12.23.2132 - Interview in ChurchIt was 9 dawn-hand and Temmit and Renee stood in the open foyer of the east wing of the church. As Emma had warned, the guards didn't allow them entry during the morning sermon, even though the pair were indeed informed of Temmit and Renee’s arrival. So they simply waited for Emma to arrive in the frigid, high-ceiling room that was open to the winter elements on three of its four walls.
The fine crystals of snow, that had fallen the previous night, carried in on the freezing wind into the foyer. A vortex of white intermittently spun around the huge status of Kaine at the room's center. A guard with a push-broom worked hard to keep the snow from gathering too long in any one place on the floor.
The cloudy day was very cold.
Finally, the door opened from the inside and Emmanuelle stuck her head out. A swathe of warm air flowed past her and the guards and teased them with its welcome.
“Ah good, the two of you have arrived on time,” Emma stated in a condescending tone. A show for the guards lest they be suspicious. “I hope you have brought all that I require.”
Renee had told Temmit of Emma’s
alibi[/i] behind their visit while they sipped coffee at the Nutcase this morning. They were school friends assisting her with a difficult chemistry homework assignment.
“Yes Miss Keepsake,” Renee replied. “But I am afraid the assignment could take the better part of the morning, perhaps longer.”
“No matter Renee, let’s just get it done,” Emmanuelle stated shortly and opened the door the rest of the way.
Temmit and Renee passed the two guards and went inside. When the massive doors closed behind them no one spoke. They simply followed Emma down corridors and up stairwells to many to count as she lead them to her room.
The beauty of the Church was not lost on Temmit who had never been there (since the place isn’t one frequented by orphans). Marble everywhere and not a bit of it untouched by a sculptor or painters hand. A dark red carpet ran the length of all corridors, a myriad of patterns mostly depicting battles with Karh‘Thul was expertly sewn within it. Arched ceilings were not exempt even in the corridors, like the foyer the stone and wood of the upper floors were held with marble trusses with mosaic paintings in between.
Gold was everywhere, not a single lantern, sculpture or chandelier was not made of it. Even the arched double-door to Emma’s room was banded with it.
Beyond the pair of doors was a small corridor which passed bye a massive private marble bathroom and a large walk-in closet. When they reached the bedroom Temmit actually stopped in his tracks, amazed at its size, for it was as big as a house.
The same luxuries they had passed throughout the church were not spared in Emma’s bedroom.
A canopy bed large enough to sleep four had posts holding up drapes of heavy white cloth. The mattress almost looked too tall for a person to get up on. Dozens of white satin covered pillows that had been beautifully embroidered with gold thread were neatly arranged on the made bed. Underneath them was the same bedding that matched the draping curtains, neatly tucked and folded.
A sharp memory of home hit Temmit unexpectedly as he recognized an object he had burned his fingers on as a very little child. The object was to the side of Emma' bed,s a mattress pot[/i], made of a heavy iron that was nothing more than a pan with a removable slotted grill cover. But the one Emma had was huge and Temmit wondered if it took two servants to heave it up and under the top pillow mattress after they filled it with coals from the fire.Throughout the room was more furniture than one person could need. Three bureau’s made of ancient Outland Pine and inlaid with gold and platinum stood at various places in the room, each large enough to most likely fit the clothes of all seven kids that Temmit shared a room with at the orphanage. A massive writing desk (of the same expensive pine) was on the wall between two curtained windows.
The heavy white curtains of the windows had the same gold-thread embroidery matching the pillows on the bed. Each was a was a work of art, the left an exquisite depiction of the holy symbol of Kaine (shield and sword resting on a knapsack), the right a depiction of the God himself (a tall Herculean type of figure). On the desk, writing materials and various instruments (some recognized from school) made of nothing but polished silver. A harpsichord covered with the paintings of butterflies,
*a dressing bureau with silver combs, brushes and make-up kit,
*a rug that almost reached wall to wall it’s ornate pattern depicting a meadow of flowers,
*paintings,
*tapestries,
*sculptures,
*a fireplace taller than a man and made of a solid piece of black marble,*a wall of bookcases full of books bound in leather,[/list]
...the room reeked of wealth.
But what caught Temmit’s immediate attention was the exquisite dining table between the bed and another curtained (embroidery capturing a battle scene with demons) window. Three of the four chairs were set with fine ceramic plates and polished silver utensils around an amount of food that would be a challenge for the three of them to eat. Hot sausages, eggs, pancakes and a large carafe of coffee enticed him beyond the small piece of raisin-bread he had had two hands ago.
“Sit my friends. Lets have some late breakfast, for we still have about half a hand before we can go down to the room Marcus is in,” Emma said motioning them to the table. “I figured since we don’t have occasion to allow you two into the Church often, we might as well take advantage of the moment, so I had this prepared.”
