regency au } { of new arrivals and new friends

[theloophole]

Hope: [Hope and Freya arrive a day behind the Hales returning from Mystic Falls as there had been packing to do and arrangements to make in the meantime. They both arrive with only a pair of trunks to last them through the spring, as well as their spellwork and other heirlooms. While the arrangements have been made for them to stay at the manor, it's unclear for the moment how long it will be. So they packed light for now, in hopes that Laura will allow Hope to stay and learn. As such, once their carriage comes to a stop, an auburn-haired girl steps out in her traveling dress, taking in the expanse and size of the property with wide eyes]

Derek: [and he will be down there, wrapped in his warm cloak and with a smile on his face as he meets the carriage] Welcome to Hale Manor, m'ladies.

Freya: Thank you for having us. [she exits behind her niece] We're looking forward to our visit here.

Hope: [takes in the architecture. While the Mikaelson Manor is opulent, the size is nowhere near the grounds the Hales possess, and Hope hasn't spent much time there to begin with. She's accustomed to the bayou, wolves living on top of each other but in much less splendor] You have a lovely home.

Derek: Thank you, and I hope you'll enjoy your time here. [he motions for them to follow him inside to warmer spaces while the servants gather their things] There's been ten generations of Hales who have lived here before I was born.

Freya: It's so fortunate that you've been able to keep your history this way. My siblings home in France is lovely, but it's far from the land of our birth.

Hope: [follows dutifully behind them, still taking everything in as she walks, and pushing off her hood as they pass under the threshold]

Derek: [and they will be in the great hall where a large fire pit in the center of the room is lit, heating the main area as well as sending heat throughout the manor hallways] It is nice to have the history, but it makes it harder on the ones who leave to start their own families.

Freya: I'm sure it does. There's safety, in a place like this.

Derek: [and he is about to respond when there is a group of screaming children running through the hallway heading to the front door to go play in the snow.] Yes, though it is loud most of the time.

Ben: [is a part of the group, but he sees Hope and stops a moment to smile before chasing after his cousins]

Hope: [and she sees him and also smiles, smothering a laugh as the children escape] That's alright. The bayou wasn't exactly quiet unless we needed to be.

Derek: You're welcome to join them, Hope, if your aunt is okay with it.

Hope: [glances to Freya and she nods. Hope smiles and nods, before following the children out the door, wanting to observe and see what the game is before jumping in]

Derek: [and he will smile as the girl leaves, then walks Freya towards a sitting room and getting them tea and a light snack]

Ben: [and it's a few different games. Some are in the snow making angels, some are trying to catch snowflakes on their tongues, etc. There are a lot of girls. Ben's working to build a snowman, but he's only got one ball so far and it's not really ball shape either]

Hope: [watches before making her way closer to the boy who had smiled at her earlier] Do you need a hand?

Ben: Sure. Are you good at rolling snow?

Hope: Can't say I've done a lot of it, but I'm willing to try?

Ben: Here, I'll show you! [and he will, starting with a tiny ball and rolling it along]

Hope: [and she will watch, before adjusting her gloves and moving to start rolling one of her own. she's tempted to use magic to help things along but she has a feeling that that dilutes the fun of it so she'll do it the long way] Like this?

Ben: [looks over and smiles brightly] Exactly!

Hope: [she smiles in return and nods, before finishing rolling up the ball until it's a decent size] Now what?

Ben: [and he finishes his, which is a little bigger.] Okay, we put the bigger one on the mound first, then the other one on top. Then we have a snowman!

Hope: [nods before reaching down to lift hers easily, moving it over his] Is it lined up properly?

Ben: [steps back] Yeah. As long as it doesn't fall off, it'll be fine.

Hope: [and she gently rests her ball on top of his, before stepping back to see if it stays]

Ben: [it does!] So now we have to get it clothes, arms and a face.

Hope: [head tips] Do snowmen need clothes?

Ben: Just a scarf and mittens. Maybe a hat. Keeps them from catching a cold. [grins]

Hope: [she laughs] I see. [she pushes her hood back and reaches for her own red scarf around her neck, pulling it off and looping it around the neck of the snowman] Like that?

Ben: Yup! [and Ben will look for sticks to use as arms]

Hope: [and she will just stay there and adjust it while she waits for him to come back]

Ben: [and he will find two sticks and a handful of rocks] Ok! You want to make the face?

Hope: Sure. [she holds out her hands for the rocks and will go about making the face but eventually it doesn't live up to her artistic standards and she grabs a stick of her own and will start carving a face out of the snow]

Ben: [meanwhile he will work the sticks into the body and take off his own mittens and put them on the snowman, then watch her work]

Hope: [eyes, nose, mouth, even some hair, and eventually she'll step back to take a look at her snow sculpture, and then the other snow men and then sheepishly glances back at him] That's a little too much, isn't it?

Ben: [he shakes his head] No. It's beautiful. How'd you do that?

Hope: [she shrugs] I like to paint. Not sculpt so much but I guess snow is easier to work with than clay.

Ben: If you can do this with snow, I want to see what you can do with paint.

Hope: [and that makes her blush because ... well she's not used to those kinds of compliments. most of the Mikaelsons are familiar with her work at this point] I'm sure I'll probably do a lot of painting while I'm here. The lands are lovely.

Ben: Cool. [and he will hold out his bare hand] I'm Ben.

Hope: [will shake his in return] Hope. A pleasure to meet you.

Ben: Same here. Are you staying with us for the winter?

Hope: [she nods] Possibly for longer. My aunts and uncle would like me to learn from Lady Hale.

Ben: Which one? There's a few of them. [grins]

Hope: [she laughs, because point] Lady Laura. I'm going to be an alpha one day, after my mother dies.

Ben: Oh wow. That's important.

Hope: [she nods] I'm also inheriting an estate like this one so ... learning to manage that as well.

Ben: Does it have a lot of people in it like here?

Hope: [she shakes her head] It was my father's property and he was not ... good at making friends? His siblings live there now, but I'd probably wind up moving at least some of my pack to the ground. Some of the older families will probably want to stay in the bayou, but some might not.

Ben: That's a lot.

Hope: It is. But I'm a quick study.

Ben: [nods, looking where his sister and cousins are, and realize they have given up on the snow and are hanging out outside the stables now] Do you want to see the horses? Or we can go inside and get some cocoa?

Hope: Cocoa would be nice. Thank you.

Ben: Come on, I'll show you. [and he will take her hand and pull her towards the kitchen]

Hope: [and she will go with him easily, looking around and learning her way as she goes] So which family do you belong to?

Ben: Oh, yeah. I'm a Stilinski. [and they will find a warm kitchen bustling with activity]

Hope: [she nods, and then ... in the interest of full disclosure] I'm a Mikaelson

Ben: [he looks at her a moment, tilting his head] You look young for a vampire.

Hope: I'm not. [at least not yet] But I am a werewolf and a witch.

Ben: [smiles] Well, we have that in common. I'm a werewolf too.

Hope: [smiles in return] I think I'll have that in common with many people here.

Ben: [laughs] Yup.

Hope: I grew up among werewolves so that's not going to be new at least. Though I've heard your full moons might be a little different.

Ben: [and he will bite his lip are that and nod] Yeah, kinda.

Hope: [she nods] I can adjust, I suppose. These are your lands, and I can respect whatever rules you set.

Ben: Do you go through a shift during the moon?

Hope: Yes, but I have control of my anchor. But from what I've heard your nights are more ... contained. We run in the bayou though.

Ben: It takes a while to learn ours. And emotions can make it harder. Those who can control it have their own ways of going through that night. Those who can't yet are put into cells in the dungeon with a teacher to help walk us through.

Hope: [she nods] Different packs have different traditions. There's nothing wrong with that.

Ben: [and he will go to one of the kitchen maids and ask for cocoa for the both of them, and then show Hope to a window seat near the door to the dining hall] But the good thing is that we can shift anytime we want. But we don't turn into full wolves like you. It's a rare gift in our line.

Hope: [she nods] My bloodline is lucky that we have control as well. Not all werewolves like me are so lucky. My pack is a special circumstance.

Ben: Sounds like we both have special packs, but for different reasons.

Hope: I suppose it does.

Ben: I'm pretty sure my aunt will say yes to you staying. Our family has a reputation for taking in strays. [smiles a bit]

Hope: [smiles] Even when they're only ... on loan?

Ben: Yeah. Though sometimes they end up sticking around anyway.

Hope: Well, that won't be the case for me, unfortunately. I'll have a pack of my own to lead. But I can at least stay for a while.

Ben: And you won't be at a loss for company. [the cocoa arrives, along with a small plate of butter cookies] There's a lot of us around here.

Hope: So I've noticed. That much is comforting at least.

Ben: And most of them are girls. [yup, oldest boy syndrome]

Hope: [laughs] Girls aren't so bad, are they?

Ben: No, but there are a lot of them. I mean, a LOT of them.

Hope: [she laughs] Alright. I see your point.

Ben: [smiles and sips his drink] It's weird being one of the few boys. I'm like, a big brother to everyone.

Hope: It must be sad when they prepare to marry and move away.

Ben: [nods] Well, it hasn't happened yet. My cousin Patience married a landless Lord, so he moved here. But Miranda will probably leave. Same with my sister. But Amelia will stay here as she's the heir to the lands.

Hope: I see. So you're still in the preparation stages.

Ben: What do you mean?

Hope: Preparing to be ... apart from them more?

Ben: I um... [blushes] I haven't started looking. My father has pointed a few out prospects, but he's adamant that I am allowed to make my own choice. I don't have land to inherit anymore.

Hope: [she meant his sisters/cousins, but that tracks too] My father was the same. But he also threatened to eat any prospective suitors, so I'm not sure it really counts.

Ben: Wow, that's going to make it hard for you to find someone. [shrugs] If you want someone, that is.

Hope: A little easier now. He passed about a year ago. [which is still hard to talk about sometimes, but it's the truth]

Ben: Oh. I'm sorry. [and he will look into his cup]

Hope: It's alright. It's not expected, when my father was who he was.

Ben: It doesn't matter. It's still hard to lose a father. My father was nearly killed by his own cousin when I was little.

Hope: That's terrible. Why would family do that?

Ben: Power. She felt he was trying to steal her birthright.

Hope: [shakes her head] That's a terrible reason to murder your family.

Ben: I agree. That's why my dad abdicated. For both of us.

Hope: [she nods] I see.

Ben: It keeps us safe though.

Hope: Yes. And probably much better than my father's form of coping. My mother, on the other hand, she married her competition. I'm not sure that would have worked for your father and his cousin though.

Ben: No, probably not.

Hope: But their marriage saved our packs in a lot of ways. We've had more peace then than we'd had in centuries.

Ben: [smiles at that] that's good.

Hope: It is. And since I'm heir to both ... I have to do it well. Which is why I'm hoping your aunt is a good teacher.

Ben: She is. You really will like her.

Hope: Good. [she nods] I'm looking forward to it.

Ben: Well, I should go back and check on my sisters and little brother. Do you want to come back outside?

Hope: [she shakes her head] I should find out where I will be staying. But it was nice meeting you.

Ben: I think you're staying in Uncle Derek's wing. I can take you to the entrance on my way out.

Hope: Thank you. I appreciate it.

Ben: [he will stand and gather their cups and dish, putting them near the sink with other dirty dishes, then returned to walk her to Derek's wing]

Hope: [and she will follow him, making note of the layout as she goes so she can learn her way around]

Ben: [and when they get there, Ben will give her a small bow] I hope to see you again soon, Lady Mikaelson

Hope: [a smile] You as well, Lord Stilinski.

Ben: [and with that, off he goes to check on the others still outside]

Hope: [and she will continue to get herself acquainted with the grounds, looking for somewhere nice to paint]