benefice | high tea

you are most cordially invited to high tea...

the sitting room in which you wait is undoubtedly beautiful, yet there is a wistful emptiness about it. it is quite girlish, but in a way that feels immature; the decor speaks of a young girl's dollhouse, not a noble lady's sitting room. there is a faint scent of flowers in the air, mixed faintly with a sweet smell that cloys to the walls and the furniture.

there are no photos; there is very little in the way of personal touches. then again, it is just a sitting room, it is not meant to be a personal space. all that line the walls are mirrors. upon inspection, it seems the mirrors don't quite reflect right, but it is difficult to say how exactly the reflections differ from reality. the warping of light and perception is so slight... yet there is a palpable difference.

the lady of this house, they say, is a whimsical and mysterious woman. she does this every once in a while, sending for several young adults from neighboring towns and cities and inviting them to tea. if there is any particular criteria for who she sends for, then nobody is quite sure what it is.

what might she want from you?
... but perhaps that's being too suspicious. it is also possible that she's merely lonely, desiring company. you've heard before that some suspect her of being a witch. that's the sort of talk that certainly isolates a person from others. the more rational people in town suggest instead that she is quite ill, and therefore unable to leave the house.

the sitting room is silent, but in the hallway can be heard the sounds of little footsteps. will you go investigate...?