CLOSED Wine & Dine


Warren Roosevelt
Male | 28 | mr.

Him, the reason. Warren found himself grimacing at that, longing for a certain dark bottle left in his attic, hoping instead that they had remembered to drop a few in his cup of tea, but knowing that they hadn't for none of these innocent souls knew and madame Preston disapproved.

"None of which I have worked for myself," Warren exclaimed, hoping that the words didn't come across as too bitter. None of it was made by him, and all of it was decided for him, he was merely trying to make right what was wrong.

Whatever Miss Riebau said escaped Warren's mind like everything did with a drop of laudanum, an effect he sorely missed right now as he sat himself down his seat, picking up his cup of tea as he breathed in the lavender that madame Preston had undoubtedly chosen for Warren's own sake.

"As all may know already, I'm the headmaster," Warren started after that he had finally taken his sip of tea, "and while the Roosevelt are known to be of vast wealth I'm afraid I still rely on the good kindness of others to keep this estate running," Warren grimaced, before turning into a more genuine smile into the direction of Clara.

"But I aim to give you, and all of your siblings here, the best education possible and to set you out into the world independently!" Warren exclaimed, a firm promise he had made in the hopes to cultivate some good fortune for himself to compensate against all of his sins.

"So, what does Clara like to do? What does she enjoy and how many letters have you learnt so far?" Warren continued, encouraging the conversation to switch to the next one.
 
  • Sympathy & Compassion
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Clara Morgan|12|Commoner
Clara took Miss Riebau's calling card, wondering what the young woman had to be so nervous about. Then it was her turn when the young woman met her eyes and gave her a smile. Clara lowered her eyes. What. Does. She. Want from me?! she thought.

The young woman's response to Miss Vielfaure's comment might as well have been in another language. Her alternative to 'Fate'...incomprehensible Words of Power. If whatever those words meant could be an alternative to Fate, could they not also offer a key to mastering it?

Clara had no time to ponder whatever secrets they might hold, for Mr. Roosevelt snapped back with surprising vehemence. Since when do the high-born care about the origins of their stolen wealth? Leeches! But...he does care, so...

Then he turned his full attention on Clara. "But I aim to give you, and all of your siblings here, the best education possible and to set you out into the world independently!" Clara tried to hide a look of shock. Mrs. Meriwether had never ceased to emphasize that the mission of her orphanage was to turn girls into loyal and obedient wives. The notion of being educated in order to be 'set out into the world independently' was surely a boy thing, even for the high-born. Wasn't it? Clara had every intention of getting there someday, but she'd always expected she'd have to seize it by hook and by crook, like Miss Vielfaure surely had. And he was offering to just give it to her, on purpose?

She had no time to regather her wits, for he asked her questions about herself. I can't tell 'im about the joys of pinching a fat wallet from some overdressed popinjay, winning a fight, or making a clean getaway from the bobbies or street toughs, bet he wouldn't like that, she thought.

"I know all the letters, sir. I just don't know all the words," she replied, casting the briefest glance toward Miss Riebau. "I like to...I like to learn new skills, sir. They're useful things no one can take away. I promise I'll do me--my best to be a good student for your school. I...didn't get to have schooling when I was little. When I got put into Mrs. Meriwether's, they started teaching me letters so's--so I could read the Bible, but I'm not as far along as others my age. But I promise I'll work extra hard to catch up!" And pass them, if I can.
 

Warren Roosevelt
Male | 28 | mr.

Letters but not the words, Warren couldn't imagine what that exactly meant, unable to recall himself a time in which he couldn't read or understand, unless the hand that had written the word was so sloppily done, but he didn't pursue it further either, his smile widening at Clara's promise as he applauded.

"A great promise indeed, I feel I have gained quite a treasure here, not miss Vielfaure?" Warren turned towards his guest before realising that there were quite more surrounding the table. Whatever exchange went between miss Vielfaure and miss Riebau had missed Warren's attention entirely as he turned to the scientist as well, "and with the help of miss Riebau I'm sure that Clara has no shortage of teachers to learn from!" Warren exclaimed in delight, so happy he was at the thought of the continued existence and valuable service his school was serving.

"Admittedly, I never quite liked to read the bible myself," Warren sympathetically shared with Clara, "luckily my library is yours to use and it contains plenty to read," the male confidently continued, thinking that was the issue with the letters known but not all the words.

"What about my distinguished guests, do you read the bible often?" Warren turned the question. For as absentminded as he was, the man wasn't oblivious to the fact that none of his guests were of the commonly pious religious sort.
 
Warren's response came sharply. Hm. Léona considered if she'd perhaps dashed her chances at charming him, by being so open with her speech, but she supposed it wouldn't be too much of a loss if she had. Her late husband had been somewhat of a diamond in the rough, in her opinion, for having the tastes that he'd had at least, finding it appealing when women were different. Though she was willing to tastefully edit some of her personality in order to get what she desired, admittedly she was not ready to commit to shutting her mouth and smiling daintily for the rest of her life. She had done quiet enough of that when first trying to find her way after being bought. She watched him with measured eyes but said nothing else, allowing Warren, Emilie and Clara to continue the conversation themselves, sipping her tea quietly.

Little Clara seemed intent on showing her worth. She did not know much literacy wise, it seemed (which wasn't too surprising, considering her background), but she was very vocal about wanting to do what she could to catch up if need be. At least she had gumption.

"A treasure indeed. Your will to improve and grow will serve you well." Léona offered her fairly generic response. Even if she did mean it in part, she did grow tired of nodding along and sipping on tea when she'd had other plans for the afternoon.

The question pertaining to the bible made her quirk an eyebrow. Religion was a topic that could both unite and divide, a topic that, mentioned in the wrong place, could acquire you some new enemies quite swiftly. It was a trait that unified England and France, though no one really wanted to acknowledge it. "I have read it, though it is not part of my daily readings." she responded simply.

In truth, she was quite certain that the last time she'd read a bible was when her husband was still alive, but the specifics were not necessary to divulge, in this case.
 

Emilie Riebau | 20 | Commoner

Emilie did not miss Clara's glance toward her when she said she 'didn't know all the words.' It hit her that she'd probably committed a fax pas with her choice of vocabulary, though it seemed the other adults might not have noticed, or not cared if they did. Mr. Roosevelt appeared to be focused mostly on Clara and Miss Vielfaure. The latter had not addressed a single word to her as yet. As a patroness of the school, it made sense that her attention would be directed toward Mr. Roosevelt and the girl.

Emilie was just beginning to feel a hint of relief when Mr. Roosevelt dropped a grenade. Miss Vielfaure's reply was a masterpiece of polite neutrality. Which left Emilie with a conundrum: do likewise, or... With a look toward Clara, she made her decision.

"I was made to read it back when I was your age, but I consider it more beneficial to study the book of Nature. Nature is open to all, and cannot be forged or distorted by men with money or power to gain. The study of Nature also yields wondrous fruit, not only in terms of understanding and awe, but great practical benefit for humankind as well. I submit that all of the priests and theologians in all of Christendom have not done so much for humanity as the inventor of the water-wheel.

"As for the question of whether the Bible tells us the truth about spiritual matters, I think that Mr. Thomas Paine has thoroughly addressed that issue in his book The Age of Reason. Do you have that one in your library, Mr. Roosevelt?"
 

Warren Roosevelt
Male | 28 | mr.

The conversation grew tense at the mention of religion and Warren knew there that perhaps he should not so readily admit his lack of religion, feeling himself somewhat flush at Miss Riebau's question.

"Ah, I'm afraid I don't, isn't that one of the colonisers that now calls himself an American?" Warren exclaimed saying the word 'American' as if it was a dirty word, a taboo and an outright offence to the crown. Which, in a way, it had been now that they had claimed independence.

Another heated conversation point that Warren felt the need to steer away from as he promptly got up from his seat, straightening his collar before offering a hand to Miss Vielfaure. "Perhaps a tour through the school shall do?" Warren exclaimed, happy to invite the three of them through the old Roosevelt family residence and away from all the discomforts of the rest, "Clara will be able to see her room and our dear contributors will be able to see what institution they support!"
 
They were more certainly veering towards more dicey territory with these conversation topics, ones that Léona was fairly certain would only be interesting to Riebau and Roosevelt. After all, what child would care for talk of the Bible or Nature or Humanity or Colonisers with capital letters, big pictures and philosophies that made people clutch their pearls and exile one another? Léona cared not for many of the things that she could not control, only knowing enough to be able to know how they affected her or what she needed to do to assure that they did not have such effects on her way of life.

Religion bored Léona more than anything else in the world. What sort of God would have told White men to abduct people like her, to treat them like cattle? A terribly funny one, emphasis on the terrible, but not one that she thought was particularly clever or worth worshipping.

She stood up after Warren did, after having dabbed at her lips the faintest bit with a handkerchief. Her gloved hand took his with ease, with grace and a smidge of gratitude. Americans be damned. She could learn to agree with his every opinion if need be, but right now, she was all about solidifying first impressions towards everyone present. "A splendid idea. There is much to see and even more to appreciate."
 

Clara Morgan|12|Commoner
Mr. Roosevelt's next comment rankled, but Clara kept her reaction hidden. I am not your 'treasure!' she thought. Still, as a matter of practical reality, the life laid out before her previously would have had her pass from the control of Mrs. Meriwether to the operator of a workhouse or factory, or perhaps some husband, after which she would become slave to her body's capacity to produce children. Mr. Roosevelt and his school offered her a way out of that to...something else.

So she's a teacher? Clara thought with another glance toward Miss Riebau. Maybe I can ask her what those words--he'll let me read the books in his library?! She'd glimpsed a rich man's library once, while engaged in a bit of burglary. Shelves and shelves of books, so tall that a ladder was necessary to reach the higher levels. And this house was far more splendid, offering the prospect of an even greater library!

Then Mr. Roosevelt asked his 'distinguished guests' what they thought of the Bible, a stunt that made Clara think of setting a very angry cat loose in the middle of a poker table. Miss Vielfaure played her cards close, but Miss Riebau gave Clara a meaningful look and laid her hand out for all to see. Her words were absolutely stunning, as was the fact that they were addressed to Clara herself, rather than the other adults.

The Book of Nature...study Nature...so maybe she's talking about Nature itself and not a book? Inventor...of the water-wheel...'Age of Reason,' Thomas Pain, she thought, trying to commit the ideas to memory so she could unpack them later. I'm glad my last name isn't Pain. Does she have a copy of that book? Would she let me borrow it?

Clara barely noticed Mr. Roosevelt's adverse reaction, though she did make the effort to remember never to mention the 'Americans' in his presence. She knew next to nothing about them. That they'd rebelled against the world's mightiest Empire and won scored them some points in her book, but for all she knew they'd set up something even worse.

When he proposed that they go on a tour, Clara carefully set her teacup on its saucer and rose to follow the others in silence. Wait...did he just say I'll get to have my own room? All to myself?
 

Emilie Riebau | 20 | Commoner

Emilie winced at Mr. Roosevelt's reply. She hadn't even thought about Paine's rather more well-known work, Common Sense, wherein he argued in favor of American independence from the British Empire, and for a government of elected representatives as opposed to the Monarchy and aristocracy. She would have been better off to pick just about any other critique of Scripture or clergy!

Though Emilie secretly agreed with Mr. Paine's reasoning, she doubted the new American Republic would live up to his idealistic aims. A society could be founded on the principle that all men are created equal, or the notion that some men are entitled by birth to own others as livestock, but not both. And since the Americans had chosen the latter, what basis did they have for rejecting the rule of kings and nobles?

Before Emilie could even try to think of some way to extricate herself, Mr. Roosevelt enthusiastically proposed they take a tour of the school. "Yes, that would be lovely! I very much look forward to seeing your facility," she said, feeling relief wash over her. Thankfully, he wasn't throwing her out of his house for bringing up the American.
Emilie was doubly relieved that it was Miss Vielfaure's hand he decided to reach for. Perhaps they were courting, or soon would be? Thus delivered from a whole world of awkwardness, Emilie matched pace with the young girl. Now if only she could think of the right thing to say to her...
 

Warren Roosevelt
Male | 28 | mr.

Alas, Warren only had two hands and with one offered to miss Vielfaure there was none to offer to the other two without seeming out of line. A thought that came belatedly as he watched little Clara stare at him with shimmering hope at the mention of her room.

"To the sleeping quarters first, I'm sure Clara wishes to see her bed!" the man announced, jollily following on as he proceeded to lead the little group up the stairs to the second floor.

"Left the boys, right the girls. The older students share a room on the upper floors, but for now Clara shall be sharing her room with three other peers," Warren announced as he guided them through the hallway, only belatedly realising once more that he actually didn't know which of the many rooms held Clara's bed and which bed was hers to begin with.

Covering up that gap of knowledge Warren just opened the first door he found at the right, knowing at least that the students were all running to and fro downstairs.

"Cosy, not?" he asks the group when revealing a square room that once had held the servants back in the day. Much had been kept the same, just that they had added bunkers to increase the sleeping spots in the room, enabling the chamber to give room to at least six girls, assuming that none had to share a bed judging by its size.

"The rest should look much the same, but don't hesitate to ask Agatha for details, she will gladly answer them," the man then volunteered the mistress of the students, effectively cleaning his own hands off the particulars that he really had no real know-how of.
 

Clara Morgan|12|Commoner
He's going to show me my room first? Clara thought. Would the women be offended that he did not prioritize whatever parts of the school they would be interested in? Miss Vielfaure took his offered hand, so either she was not offended, or she wished to see the accommodations her donations were paying for.

Clara glanced toward Miss Riebau, who had fallen into step beside her. The young woman did not seem to be affronted. Instead, she looked nervous, which didn't make sense.

"So...what sort of things are you interested in?" Miss Riebau asked. "What would you most like to learn about?" Why would she care? Clara wondered. Wouldn't she rather just tell me what I oughta learn? What do I say? Not having any earthly idea what sort of answers the mysterious woman might want to hear--or not want to hear--Clara scrambled for an answer before finally hitting on something:

"May I ask you...what those words meant? 'Stow-castic' 'outworking' of 'probability?' And what they have to do with Fate?"

"Oh yes, of course!" Emilie replied. "'Probability' is similar to chance, like when you flip a coin, but it's quantified. 'Quantified' means that you have an idea what values it might take, so you can work with it mathematically. So, if you roll a die, the probability of getting a 'six' is one in six, or about seventeen percent. 'Stochastic' is an adjective for any process that involves random variables. A 'variable' is an unknown quantity. So, with the die, the number that will come up is a variable because you don't know it in advance, but you do know that it will be a whole number between one and six."

"What if the die is loaded?" Clara asked, still unsure what any of this had to do with Fate. Emilie smiled.

"Then the probability is skewed in favor of whichever number it's loaded for. Now, I don't know much about gambling, but as I understand it, you would not want the die to always land on a six or whatever, because then it would be obvious that you're cheating. But the die has a higher probability of landing on a six. It's more likely to end up there. So you can use that knowledge, if you're betting on the roll of that die. If you rolled that die many times, writing down the numbers it ends up on, you could use that information to calculate the probability that it will land on a six, or any other number."

"...Calculate?"

"Yes, like doing sums. Have you been taught how to do sums, or multiply and divide?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Good. Now, there are other kinds of maths you can use for calculating probabilities, which you can learn once you have mastered the basics." Other kinds of math? Clara thought, trying to wrap her mind around the concept.

"So...you...use these other maths to cheat Fate?" Clara said, lowering her voice. It just sounded like the sort of thing that ought to be secret.

"I suppose you could put it that way, but it's not really cheating, it's working with Nature on her own terms. I don't believe there is a 'Fate' to cheat. But yes, maths are incredibly useful, especially if you are interested in the sciences, invention, or industry."

"You...know these other maths?" Clara asked. Emilie nodded. Before she could try to ask any further questions, the group reached the second floor, and Mr. Roosevelt started explaining about her room.

The notion that she might have her very own room all to herself almost certainly had to belong to the realm of the too-good-to-be-true. So, the fact that she would be sharing her room brought her back down to Earth. Still, she would be sharing with only three others rather than thirty-six. Plus, the beds looked more comfortable, as did the room itself.

"Cosy, not?" he said.

"Yes sir, it looks very nice, sir, thank you," Clara said.
 
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