{ video } To be in love with the masterpiece

[airshipswank]

[ Buckingham, being the magnificent and universally beloved god that he is, has been utterly undeterred by Wonderland's musical program for the weekend. Wonderland's last event however, with its drab and colourless days, has reminded him of a long overdue matter in need of transmission: ]

My good people of Wonderland, if I might have a moment of your day! [ Pause to imagine the resounding Of course, Your Grace! and: ] My home knows me as George Villiers, their Duke of Buckingham, and you may as well, should... I've not yet been so fortunate as to make your acquaintance in person.

[ Cue the winning smile and kindest of kind unspoken thanks for enduring the formalities of such an introduction. As for the matter at hand: ]

I speak to you on behalf of the gallery I installed here some months ago, you... may have celebrated its grand opening on the third floor, just... near the library doors, room number four. I would certainly recommend a visit to all who have since arrived, but today I particularly address anybody who... might wish to aid in expanding its selection.

[ Buckingham nods to the scene behind him, and shifts slightly to grant a brief view of some of the works on display. ]

Wonderland houses such a wealth of artists, and I would urge you to call on me, should you ever desire to... share your work with us. We shall find it a deserving place at the gallery as soon as possible. I would extend the same offer to those who have acquired pieces from the vendors or elsewhere, and care to make them available to the public.

[ Cue once more heavy on the smiling, as the duke reaches to end the transmission. ]

I thank you kindly for your time, and hope the... rest of the day finds you well.

[[ OOC: You can find a little more info on the gallery here, and use that post anytime to have your character contribute art, regardless of whether you would like them to thread with Buckingham or not! If you have any gallery questions, just PM this account or ping me over at pimpfox! ]]

Comments

action;

[airshipswank]

I... dabble,

[ he quips back with a smile. As with a good deal of things in Wonderland it is boredom rather than fierce passion that drives the duke into their arms, but he does have a fondness for the occupation all the same.

From a mother who would be most insistent in her tutelage of herbs and their benefits (and their harm even more so), to a gardener with an infectious passion and enthusiasm for his craft Buckingham has learnt no small amount of appreciation and some useful inkling of skill in the taming of nature's bounty. ]

I admire their greenhouse, ours are such haphazard little things, aren't they? But this, this one is... quite the miracle.

[ Ahh, but he forgets that he addresses no fellow enthusiast, only a surly Musketeer. ]

Mmm, but I suppose you wouldn't know. [ A beat. ] You shall have your tulip all the same.

[ Which would be his cue to take the painting and depar-- no, of course not! His glances have turned into steps, and he is walking through the apartment in slow and deliberate paces, casting a disapproving glance at an empty bottle on the floor here, letting his palm trail across a surface heavy with dust there.

He makes no comment on the affair, but silently he shakes his head, and quietly he tuts as he lifts a wrinkled bed sheet with two fingers. ]

action;

[thestormcomes]

[Athos has an appreciation for finery, for the luxuries that money can buy, and it is often at odds with his dislike of everything that excess stands for - not everyone is afforded the same opportunities, and some people manage to claw their way into power with a pretty face and prettier words.

Thinking about the aristocracy makes him think about his father, which in turn makes Athos feel surprisingly bitter, but never let it be said that he can't enjoy all that wealth can provide. Security, for one. Also wine.]

...You are not going to take it upon yourself to redecorate, are you?

[That quiet disapproval, that nigh-tangible judgment hangs heavy in the air as the duke refuses to take his leave in favor of plodding around the rumpled space that is Athos' sleeping quarters. As if one needed a gilded bed to rest well.]

action;

[airshipswank]

Oh no, no, I would not dare. A man must be free to fashion his home in whatever manner he sees fit, so that it might reflect his... disposition just as he desires.

[ Buckingham smiles an angelic smile, and sets an empty bottle of wine rolling across the floor with a light tap of his boot. ]

Although, perhaps you would do well to release an inquiry after a new valet, as long as the... absence of your own man still troubles you.

[ Case in point? This very doublet, draped over a chair, showing its conveniently finger-sized hole in need of mending, as soon as Buckingham lifts it idly into the light. ]

action;

[thestormcomes]

[Ha ha, oh man, what a sick burn. Athos would punch you if he didn't think it would be rude and leaving you bleeding on his floor.

He smiles thinly instead.]

That went well for you the last time, do you remember?

[Or perhaps Buckingham has forgotten when he made a Mansion-wide request for a manservant, which was met with considerable umbrage from the general public. In a place where currency does not reign king, it is difficult to acquire hired help.]