The Price of Magic

She stood up when he entered the room, out of habit more than anything, people stood when people entered rooms in fancy houses, not normally the ladies, but she wasn't somewhere that she was in her element. In a library? At the University? She may have remained seated, but here, she erred on the side of caution for now -- another country could have so many different social rules than back home, she'd rather look a little silly on her behalf, than to cause unknown offense. Ahh yes, Monsouir Umbra, I am so happy to have been invited, your home is very lovely, and you have all these interesting things within this one room, does your family have them all cataloged for perpetuity?

Lia smiled widely, as he continued, A poison garden you say? Here within the walls of your manor house? Sir, if I didn't know specifically better, I'd say you were trying to flirt. I would love to see this garden, I was told that I shouldn't long for such a garden, it apparently looks poorly on someone of certain social standings, but I've always wanted a garden specifically for tea, and then one for poison. She paused as she raised a brow. Some poisons, their antidote is just their own self again with another agent to prevent or neutralize it's effects. Fascinating stuff, really, when you get into the mechanics of how it works through out the body.

Shut up Lia, the man isn't one of your counterparts here, she chided herself as she moved closer, to be lead along to said gardens. I will promise not to tell you exactly what you should plant next to the items in your garden to help with the various different bugs and things, as I know with the barrier up for the last few years, there are probably whole new ecologies of pests that have come about, especially within a closed environment like such. It's why I wanted two fruiting trees from here, to study how much of a change to the genome happened while your country was walled off from outside influence.

No really, you should let the man get a word in edge wise. One of these days she would listen to her internal monologue and take it's advice.