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Post by Deleted on Nov 9, 2022 21:08:38 GMT
eloise & tessa.  Even Eloise didn't actually know what she intended to achieve from her little excursion to the Academy, but it wasn't as if she had anything to lose anymore – she'd done enough lately, been to enough places she shouldn't go, unchaperoned, and at least this time she wouldn't be at a rally in Bloomsbury. What could be said of her this time, that hadn't already been said? Perhaps Benedict wouldn't be best pleased, if he knew what she was intending to do, but the whole point was to do this for him. They'd always been close, and for whatever reason, she felt like this was something she had to do.Benedict had been the one who chose to leave, when he'd learnt of Anthony's donation; he was the one who'd told her he was an imposter, even after she'd encouraged him to be bold and pursue his artistic dreams...now, she should probably talk to him, tell him to stick at it, prove his worth, that it had nothing to do with the money, and everything to do with the talent he possessed. Instead, she'd once again jumped in a carriage, and headed off without informing a soul. All the pin money in the world couldn't have convinced whoever was in charge to speak to an eighteen year old girl. She may have been from a noble family, one who had already made a rather sizable donation, but she was still a woman. Even around creative, artsy sorts, it didn't seem to make a difference. A frustrated groan left Eloise's lips, as she turned, arms folding across her chest. In a building that seemed to be full of men, she felt out of place – until she came face to face with Tessa. Given that she was a woman in a place of education, Eloise was going to assume she wasn't a student. Given that she still couldn't attend university, simply because she was a woman, she was going to assume art school was exactly the same. "Do you work here?"[attr="class","mizocredit"] [newclass=.mizocredit a]font:bold 6pt calibri;letter-spacing:1px;color:#b5d1f1;[/newclass] |
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Post by Tessa Follett on Nov 9, 2022 21:30:19 GMT
Don't you think it odd that a woman was sitting so precariously close to a lecture hall of an academy? Or that that same woman would be staring down into a sketchpad and scribling furiously as a low baritone voice boomed from the room. Of course it is odd. But Tessa didn't do odd, she merely did whatever she needed to get ahead in a patriarchal world. Even if it meant sitting on a cold stone benchway in a cold corridor to listen in on a class. She didn't mind the glances, as most often it was other students who had seen her at her most vulnerable and thought nothing of her presence here. She was deep in thought, before hearing the class end and she hastily gathered up her charcoals and her pad and stood to straight her gown. That was when she heard the groan of another woman, so closeby, and she lifted her gaze to meet that of Eloise, who looked like she felt as out of place as they both really were.
Tessa chuckled and smiled when Eloise asked if she worked here, she was a smart one that was for sure. Tessa nodded, standing up far straighter now that she had straightened out her dress. "More or less. I model for the classes." She responded, she did get paid for it, though minimally and she got the lectures out of it as well which was worth every glance and every stare (though she did feel powerful, to know that her body was mezmerizing). "I'm Tessa, who might you be?" She asked, curious, as you didn't see many females here who weren't here to disrobe for hungry eyes.
@eloisebridgerton |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 9, 2022 21:40:03 GMT
eloise & tessa. If the opportunity were presented to her, Eloise would do exactly that outside of any lecture hall. University was her biggest dream, even more than travelling or publishing – she wanted to be able to learn, to keep learning, to have the same rights her brothers did. They were able to attend Eton, and university, while she had been stuck in a room with a governess throughout her childhood, learning things that seldom satisfied or nurtured her mind. Perhaps university wouldn't be all she hoped for it to be, perhaps she wouldn't get to learn as much as she hoped...but she had big dreams. Blue eyes cautiously watched the young woman, the way she seemed to be writing, as someone spoke on the other side of the door. Interesting, that was for certain. Eloise was no fool, she'd spent long enough chasing Lady Whistledown, was good at noticing things, even things she shouldn't. Still, she'd deal with that curious notion in a moment."Eloise Bridgerton," she offered, never one to hold back with the introductions, even when perhaps she should. Using her full name meant it was more likely to get back to her brother, but given that Benedict had dropped out...what were the chances of him speaking to any of these people again, unless her little ploy worked, and he came back. "I need to speak to – someone. It is about my brother." [attr="class","mizocredit"] [newclass=.mizocredit a]font:bold 6pt calibri;letter-spacing:1px;color:#b5d1f1;[/newclass] |
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Post by Tessa Follett on Nov 9, 2022 21:56:33 GMT
This girl was quite forward and assertive, and Tessa really enjoyed that aspect upon a first meeting. So often the women she met around London were so soft spoken and delicate, staying in their lanes as they'd always been told, and not aspiring to anything higher than being a young woman on the arm of a man. Oh it for certain wasn't something Tessa knew that one day she would want, but to clambor for it and yearn for it in a way that wild animals yearn for each other during season? It just seemed, well, a bit silly. Tessa rather enjoyed having her own personality and not being 'just a woman'. Having her own dreams of betterment and not complacency. But when she heard her, finally, utter Bridgerton and then proclaiming a need to talk to someone here, at the art academy, about her brother, her heart did indeed skip a beat. "Your brother is Benedict?" She asked, quick and taking Eloise by the hand to begin walking towards, well the place that she wanted to go to speak. "Has something happened?" She asked, obviously knowing that he had left the school, much to her dismay, but in a protective fashion she wanted to make sure his head was still on straight.
"Truthfully, the men of this establishment will no doubt ignore you or just not deign to speak with you." She said, with a bit of an irritated harumpf at the end of her sentence. She tried to lead her through the crowds, through the halls, to where the president and his cabinet no doubt would be at that moment. "They haven't yet grasped the concept of equality, even if two founders were women." Her favorite factoid in the long standing battle of being permitted to become a student.
@eloisebridgerton |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 9, 2022 22:05:52 GMT
eloise & tessa. Were she discussing any of her other brothers, she might have been surprised that Tessa knew him, especially by name – but this was Benedict, and it wasn't really so surprising. He'd always supported her, seemed to get along better with her and the household staff than the other gentlemen of the ton. That wasn't to say he avoided them entirely, or wouldn't socialise with them as necessary, but she was hardly surprised to see he'd gotten to know a pretty girl – she had been aware, after all, of his little affair with Genevieve Delacroix. When the other woman took her hand, Eloise allowed her to take the lead – were she a man, she'd have pulled away immediately, but this was different. They were the only two people she'd seen in that building who were on the same level, they'd have to stick together. "No. Not exactly. I simply wished to come and see what I could do about him choosing to leave. He made a mistake. Anthony meant well, I am certain, but Benedict, he – well, I think he has a hard time believing he is any good. He refuses to see his own talent, even when he is the one in the position to actually go out there and use it."If only she could do that. Not art, she'd never excelled like he did, but with her words. At the mention of women who were founders, Eloise glanced sharply up, her gaze locking on Tessa's. So few women seemed to feel the same way she did, aside from those she'd seen from afar at the rallies. "That is something you are interested in? Equality? I have been desperate to attend university for as long as I can remember...but of course, I cannot, because I am a woman. Benedict had such a wonderful opportunity here – one cannot help but wonder why he would throw that away." [attr="class","mizocredit"] [newclass=.mizocredit a]font:bold 6pt calibri;letter-spacing:1px;color:#b5d1f1;[/newclass] |
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Post by Tessa Follett on Nov 9, 2022 22:22:50 GMT
Tessa listened to the intent that Eloise had in coming to the academy, all for the sake of trying to heal the burden that her brother felt with the academy. The words she spoke rang true, too often, even before word of his brother's donation destroyed whatever confidence he had in his skills, that Tessa would have to praise his works and point out the skill in the pictures and the paintings. The brilliant works of art that he'd create that he couldn't see from the outside. She thought that Eloise was quite gallant in a way most men were made to act, wanting to speak with someone about his departure and see what she could do to light the fire beneath him again. "I admire that quality you have there." She said as she slowed as they neared the offices. "The loyalty and the determination. Don't lose that." She chuckled. Please, just do not lose the light and the fight in the your eyes, she'd think to herself.
Her next questions and comments made Tessa tilt her head in curiosity. Did she have an interest in it? "Of course. I want to be my own person and not what society believes I should be." She responded, as bewildered by Eloise and her affirmations of woman power, as she was sure Eloise was herself. When Eloise spoke of having wanted to attend university but not being afford the opportunity because she was born a female, she shook her head. "It's a shame, that time is wasted on boys who have no sense of direction rather than a woman who has the resolve to pull through." She commented, finding her new found company to be rather enjoyable, as she halted to carry on this discussion. "I do what I can. It's why I model for the boys. So I can retain the lessons to use at the end." And she winked.
@eloisebridgerton
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Post by Deleted on Nov 10, 2022 12:26:30 GMT
eloise & tessa. It was truly a shame that more people didn’t think the way they did, especially those Eloise spent the majority of her time around. It stood to reason that most women should want the same rights that the men had, and yet most seemed positively scandalised that she dare insinuate she wanted such a thing. Seeking education and the ability to travel didn’t make her some sort of pariah, and yet everyone acted like it was the worst thing she could possibly have done. Much like spinsterhood — something else which honestly appealed to Eloise, given the alternative — her new round status as a supposed ‘political radical’ was treated like some terrible fate. Nothing about it made sense.
Tessa, however, made perfect sense. Eloise could see her older brother getting along well with her, though it seemed he was unlikely to ever see her again. He had, after all, given up and admitted defeat. It was quite heartbreaking to see someone who could actually chase their dream simply throwing it away. If she were able to go after hers, she would have grabbed it with both hands, even if her older brother chose to interfere.
”I’m impressed. I would never be able to do the same — I’m not even permitted to show my ankles in public now I’m out in society,” she scoffed. It was rather ridiculous to think anyone would be looking, but she hardly made the rules…she was simply expected to follow them, though she mostly refused. “Art isn’t my passion, regardless. I wish to write. I have so many ideas, and yet there is nothing I can do with them. I’m certain many of the ‘gentlemen’ who attend Oxford and Cambridge only do so because it is expected of them. Why shouldn’t we be able to learn when he truly wish to? I would have thought an academy like this would be more…open to change. Is there truly nobody who is willing to listen, even here?” [attr="class","mizocredit"] [newclass=.mizocredit a]font:bold 6pt calibri;letter-spacing:1px;color:#b5d1f1;[/newclass] |
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Post by Tessa Follett on Nov 10, 2022 23:13:15 GMT
Out in society? She forgot for a moment that seemed to be the fate of the upper class. To be paraded around to the other nobles and put up on a pedestal to become eye candy for the men of the 'Ton. She was grateful that her upbringing included mucking stalls and running through fields barefoot rather than dolled up in exquisite dresses and walking straight and tall. And she rather enjoyed the fact that despite being in this upper class society, Eloise Bridgerton seemed to not want anything to do with it. How refreshing, as even the women she'd find 'down here' in the middle and lower classes still dreamed of that lifestyle. If she were ever to be put in that situation, there would be a lot of mourning, like the hypocrit she could be.
All Tessa could do was merely shrug. If anyone would be at least willing to let a couple of women plead a case, that would be the current headmaster, of which she took them outside his office door. She nodded her head towards it when she asked if there was anyone willing to listen. "This would be him. Perhaps because we are talking about a man he will listen better to reason." Was all she said, before brushing off her dress. "How is it you want to go about this?" Tessa asked simply, because they'd need a plan to gain any sort of chance.
@eloisebridgerton |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 12, 2022 14:11:26 GMT
eloise & tessa. While a part of her would have been quite happy to sit outside of the lecture hall to listen in for some time, solely because it was a former of learning (even if her interest in art wasn't all that great – it was still something, still beat out the other opportunities she got for education), that wasn't why she was here, and she was grateful that Tessa was at least willing to try and help her. The headmaster's office, she knew, was where she needed to be; the best opportunity she had.
There was truly little she could actually say to fix this, but that wasn't going to stop her from trying. Benedict was the one to walk away from the academy, to decide he couldn't possibly be worthy of his place, and it would have made far more sense for her to give him another speech about being bold, and taking the opportunities afforded to him...and she would, she'd say all that. After. It would mean far more if someone from the school reached out, she was certain, and though this was as meddlesome as what Anthony had done – at least there was no money involved.
"In all honesty, I'd hardly thought that far ahead. I am well aware Benedict is the one who chose to leave, but it was a mistake. Anthony may have donated to the academy, but you have seen his art, I assume? He is talented. Perhaps he'd believe it if the headmaster himself reached out to him..." And what was she supposed to say to the gentleman? That he should send a letter, beg him to come back? Unless more money was involved, why would he bother? "Of all my siblings, I know he is the one who would fight for me. I owe him the same in return." [attr="class","mizocredit"] [newclass=.mizocredit a]font:bold 6pt calibri;letter-spacing:1px;color:#b5d1f1;[/newclass] |
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Post by Tessa Follett on Nov 12, 2022 19:33:38 GMT
It was a mistake indeed, and not just because Tessa had a fondness for Eloise's brother (and she missed the banter!). She pressed her fingers to her cheek to think of a way to begin, to make the most of the time that he would allow them to speak to him on a matter of education (though she hoped it would be more because they were talking about a noble man, instead of a lower class woman). She nodded when Eloise had asked if she's seen his art, to know that he was talented. "He is indeed talented. It's a shame he let a monetary donation derail his interests" But then she gasped, and refocused her gaze onto El's face, before turning her surprised look into a grin.
"I know where a couple of his pieces are, ones that he left behind. I had been in a parlor, instructed to sort and make it look more orderly for a classroom." She said, nodding down the hall. They were at the threshold of the Headmaster's office but Tessa had to pull them away. It was awful the amount of work they had to put into this escapade. Between trying to sweeten the time they got with the head man of the academy to running down the halls to gather materials to present their case (and even if it was Ben they were helping, of course the women were the ones taking care of the man huh?). She didn't race down the hall like a small child, but she was deliberate in her steps to get to the new classroom as quickly as she could without the raucous echo of feet pounding down against the stone. "It is thankfully not far." Was all she uttered as she trudged along, leading Miss Bridgerton along.
@eloisebridgerton |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 14, 2022 19:40:43 GMT
eloise & tessa. Eyes narrowed somewhat, as Eloise attempted to figure out how that might help them here at all. Would taking Benedict his paintings really convince him? He'd already seen his own work, and clearly it hadn't done anything to convince him he was any good. Eloise had encouraged him, it sounded like Tessa must have done too, and yet he didn't recognise his own talent for what it was. So why would – oh. It clicked then. Showing the headmaster might just be the boost they needed to convince him, given that she could scarcely offer him more money. All the pin money she'd saved over the years likely wouldn't be anything close to the money Anthony had donated. With one final glance to the office, wondering if she should simply confront him without, she gave in, deciding she should likely let the older woman take the lead. She'd probably at least met this man before, knew a thing or two about him, and Eloise couldn't claim the same. Bold and to the point as she could be, she knew her limits – she was still a debutante from high society, and given all the scandal surrounding her in recent times as it were, she didn't want to create more. If she were to cause too much of a scene in the middle of the academy, it would get back to her family. Benedict would likely be mortified, her mother more disappointed than before. "Do you truly think this will work? Pleading his case, showing his artwork? If money is the language this headmaster speaks, do we truly have any chance with this?" Eloise asked, glancing along the corridor as she followed alongside the other. She could picture Benedict here, finally getting to pursue his passion, and the notion of him never walking these hallways again was depressing indeed. At least one of the Bridgerton siblings should be able to pursue their passion. [attr="class","mizocredit"] [newclass=.mizocredit a]font:bold 6pt calibri;letter-spacing:1px;color:#b5d1f1;[/newclass] |
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