Post by Roderich Edelstein on Jul 3, 2012 3:32:06 GMT
Roderich stood in the Main Hall looking mournfully at the locked set of ornate double doors that led to Solus Hall's beautiful and extensive gardens. Well actually he was staring at a sign on the easel by the doorway and cursing his poor memory. It was a rather unremarkable thing in comparison to its grand surroundings. Just a piece of plain white poster board whose worn and slightly rounded corners betrayed the fact that it was the same sign put up every year at this time, notifying visitors in its commanding bold black typeface that The Gardens were 'closed for the day for a private party' and to 'please return tomorrow.' In a much smaller font, guests were entreated to check in at the front desk and then go in by the back gate.
He sighed inwardly, 'Well, there goes my plans for the afternoon.' Although it could have been a government-hosted function that closed down the Gardens today, Roderich doubted it during prime wedding season. He'd put his money on the wedding reception if he were betting. Though he did wonder which family the lucky bride getting married in the Hall Gardens belonged to.
He looked around. Noting that the hall didn't seem as busy today as other times he had visited, excluding a few late-coming vendors who popped in only momentarily to check in, but they were hardly a distraction as the front desk was on the opposite end of the hall from where he now stood. Finally deciding to make the best of it, Roderich picked the unoccupied end of a nearby bench and sat down. He waited a moment and watched, listening to the docent as she led a small group of youth and their teacher around the hall explaining the meaning to the number of stained-glass windows, the mosaics in the floors, and the Latin phrase above the main entrance.
He smiled at one little boy staring up at the tall arching ceiling with its many windows that were carefully placed to so that the incoming light would reflect and refract in the hall the most during the morning sunrise. Though right now it was late afternoon, so the light levels were much lower and nowhere near the rumored early morning blinding levels of intensity or else the young boy wouldn't have been able to see the images of the World Before the Great Flooding in stained glass that he was now staring at mouth agape. Roderich remembered being in that boy's place once and craning his head back as far as it could go to take in the wonder that was The Hall. The memory of that first time seeing it was still there but the emotion of amazement was gone, lost to time and repeated visits. Still he was sure if he were ever able to come just before sunrise he would know what it was like to stand in wonderment like a young boy again.
He shook himself out of his reverie and snuck from the small messenger bag his reason for coming. It was the new copy of the "Little Folk" book that had just come out. He would have preferred to have been sitting on one of the benches in The Gardens, imagining himself as a 'little folk' among the leaves and flowers, but maybe he would be able to get a bit of uninterrupted reading in The Hall as well. Besides, he reasoned, the grand surroundings could be imagined as one of the World Before's grand theatre houses where one group of 'little folk' lived.
He tried to hide the excited smile that threatened to escape into public view as he opened the book and enthusiastically dug into the first chapter.
If you've ever read "The Borrowers" books as they're called in the U.S. or seen the Studio Ghibli Movie "Arrietty" those are the type of 'little folk' I'm referencing. Though the series he is reading would be aimed at older teens or adults, else I doubt Roddy would read it in such a public setting if it was meant for kids.
I was also guessing that The Hall might be similar in design maybe to entrances in some of the more elaborate Western houses of government or maybe like the sanctuary in a modern Catholic church, though probably built with wood, brick, and steel and not out of stone like a cathedral. But I'm just guessing on that as, honestly, those are my frames of references for 'elaborate decorative halls.' I do imagine regardless of the actual shape, since it's open to the public it's definitely heavily decorated with historical images and illustrations of Solusian ideals/philosophies.
In any case, I just wanted to give whoever joins me something to work off of.
He sighed inwardly, 'Well, there goes my plans for the afternoon.' Although it could have been a government-hosted function that closed down the Gardens today, Roderich doubted it during prime wedding season. He'd put his money on the wedding reception if he were betting. Though he did wonder which family the lucky bride getting married in the Hall Gardens belonged to.
He looked around. Noting that the hall didn't seem as busy today as other times he had visited, excluding a few late-coming vendors who popped in only momentarily to check in, but they were hardly a distraction as the front desk was on the opposite end of the hall from where he now stood. Finally deciding to make the best of it, Roderich picked the unoccupied end of a nearby bench and sat down. He waited a moment and watched, listening to the docent as she led a small group of youth and their teacher around the hall explaining the meaning to the number of stained-glass windows, the mosaics in the floors, and the Latin phrase above the main entrance.
He smiled at one little boy staring up at the tall arching ceiling with its many windows that were carefully placed to so that the incoming light would reflect and refract in the hall the most during the morning sunrise. Though right now it was late afternoon, so the light levels were much lower and nowhere near the rumored early morning blinding levels of intensity or else the young boy wouldn't have been able to see the images of the World Before the Great Flooding in stained glass that he was now staring at mouth agape. Roderich remembered being in that boy's place once and craning his head back as far as it could go to take in the wonder that was The Hall. The memory of that first time seeing it was still there but the emotion of amazement was gone, lost to time and repeated visits. Still he was sure if he were ever able to come just before sunrise he would know what it was like to stand in wonderment like a young boy again.
He shook himself out of his reverie and snuck from the small messenger bag his reason for coming. It was the new copy of the "Little Folk" book that had just come out. He would have preferred to have been sitting on one of the benches in The Gardens, imagining himself as a 'little folk' among the leaves and flowers, but maybe he would be able to get a bit of uninterrupted reading in The Hall as well. Besides, he reasoned, the grand surroundings could be imagined as one of the World Before's grand theatre houses where one group of 'little folk' lived.
He tried to hide the excited smile that threatened to escape into public view as he opened the book and enthusiastically dug into the first chapter.
If you've ever read "The Borrowers" books as they're called in the U.S. or seen the Studio Ghibli Movie "Arrietty" those are the type of 'little folk' I'm referencing. Though the series he is reading would be aimed at older teens or adults, else I doubt Roddy would read it in such a public setting if it was meant for kids.
I was also guessing that The Hall might be similar in design maybe to entrances in some of the more elaborate Western houses of government or maybe like the sanctuary in a modern Catholic church, though probably built with wood, brick, and steel and not out of stone like a cathedral. But I'm just guessing on that as, honestly, those are my frames of references for 'elaborate decorative halls.' I do imagine regardless of the actual shape, since it's open to the public it's definitely heavily decorated with historical images and illustrations of Solusian ideals/philosophies.
In any case, I just wanted to give whoever joins me something to work off of.