Alaric had spent a great deal of time preparing for this portrait session. Lady Kane was a very prestigious client and her recommendation would help his career advance that much faster. Perhaps he’d get so much work, he’d eventually need to take apprentices.

He arrived at the newlywed’s estate at the time that he’d promised the’d be there and was escorted to where Lady Kane waited. He found her waiting in a beautiful wedding dress.

“Lady Kane, it’s wonderful to see you,” he gave her an elaborate bow, removing his hat and sweeping it to his chest as he did so, “You are a vision, my lady!”

Astor wasn't really good at standing still, so while the idea of a painting was fun, he wasn't sure how well the afternoon was going to go. He felt stuffy in his wedding suit, but he never liked the amount of buttons and tight fabric that came with fancy outfits.

He also didn't like Alaric, something he decided when the man entered the room and immediately started to shower Scout with compliments. Moving to his wives side he offered out his hand, not loving how the young man looked like a much younger Dresden. "Isn't she ever Mr. Melbourne."

Scout was flattered and smiled at Alaric when he greeted and complimented her. "Thank you Mr. Melbourne", she said, smoothing out her dress a bit and looking down at it. Should she wear dresses more often, even though she felt so uncomfortable in them? She looked at Astor when he greeted the painter, and smiled because he enforced the compliment. Peach sat in a chair, quietly observing Alaric with a paw in the air, because he had just been washing it.

"We're quite the pair", she said to Astor. He looked very handsome in his suit. She then returned her attention to Alaric. "Will the salon do as a backdrop for the painting, or would you prefer somewhere else?"

Alaric’s eye caught on a man’s hand reaching out and he smoothly returned his hat to his head before giving who he assumed was the groom a hearty handshake, “You must be the groom! It is a great pleasure to meet you, my lord. Indeed you’re wife is a lovely creature, you must have to ward other men away with a large sword!” He gave Scout a cheeky smile, “But you must have to ward other women away from his lordship with a lit torch!” He put his hands together before holding them out to gesture at the couple before him, “A fine match indeed!”

At Scout’s question, Alaric took a look around the room, “This will be perfect, my lady, absolutely perfect. If you both will allow me a few minutes for me to set up, we can get started as soon as you both are ready.”

"Good thing I have a plethora of swords." His nose twitched slightly, not liking this charming man in the slightest. Which was weird, he usually liked to make friends, so he tried to change his mindset. The biggest problem being he wasn't sure why he had started being annoyed in the first place, all he had done was give compliments to his friend.

Nodding at Mr. Melbourne and gesturing to the room, Astor tried to focus less on him and more on Scout. "Where'd you find him?" His voice was slightly more hushed than his usual exuberant tone.

She sensed some hostility coming from Astor, so Scout put a hand on his arm and squeezed it lightly, hoping it would calm him down to know she was there for him. She smiled some more at Alaric's compliments, and nodded when he said he would need a few minutes to set up his easel and paints. "Of course."

While the man did that, she turned to Astor who asked her a whispered question. Her brow furrowed but then she smiled at him, reassuringly. "I heard good things about him and his work", she responded. "Why do you ask?"

“’Tis a good thing, indeed, my lord!” Alaric kept up his sunny smile even though he was suspicious that the noble had just threatened him, “One cannot be too careful when one has such a lovely bride, do you not agree?"

Alaric would go to the designated area and start setting up while the couple conversed. This would surely be a delightfully fun session with how jealous the groom appeared to be. Why, if Alaric were a more conniving man that didn’t care about losing a client, he might have tried to provoke the young lord on purpose.

Astor wasn't sure what had gotten into him, but unfortunately he was having a hard time shaking his annoyance with Mr. Melbourne. And it didn't help that his comments were just more and more of the same. Beautiful wife this, lovely bride that, the man was insufferable with the compliments and didn't seem to know when to quit it. Just like another blonde he knew.

"He just looks and sounds very familiar, that's all." But he tried to tamp down his bristling. Thinking instead about happy things like... Punching Mr. Melbourne square in the face. Now that brought a smile to his face. And enough to take off the edge for now. "So how long do we need to sit still for this ehhy?" Hopefully not too long, he wasn't great at that.

Scout lifted an eyebrow but then smiled quickly afterwards. You didn't need to like everybody you ever met, and she couldn't say she hadn't experienced similar situations herself. Sometimes someone just looked like someone you didn't like, or you just had a weird feeling about something. "Okay", she responded and she squeezed his lower arm again, to which she was holding on. "I'm not sure", she then said, looking at Alaric to see if he would respond to the question.

Alaric let the happy couple chat as he got his things out. He’d set up his easel which had years of dried paint on the fine wood and a couple of faint dents along the legs as if it had slammed into something. It had been a gift from his painting master soon after his apprenticeship had ended. Alaric had a lot of memories with it. He’d started to get his pigments out when he orange cat jumped on the table and sat on his pallet. Not a big deal since he wasn’t going to mix the paints until he’d posed the man and woman, but he’d prefer the cat not be on the pallet so there would be no fur in the paint. So he picked up the cat, a sunny smile on his face despite the way his eyes started to itch and set it back on the chair it had occupied…only for it to leap right back on the pallet.

He’d just put the cat back on the chair (only for it to leap back on the pallet again) when Lord Kane asked his question. He looked up from the cheeky cat to give his answer, “An excellent question, my lord,” he said, “The painting will take a few hours, but we will take as many breaks as you desire.”

With a flourish, he gestured to where the painting would take place, “I am ready to get the two of you posed for your portrait.”

Hours? He at least managed to keep a smile on his face and not blurt out his disappointment. There was a reason he had eben better served in the military. His father had tried to whip the excited energy out of him but it never stuck. And now he was supposed to stand still for a painting.

He knew it would be beautiful. He knew it would be great to have considering he was married to Scout. It was just sometimes hard to remember that they were a proper couple, with a title and family looking at them under a lens. "Well I suppose we should get to it then. Where do you want us then?"

Only when Astor asked his question, Scout noticed that Peach was trying his best to annoy Alaric by continuing to jump on his chair after the painter ushered him away. With an apologetic look on her face, she quickly moved forward to scoop up the cat, pressing him to her chest. She made a tutting sound and softly flicked his ear, not intending to harm the cat in any way. He meowed in protest but started to purr once he realised he was being held.

Once Alaric was ready, she walked over to the spot he had gestured at. Astor seemed to have missed the motion, so if Alaric didn't respond, he would surely notice where they were supposed to be once Scout got in position. Assuming there were chairs for them to sit on, she would sit on the one on the left, so Astor could be on the right of the portrait. She carefully put Peach down on her lap, and the cat turned around a few times before finding a comfortable spot and laying down.

To Lord Kane’s question, Alaric would look up from the cat and grin, “If you would come this way, my lord,” he gestured to the chair, “And stand behind your new bride while she sits, we can get started.”

Thankfully, Lady Kane took the cat and the little beast settled itself in her lap. Cute creature, but full of mischief. Tianna would have loved that cat. She probably would have smiled as she played with it in her lap.

Once the couple had roughly placed themselves, Alaric would adjust them from where he stood, touching them only if necessary, until they were positioned just right: Astor standing behind a seated Scout, his hand resting on her shoulder and the cat curled up on her lap.

“Now, hold as still as you can, my lord and lady,” Alaric held his hands out, “Feel free to speak, and do let me know if you need a break.”