Closed An Exiled Visitor

[Sylvie Duval]

It wasn't the snide looks and whispers among her peers that brought Sylvie Duval halfway across the world and to New Zealand of all places, although she had to admit the pressure and judgement over her situation hadn't lessened her motivation to leave. After all word traveled fast whenever a scandal was uncovered, and Sylvie knew all to well the affinity for gossip older women in her class habored to bring a sense of excitement to their mundane lives. But of course, that wasn't entirely why she found herself with little more than a charmed suitcase in tow and on her sister's doorstep that day. The gossip, she could handle, the anger festering within her like wildfire whenever she heard silences fall as she walked past cliques at parties, she could handle. Her true incentive to leave her life in France behind and arrive to her sisters home unannounced was instead the strongly worded letter from her parents only weeks after her divorce. It was inevitable word would reach her family sooner or later, Sylvie just hadn't expected it to do so, so promptly. The neatly written letter denoted her responsibilities as a Duval, outlined their ever present disappointment in her life choices and past decisions, and lacked sympathy for her desire for a fuller life. It was finalized with a sentence that was the metaphorical nail in her financial coffin. 'You are thereby, cut off'. That was the long and short of it, worded in her mother's all too typical formality after too many ultimatums for Sylvie to count.

Sacré bleu! Sylvie Duval seeks divorce, was all to juicy of a story she was happy to leave her parents to deal with with in France. The shame, she thought, the scandal. Unheard of for a woman of her age to marry young and realise midway through her twenties that her life was meant for more than marble floors and stone walls amounting to a prison where she would raise a family, that she was not living in the nineteenth century, and was instead entirely deserving of a life that meant more than what all of the women in her life had settled for. All of the other women except of course, for her sister Carine, who Sylvie without any other place to go was presently seeking solace in. Without hesitance or fear of being turned away, because Carine would never turn her away, would she? Sylvie placed her suitcase on the doorstep next to her, and knocked three times on the front door to Carine and Yves' home. She was wholly unsure of whether Carine would approve of the divorce, and therefore waited patiently for the door to be answered, bracing herself for whatever welcome she would be given.​

 

[Carine Vale]

Carine wasn't disappointed, nor angry to receive a letter from her parents to update her on Sylvie's situation, announcing in words far from kind that Sylvie had been cut off. That Sylvie had disappointed them and the family far too many times to count, and therefore needed to find penance for her shame before she dared to ask forgiveness. Carine was entirely concerned for her sister's well being over anything else, brows furrowing with worry as she read the neatly inked handwriting of her mother on silken parchment. Carine worried over where Sylvie would go, of who she would turn to or the means she would use to justify the end of maintaining the lifestyle she had grown up with, the lifestyle she was used to. Merlin knew that Sylvie couldn't live without money and more so spending it, and as quickly as Carine received her mother's letter she considered sending one to Sylvie herself, offering an olive branch, a shoulder to cry on, and most importantly a place to stay if Sylvie ever needed it.

Unexpectedly, and almost ironically, after Carine had told Yves of the development in her family, she had barely written so much as a vowel on her own stationery before being interrupted by a knock at the front door. Placing her quill down, Carine stood from her desk, neatening her hair and clothing as she approached the entry way. Anticipation swirled in her stomach as she opened the door, an overwhelming feeling of uncertainty mixed with worry and guided by the familiar protective instinct she felt over her children, and by extension, each of her sisters. Carine exhaled heavily when her gaze landed on Sylvie, and feeling her eyes well with sorrow she stepped forward to pull her youngest sister into a tight embrace. "Sylvie, everything will be okay." She uttered in French, repeating herself a few times in an effort to comfort Sylvie and reassure her everything would be alright. That even if their parents in all their judgement had abandoned her, Carine never would.

A few moments later Carine pulled away, gently reaching to wipe a tear from her face as she looked to the suitcase on the doorstep. "Of course, you can stay with us." Carine answered before Sylvie could ask, and before she could ask Yves if such an arrangement would be suitable. In a pinch, Carine wanted her home to be open to all members of their family in need and any further complex decisions over the living arrangements left to deal with in the future. Sylvie needed support now and Carine would be evil if she were to turn her baby sister away. ​

 

[Yves Vale]

Yves Vale loved his wife. He loved his family of course, all of them, but there was nothing he would not do for his sweet Carine. He was dealing with someone in the house when he heard the knocking at the front door. "My love?" he called out to the house as he began moving towards it, almost wanting to dissaude her from answering it. He knew she as writing a letter of some kind, but she had moved quicker than Yves had. There at the door she was with her sister, Sylvie. There were suitcases around the younger girl, and Yves could figure out what it was all for. "My darling," he greeted his wife with a loving tone, and then looked to Sylvie in her arms. "Will Sylvie be staying with us?" he was already moving to get her suitcases.

 

[Sylvie Duval]

Sylvie tried her darnedest not to smile while wrapped in Carine's arms, instead maintaining her look of uncertainty and insecurity as she hugged her sister back. Predicting her sister's empathy and protective instinct over her and the result of their parents' decision had been accurate and she knew Carine would never turn her away, certainly not in the midst of being cut off after a divorce scandal and surely not even something as unforgivable as being a murderer even if Sylvie had yet to become one. She was sure if her now ex-husband ever wanted her back or sought her out to ask as such she would be tempted to change this fate, however she was content with her reality for the moment, content to stay with her sister and maintain the financially reckless and thrill seeking life she was accustomed to. This way she could emulate aspects of the life she had but without the boring company of the french aristocracy and the mind numbing and wrath inducing presence of her ex-husband. It was the perfect outcome of finally being herself after biding her time for so long, and allowing herself to bloom and blossom and allowing the perfect rose petals that had been her reputation to wilt as she became the person she was supposed to be.

Pulling away from the hug, Sylvie mimicked wiping a non existent tear from her face as she looked to Yves, and then to Carine, blinking twice as if she was helpless and innocent. In many ways this was a lie, however with no where else to go she had to admit there was a string of truth in her deception as there was no other place she could exist, no other option than moving to New Zealand so far away from home and more or less in the middle of nowhere. "I have no where else to go." Sylvie uttered in french, knowing Carine had already said she could stay but trying her best to keep up her act of helplessness as she looked between both Carine and Yves. "Are you sure?" She then asked directly to Carine, watching as Yves began to reach for her suitcase and again, holding back her smile as the interaction had played out exactly in her favor.​

 

[Carine Vale]

Feeling her heart swell, Carine nodded at Sylvie's words to whether she was sure if she could stay. As if her little sister needed to ask such a question. With every ounce of her spirit and being Carine was sure her sister could live with them, could stay as long as she needed to rebuild her life after such a big change to what she was used to. Even if Carine wished she could be immortal, a dark ghost and inhuman at most times she was ultimately human and maintained the same feelings of dedication and empathy, and it would be entirely inhuman of her to do anything but take her sister in after their parent's rash decision. Turning to Yves, Carine smiled gently as she placed her hand on his shoulder. "Please my love, if you could take Carine's suitcase upstairs to the room next to Astraea's." She uttered with a warmth reserved only for her family, gently rubbing her thumb on Yves shoulder before turning her attention back to Sylvie. "The guest room next to my daughters has a view of the rose garden, and lots of sunlight." Carine explained. There was more than one guest room in the house for extended family but the one Carine had chosen for Sylvie was particularly beautiful, the sunlight bright if she wanted it to be but also entirely diminished by the black out curtains if Sylvie preferred to avoid the sun like a few others in the household. It would be a space Sylvie could transform into her own and one she hoped her little sister would feel comfortable in.​

 

[Yves Vale]

Yves Vale loved his wife. He loved how kind and welcoming she was to her sister. He would of course follow her lead and happily open their home to Sylvie for as long as she wanted to stay. "Yes, my dear," he replied, taking her suitcase as he had intended to do. "Astraea is also going to be back at school soon enough, so you won't have to worry about being disturbed," he added, wanting to make sure Sylvie knew that despite the fact they had kids that found run fantastically riot, they wouldn't entire disturb her. He would also tell them to keep a bit of space, annoy him instead for a while. He looked forward to the opportunity to see how his son's fire work was getting on. He stood out of the way from the ladies, with the bag in hand, waiting for them to both be inside before he took the bag up to Sylvie's new room.

 

[Sylvie Duval]

It was only after the confirmation she could in fact stay with her sister, and after Yves picked up her suitcase as instructed that Sylvie finally allowed her smile to show. Her smile was a representation of how pleased she was with the way the interaction panned out rather than from gratefulness though it was a smile nonetheless and one Sylvie assumed her sister wouldn't be able to see through. "Thank you." She promptly said to both Carine and Yves, attempting still to try and seem grateful for the fact she had somewhere to stay. She followed along behind Carine and Yves as they lead her to what would be her bedroom. The room had slanted ceilings like an attic and only three small windows; although it had natural light as it faced the daytime sun it was a far cry from the high ceilings and floor to ceiling windows of the homes Sylvie knew. She looked around, crossing her arms over her torso as she inspected the space, attempting to hide her disdain for how peasant and almost medieval seeming it was as Carine explained details of the home and their family.

Sylvie had never visited Carine in New Zealand before but her words in their previous letters did more justice to the house than she thought was warranted for what was a decrepit mansion. The house was Carine through and through and this was a fact Sylvie could not deny, but of course Carine's tastes had never been to the same high standards as her own and from seeing the house in person, she realised the house was truly no exception. "It certainly is rustic." She commented to her sister, switching their conversation to English. She bit back the temptation to seem sarcastic as she knew in spite of her opinion on her new home, she needed to show appreciation for her sister taking her in at such short notice. She truly did have no where else to go and this was the dump she had found herself in, a circumstance and matter of fact she would need to face as she took some time to build up a new life for herself.

"I think I can make the space my own. Can I pick some roses from the garden?" Sylvie asked softly, promptly ignoring Yves' and Carine's words about her niece and moving to sit on the double bed in the middle of the room. She forced back the instinct to cringe as the bed springs creaked. Why Carine hadn't insisted on down feathers for the mattress, or hadn't replaced the moth eaten curtains, she would never know.​

 

[Carine Vale]

Sylvie's smile tugged at Carine's heart strings, causing Carine to smile in turn as she knew this meant her sister would be okay, that even if their parents had cut her off maliciously, she would always have a place in Carine and Yves' home. Wiping a tear from her face, Carine soon turned to walk with Sylvie and follow along with Yves as he carried Sylvie's suitcase, deciding that this would be better than continuing to dwell on their doorstep and in Sylvie's unfortunate circumstances. "This guest room is one we suspect could be haunted. The previous owner said this was one of the reasons he could not find buyers, but I found it wonderful, spirits only add character of course. You know I love listening to whispers of the dead." Carine explained as they ascended the stairs, thinking a true introduction of the home and the room Sylvie would be occupying was appropriate to help her sister get her mind off of what had happened to her.

"Yes, Astraea will be back at school soon and she is at school most of the year. Most of the time you will have this part of the house to yourself." Carine added to Yves' comment as they stepped into the room. She hoped their daughter's presence, whether she was at school or not would not disturb Sylvie's peace. Astraea was in every way wonderful to Carine and she was sure their definitions of peace would differ but she was confident her daughter was mature enough to give Sylvie space if it was warranted. Carine smiled to herself at the light of the room and white linen curtains flowing in the breeze. She was pleased it was a nice day that day, even if rainy and overcast days were ones she admittedly appreciated more. "Ah the memories in this room, this used to be my art studio, you know." Carine began to elaborate, caught in a whimsy of nostalgia as he raised a hand to her chest and began to look out the window to the garden. "Remember when I used to paint portraits of you, my love?" She asked Yves softly. "It was such a different time in our lives, before our children."

Carine continued to lose herself in her whimsy for a moment, only brought back to reality by Sylvie's question. "Oh! Of course you can. Just beware of the more lively, overgrown plants in the garden, dear." The plants loved to grow around the roses and even attempt to suffocate them as some plants tend to, but weren't too much of a hazard if they were properly accounted for, and one didn't try to step around them too recklessly. "I am sure you will love it here, my baby sister." Carine finalized, signing with contentment as she glanced to Sylvie currently sitting on the bed.​

 

[Yves Vale]

Yves Vale loved his wife. He only vaguely listened as he followed the pair up the stairs to the room that Sylvie would stay in. He liked the room, it was a nice one, a good view and had been a place where he had watched his wife be so beautifully creative. He nodded in agreement to the room being supposedly haunted, and then they were at the room. Yves placed the suitcases down, putting them on a quickly conjured luggage rack, where she wouldn't have to lift them again, could just unzip and open them. He then moved to be at Carine's side as she spoke. Thinking back to what she was talking about and what the paintings in this room had been. "I remember, my love," he replied. "Truly wondrous pieces of art were created in this room, by your delicate, beautiful hand," he complimented. He nodded in agreement, encouraging her to seek out the gardens should she wish to. "Do call on us, if you need anything else," he said with a smile.