Realistic or Modern The Country Town of Wickerton

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EPISODE ONE - THE BALL
It is the night of the Lipton's first social appearance; a ball. No one has heard anything of them since they came to Livingstone Manor a week ago. They have accepted no visitors, and have been preparing for this night since their move; or, at least, their Father has. The goal of this episode is to meet each family, and enjoy the festivities of the night. First up; dance!

Livingston Manor, Wickerton, Derbyshire
April 12th, 1813
6:02pm

Although the evening was still only in its infancy, Livingstone Manor was already bustling with guests from all of the nearby towns, and of course, the families of Wickerton. The incredibly lavish dining hall had been transformed into a wide dancing and social space. The guests were all so eager to learn more about the mysterious family. The new inhabitants of Livingston were the elusive Liptons; a family of elusive men and an adoptive female ward. The family had revealed little about themselves in the week that they had been living in Wickerton, and hadn't even attended Mass. Mr Lipton himself was being thoroughly interrogated by the decidedly irritating Mrs Rutherford, who was adorned by a rather large, floral hat. All of the families that he had invited had accepted, and the one that Mr Lipton was most excited to meet was the Pemberton line. They had apparently once been incredibly successful, or so he had learnt recently through the gossip of his guests. However, they were yet to arrive.

"Our Vicar, Mr Bradbury, is quite wonderful. The parsonage is a lovely piece of land you see, I have been there a great many times for tea and such." Mrs Rutherford's nasal voice was beginning to irk Albert, and so he excused himself.
"Yes. I shall have to visit it myself at some point, though I am not an extensively religious man. Would you excuse me, I must attend to my sons for a moment." Albert moved swiftly to the top of the hall, where his sons all stood; quite the picture. A group of strapping young men, all cooped up in the corner. Albert was almost ashamed.
"Well, it's great to see you're all making the most of the occasion." Their Father feigned a smile before looking around and speaking quietly, hoping no one would hear him. "The dancing will begin at 7pm, and I expect that you'll all have a partner. Matthew; you're the eldest. You'll lead the dance." Albert moved closer to his eldest son, inches from his face, "Do not let me down. We have a reputation to build as social leaders." Mr Lipton stood back and took one last look at his sons before moving to the left of them, where his only daughter had taken a seat. She was already garnering many looks; her skin colour was never seen with such fine clothes. He knew that her presence would be a cause for gossip. If he manoeuvred it right; it would be positive. Albert moved gently towards her, sitting by her side. He waited a moment before he spoke, "Make sure you let every person here aware of my generosity to you. As for dancing, you can forget about it. You will move slowly around the room and act proper. If I see anything else you'll will retire to your bedroom." His voice was sharp and cruel. He didn't give her a chance to reply, and instead found a couple of young women in the corner of the room who seemed to want his attention.

Mrs Pemberton had been to Livingstone Manor once before, as a child. It was a glorious place. The outside had deteriorated in the years it had been without grounds keepers, but the inside was as delightful as ever. The chandeliers dangled gracefully from the ceiling; warm candle light making the whole place glow. Mary gave her cloak to the servant at the door, and felt her breath catch as she and her daughters enter the hall. The place was so tall and glamorous. There was no music yet, but the voices of almost fifty guests filled the air. "Oh, girls. This will be a wonderful night, I can tell that already." Mary tried fervently to hide her excitement, to little end. As she attempted to stay calm, she caught the eye of an old friend of hers; Tupence Hartford. She strolled towards her, excited to know more about this new family.

Misty Gray chou sprouhtt Winter_Wolf Seabourne OrWangatan

Spoiler: Livingstone Manor

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It had been a tiring week for Alice Pemberton. Gossip and assumptions were being spread like wild fire corresponding to the newest family to have arrived in Wickerton; The Liptons. They were residing in the locally famous Livingstone Manor; a gorgeous house that had been empty ever since Alice could remember. Her friends and siblings had been no help in their curiosity, and she had to admit that she herself wanted to know more about the new arrivals. Alice had met few people in her lifetime that had come from a city. There was the men that her Father did business with, but even they only resided in Chesterfield, which was decidedly quieter than Manchester being only a large town. Her night had so far consisted of trying to calm herself for the impending social event. Alice enjoyed conversation, but at gatherings such as these, there were usually people of distasteful opinion, and Alice knew that her own thoughts could not be so easily pushed away. She hoped for a calm evening. She didn't expect to be asked to dance; that was a hope she gave up long ago. Her plainness had never been an alluring thing in the first place, and her age only worsened her chances. Dancing had become a hateful part of Alice's life as she had gotten older. The younger, prettier girls of Wickerton were always the ones to be asked, and so Alice decided that dancing was not at all for her so to avoid disappointment.

Livingstone Manor was grand, even more so close up. The interior was luxurious and French, much more delicate than at her home of Aldervale. It was quite breath taking, and Alice didn't think that Wickerton had ever seen an event so grand. Not in recent years, anyway. Following behind her sisters, Alice handed her shawl to the servant at the door, who didn't meet her eyes, and stood beside Eliza. "I have scarcely seen a place so full of life." Alice spoke, trying to hide her excitement. Even plain old Alice had to admit that the place was gorgeous. The clothing on every guest was stunning; every person having put together their most expensive garments in an attempt to impress the Liptons. Alice recognised many of the guests; The Rutherfords were stood in the corner of the hall, the lady of the family already flushed red with alcohol. The Davenports were huddled close; not meeting the eyes of anyone around them. A very private family. Alice hardly knew what to do with herself, for there was as many unrecognisable people as there were familiar. Who should she introduce herself to? Who were the Liptons? Alice decided to leave her family to it, and find a quiet seat close to a drinks display. That way she could have access to refreshment and still have a good view of her siblings' enjoyment. She sat on a soft, comfortable chair, and began to wonder where her brother August had gotten to.

Spoiler: Alice's Dress

Seabourne

 

[OrWangatan]

Lydia Pemberton
This had probably been the longest week of Lydia's life. All this talk of the new "Liptons" in town. So much noise and so much gossip, which Lydia hardly cared for. It didn't interest her. Her mother couldn't stop talking about the new arrivals. Her mother was always spouting on about the chance for marriage and whatnot; at a certain point, it was just annoying. She hadn't payed attention as to why this Liptons family was in town, but she wasn't particularly interested either. The absolute worst part of this new arrival was that there was to be a ball. A large party inviting all the wealthy in Wickerton. Lydia had spent the entire day, shut in her room reading, trying to forget about the social gathering. A few maids had already come by to request that Lydia started to get ready. "Let me finish the chapter," is what she continued to tell them, until they threatened to get Alice. Lydia loved Alice. Of corse she loved Alice. Alice was kind and smart, but was always a little... instinctual.

Once the servants convinced the young lady to dress, they insisted that they did her hair and makeup too. She knew how to do her own makeup, she just didn't try very hard. After some more squabbling, Lydia finally settled on wearing a light blue dress. A servant began to put her hair up, while Lydia continued to read. It wasn't particularly easy to read when someone was constantly pulling at your hair so Lydia gave up after a few minutes.

The Livingstone Manor was truly impressive. Lydia promised herself that at some point tonight, she would sneak away from the party just to admire the architecture and marbling. By the time the Pembertons had arrived, the place was already dotted with guests. Her go to plan with parties was to stick to someone. Sometimes it was with Alice, but most of the time it was with her mother. Lydia would stand by her mother's side and simply listen to the people talk. Families would talk about the current state of the town, the Liptons, their financial situation, Lydia hardly paid attention anymore. It wasn't rare for someone to ask her to dance, but it was nowhere near an activity she enjoyed. At this point, most of the families present were aware of her temperament and generally let her be. She was just going to have to wait for the night to be over.

Spoiler: Lydia's Dress

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[Seabourne]

Eliza Pemberton​

Livingstone Manor, from the outside, stood ever impressively over a large courtyard. Even in Wickerton, a residence for the more wealthy, it held an unwavering reputation for being a place of high sophistication, a belief entirely supported by the grandeur of the Manor's exterior. Eliza had long been fascinated by the secrets within the Manor, and found it ever more fitting that such a secretive family took up living within it. For the past week that the Liptons have been in town they fervently avoided any and all interaction with the other families of Wickerton. Eliza had been pestering her siblings each day with a new theory of why the Liptons were so recluse. The party excited her, giving her the perfect window of opportunity to meet the new neighbors. She'd heard, and helped spread, countless rumors, and itched to discover if any of them held their ground.

Even if the party was not being hosted by the new conversation piece of the town, Eliza might have been half as excited. Socializing was a specialty of hers, after all. The opportunity to put on a lesser-worn dress and flit about from person to person was irresistible to the youngest Pemberton girl. Her mother shared a similar sentiment, immediately flocking to the Hartford mother. Eliza waved a small goodbye, turning to her sisters with a wide smile. Alice, her loving eldest sister, moved to stand by her side, and Eliza took a moment to appreciate the dress Alice had chosen to wear. The flaxen colored fabric contrasted well against her dark hair, and the delicate needlework along the hem added a subtle beauty to the gown.

"I have scarcely seen a place so full of life." Alice said, scanning the room. Eliza agreed, giving a quick nod of her head. "Oh, it's wonderful!" She said, clasping her hands before her. Eliza had more of a taste for fashion than for architecture, but the warm open feeling of the room couldn't escape her notice. Even the high ceilings were adorned with intricate accents. As she marveled at the beauty of the Livingstone ballroom, Alice left to sit at the edge of the room, where she could quietly observe. Lydia, not surprising to Eliza, seemed to be wrapped up in her own head. Her dress, as well, complemented her fairer skin and chestnut hair. However, it seemed Eliza would be discovering the Liptons secrets, or lack thereof, without the company of her sisters, but perhaps later one of them would agree to dance later into the party, even if for a minute or two.

The absence of her brother stuck out in the back of her mind, but she pushed it away. He was expected to be more independent, as the man among them, and would likely arrive on his own. She hoped it would be soon, as she would like to ensure that he has an enjoyable time, the same with the rest of her family. Wasting no more time, she hopped into a friendly conversation with some unfamiliar people around her age, easily merging into the topic. As she talked, she sent glances and sweeping looks throughout the room, hoping to spot a Lipton.

Spoiler: Eliza's Dress

 

[Winter_Wolf]

August Pemberton
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August had the slightest bit of fear that he was showing up late. Not that that would bother or stop him, ultimately. It was a social event with great numbers of people having fun, not a scheduled class at the military academy. Perhaps no one would notice or care except his younger sister Eliza, he thought, and in any case who could begrudge it when he sauntered in confidently, dressed as he was? That is precisely what August Pemberton did. This officer sauntered across the threshold into Livingstone Manor in full military dress, pausing briefly once inside. He was just removing his right hand from an inner breast pocket of his regular military tunic after adjusting something. While August took in the urbanity like everyone else--because no one could possibly miss it--he quickly slid a finger across his lips.

"Thank you good sir--a fine cottage, this!" he guffawed at the servant, who smiled a little sheepishly and bowed away with the officer's coat. The removal of the coat also erased most of the smoke smell on August's clothes.

August smiled at the opportunity that was laid out in front of him, called a social gathering. The main question was where were the Liptons, and who were they in the first place, for that matter. He believed that it would be important to find them and introduce himself to them sooner rather than later. Especially any young ladies in the Lipton family, of course. The men, he wasn't so sure about. If they were from the caste of business and industry, then they would probably be prone to droning on about that sort of thing. But in any case, he first spotted his older sister Alice, sitting in a chair nearby. August went over to where she was, and snatching up a spare chair, sat down by Alice. He hoped she wasn't paying attention.

"Do you come here frequently, miss?" he smiled.

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Jacob Lipton was, to a point, amazed by the crowd the that his family had drawn. Guests had flooded in, carriages had been stalled in the driveway, servants had been loaded sky high with shawls and coats. They were almost royalty to these people. The Lipton boys and their adopted sister Nairobi, whom Jacob felt a deep contempt for, sat at the top end of the dining hall, as they had since the beginning of the evening. In all truth, the family had never been to an event so large themselves. There had of course been balls and gatherings in Manchester, but they were usually above a pub or in a smaller house. Jacob had to admit, even if it hurt him to do so, that he was excited to see the merriment of the night, and oh how he hoped something would go at least slightly awry.

Every so often, Jacob would turn to observe Nairobi. She looked elegant, of course, but something about her made Jacob's blood boil. Perhaps it was the way she had waltzed into his family and assumed their wealth, or how his Father seemed to tiptoe around her and flaunt her as his biggest pride. Shaking away his anger and sipping some of his wine, Jacob watched the man who had raised him saunter over, his face slightly reddened. He moved closer to his sons, so they would all hear and spoke without feeling, as if they were his servants; "The dancing will begin at 7pm, and I expect that you'll all have a partner. Matthew; you're the eldest. You'll lead the dance." Albert moved closer still to his eldest son and said something that Jacob was hard pressed to hear over such a loud gathering. When Albert made his way to Nairobi, Jacob stood and approached Matthew.

"I give it an hour before his head explodes." Jacob gave his brother a nudge and sniggered quietly under his breath before begrudgingly obeying his Father's orders and mingling. First, he spoke to the Davenports, who were very quiet and easy to escape, then he bypassed the Rutherfords, who seemed to already be quite drunk. As he was about to give up on any entertaining company, he witnessed a group of charming young women enter the room. Each were dressed quite well, though they weren't as adorned with jewels as the women back home. There were two women who appeared decidedly plain; their hair was brown and their faces hardly shining. The third woman, however, appeared much brighter than the others. He had assumed that the women were sisters, even though the older two were so distinctly less beautiful. The blonde was adorned with the nicest dress in the room, and it accentuated her delicate frame. Jacob watched inventively, as she moved to a group of younger people to chat and most likely gossip. Finally, her eyes landed on him and he decided to make his move.

"Jacob Lipton." He announced towards the whole group of people, but let his final syllable rest on the woman. He stared long enough at the group to instil at least a little intimidation, and let the silence hang for a moment before continuing. It was quite a strange introduction; no one had asked his name or even stopped the conversation to allow him to fall in line. He watched as the group squirmed a little, not knowing how to deal with a slight disruption to their social normality. "I am the second son of Albert Lipton. I'm sure you have already heard quite a lot about my family. I hope I can corroborate some of this, or rather disprove anything distasteful." Jacob took a sip of sweet wine, and let his words confuse his company even more. He looked sideways at the blonde woman, hoping that she could be his entertainment for the evening.
Misty Gray
Seabourne
(Interacted)

sprouhtt
(mentioned)

 

[Misty Gray]

Matthew Lipton​

Matthew stood in the corner of the lavish room that had been elegantly decorated for the evening's events, with room for dancing and socialising. His face remained straight, reflecting something of a cold neutrality to it. In reality, he was observing those already at the party and his assessments of them were not quite so neutral. The guests weren't exactly poor or visually unpleasant, yet he believed they were still beneath the Liptons. They seemed too keen to know more about his family and he couldn't help but find their fawning to be rather laughable. Still, he wouldn't show that and his face would remain free of such distaste.

Albert soon approached the brothers and made a remark about them making the most of the occasion. Matthew stopped himself from rolling his eyes and instead responded with a false smile of his own. Soon enough, they received their instructions about dancing at 7pm. Matthew himself was singled out and once again the pressures of being the eldest were dumped onto his well-toned shoulders. As his father moved far too close to his face, Matthew tightened his jaw and listened to the man's firm words of warning - that he mustn't let him down. "Of course," he replied, allowing another artificial smile to take over his features. "Relax, Father," he calmly added. On the inside, he was seething. There was something unappealing about leading the dance and finding a partner to join him in the circus he was a part of.

Once their father had gone, Jacob nudged Matthew and made his remark, evoking a smirk from the eldest of the Lipton sons. "Indeed... Sadly, the only dancing that I enjoy is that which takes place in the bedroom," he drily remarked. Matthew watched Jacob walk away and briefly observed Albert as the man approached Nairobi. For reasons he hadn't spent much time trying to place, Albert seemed keen to dress the young woman up and have her present on such occasions, as though she was some kind of show and tell. Perhaps a way for the old man to come across as charitable and compassionate. It baffled Matthew when he cared to think about it enough. If it were him, he'd have played on the dead wife angle for sympathy and compassion from their guests. People were suckers for the old widowed father tale, he was sure.

After a brief walk amongst the guests, Matthew soon enough set eyes on the brunette who was seated close to the drinks. Alice looked like she'd rather be anywhere else. Perhaps she was uncomfortable at the party or maybe she found the whole thing uninteresting. What he was sure of was that she wasn't standing in awe at the Liptions or trying to be noticed, and that was something he could at least respect. He looked directly at the woman and flashed her a charming smile before moving to get himself a glass of wine from the server. He observed as another man addressed her, unaware August was her brother and maintaining his curiosity as to who the other man was.


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[sprouhtt]

Location: Ballroom
Interaction/ing: N/A (Free to Interact!)
Mentioned: spectro (Jacob Lipton)

Nairobi had in her own little world, thinking of when she could possibly get out of this dress that the servants squeezed her in. Nairobi does not like having the servants dress her, she feels like she is useless and hates the feeling. For as long as she can remember, she had been doing things on her own and especially taking care of her sick mother before she had passed away. The thought of her mother on her death bed came to mind, she could still feel her mothers hand resting on hers before she had passed. Nairobi shakes her head slightly, and a sigh was heard. She had messed up the masterpiece that the servants had done on her hair, this updo was taking ten thousand years. "My lady Nairobi, now I have to re-do the updo." The young servant girl who had blonde hair say. She was short, but not as short as Nairobi.

"My apologies, I did not mean too," Nairobi tells the young girl whose name is Macy. Nairobi took it upon herself to learn the names of the people who worked for her father. Nairobi knew that where she came from was a low place, and she did not want to treat these people as bad as others did. Nairobi knew of the hardship and the struggle and she was not going to add even more stress on their lives.

"Okay, I am all done. You look very beautiful Lady Nairobi," Macy told her with a genuine smile.

Macy was the only servant here that did not judge her based on her appearance, but her personality and morals. Due to her skin color being of mixed races, people judge her from both sides. One side saying that she does not belong with their 'crowd' and the other side saying that she is too good for them because she has traces of white blood in her veins. This made it hard for Nairobi to have friends, which is why she was grateful for Macy's kindness.

"Thank you, I believe I must go now or father will be mad." Nairobi began to leave the room and later on, she had reached the great hall where she heard chatters and when she walked in she had stares from others and whispers going around. She was seen as pity or a burden for the Lipton family, but some people thought that Mr Lipton was a saint for taking in someone such as her. Nairobi tried to not pay attention to anyone and did what she was going to do and that was taking her seat and not speaking to anyone.

Nairobi had the finest of clothes and that was only because Mr Lipton, her father, had bought her a whole store to keep her quiet from spilling the secret. He was bribing her to keep quiet and whenever she would be reminded of that, it felt as a threat.

She watched as her father spoke to her other brothers first and began to lay down the ground rules of who goes first, and how this night is supposed to play out.

Nairobi was making sure that she did not make eye contact with her father, she preferred to keep her head down and her lips shut. If she were to look at him or if he were to say something to her, she would speak upon it and try to put him in his place. Nairobi had to grow up tough and she created a shell so that people could not fully her around because of her social status, skin color and etc.

She still remembers the first time that her father brought her home, Jacob, thought that she was a worker who his father had just hired. As for the other sons, they thought it was strange for their father to Bring home a young little mix girl into the house until they realized that she would be a new addition to the family. It did not rest too easy with her other new siblings, but Nairobi paid no attention to them, she stayed alone for most of the time or was catching up on her reading.

Her father did not want anyone to know if she were his true daughter or not, the only female child of Mr Lipton. A bastard child is what she would be called and her father cares way too much about how their family is viewed then how his daughter feels about keeping a secret this big. She does not care for his money, all she wishes for is to be acknowledged as his true daughter. But no, he keeps her a secret as if he is ashamed of her, which he is. This created Nairobi to have a little bit of resentment towards her father, which is why she bites her tongue when they are in public together.

Speaking of her father, he began to make way to Nairobi, she could tell it was him. His footsteps were heavy and loud, but not too loud to draw attention.

Nairobi sat up and crossed her hands on her lap. Her father leaned in so that nobody else could hear him.

”Make sure you let every person here aware of my generosity to you. As for dancing, you can forget about it. You will move slowly around the room and act proper. If I see anything else you'll retire to your bedroom." He had said to her.

Nairobi let out a soft sigh and only nodded her head, it hurt her so much for him to shrink her to being nothing. She was his daughter, why must she look even more pitiful than what she actually is? "Yes." Was all she said before she lowered his head and watched as his legs moved away from her.

Nairobi felt like she was being watched, she knew who was watching her. Jacob. Jacob never really liked her from the beginning, all he wanted to do was either pick on her or act as though she was not there. Ignoring her and making her feel as if she is nothing to him, Nairobi cannot blame him half of the time because her father did not even acknowledge her as a daughter. Only as a charity and taking her in so that he would be seen as a kind-hearted man.

Nairobi loved to dance, but what was so wrong about her being able to dance with someone? Was she to become a seamstress if she never got married? Would she ever get married? She was not sure if someone of either race would want to marry her, due to her skin color being the talk of the town.

After the speech was given, Nairobi decided that she tick him off for a little bit, Jacob that is. A part of her liked getting under his skin, he was always so mean to her and she did nothing wrong to him except breath. Nairobi walked right past him, almost touching him but not completely, and made her way around. Trying to manoeuvre through the crowd, it was as if the whole town were here at the manor. Nairobi did not smile too much nor make eye contact for too long, she did not know whether or not they would welcome her as Macy welcomed her. Nairobi decided to head towards a small table that had light little deserts and took a single cherry and plopped it in her mouth. Taking the step and handing it to one of the workers that walked past her.

 

[chou]

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henry 'hal' lipton

location ∙ Livingstone Manor ∙ mentions ∙ @// ∙ interactions ∙ sprouhtt OrWangatan

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For as long as he could, Hal had put off any thought of tonight's ball. It wasn’t so much that he hated or even disliked parties. In fact he adored the music and the wines, at times even the idle chatter proved itself worth while. But his father had a sense for when he was enjoying things, and as if on cue had appeared to spoil his evening with dancing and the appearance of socialising.

The moment their fathers speech had ended, Hal made a beeline from his siblings and over to the closest server, taking and quickly finishing a glass of sweet wine, replacing the empty glass with a full one. If his father was going to insist on such strict rules for their enjoyment, he was at very least going to make sure he was prepared for that ‘fun’.

For a while, Hal simply floated around barely lingering on the edge of conversations as he simply watched their invited guests, almost impressed at the turn out even if he assumed half the people there were simply there to sate their interest. It wasn’t like they had anything else going on anyway.

Whilst sipping on quickly emptying glasses of wine, Hal looked from face to face, attempting to discern the Pembertons from the other unfamiliar faces, each face as frustrating as the last. He knew nothing other than their surname and what little else he knew was hardly helpful in a room of young attractive strangers.

For a moment, he catches a glimpse of an admittedly attractive woman, who at least for this glass of wine, Hal is sure is the Pembertons middle daughter. Sat alone seems right for the rumours he’d heard this evening. And from the rumours of her temperament seemed like a somewhat ideal woman to proposition for a single dance.

Among the unfamiliar faces he spies a comforting sight, Nairobi. It was no secret she was his favourite of their siblings. Finding her company easier than that of his brothers, and typically less bitter, he walks towards her. Feeling almost a pang of jealousy as she sits quietly by herself, prohibited from dancing. His dream. It wasn’t that he hated dancing, more that it was insufferable and his lack of skill certainly never helped the matter. Stumbling over his own feet as he tries to relax enough to dance but always focusing too much on relaxing and ends up fumbling alongside the music.

As he makes his way towards his sister he becomes suddenly aware of the light flush in his cheeks and the somehow empty glass in his hand, once again trading it for two full glasses off a servers tray before sitting in the empty seat opposite his sister.

“I was thinking. If we swapped outfits, father wouldn’t even notice that you’re dancing and I’m sat over here drinking.” He gives her a flash of a smile, placing the extra glass of wine on the table in front of her before turning his attention to the middle eldest Pemberton, attempting to pluck up the courage to please his father.

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[sprouhtt]

Location: Ballroom
Interaction/ing: chou (Henry Lipton)
Mentioned: N/A

Nairobi had been sitting down and minding her own business, she did not know whether or not her father would want her to keep on walking around. This was the worst part of it all, all the judgmental looks or half smiles that people gave her would be more direct now. When she was walking around earlier, she could escape those looks before they even made it in her direction. But now, she is stuck and getting every look possible from all angles of the room. Nairobi looked around and thought that there were some pretty handsome suitors, but she knew that her chances were slim. Even though she had some money to her name, any possible suitor that could come around would either be intimidated by her father, not want to associate themselves with how she may appear or the money. Men around here only married for wealth, she did not know whether they believed in true love or not. Everyone says that once your marriage has been arranged and you marry the man, it is only a matter of time before you fall for him. But Nairobi does not want to fall in love after her marriage, she feels the need to test the waters before she settles down. She wants someone who is loyal, caring and does not give a care about what society thinks of them. Alas, her true love is probably stuck someone and unable to cross her path.

Nairobi, without noticing it, had been tracing her middle finger along the rim of the half-full glass of water. It made a soft but beautiful angelic sound, that only she could hear.

Nairobi felt someone sit across from her at the table, she did not want to look up. She feared that it was a man coming to ask her to dance, and Nairobi certainly did not want to go to bed early. After a moment of silence, she heard a very familiar voice talking to her. She lifted her head and a smile came to her face quicker than her realization that it was her brother. Nairobi always greeted those around her with a smile, even though sometimes they do not return the gesture.

"Hello Hen," Nairobi said as she took her middle finger away from the rim of the glass, stopping the beautiful single note that she had been creating.

Nairobi let out a soft chuckle when Henry told her of this new plan, he was always trying to make her laugh.

"Oh yes, that is a very good plan. You and I switching outfits would really fool your father, and if not fool then, you'd give him a heart attack." Even when he was drunk or tipsy perhaps, he knew how to control himself. Sometimes...

Nairobi decided to decline his offer of alcohol, knowing that she would not be able to control the number of drinks to come. Nairobi did not like to drink, she knew of the first time she had drunk too much and it led Nairobi going into a bad state of mind. It was as if alcohol allowed every bottled up emotions or pent up anger towards her father and her mother's death to come out. Nairobi did not like that side that she had become, it did not suit her very well.

Nairobi rolled her eyes slightly at Henry, "I love dancing, dancing is a great way to express yourself." Nairobi said to him, and she tried to find ways in the past to help her simmer down her emotions. Those activities include painting, playing the piano, dancing writing poems, going for a late night swim, cooking and having picnics which she invites Henry too.

"Also, I do not think that your father would be pleased with you if you had way too many drinks." She told him sternly, but then raised her left eyebrow just slightly before she let out another soft chuckle.

 

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Alice had already drunk half a glass of wine and decided to take it slow, her slight nerves were making her sup faster than was acceptable. Not that she necessarily cared what was acceptable, but she knew that intoxication brought out her more boisterous side and tonight was certainly a time for good impressions. Alice had spotted some finer looking gentlemen, and she assumed them to be the Liptons. They were pale, as she expected city dwellers to be. They didn't seem overtly social, however, and most had only just moved from their seats. She wondered their names and their personalities, and she asked herself if she would ever know them at all. A flutter of excitement beat in her chest, but she was coaxed out of it by a familiar voice.

"Do you come here frequently, miss?" August took a seat beside his eldest sister, and she jumped a little, snatched away from her daydreaming. She smiled subtly at his presence, thankful for some familiarity. She knew that August, unlike Lydia, would take an unconventional stance to the ball, and the two could possibly laugh at the ridiculous outfits and droning conversations.

"Yes, of course, Livingstone Manor is but a second home." Alice's grin reached her eyes and she took another sip of wine, before realising that her cup was almost empty and placing it on the table beside her. "The Liptons are quite a picture, are they not? Their dress very fine, and their features refined. I suppose Eliza will be utterly thrilled." She spoke sarcastically, but with love. Returning her gaze to the wide room, Alice noticed one of the taller brothers sauntering towards the drinks table, and as he got closer, their eyes met, their gazes connected. Alice wanted to look away, but there was something intriguing about the man, and when he smiled, she raised her eyebrows ever so slightly; questioning who he thought he was. She didn't think it proper to introduce herself without provocation, and so looked to her brother. After all, he was the man of the family. It had always been down to Father to officiate the social affairs, perhaps now that August was home it was his turn.


Misty Gray Winter_Wolf

 

[OrWangatan]

Lydia Pemberton​

When the Liptons made their appearance, the hall became filled with chatter; even more so than before. Ladies were gawking at the swerve charm of the Lipton brothers, and ears were already full of whispers about their sister. It was curious to see a multiracial woman find her way into such high stature, but it wasn't Lydia's place to pry. She was certain that the daughter of the Liptons already had people always floating about her, talking behind her back or rudely asking questions.

Lydia looked over to her mother, who was busy in conversation with some unknown family. She was always introduced to the families around her, she just never bothered to remember them. On nothing more than whim, Lydia stood up from the small chair she was sitting in, and began to walk over to her mother. As she made her way over, Lydia picked up a wine glass off of one of the servant's platters. Once she found herself by her mother's side, she began to take short sips from the glass.

Paying no mind to the conversation her mother was so caught up in, Lydia began to scan the room. She always made an attempt to know the locations of her siblings and the restroom at every party, just in case. During her quick search, she caught the eyes of a man. He was sitting across the room, looking at her. By the look of his clothing and by the Lipton daughter sitting next to him, Lydia could make quite a good guess as to who he was. Slowly, she turned her gaze from him to her wine glass, as if that would make her forget that he was staring.

Maybe in an hour or so, she would go stand on the sidelines with Alice, but for now, she would be softly drinking her wine next to her mother.

Mentions: chou spectro sprouhtt

 

[Winter_Wolf]

August Pemberton
with Alice ( spectro ), Matthew ( Misty Gray )
​

"Yes of course, Livingstone Manor is but a second home," August heard his older sister remark, with a great big grin. He let out a chuckle as she set the glass down, then listened to her speak about the Liptons. It was good to see her in high spirits--or at least good enough spirits to joke and grin, August thought. Although, it seemed as if it went to waste, sitting on the side as she was. Why doesn't she use it to her advantage with one of these Lipton men? Almost anyone, for that matter?

"It's quite the establishment, anyways. I was over at Tom's earlier--you know, Tom Blackburn? Not a bad flat in its own right but it can't compare to this manor. The Liptons chose well. Speaking of which, why don't you find one of the Liptons instead of lounging around here from the start..."

Just as he was saying that, August noticed that Alice's attention was elsewhere for a solid moment or two. He followed the direction that her head was pointed with his eyes, and realized what the attraction was. It was not a "what" at all, but a "who." The exchange of eye contact between Alice and the man made August himself smile. For a second he hoped that Alice would feel compelled to approach him out of curiosity, if nothing else, on her own accord. But she looked to August.

"Well you don't have to look to me for orders, Alice! However, if it'll get you up and about and active in the soiree, then let's go. I can't believe I used a French word." August scoffed wryly. He got upwards, and gestured for his sister to come along. On the way over to the presumed Lipton son, August got a glass of wine like most other people, took a sip, and then stepped up to the Lipton.

"Hello, sir, I am Captain August Pemberton--and I will also introduce you to my sister Alice, here..."

 

[Seabourne]

Eliza Pemberton​

She nodded along pleasantly as the conversation flowed, occasionally giving her own input. They were not the most exciting group, but the party was still in its youth, and there would be far more entertaining exchanges once the drinking began. There are few things one can count on in life, but drunken foolery is almost certainly guaranteed. One boring young man filled the air with his nasally voice, dragging on a story that couldn't have interested her any less. In the midst of his pointless tangent a well-dressed gentleman inserted himself into their circle. She recognized him as the man she'd only just met eyes with from a distance across the room. He had a prominent brow and a sculpted jawline, giving him a stern appearance, and his presence was just as austere. He introduced himself in such a way one might mistake him for a king, leaving no room to ignore him. He instantly held her attention.

"Jacob Lipton." He said, and the name rang in her ears. She smiled, a glint reaching her eyes. The moment she'd hoped to have had arrived, though she didn't expect it so soon, nor for it to fall right into her lap. For a moment he let his words hang, and hang they did. The whole of them were met with stunned silence, waiting for him to continue. The anticipation from them was palpable, and she made no effort to hide her interest, either. "I am the second son of Albert Lipton. I'm sure you have already heard quite a lot about my family. I hope I can corroborate some of this, or rather disprove anything distasteful." He said, sipping from the glass in his hand. His casual demeanor surprised her, and after the grand introduction he'd made she almost expected his every word to be as impactful.

"Eliza Pemberton, delighted to meet your acquaintance." She spoke first, dipping into a shallow curtsy. She felt his eyes on her and caught herself hoping that he found her tasteful. Eliza was not normally one to be shy, but Jacob Lipton had an undeniable intimidation about him. "I must ask, is it true that your family moved here from Manchester?" she asked, starting easy. It would do no good to begin with the more startling rumors and scare him off. She found herself unable to look away from him, almost too excited to properly stand still. The past week had gone by agonizingly slow, but time seemed to pass much faster now that she was finally face to face with a Lipton.

_{Interacting: spectro} ​

 

[chou]

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henry 'hal' lipton

location ∙ Livingstone Manor ∙ mentions ∙ ∙ interactions ∙ sprouhtt OrWangatan

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Hal gives a short laugh, ringing somewhere between a chuckle and a snort. “Perhaps that wouldn’t be the worst idea. Although I doubt a heart attack would stop him. He’d probably just capitalise on the sympathy.” Shrugging he sips at his glass of wine.

Nairobi had always been the favourite of his siblings, there was something about her calmness and her polite kindness that radiated a warmth he’d only ever found in his mother, even in
situations such as this, it eased him to be with her. Afterall for years he’d confided with his sister, the two sharing adventures and long conversations. It was comforting to say the least.

Looking up from his glass he shakes his head, grinning towards Nairobi “Agh but it’s easy to love dancing when you’re actually very good at it. Although I suppose it’s never stopped half of
fathers friends from attempting it.”

Standing up, he pulls at the hem of his jacket, attempting to straighten out the invisible creases before looking back to his sister “Ah, but father also wouldn’t like it if I presented myself as a woman-fearing recluse. Wine is the best compromise he’s going to get.” He laughs, pausing for a second as he glances across the Pemberton daughter. “If this goes awfully, we’re switching outfits.” He winks to her before giving a small parting wave, leaving behind his half full glass of wine and crosses the floor. His mind racing with opening lines and every possible way this could go wrong.

He edges closer to the Pemberton daughter, now close enough to now recognise the delicate features of her face, the soft blue of her dress practically made for her fair skin. Henry taking a brief second to study her, hoping she’d be open to at very least an introduction, afterall she was beside her mother.

Composing himself, he closes the gap between them, flashing her a small smile as he bows slightly in greeting. “Excuse me, I’m Henry Lipton. My father is hosting this uh...party.” He hesitates for a second, he’d spent his life studying words and their impact it’s almost ironic that of all his brothers he’s the worst in practice. “I was wondering if I could pick your brain, I’ve heard so much about your family it’s hard to discern truth from fact. I’m hoping you could help me with that.” He tries to ignore the clamminess in his palms, forcing himself to smile politely as he regrets not finishing his glass of wine.

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template by astraea ∙ beware hidden scrolling

 

[Misty Gray]

Matthew Lipton​

Matthew has seen the raised eyebrow the young woman had returned to him but she soon looked away to the gentleman who had directly addressed her. Matthew turned away and took a sip from his wine glass, mostly to hide the smirk from his face. He wasn't sure who the other man was but he decided it might be best to let a little more time pass before coming to any conclusions or hastily walking away. He was aware his father had put the pressure on him to find a dancing partner, but he decided if it came to it, he'd simply lower his standards for the evening and take the hand of one of the women who had been staring more desperately in his direction.

Matthew turned his head in time to see Alice and August approaching him. A curious smile began to form on his lips as he anticipated the potential interaction. The man introduced himself first before speaking for his sister, Alice. The word "sister" was music to Matthew's ears as it meant he wouldn't need to get into any kind of competitive spirit. "Ah, an army man? Good evening, Captain Pemberton," he said, giving the man a firm handshake. He then looked to Alice and moved to take her hand, placing a light kiss on the back of it if she appeared open to such a gesture. "And good evening, Miss Pemberton. You look lovely this evening; the colour of your dress is a fine choice, I must say," he complimented her. Not wishing to assume the siblings already knew his name, he went on to introduce himself. "It's a pleasure to meet you both. I'm Matthew Lipton, the eldest son of Albert."


spectro Winter_Wolf

 

[OrWangatan]

Lydia Pemberton

The company of Lydia's mother was definitely not enjoyable, but it was safe. Most anyone who tried to talk to her mother wanted nothing to do with Lydia, so it was a free pass do do nothing all night. While her mother was talking about some political affair, Lydia began to think about the next day. She'd probably do nothing more than sit in her room and paint. Come to think of it, the Livingstone Manor would make for a lovely painting. All the more of a reason to sneak away from the party to study its architecture. Her train of thought was soon interrupted by a young man. The same young man who was staring at her from across the hall. He was a curly haired man, and Lydia won't lie, was quite attractive.

“Excuse me, I’m Henry Lipton. My father is hosting this uh...party.”

There was a small sense of shock when one of the Liptons was talking to Lydia Pemberton, of all people, but it was a breath of fresh air to listen to someone stumble over their words. At every single party, all Lydia ever herd were well rehearsed speeches of love and the innate for some man to string together words in a flawless manner. Any sort of suave sort of seduction always came off as fabricated, cheap, and mechanical.

“I was wondering if I could pick your brain, I’ve heard so much about your family it’s hard to discern truth from fact. I’m hoping you could help me with that.”

It was quite rare that someone would want to engage in a conversation with her, especially about the "rumors" surrounding her family. Most everyone just took the gossip they were given and made their own, unoriginal, assumptions.

"Oh! Uh, yes of corse. Um"

They say that those who read a lot have a large vocabulary and are excellent wordsmiths. That's a lie, at least in Lydia's case. She exhaled shortly, in attempt to indicate that she was going to try again.

"Yes, that sounds pleasant, Sir. Thank you for your consideration. I'm Lydia Pemberton; it's a pleasure to meet you."

She took a long "sip" from her glass, trying to hide her face from her first miserable attempt. Lydia could almost feel the stares of the young women around her.


Mentions: spectro chou​

 

[sprouhtt]

Location: Ballroom
Interaction/ing: Misty Gray
Mentioned: spectro Winter_Wolf chou (Henry Lipton)

Nairobi gave a sad and almost depressing sigh when Henry ditched her for one of the Pemberton sisters, Nairobi kind of envied those girls. How free they were to talk to whom they wished. Though in a society like this, even women were limited to who they could speak too. But Nairobi was very limited, almost exclusive, but not the good kind. If there is one. Due to Nairobi's skin color, it was hard for her to approach a man or if she were talking to one. In the conversation, they would ask her something pertaining to her skin color, that they either felt inferior to her or they told her that they were superior to her. Nairobi was stuck in the middle of it all, not sure whether or not she would ever find love or if it would find her. It was hard, and often times she had wished that her mother and her father, Mr Lipton, had never slept together. They should have never let their puppy love exceed because now they have all kinds of problems on their hands now.

Nairobi watch as her brother began to introduce himself to one of the Pemberton sisters, and even though Henry left her, she did root for him. As she looked around the room, her eyes landed on her brother Matthew, who was in a conversation with two unfamiliar faces. Curiosity took over her, and she realized she was staring way too hard. Thinking she was going to be able to make out what they were talking about. Nairobi got up from where she was and she tried to see whether her father was around because he had told her he didn't want to see her socializing to any extent. Though she was only going over to the ground that her brother was talking too if she talked to her brother and he introduced her to the two unfamiliar faces then she shouldn't get in trouble right? Nairobi walked across the room, still holding her head up high and tuning out any whispers that she hears.

Nairobi's heart began to race for a moment, so she kind of stopped in her tracks. When the faces became more visible, she saw one that captivated her. He looked amazing, Nairobi wanted to turn back on her heels and abort the mission. But then she would have looked like a coward.

She mentally slapped herself and went over to Matthew. When she got there, she slowly and very quietly stood by his side. "Hello, Matthew..." Nairobi said before she looked at the young woman and the man who was across from her. "You have not seen Mr Lipton have you?" Nairobi continued as she slowly took her soft eyes off of the mysterious man and looked up at her brother.

"Oh, how silly of me... my name is Nairobi Haile...Lipton." She said as she kind of mutter the last word before giving a small but genuine smile. Nairobi was always curious as to whether or not she should incorporate her father's last name into her name. He did 'adopt' her, and whenever she would say his last name the way she did, people would just think she is nervous or doesn't know whether she should take his last name.