633/Not quite Fire Island

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Not quite Fire Island
Date of Scene: 27 May 2017
Location: Long Island, New York
Synopsis: Summary needed
Cast of Characters: Corusca, Star Sapphire




Corusca has posed:
    Long Island has many little islands that make it up. Suffolk County is dotted with them. So it's hardly a surprise that the Madsen family has held property there for over two hundred years. It also means they own the whole island. Its only a few thousand acres and big enough for an air strip that can land small planes or helicopters. The estate itself is made of imported stones and looks a lot like a medieval castle. In fact, it might have been transplanted stone by stone. A four story keep is the focal point and it rests within an outer wall some thirty feet high. Interestingly, the place has been kept in its original state which means there's a garage built outside of the walls to park a single jeep. A heliport likewise sits outside the walls at the foot of the runway with the hangar being done rustically enough to pass for period. In essence, the entire estate seems to want to go back in time.. or at least off the grid. Aside from flying, one has to use a boat to get here.

    Passing the working porticulus, the inner courtyard is kept clean. There's no need for smithies and the like. Miranda is standing atop the steps into the keep proper wearing a flowing white gown with her golden blonde hair loose and wavy about her head. The wind on the island is mostly blocked by the walls but occasionally sweeps down and rustles her dress and hair.

Star Sapphire has posed:
    Carol remembers the last meeting, and how her business suit didn't match up at all with Miranda's gorgeous evening gown. Today, she has come prepared to match her benefactor. Her long, black hair is curled and worn up in a classy mess atop her crown. Her neck is accentuated by long teardrop earrings that almost reach the shoulders left bare by a violet gown of her own, sleeveless and backless, its sequins sparkling in the afternoon light, a two-part dress whose second part is a lighter violet toga, worn over her right shoulder, given some shape by being gathered under her bust with a simple, gold-colored cord tied in the back. She has a thin golden clutch in one braceleted arm as she gets out of the helicopter--but she only gets out AFTER the rotors have come to a complete stop, of course!--and she greets Miranda with a wide smile as she climbs the stairs adroitly in her platform heels.
    "Miranda!" she cries cheerfully. "You look lovely, of course you do, but even I wasn't prepared for how much so." She leans in and presses a quick, polite kiss to the corner of Ms. Madsen's mouth. "Thank you for having me."

Corusca has posed:
    The flattery draws up the corners of her lips in amusement but it doesn't stop the laugh. As Carol approaches, she returns the kiss with a quick embrace at the shoulders. "I thought we might like an opportunity for privacy." She turns then and pushes open the oak doors which lead into the main receiving room. It's an expansive space with high vaulted ceilings. Several hundred years ago this would have been a marvel of engineering and an impressive sight. Now.. it's just historical. Still, the dais at the far end does have a carved oaken throne. Above it, there's a coat of arms but it has a black cloth draped over it. These are points that Miranda does not at all dwell on. She leads them towards a door at the side of the hall and to a narrow hallway and into another door that appears to have become a sitting room. It's much more modern with a large flatscreen all but covering one wall and a number of seating options, all of them in leather. There's a tray on the serving table with an assortment of cold cuts, fruits, vegetables and chilled drinks. For an estate this large, Carol's seen all of.. nobody by way of staff. "I hope this will do?" Miranda offers with a gesture at the room. "I am still trying to figure out this place." The last she offers with a shrug and she moves to pour herself a brandy.

Star Sapphire has posed:
    Carol notes but doesn't comment. The lack of staff is more than a little strange--it makes this seem like either a date or a setup for a murder, and she's aware of the comforting presence of her ring in her clutch--but all will become clear with time, so there's no need to give away the game. In the meantime, why not just enjoy herself? She smiles at the offer of privacy and agrees, "Oh, I'm sure I can think of some way to enjoy having you all to myself," before following Miranda's lead to the refreshment table. She pours herself her own glass of brandy, albeit one with only about three swallows of liquor, and holds it up to Miranda's in an offer of a toast. "To my hostess."

Corusca has posed:
    Miranda seems a bit surprised that Carol selected the brandy as well. She acknowledges the toast of Carol by raising her own glass. "To my guest." She replies with a broad smile then takes a sip of the brandy. There's a thoughtful pause and she walks towards a couch, seating herself on one end and tucking one leg up under the other. "So." She begins with something of a sigh. "I wish I could say that I'd had a chance to talk to the Princess since our last meeting. I feel as though I've let you down." Despite the wealth of the place, there is no gold filligree anywhere. It seems to have been replaced with silver. Perhaps, her father had odd taste.

Star Sapphire has posed:
    Carol's learned to keep a poker face over the years, and she just smiles graciously. "That's quite alright, Miranda. I was actually giving it some thought, and I'm starting to believe that at some point we have to stop relying on endorsements and support from others, and simply do our own heavy lifting. Establish our own brand, as it were." She sips from the glass and regards Miranda over the rim. "Though it wouldn't be terrible to have a princess on our side, I think we're capable enough to do without, don't you?"

Corusca has posed:
    "Well, we certainly have enough money. That's not a problem." Miranda had filled her glass and skipped on the ice. Either way, she isn't chugging it. "I'm not used to seeing women drink hard liquor. I.. picked it up from Martin." Martin? An odd way to refer to your father. Unless they weren't terribly close. She looks down at the glass, shrugs, and sets it aside. "What did you have in mind?"

Star Sapphire has posed:
    Carol smiles and shrugs in a way that lifts her glass as if to call attention to it. "Brandy isn't all that bad in small doses. It's one of those alcohols I randomly learned a fact about one day--about the distillation--and decided to try it to kind of follow up on that knowledge. It was fine." She takes another sip to prove it, then returns to the question. "As for what I have in mind...well, I'm afraid it's all the usual humdrum. We start creating scholarships, we offer funding to shelters, we begin looking into international aid communities. Oh, and that somewhat reminds me, I don't remember us discussing this at our last meeting, but how do you feel about charity work for the LGBTQ community?"

Corusca has posed:
    "Well, since all of that was what I was talking about anyway." Miranda laughs and brings her hands up to her neck to fluff her hair out from behind her back. Stupid long hair was pinned. Now her hair is splayed across the low scoop of her neckline. "I don't see a problem with this plan. And.. why would I have a problem with them? They're marginalized, too. Honestly, I've dealt with discrimination my whole life. I'm not about to start now." There's a shrug again and she picks up her brandy to take another sip. This time was a little more than a sip, though. When she puts it down you'd have thought she dropped the line in the glass a solid inch. "I hope that's not a problem?"

Star Sapphire has posed:
    Carol watches Miranda's hair fall down with a suppressed smile on her lips, and she shakes her head immediately at the question. "It's most definitely not a problem for me, and I frankly don't understand why it's a problem for anyone, which is why I asked to be sure. I'd certainly enjoy helping out the community as best I can."

Corusca has posed:
    "Alright, then that's settled." Miranda's expression is thoughtfully confused a moment but then offers a small lift of her shoulders. "So.. how about you then?" She offers somewhat awkwardly. "Sorry, horrible question. I haven't had to honestly socialize with someone in like.. the last twenty five years?" She looks maybe twenty five. That's what her bio says anyway. "Hazards of growing up rich. You just seem.. more genuine than the other.." She considers how to phrase the rest of the sentence over her drink. She sips again and continues. "women I've met. Again. Everything coming to mind wasn't polite so.." There's a dry laugh and she looks towards the dormant fireplace. There are no windows on the first floor of the keep. Hardly a surprise there.

Star Sapphire has posed:
    Carol's eyebrows raise in a polite question. She sounds mostly inquisitive and a little amused as she asks, "What about me? Are you asking if I'm on the LGBTQ spectrum?"

Corusca has posed:
    Miranda blinks. "Huh? I.. well.. no.. not precisely.. that." Her skin flushes a little in embarassment. "I mean. I was asking like.. what do you do for fun? If anything. What are your interests? For instance, I swim a lot. Being on this side of the bay, facing the Atlantic, I get fewer visitors and the island means I'm largely free of paparazzi since they have to come by boat and can't land. But.. sometimes I feel like I'm in a bubble. If I step outside of it, I attract too much attention and.." She lets the rest trail off as she sips her brandy again.

Star Sapphire has posed:
    Carol smiles. Her nose crinkles with it. "Not precisely, huh?" she teases, emphasis on the 'precisely;' but mercifully, she moves on and explains, "My lifestyle doesn't allow me for a lot of personal time, unfortunately. There are always new design schematics to look over, new contracts to draw up, new bids to put in on projects. Most of my free time is spent on charity work, apologizing for how much money I make!" she says with a laugh. "But when I have time, I enjoy reading, hiking, most kinds of physical exercise (swimming sounds lovely). And your own good self?"

Corusca has posed:
    "Oh, it's much the same. Only.." Miranda laughs. "I have a lot more free time. Lately, I've stared at market movements.. read new tax and investment laws as they're enacted across the world. And.. then the rest of my day seems to be free." Boooring. "I wish I could say I had a degree in engineering but I have read a little. In fact." She seems inspired and gets up with a quickness. Despite wearing heels, she moves like the wind then pauses by where Carol is sitting to offer a hand up. "I want to show you something."

Star Sapphire has posed:
    "I thought you might," Carol says softly, holding steady eye contact with Miranda as she takes the other woman's hand and stands up.

Corusca has posed:
    "Hah!" Miranda raspberries as she tugs Carol along. The dark hallways are lit by electricity which means there has to be a source somewhere on the island. Either way, she winds down a circling stair that doesn't leave a lot of room to maneuver. How she does it in heels.. well.. she lives here. She does keep checking back though. Coming to a landing where the stair keeps going down, she veers off and to a solid oak door. She again gives it a shove and turns on the lights. Stepping aside, she doesn't say anything but rather lets the space speak for itself. It is a library. Easily as large as the grand hall upstairs, the room is wall to ceiling books with the rail ladder encircling the room. Centrally there are a few coffee tables, leather lounge chairs and love seats where one can sit and enjoy the labor of this love. Books. Lots of books.

Star Sapphire has posed:
    Carol has been to castles before (albeit as a tourist, but never mind, let's pretend that the owner of a fairly small avionics company is important enough to get invited out to see royalty), and she knows how tower stairs work. She navigates them with no particular problem, continuing to hold Miranda's hand as if she forgot to let go after rising; though if Miranda makes an issue of it, Carol's nose crinkles teasingly again. She might not be as done with that 'not particularly' question as she previously hinted. She looks around the library, which is big enough to be meaningless without a closer inspection of the titles, and just observes, "Very impressive!" The bigger question is probably how long a walk it is from Miranda's quarters to here--the closeness gives a greater estimation of the room's value to its owner--but Carol keeps her mouth shut. She's enjoying the teasing but can't quite think of a way to ask, 'So where's your bedroom from here?'

Corusca has posed:
    With hand still held, Miranda tugs Carol along the rows of books. "So, I've got loads of first editions here. Latin, French, Spanish.. as much as I could get my hands on of old myth and legend from Scandanavia.. a lot of that was oral and didn't translate well thanks to the inherent bias of the monks." Ho hum. She keeps going. "Science, technology.. and yes.. I think I have a copy of your thesis around here somewhere." She frowns a little. "I just had it filed, too." She pauses in a section on aerospace which is nearish cosmology which has papers by notable physicists as well as astrologers too esoteric to name from centuries ago. She takes a minute to find it but it's not there so she looks around. "Well. It's around anyway. I might have taken it upstairs." She looks up then shrugs. "So.. anything? Pick a topic. I prefer actual books to an e-reader. Call me old fashioned that way."

Star Sapphire has posed:
    Carol holds Miranda's hand chastely, like a schoolgirl, as she follows the tour around the library. "Most people prefer books," she agrees. "Or at least the people who actually appreciate reading. There have been studies saying a person retains more information from a book than from a screen, because the books have their own texture and aroma to provide additional sensory reference points to the read, while e-readers offer a more homogenous experience than can blend togther from one book to the next and also provides some neurological confusion as the light from the screen distracts the optic nerves." She smiles. "But maybe we'll try reading another time. It's a fun pastime, but not a very companionable one."

Corusca has posed:
    Miranda pauses to look at Carol with a deadpan incredulous eye. "Naturally." Because that's why she reads books. Cognitive efficiency. She sniffs once then sighs with a lift of both of her hands, coincidentally lifting Carol's at the same time. "Alright, what did you have in mind? The pool's on this level. Or we can go upstairs and take a walk around the island." She muses again. "I.. don't have a tennis court or anything fancy like that. I'm afraid I don't get many guests."

Star Sapphire has posed:
    Carol smiles at Miranda. "You've gone to so much effort as my hostess, the least I can do is be agreeable about the choice of activities. What would you enjoy doing right now, Miranda?" she offers.

Corusca has posed:
    "Umm." Miranda hmms again. "Well. I've got a bunch of suits if you want to swim? I..." She looks Carol over with a little extra scrutiny at the bust and hip line. "they might fit? I get visitors so rarely that I'm afraid the helicopter might have attracted a boat. If you follow."

Star Sapphire has posed:
    Carol stands the scrutiny easily, and doesn't take the opportunity to check out Miranda in turn. She's so classy, amirite? Instead, she lifts her eyebrows politely at the mention of a boat. "I'm not sure I do. Are you saying there might be paparazzi trying to get photos, and I should worry about that before picking a swimsuit?"

Corusca has posed:
    Miranda laughs. "No. I'm saying there might be paparazzi about so going for a walk on the island might get us in the news so we could instead go for a swim down here in the pool."

Star Sapphire has posed:
    Carol laughs and nods her understanding back. "Fair enough," she agrees. Her eyes twinkle, and she swings her arm lightly back and forth, the arm currently attached to Miranda's hand. "I'm curious to see what suit you'll pick for me."

Corusca has posed:
"Well.. you can pick your own if you like?" Miranda profers. "Though you're going to get your excercise." She guides them back to the stairs and starts climbing. Up. And up. And up. When they reach the fourth floor, she steps out into a foyer that's sort of a solarium. The larger windows here are open and letting in the sea air to billow the curtains. Along a far wall, there's.. an elevator? Miranda gestures at it irritatingly. "Yes, Martin installed an elevator. It only services the keep though so I rarely use it." She heads for the double doors which face the solarium and opens them. It would seem the top floor is the master bedroom suite and it's been redone since she's taken over residence. A massive four poster bed with drapes drawn back is the central feature. There's a chaise for lounging. A dressing table. A wardrobe. A few smaller cabinets near to them that look like classic jewellry cases or a lingerie chest. There's more by way of a door to one side of the bed but Miranda heads towards the lingerie chest and opens the bottom drawer. "So what are you thinking? One piece? Two? Do you like a lot of coverage? I don't have much in that category, I'm afraid I.." She looks back with a look of wry amusement. "well I'm a bit of a tease. Men are too easy that way."