in truth, I am embarrassed to say I did not know spiders had their own archectural stances to such a degree. I knew webs varied by species, but when one brings in such intelligent samples of Aracnia, it apparently varies a great deal by personality"

She blushes at her ignorance at what true sluagh probably knew all too well

Zara clasps her hands. "Oh, Ivanka, tis perfect."

"Aye, lady, it was, and now is to be left so... but I should have realized it from the start. Please for give my denseness in this matter. I hoped so hard to impress you that I fear I lost track that there was a reason you loved it in the first place. Obviously furniture shall be put in, but where you direct, what you direct, and no more nor less. " A look "I rather invited he sisters into a kind of.. drapery contest. I did not realize siblings could be so fiercely competitive" a touch of amusement there "I told them that it was not for me to judge which is best, but you. I perhaps should apologize for that as well for I doubt they will leave off asking forever"

"Miss Ivanka, you have been nothing but impeccable in your performance of your duties, and I consider you a friend besides."

A smile, oh small teeth behind those lips, but a sluagh smile for the most part. "then perhaps you will be pleased to know that since the Baroness assigned me maid to sluagh matters, I shall be moving closer to these halls so I may be more easily on call to you and Squire Velvet"

"Aye? And Miss Velvet, she shall gain my old room?"

"I might need to leave some surprises..."

"Aye, and she is quite pleased at it. She is reserved as best she maybe, but where she any kith but sluagh I suspect a school girl giggle might otherwise flee from her lips" A pause "Naturally, she has avoided the tragedy of such a slip by dint of propriety, but her eyes do shine with pride at the honor bestowed."

Zara smiles, plotting.

Oh yes ... August has been a fine knight, but as a future crone, it behooves Zara to keep younger Velvet proper instruction more sluagh tests

Also- it could be fun