A Week in Rural Scotland

[rainne]

Thank you for joining us here in picturesque Glen Macalie, on the shore of Loch Leven in the Grampian Mountains of Scotland. We welcome you to the campus of the Glen Macalie School for Girls and hope that you will enjoy your stay.


This week will largely be unstructured; you are welcome to investigate the castle (which dates back to 1237 CE) and the nearby village of Glen Macalie. Some resources which will be available to you include:

In the castle:
Comprehensive Library
Modern Kitchens
State of the art Training/Exercise Room
Extensively landscaped grounds and gardens
Horseback Riding
Fishing
Hiking

In the village:
Shopping
Pubs and restaurants
Museum
Historical buildings
Golf

We ask only that you take care to observe the following rules:

1) Please do not leave campus near or after dark.
2) Venturing too far outside after dark, even on campus, is not guaranteed to be safe. You do so at your own risk.
3) There will be occasional evening events. Participation in these events should be considered of minor risk; however, anyone taking part should endeavor to follow all directions to ensure his or her safety.

If you have any questions, please feel free to see Mr. Giles or Ms. Summers.

Comments

[rainne]

*settled on a very comfy chaise in the back of the library, flipping through a large, leather-bound book with an expression of disbelief*

This can't be real. It's got to be a joke of some kind. But they didn't make joke books like this in the 1800s.

*shakes head, flipping another page*

[secondalto.livejournal.com]

*wanders up behind her*

Whatcha reading?

-Rick

[rainne]

I have... no idea. I really don't. It's all about monsters and vampires and... but it's not printed. It's like a diary or something.

*shakes head, offering the book to him*

I can't even describe it.

~Kate

[secondalto.livejournal.com]

Really? sounds like my kind of book.

*goes over to shelves*

Looks like there are quite a few diary type books here, I wonder if they're all the same?

*pulls one off the shelf*

-Rick

[rainne]

*puts her own aside, shifting her feet to give him a place to sit*

I don't know. Maybe we can ask someone about them. This whole place is... weird.

What's the deal with not being allowed to go out at night? Any idea?

~Kate

[secondalto.livejournal.com]

*sits down with his book*

Well, these are the wilds of Scotland. Who knows what kind of wild beasties are roaming out there on the moors?

-Rick

[rainne]

*puts feet in his lap*

I'm pretty sure there isn't supposed to be anything more dangerous than the occasional wild Highland cow.

*rubs belly*

Your son is giving me heartburn again.

~Kate

[secondalto.livejournal.com]

*puts book aside*

*rubs her feet*

Who knows? But better safe than sorry is always a good policy. Would you like some milk or something else?

-Rick

[rainne]

*shakes head*

No. I don't think so.

*settles back, sighing*

*speaks softly*

Just a few more weeks, Rick. Just a few more weeks and we get to meet our baby.

*looks up at him, smiling slightly*

I'd ask if you're excited, but I already know the answer.

~Kate

[secondalto.livejournal.com]

Well of course I'm excited. It's our baby.

*smiles*

It's going to be great going through this with you.

-Rick

[rainne]

*smiles back, reaching for his hand*

I couldn't have picked a better person to do this with.

*long pause*

Rick... I don't know if I've said this before in so many words, but I want you to know that I'm so glad we finally did this. And I hate that I made you wait so long.

~Kate

[secondalto.livejournal.com]

*takes her hand and kisses it*

It was worth the wait, Kate. Worth the wait.

*leans in and kisses her belly*

-Rick

[rainne]

*strokes his face*

I love you.

~Kate

[secondalto.livejournal.com]

Oh, Kate.

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.

-Rick

[rainne]

*pauses, staring at him*

Really? Be a little cheesier next time.

*leans down to kiss him, breathes the words against his lips*

(may i touch said he
how much said she
a lot said he)
why not said she

*pants against him for just a moment*

Now fuck me.

~Kate

[secondalto.livejournal.com]

*grins*

As you wish.

*thrusts up into her*

-Rick

[rainne]

*cries out, throwing her head back and riding him hard*

*reaches for his hands, needing that extra connection*

Oh, God... Rick... that's perfect... so good...

~Kate

[secondalto.livejournal.com]

*takes her hands*

You are so beautiful right now, Kate. Let me see you come apart.

-Rick

[rainne]

*gasps*

Love you... love... Rick... oh, God...

*arches, crying out*

~Kate

[secondalto.livejournal.com]

Yes, Kate.

*caresses her*

*pushes into her one last time*

God I love you.

*breathes heavily*

-Rick

[rainne]

*rolls slowly to the side and lies next to him, sprawled partway across him*

*whispers*

I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints, --- I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life! --- and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.

~Kate

[secondalto.livejournal.com]

You can use Browning and mention death but I use Poe and get yelled at?

*pouts*

So unfair.

-Rick

[rainne]

*bites his pec gently*

There's a difference.

*is silent for a long moment, then finally takes a deep breath to explain*

When I... that summer. At my dad's. He and my mom had a little library out there, so I used to grab a book and drag my sorry carcass out toward the lake to sit and read in the sun, because he kept complaining about how pale I was. One afternoon I grabbed without looking and it was a Complete Works of Poe volume. And when I read "Annabel Lee"...

*pauses, takes a shuddering breath*

She leaves him. She loves him so much, and he loves her, but she leaves him, and then she dies, and he can't ever get over her. And all I could see was your face, hear your voice begging me not to die and telling me that you loved me. And... and it hurt. A lot. I ended up having a panic attack and throwing the book into the lake.

*long pause*

My dad was pretty pissed about the book.

~Kate

[secondalto.livejournal.com]

ah, Okay, so none of my middle school tricks then.

*hugs her close*

But I will have to brush up on my poetry. It's been too long since I've had to remember any of it.

*laughs*

-Rick

[rainne]

*smiles slightly, wiping at a tear that escaped*

No, none of your middle school tricks.

*leans up to kiss him*

You can borrow my poetry books any time you want.

*sits up, reaching for her shirt*

But for now, let's go back inside - I'm starting to itch. Next time we do this, let's think ahead and bring a blanket.

~Kate