(2/1/02)
It is.. -Strange- to get an urgent message from home. Entirely so. Especially in such.. -vague- terms. An unknown country, and unknown person, an unknown message.. It was enough to make Margie entirely confused, and enough to make her rather wary. There's such a point, after all, where too little information tends to tempt the imagination to fill the rest in... And that tends to make one.. Worry. And wonder just -why- so much was left out and just -what- is going on. And the young Holy Mother has been pondering this issue ever since she recieved the letter, not quite knowing what to make of it at all. And that is likely why she is sitting here, idly tapping her finger against the envelope which holds that odd message from Nisan. Looking every inch as indecisive as she feels.
The door to the area opens with a soft hiss of hydraulics, and Sigurd enters, looking rather worn out and a little worried, though not as worried, it seems, as his young charge. Sigurd perceives an aura of indecision thick enough to cut with a knife hovering around Margie, and frowns slightly, before crossing the room to stand beside Margie, cocking a worried silver head. "Do you mind if I join you, Miss Marguerite?" is all he says.
Hm? Oh.. Margie nearly missed Sigurd's entrance there for a moment, so.. Distracted she is right now. What to do about this, after all..? There was something.. unsettling about being given annonymous requests to go home.. And yet something very necessary about it all. She could hardly shun her duties to Nisan on the sake of paranoia, and yet... Erk. No, no, no. The mind tended to grab issues like this and run off on wild and unnecessary tangents, neeldessly worrying and irrationally concerned. Which is why she takes a moment to glance up to Sigurd.. But a polite, if not a touch distracted, smile of greeting is there nonetheless, "Oh, good afternoon, Sigurd. And.. Not at all, of course." She stills the nervous tapping on the envelope before her at that. Trying to look a little less.. muddled over this issue than she is. Although that does surprisingly little good when one is dealing with an empath, doesn't it?
Sigurd cocks a rather disbelieving silver brow, but doesn't attempt to press the issue right away, merely taking a seat across from Margie and laying his slender hands on the table. A small pause ensues as Sigurd takes a moment to soak in surrounding emotions and filter out the stale ones; just so he won't get confused later. Empathic abilities... such a blessing sometimes, and such a curse. But judging from the level of muddledness he perceiving emanating from Margie, he certainly wouldn't want to walk into a roomful of people that felt just like her. Sigurd's piercing blue gaze remains on Margie as he finally ventures, "Is something... troubling you?"
Something.. troubling her? As serious a word as 'troubling' is, that might just be very applicable to the moment. Although she's more just.. Confused. And indecisive. And therefore, rather wary. Which, ah.. No, wouldn't be a very fun amount of emotions to have to blink at. And yet, still, Margie looks a little taken aback to realize that it's apparently so.. -Obvious-. Ah, instinctive reactions before common sense. Even though she grants a rather distracted smile after it. The sort of 'no reason to worry' look. "It's all right, honestly. I'm just a little.. Confused, really, about a message I recieved from Sister Agnes.." She touches the letter she's been fretting at for the last few minutes lightly, as if to point out exactly what she was talking about, "It.. I just don't really know what to make of it, is all."
Ah, those no-reason-to-worry looks. Never believe them. -Never-. Sigurd could have told you that even if he hadn't had empathic abilities and twelve years of child-raising experience. But a message? Sigurd looks concerned now. "May I... see it, Marguerite?" Confusing messages aren't good at all. Some of the only reasons Margie would fret about a message is if she were uncertain that the contents were free of any risk, or if she was faced with something unfamiliar. And Margie was emanating wariness, too, come to think of it... None of this was very attractive to the worried guardian. But why would a message be sent to Nisan? Currently Nisan wasn't doing anything earth-shattering, nor was it involved in any major world politics. Well, that was the way it usually was, but... Sigurd's brow knits slightly with a faint edge of suspicion as he eyes the letter.
That's just it, though! Nisan wasn't doing -anything- right now.. At all, in the least. In fact, it was doing just a good a job as ever in looking as innocent and peaceful as it usually did. And that made it.. Strange, very strange, to get an offer like this. Although Margie blinks mildy, nodding as she slides the letter towards him mildly, "Of course you may. It's just..." A small frown there, "Strange. I'd certainly like to hear your opinions on it. Because I personally don't know what to do at all..." She wants to do what's right for Nisan. That much is blatantly obvious, and likely entirely predictable. And yet, at the same time.. She -knows- that something is rather wrong with this entire instance.
Sigurd scans the letter quickly, 'request an audience with the Holy Mother...', 'strange foreign country'... Hmph. Strange foreign country, eh? Sigurd knows of a few countries that would definitely count as 'strange' and 'foreign', and both are pretty dangerous to deal with. A single jeweled blue eye narrows in response to the letter, and he slowly lays it down on the table. "Miss Marguerite, an ambassador has requested an audience with you. I would not advise you to refuse, for there is as good a chance that this will be a favorable encounter as there is for it to be an unfavorable one. And besides, it is diplomatically correct; offense may be taken if we do not grant audience, and we want no one to be offended at us." He frowns slightly. "But I am concerned that there is no mention of who this is, or what country he or she represents. I believe you should grant an audience, in the hope that this encounter is a friendly advance that we can benefit from..." here Sigurd leans forward intently, "but I would wish to be present when you meet; I do not want you to have an audience with unknowns alone." The weight of the energy whip, accentuated by its owner's abrupt motion, suddenly seems -very- reassuring to its wielder.
There is a particular reassurance, at least, in someone giving you advice on what to do. Especially when coming to a decision alone seemed harder than it ought to be. And Margie listens attentively before she grants a mild nod. She is not even really bothering at this point to conceal the wariness and the confusion from her young features.. Although they are muted yet. "That.. is about what I was thinking. I know it would hardly be right for me to just avoid this altogether... This ambassador might, after all, have to tell me something very important.. But.." But, propriety aside.. Margie is worried. This much is blatantly obvious. And a small frown frets at her features then as the need for obligation to her country steps aside for a moment to allow her to fret more aloud, "..At the same point, this person gave no note of who the ambassador was, what they wanted, why they wished to talk to me or where they're from. That.. worries me." And yet.. To his offer? Margie pauses a little at that. That is an appealing idea, isn't it? Perhaps it wouldn't be nearly as hostile if people she knew were there, and yet... Regardless to that, she still says, "I wouldn't want to be a bother... After all, I might simply be overreacting entirely over this."
Sigurd scoffs slightly. "Be a bother, Miss Marguerite? If you grant this audience, I will -demand- to be present to ensure your safety." ::Yep. Mr. Energy Whip's going to be coming with me too, albeit under my cloak...:: "And it is not an overreaction; your worries are perfectly legitimate. But is there really something you can do to discover the ambassador's identity, or what they want, or where they are from, unless you go spying on them or get further information from them? I do not recommend spying- too much risk- and further information doesn't seem to be forthcoming. You cannot keep worrying about things that are not changeable." Sigurd leans back again, lounging his full length in the chair. "And besides, I will be there to help you, if you will have me, Marguerite."