The dinner at the Leventi manor had been... odd, a little. This was the first time Emilia had been allowed, or even attended a formal court-like function without her sister next to her to remind her to walk delicately, smile at the appropriate people, and hold her long chiton at just the right angle. It felt as if a million things were running through Emilia's head at once - was she holding the folds of her emerald-green chiton well? Did her swan-shaped fibulae shine as proof of house pride? Did her owl pendant match the rest of the gold trappings she had on? Was her matching gold circlet askew? Did her curls remain well or did the heat of the summer month make it come loose? Her servant had spent an age ensuring every curl was in place, Emilia would hate it if anything was out of place. It was simply not in her character to look anything less then put together, as a princess of Athenia visiting Taengea.
As it was, she already started her first court function by accidentally spilling wine on who she learned later to be the kingdom's crown prince, and Emilia hoped to Apollo that Persephone wouldn't find out about that little mishap. While he had not spoken to her, someone else had informed her of who the blond haired male was, and Emilia had been stricken when she found out.
A little of the wine had also managed to spill on her sandals, resulting in an uncomfortably sticky residue that, as the dinner went on, Emilia found herself increasingly annoyed with. Finally unable to take the feeling any longer, the princess eventually gave in and excused herself from the table to seek out a place she could perhaps clearn her shoes...
...Except the teenager forgot she was in an unfamiliar home. She had followed the instructions of Lady Evelli, in that she should've taken the steps to head abovestairs, where a small washbasin would be made available for Emilia, but had waved away the offer of an accompanying maid-servant. The brunette could see how busy the household staff were, and did not want to impose - that was what Persephone taught her afterall, and Emilia only wanted to do proud by her sister.
On hindsight however, perhaps taking the assistance would have been a great deal more helpful.
Her brown eyes peered widely around as she tried to find a way back to the dining hall, her slender fingers brushing against walls with one hand, whilst the other held the material of her floor-length chiton up. The princess walked awkwardly, for the wine stain had yet to be cleaned, and at a slow gait, for the dim lighting meant her vision was marred as she walked, not even noticing as she walked into a pillar. Instinctively, Emilia squealed as the impact made her stumble backwards, and then immediately jumping forward to catch a copper plated, carved decorative bowl. Only thing was, Emilia had horrible reflexes, and the princess missed entirely, resulting in said decorative bowl falling with a loud, echoing 'clang' in the hallways.
Nana wasn't quite sure what to make of Princess Emilia just yet. From what she was told of Athenians, they were overall a rather uptight and boring people, and from that, she had no intent to travel to their land to see for herself. Even by Taengean standards Nana was self-indulgent, so it was quite apparent to her that she would not mesh with the Athenian lifestyle. But, the Xanthos princess seemed to not fit that mold. Already she had entertained Nana by spilling wine on the crown prince, and surprisingly, the Leventi approved of her fashion choices. From conversation at the dinner table, and the girl's refusal to waste the time of a servant, Nana could tell she was a sweet girl. Perhaps, Nana thought, she liked this girl.
The blonde's eyes followed the Athenian as she set out with her dearest mother's directions, turning back to her plate once Emilia was out of view. Lamb. Nana stabbed a piece with her knife, quickly bringing it to her mouth and chewing it absentmindedly...it was a bit drier than she would have liked, but she would not complain. Not with a princess in the house, anyway.
The Leventi remained uncharacteristically quiet during the Xanthos's absence, finding her only source of entertainment to be gone. She almost wanted to go after the girl, but of course, that would be strange. At least, that was, until there was a loud clanging noise coming from the hall. That was surely Princess Emilia. Nana shot up from her seat immediately, volunteering herself to help the girl find the washbasin and leaving without a moment's hesitation.
Nana knew the old manor like the back of her hand from living there a great deal of the time, so it didn't take her long at all to figure out where the noise was coming from, exactly, and to track down Emilia. When she spotted her, she greeted the younger girl with a soft smile on her face, and quickly snatched up the bowl, setting it back on its pedestal.
"Are you alright, Princess Emilia? You gave us all quite a start at the table." Oh, no, that sounded patronizing. "Um...have you lost your way, perhaps? I would be more than happy to get you where you need to go, if that's the case." She would also be quite happy to help the girl fix her appearance. Wine stains were not only a pain to get out, but suggested that the wearer might have had a bit too much to drink...Or maybe that was just what people thought of Nana whenever she had a wine stain. Hmm...Well, she didn't care enough to try and find out.
If word got back to Athenia about her atrocious actions this evening, Emilia doubted she would ever live it down. She had came as an emissary sent by her sister, to be a representative of the royal House of Athenia to strenghthen bonds between the two kingdoms, yet if her streak of clumsiness continued, Emilia suspected she'd more then likely break bonds then she would strengthen them.
The young princess had froze like a deer caught in headlights when the loud 'clang' reverberated in the hallways, no doubt heard by everyone in the dining room that she suspected wasn't too far away. Internally, Emilia cursed in a manner entirely too unlady-like to be seen by the public, before scurrying as fast as she could in sticky shoes and panicked movements to retrieve the decorative bowl. She counted her lucky stars and thanked Athena that it had not been ceramic and shattered upon impact, for that would be something Emilia would definitely have to grovel to Persephone about.
Just as she bent down though, as if Dolos himself was laughing at her, her fingers slipped upon the smooth copper surface of the plate, and it swivelled out of her reach.
This time, she hissed a curse. Just as she was straightening up to chase after the wayward fallen decoration however, a pair of delicate feet made their way to the bowl, snatching it up. She followed the path of the bowl, only for her anxiety to spike when she recognized who it was. The Leventi's had a brood of girls, so many beauties that Emilia had spent a week on board her ship from Athenia to Taengea just learning all of their names and ages. Her tutors had informed her before that the Leventi sisters, offspring to Evelli and Georgios of Leventi, were known as the most gorgeous in Taengea, if not the whole of Greece.
And Emilia had no doubt that this was one of them.
Of course, to be reminded that her behavior at the table was less then exemplary had Emilia flushing as she bent her head to try and hide her rosy cheeks, nodding. "I have... quite lost my way, I'm afraid. Not that Lady Evelli's instructions was anything but clear!" she interjected almost too quickly, as if afraid to messing anything else up by accidentally insulting the girl's mother. "But ye-yes, that would be much appreciated."
Silently, as the lady she knew as Nana of Leventi beckoned at her, Emilia would dog her steps towards her chambers, staying silent for the whole way because - really, she can only fit so many feet in her mouth at one time, and it was quite full at the moment already.
Nana couldn't help the giggle that escaped her lips. It wasn't often that Nana was overly sweet with people outside of her family, but the Xanthos princess was just too cute. Sort of like what Nana had hoped for in Imma but never got. The Leventi could only imagine that Emilia was an absolute joy to have as a sister, and felt a bit jealous of Princess Persephone, who had not made the trip from Athenia.
After the blonde calmed herself, she gave the younger girl a sweet smile and closed the distance between them. "There's no need to be overly polite, your highness. I'm all too aware with getting lost in unfamiliar surroundings. Gods know I've gotten lost in this manor countless times. Alright, this way..." Though Mother had only given the Athenian directions to a washbasin, Nana was painfully aware of the wine stain that marred the girl's chiton, and as she was technically a host of the princess, it was not only her moral duty, but also her social obligation to help the poor thing with her dreadful clothing situation. It was a good thing that Nana was an expert at all things fashion.
"I'm not sure that we'll be able to get the wine out so easily, but you can borrow something from me, if you'd like." The blonde led the girl down hallways full of twists and turns, until she finally reached her quarters. Through the doorway was Nana's paradise: a large room furnished with a bed, covered in chitons Nana had thought of wearing for the day, trunks filled to the brim with so many more, and, the most important piece of furniture besides her bed: Nana's prized vanity.
"My washbasin is right over...there," the Leventi pointed to a table next to her vanity, before opening a trunk to rummage through it, "You wash up while I find you something else, your highness." She glanced in the girl's direction and gave her the same sweet smile as before, before turning back to the very important work of helping the girl with her disastrous predicament.
Luckily enough, she had just the chiton in mind. All she had to do was find it and she would be golden. "So, Princess Emilia...How have you enjoyed Taengea so far? I can't imagine that it is anything like Athenia, though I've never been, so I wouldn't know, in all honesty. Ahh, there it is!" Nana pulled a deep green chiton in a similar shade to what the Xanthos princess currently had on. Usually, it was best to avoid showing that there was even a need to change in the first place, so Nana would do her part.
As she held up the garment, she looked to the Athenian with an excited smile on her face, as if she was celebrating a sister's marriage proposal. "Here we go. You can change into this, and I'll personally have a slave work on getting the wine out of yours."
Nana was certain that if she was asked why she was so sweet with the young princess, she wouldn't be able to come up with the right words, but if she really thought about it, perhaps she would say that it was because she saw her almost as a little sister. Princess Emilia was the same age as Imma, of course, so it made sense. But Nana had never been super doting with her little sister: they had much too different interests, and Nana wasn't exactly amused by the girl's messiness. If only Imma cared at all about fashion...perhaps things would have been different. Perhaps she would have been just as doting as she was with Emilia of Xanthos.
The Leventi gingerly put the green chiton on her vanity before opening up another chest and getting right back to work. "Alright, now, sandals..." Emilia of Xanthos
Following demurely behind the young Leventi daughter as they traipsed down the dimmed pathways of the manor, Emilia made sure to keep her eyes on the blonde girl, for she did not want to get in to yet another embarassing situation of losing herself, even if she had a guide this time. Nodding, Emilia knew all too well how difficult it would be to get wine stains, and the shade of her emerald green outfit was not exactly of a dark shade. The stain would show up painfully so, and without proper cleaning, it would be ruined.
When the Leventi girl offered to borrow something of hers however, surprise glimmered in Emilia's eyes as they turned the doorway into a large bedroom. Not taking in the room at first glance however, Emilia quickly and profusely thanked the woman, knowing full well she was likely causing trouble. "Oh, thank you Lady Nana. I do apologize for causing such trouble, despite being a guest in your home.' If anything, Persephone had taught her sister to be a star guest, and Emilia was doing her best not to shame her sister and family name.
Only when Nana pointed out her washbasin, did Emilia turn to take in the rest of the furnished quarters, and a corner of her lip turned up in an appreciative, mildly wondrous smile. Emilia's quarters back home in Athenia was slightly larger, but less colorfully decorated as it was here. There was no doubt that Taengeans were more extravagant in their hues and colors, as opposed to the Athenian's preference for less outspoken shades.
Following the lady's direction, she headed for the washbasin, marvelling at the decor and gilded frames with every step, before she finally got to the washbasin. There, Emilia quickly dipped her fingers in, using the tip of her already-ruined chiton to wipe off the remainder of the wine stains off her ankles, wrists and fingers.
Once done, she turned to take in the room again, watching Nana as she spoke. "Oh, Taengea has been wonderful so far. Athenia is very different, do you know? Despite being neighbors, of course." How could she put it? The people of Taengea, or as much of them as Emilia has met that is, have been so outspokenly cheerful, and quite brazen in their nature, different from the practiced politeness back at home, the kind Emilia had grown up in. "This is my first time away from home as well, so I find myself quite shocked by all the culture, really."
Not sure if the lady had caught her words however, her hazel eyes shined at the deep green chiton, her smile revealing how pleased she was, and that Emilia knew quality when she saw one, her excited smile matching Nana's. The silken material glowed even in the dimmed light, and the girl nodded in grateful acceptance, reaching out to take the material. "I do apologize again for the bother, Lady Nana. But this is a beautiful piece, and I must ask where have did you procure this from? I have some time alotted tomorrow after the chariot racing, and was thinking I would purchase some materials home - my sister would love them." Of course, Emilia woudl too. She would be overjoyed at having so much new material to work with.
Gravitating towards the vanity that the green chiton was placed on, Nana's words had Emilia turning to her with a little gasp, shaking her head as she reached out. "Oh no, my lady, sandals would be way too much. I think mine are still functionable, and I do not wish to trouble you? As it is, I have been way too much trouble as it is." A shy smile blossomed across her lips, as she glanced into the opened chest inadvertantly, and her eyes sparkled again. "Your collection is quite extensive though, Lady Nana. Everything you own is beautiful beyond compare."