Everyone's A Critic {Medea} [FINISHED]

[LADY CATHERINE DE BOURGH]

Lady Catherine Beatrice de Bourgh was in her element. It had been a few weeks since her last big social gathering, and it was a great pleasure to her to be back in the swing of things, to use a common phrase.

The gala was being held to mark the opening of a gallery of paintings by new, up and coming artists. Lady Catherine and one of her many charitable committees had been instrumental in its funding and helping to get it off the ground and, as such, were being treated with even more deference than usual.

Needless to say, Her Ladyship was enjoying the attention, not to mention the chance to flaunt some of her more expensive (if that were possible) jewellery. Not that the main focus of the event was her, of course, but that wasn't to say she wasn't having fun.

Having donated a rather hefty sum to Doctor Faustus' hospital a week or so previous, Lady Catherine's mood, sombred by her meeting with Roger Davis in Central Park, had returned to its usual level of arrogance, as she felt she'd done her bit, at least for now. She'd do something about the Alphabet City Clinic, she would, but later. She'd planned to get in touch with the late Mayor Plantagenet to see what could be done, and she had her suspicions the new Mayor would not be so inclined to help.

"Lady Catherine de Bourgh!" One of the young artists had approached her, a glass of champagne in hand, an enormous smile on her face. "What an honour it is to see you again. I can't tell you how grateful I am, how grateful we all are, for your continued support."

Her Ladyship waved a perfectly manicured hand, as if to say that it was nothing. And it really wasn't. What was money to her but numbers? She had lots of it and that was all that mattered.

"Think nothing of it, my dear girl," Lady Catherine replied, with a smile of her own at the woman's gushing praise. "Your work is truly inspiring and deserves all the support and credit it receives. I myself was thinking of perhaps buying a piece for the dining hall at Rosings-"

"Would you really?" cried the artist, seemingly unable to contain her excitement. "I mean...you think you would, Your Ladyship?"

Lady Catherine gave a small laugh at the artist's mixture of enthusiasm and deference.

"I think I would indeed. Now I'm sure there are plenty of people waiting to congratulate you on your work...if I were you I'd go and meet them."

"O-Of course! Thank you so much!"

With that the young woman had disappeared off into the elegantly dressed crowd. Lady Catherine shook her head in mild amusement before accepting a glass of champagne from a passing server and taking a delicate sip.

This evening was certainly going well. She only hoped it would continue in that fashion.

[MEDEA KEKELIDZE]

So far, Medea's unexpected stint in New York was going well- or, at least, she felt that it was. A month, perhaps more, had passed since she had landed in America and made a temporary home in the nation's most prolific city. Occasionally, she took odd jobs- a lecture here, a clinical trial there- to keep herself entertained and financially comfortable. Otherwise, she kept to herself.

The lifestyle suited her perfectly. She had just lost her children, after all, and a woman needed space to grieve. Never mind that the children had died by her hand. Their absence still hurt her deeply. Even in this new place, this country they had never set foot in during their brief lives, they were everywhere, in the faces of the children that boarded the long yellow buses for school each day, in the Saturday morning cartoons, in the swings at the park. The memories of them, and of all that had befallen her in Greece and before, were simply inescapable.

Her friends, however, did not approve of her reclusiveness in the least. Always they were dragging her to this event or that party, hoping to make her have more fun. Couldn't they understand that her idea of self-enjoyment was different than theirs- namely, that it did not require public appearances or the flaunting of her status? Curling up on the couch with a hefty stack of books and an oversize tub of rum raisin ice cream made Medea perfectly content.

Had her living arrangements been less dependent on those overly social friends, she would simply have told them off and continued to spend her evenings in secluded peace. Instead, her slightly warped sense of propriety kept her from possibly offending her hosts. This unwilling consideration was directly responsible for her attendance of an art gallery opening one evening.

A feeling of nervousness began to descend upon Medea the moment she stepped into the hall. The only person in the room she knew was the friend she had come with- and, with little more than a hearty pat to her shoulder, he disappeared into the crowd of strangers.

After glancing around the room, Medea wandered over to a particular painting that was hanging on the wall across from her. It was one of those abstract, "guess for yourself" pieces, which Medea stared at blankly with her head tilted to one side for some time. The splashes of red against oranges and golds reminded her of a scene she was not happy to have recalled.

She turned to the right and found herself facing another painting, one of a large, billowy field, and two young boys running among the tall stalks of grass. Blinking quickly, she spun on her heels and nearly crashed into a passing server.

"Oh- I'm so sorry!" Medea reached for the server's shoulders, to keep both of them from falling backward- then removed her hands quickly, as if the contact had shocked and repelled her. The server mumbled a reply and turned away, but not before Medea snagged a glass of champagne from his tray. She lifted the glass to her lips with a shaking hand; what she had meant as a casual sip actually became a desperate swig of the alcoholic beverage. She really could not have been any more out of her element. What was she doing here again?

[LADY CATHERINE DE BOURGH]

Having shaken off the young artist, in a fashion, Lady Catherine had returned her attention to her champagne. She looked up from her glass, however, as a newcomer entered the hall. Her Ladyship was a in a prime position to observe this, standing opposite the doors.

Unless she was very much mistaken, and she rarely was, this woman had been mentioned in a short piece in the Times awhile back. Despite this useful piece of information, Her Ladyship couldn't recall just why she had been a feature of the Times' articles.

She continued to observe the woman for lack of something more interesting to occupy her time,as she tried to puzzle out just how she came to recognize who she was. As she watched the woman first bump into one of the servers and then take a hasty swig of the champagne, however, Her Ladyship became less inclined to find out; clearly this woman was not used to these sort of events and therefore wasn't really worth taking the time to make an acquaintance of.

Despite this, Lady Catherine was here on behalf of a charitable committee. She really ought to act in a charitable manner, if only to keep up good appearances and reputations.

This in mind Her Ladyship approached the woman she had been subtly observing, a concerned expression on her face.

"Are you quite alright?" she asked.


ooc: Fail post is fail. Stupid jetlag. -____- Sorry Jaime! D:

[MEDEA KEKELIDZE]

Had Medea been fully conscious of the self-image she was projecting, she would have been horrified to learn that someone had actually seen her bump into the server and guzzle the wine. But her thoughts were on paintings and children and death, and the temporary relief of the cold champagne. The woman's voice startled her so much that she jumped slightly.

"Are you quite alright?"

Whoever this woman was, she seemed right at home among the crowd of gallery guests. Medea envied her that. With a small sigh, Medea worked up a smile. The woman was apparently being friendly, and Medea appreciated that. Besides, she was a lovely distraction from the other little images flitting through Medea's mind.

"I'm fine, madame. Thank you."

It was a shame Medea had not been paying more attention to the media, as she might have recognized Her Ladyship, and addressed her according to her proper title. She might also have realized that giving her own name in this crowd was probably not the best idea. Still, she felt she needed to socialize and, left to her own devices, had very little idea how to accomplish that.

"I'm Medea," she stated, extending her hand toward the woman. "Medea Kekelidze. Pleased to meet you."

[LADY CATHERINE DE BOURGH]

Her Ladyship was quick to notice the other woman's response to her query; her jumpiness and the time it took to work up a smile. Ordinarily she may have been somewhat irritated by this but as things stood she wasn't all that bothered. The woman was probably still recovering from the incident.

"I'm fine, madame. Thank you."

Another thing to add to the list of things Lady Catherine would ordinarily be furious about, but was not under the circumstances. This wasn't entirely true...her title mattered a great deal to her whatever mood she was in. It was an integral part of who she was, despite the fact she only acquired it through marriage. Despite this, she knew now was not the time nor place to get het up about it; it was only due to this thought that she managed not to go off on her usual tirade.

"I'm Medea, Medea Kekelidze. Pleased to meet you."

As the woman, Medea, extended her hand to Lady Catherine, Her Ladyship shook it with her usual mixture of dignity and firmness. She may have been a high born lady but this didn't mean she was as frail and delicate as the words seemed to suggest.

"The same to you, Miss Kekelidze. You know who I am, I presume?"

[MEDEA KEKELIDZE]

The woman shook Medea's hand with a firm grip. Medea's own grasp was a bit weaker than she would usually have offered. She was still feeling a bit dazed by the room and the paintings and the collision with the server.

However, she could not blame her confusion for her difficulty remembering who this woman was. She had to be someone of importance, which meant her friends most certainly had mentioned the woman before. Who had they spoken to Medea about when she had agreed to attend this gallery opening? Medea thought fast, but nothing came to mind. Something.... maybe Cris... Cro.... Cra... Ca... Ce....

She blinked and decided that guessing at syllables was not going to help her at all. She needed to deflect the question- quickly. A perceptive woman would already have begun to assume that Medea had no clue who she was.

"Why, of course. I'd hardly be prepared to attend this event tonight if I hadn't already been made aware that a distinguished personage such as yourself would be present." She smiled brightly, but not without a hint of nervousness. "How have you been? You look wonderful this evening."

Medea was hoping, or perhaps gambling, that the woman's response would give her some clue as to who she was. If only she had paid more attention!

[LADY CATHERINE DE BOURGH]

"Why, of course. I'd hardly be prepared to attend this event tonight if I hadn't already been made aware that a distinguished personage such as yourself would be present."

Luckily for Medea, Her Ladyship hadn't noticed the time it had taken her to answer the question, so intent was she on the compliments her answer contained. She smiled widely and released the other woman's hand before making her reply.

"True," she said, her smile still present as she spoke. "Very true."

"How have you been? You look wonderful this evening."

Well, of course she did. But it was nice to be reminded of the fact.

"Why thank you Miss Kekelidze, and the same to you. I must admit I have been better; helping to orgnaize an event such as this is much more taxing than it would first appear. But then again, if there's one thing the family of de Bourgh does well it's doing good deeds for charitable causes. Might I inquire as to your reason for attending? Are you part of a similar organization as my own, or are you simply an art lover?"

[MEDEA KEKELIDZE]

There had to be some sort of luck, or Providence, looking out for Medea that night, for the older woman did not seem to notice Medea's dodging of- or, rather, careening around- the matter of identifying her. Or perhaps Medea was simply that clever. She had been called "clever" often, though lately she had been feeling far from that. It must have been an effect of living in a new, unfamiliar land.

The woman smiled warmly, a gesture that helped Medea feel more at ease. Inwardly, Medea braced herself for an onslaught of personal questions- but, fortunately, the woman was of the sort that preferred to talk about themselves.

"...But then again, if there's one thing the family of de Bourgh does well it's doing good deeds for charitable causes."

If Medea's smile grew slightly wider midway through the woman's reply, it was simply because the response had given Medea just what she needed to preserve her little farce. The woman was Lady Catherine de Bourgh, one of the sponsors of the gallery opening. Her name had most certainly come up before; Medea had just not exactly remembered it.

"Might I inquire as to your reason for attending? Are you part of a similar organization as my own, or are you simply an art lover?"

Now that was a question Medea could handle. She had given various watered-down histories of herself so many times that they were beginning to feel like the whole truth, while she was saying it at least. "I am involved in several charitable organizations, just not any here yet. I only arrived in the States a month or so ago." She smiled as she told the woman this, as if there was totally nothing untoward behind her reasons for being in America; and indeed, her voice was laced with the hint of an English lilt, as she had refined her English while studying at the University of Surrey.

"I was offered a job here, which I accepted." The way she made this statement might have implied that the job was the reason for her relocation, rather than a consequence of it. It wasn't a lie, exactly- Medea hated lying. But sometimes one had to do things in order to avoid complications later.

To complete her answer, Medea continued, "As for being here, a friend of mine brought me along, probably hoping to introduce me to some more influential people." She laughed lightly. "In any case, his plan seems to have worked- one embarrassing collision too late, perhaps."

She did mean the comment as a self-deprecating sort of compliment to Lady Catherine. Despite her earlier missteps, Medea did feel more comfortable than she had before.

"I do love art as well. The pieces here are... extraordinary." Her smile faltered for only a moment. "Your effort in putting this evening together certainly appears to have been worth it."

[LADY CATHERINE DE BOURGH]

"I am involved in several charitable organizations, just not any here yet. I only arrived in the States a month or so ago."

"Really now?" Her Ladyship replied, her smile growing as did the interest in her voice. "Well, isn't that something." She would have inquired as to what brought her companion to America but before she could do so Medea continued answering her previous queries.

"I was offered a job here, which I accepted."

That explained that then, Lady Catherine thought.

"As for being here, a friend of mine brought me along, probably hoping to introduce me to some more influential people. In any case, his plan seems to have worked- one embarrassing collision too late, perhaps."

Lady Catherine laughed as Medeadid, although a degree more heartily. Whoever this friend of hers was had a good head on his shoulders, knowing she was one of the most influential people in this city. Then again, why wouldn't he know?

"Perhaps, but that can be overlooked," Her Ladyship replied, her laughter having subsided. "We all make mistakes, you know, even I." This was said in a tone which clearly indicated Her Ladyship was not used to making mistakes.

"I do love art as well. The pieces here are... extraordinary. Your effort in putting this evening together certainly appears to have been worth it."

Contrary to popular belife that Her Ladyship only saw what she wanted to see, she had noticed the smile falter on Medea's face. However, she chose not to comment on it, simply saying instead;

"Why thank you, Miss Kekelidze. I fel the same way myself. Now, if you don't mind my asking, which job were you offered here that you chose to accept?"

Her Ladyship was curious, admittedly. She liked to be seen talking to the right sort of people. She had her honourable reputation to maintain, after all.

[MEDEA KEKELIDZE]

Lady de Bourgh, as Medea had now identified her, seemed content with Medea's responses. The woman even laughed, perhaps most impressed by Medea's allusion to her level of influence. Her Ladyship clearly had a huge ego, which was not a bad thing. In fact, it was the thing that had just saved Medea from certain embarrassment and shunning.

Possibly in an attempt to help her feel better, Her Ladyship commiserated on the subject of failing, while somehow managing to implicitly assert that she made fewer mistakes than the average person. At the moment, Medea was inclined to agree. She went on to pose the question that most logically followed the current line of conversation:

Now, if you don't mind my asking, which job were you offered here that you chose to accept?"

Medea was not sure how Her Ladyship would respond to the specifics of Medea's work. Of the upper classes, she had so far found that most people were impressed by her job title and the enormous amount of money she made, but others found her employer undesirable, on principle. She could never tell until after she had told them.

She'd just have to be honest. Here went nothing.

"I'm a study director for a large pharmaceutical company. I conduct tests on the new medications the company designs." She spoke with a very faint smile, as though she were happy with her job but was not the sort to flaunt it. Besides, she didn't want to come off as insensitive or anything, having taken a job in an industry so often portrayed as quite insensitive itself.



[ooc- sorry for the late, lackluster post. Things have been kinda crappy for me this week.]

[LADY CATHERINE DE BOURGH]

"I'm a study director for a large pharmaceutical company. I conduct tests on the new medications the company designs."

Medea smiled as she said this, but Her Ladyship was unsure whether or not to smile back. It wasn't as though she was oppossed to pharamceutical companies themselves, no, it was for a far more trivial reason.

Her Ladyship wasn't all too well acquainted with the knowledge of such companies that, in her opinion, the current thread of conversation seemed to require. And she wasn't one to make herself look a fool, as previously stated.

"That sounds quite fascinating I must say, Miss Kekelidze," Lady Catherine replied, smiling at last. "And might I ask how you are enjoying your time here in New York...aside from the satisfaction you take from your job that is. I take it things here are very different to Greece."

Her Ladyship wasn't trying to be rude, merely steer the conversation away from science. It hadsn't occurred to her that her inquiries might not be appreciated.




ooc: That's perfectly fine my dear; here's hoping things get better for you soon. :3 It's my turn to apologize now. Sorry this is late! D:

[MEDEA KEKELIDZE]

A tense moment passed before Lady de Bourgh responded to Medea's remark on her current occupation. When she did, Medea inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed she would not be persecuted for her choice of career this evening. In fact, Her Ladyship was gracious enough to even change the subject completely.

"I'm enjoying New York," Medea said politely, though she had not done much more than laze about her host's living room, show up at work when she was called, and attend an event or give a lecture here and there. At least, that method of living was preferable to being dead or jailed in Greece or Georgia.

"Things in Greece are less different than one may expect. Same political ludicrousness." The last bit of that statement came out more bitterly than she had intended. She corrected herself quickly. "Culturally, it is a bit of a change, but since I have lived abroad quite extensively, it has not been too much of a problem for me." She smiled again, having regained control over the less than cordial thoughts and memories flitting through her mind at the mention of her past home.

"Do you travel often, Your Ladyship?" Medea asked pleasantly, hoping to turn the conversation once again, away from her this time.

[LADY CATHERINE DE BOURGH]

"I'm enjoying New York,"

At Medea's reply Her Ladyship's smile grew, glad not only that her companion was, but that she had steered off the conversation on her job as Catherine had wished her to do. That and she didn't seem to have taken her inquiries the wrong way, as she might have done.

"I'm very glad to hear it," Her Ladyship replied, words punctated by a delicate sip from the glass of champagne in her hand.

"Things in Greece are less different than one may expect. Same political ludicrousness."

At this comment Lady Catherine gave a small laugh, raising her eyebrows.

"Political ludicrousness?" she repeated, smile still playing about her face. "What on Earth do you mean by that? You don't mean to say you dislike the system of government we have here in this fair city?"

"Culturally, it is a bit of a change, but since I have lived abroad quite extensively, it has not been too much of a problem for me."

To this Her Ladyship made no reply other than a brief nod, so curious was she as to just what Medea had been implying with her comment before. What was the situation like for her in Greece? Undoubtedly it had something to do with her coming to New York...

Lady Catherine was one of those individuals who is naturally nosy and inclined to know everything about someone before she would even dare call them a passing acquaintance (such was her reputation) and this was exemplified in her attitude towards Medea.

"Do you travel often, Your Ladyship?"

Lady Catherine laughed again, though more fully this time.

"Not very often, indeed, hardly ever as of late," she said. "What reason should I have to do so; all I could ever need or require is here!"

[MEDEA KEKELIDZE]

"Political ludicrousness? What on Earth do you mean by that? You don't mean to say you dislike the system of government we have here in this fair city?"

Medea gave a wide smile and prepared to backpedal a bit. She had not meant to insult the whole government and whatnot, though she had never been a fan of politics. Her father had been a politician, and a tough one at that. The fighting sort, the type to sling mud at his opponents unabashedly. She found it all quite useless, really.

"No, no, not at all." She tilted her head slightly. "The government here does excellent work, as far as I can tell so far. I only meant that the antics- the dealings that occur sometimes in the name of politics can be a bit vexatious to me. The promises, the accusations among opponents. And so forth."

She took a quick sip of champagne. "But I don't mean to drag on and on about politics this evening. We're surrounded by too much beauty to dwell on troublesome topics."

The gallery opening did seem to be doing well, as the people around them stopped to look at many of the works of art on display, though naturally most of those in attendance were intent on socializing and being seen.

"Not very often, indeed, hardly ever as of late. What reason should I have to do so; all I could ever need or require is here!"

Medea's smile widened and she gave a hearty laugh, not the sort of laugh that meant she was amused by something, but the sort that represented appreciation for a well phrased remark- and the sort that was designed to hide the sudden pang of sadness that struck Medea's heart as Lady de Bourgh uttered those thoughtful words. It really was a beautiful statement to make about a place. Medea had felt that way before, about Georgia, and then about Greece. Perhaps New York would grow on her that way as well.

"Beautifully said, Your Ladyship. Beautiful." Her eyes sparkled, though with tears. "I look forward to saying that about a city someday. Perhaps it will be this one."

[LADY CATHERINE DE BOURGH]

"No, no, not at all. The government here does excellent work, as far as I can tell so far. I only meant that the antics- the dealings that occur sometimes in the name of politics can be a bit vexatious to me. The promises, the accusations among opponents. And so forth."

"Ah..I see," Lady Catherine replied with a small smile.

"But I don't mean to drag on and on about politics this evening. We're surrounded by too much beauty to dwell on troublesome topics."

"You make a very fair point, a very fair point indeed," Her Ladyship said, then, in an undertone, "And to be perfectly honest I'm not all to fond of politics myself."

However, it was Medea's response to Lady Catherine's last statement that amzed her. She pronounced her simple phrase as beautiful, and Her Ladyship noticed her companion's eyes were shining with tears.

"I hope you shall be able to do so," Lady Catherine said. Then, slightly more hesitantly- "Are you...quite alright, Miss Kekelidze?"