If his eardrums hadn't been as strained as they were, Angier Lyall would have wholly missed the whispered utterance of his first name. Turning his head to acknowledge her, he let his tail wriggle in a low-hanging wag as he advanced a step toward her. He relaxed his stance enough as to hold his head a tad lower than, if not nearly-level with, hers. "Ma'am," he courteously addressed her.
He noted how her eyes temporarily settled on the golden bouquet at his feet and it prompted from him the most stately smile he could manage along the sides of his ivory muzzle. The ball was back in his court and now was his chance to make his move. "My Lady," he greeted her again before paying his respects to her with gracing the bridge of his snout along the underside of her jaw. "I'm so glad you've come. I've... I've brought you a gift."
Again, his tail began to wag, his eyes thieving twice along the contours in her face in hopes of perceiving her every emotion as they were revealed. He withdrew from her, his lumbering frame rounding the pile of plants as to fully invite and direct her gaze to it. "These are for you," his chest puffed up with newfound pride. "An offering." His smile became more cordial and through his nerves, he lowered his head to make sure that she could see the variety he had brought.
"They're among the last of the season. I would've hoarded them away you've always instructed me to, but these..." He had to hastily swallow down the lump in his throat before continuing, "These I've brought especially for you." For a moment he touched a large paw down on the heap of yellow-green stems. Deep down in the hallows of his chest and in the pit of his stomach, he seriously hoped Elettra was ready for what he was about to say.
"I 'ave brought you Solomon's Seal for rest," he began to explain. "A strong leader knows her limits and knows how to balance 'work' and 'play.' I've brought you some stalks because I..." A ghost of a chuckle seemed to wash over his face, "I know just as well how tiring it is to go through the day with having to chase after Sköll morning, afternoon, evening, and night. Take these whenever you have the need to use them an' you jus' leave the rascals to me." He then nudged his nose to each sprig, "Solidago for luck, yellow rattle so that you may never lose sight of all you want to accomplish... A branch from the Empress trees along Heartleaf Creek... there're five leaves to symbolize the places I've been, the places I've withdrawn my heart from because they've never felt like home. But lastly..."
He slowly bent down to usher a full stem of light green leaves and bright yellow flowers to the center of the pile. "Lastly, I've brought some Devil's Bite; it's been said it lowers blood pressure. The pack works well as it is, my lady, and you mustn't be stressed, even with summer coming to a close. Whether you need these or not... figuratively, Elettra, I'd like for you to know I am here should you ever have a need for me. Whatever has happened, anything, you can come to me... Rely on me to relieve any woes that might still heavily hang over your heart. Trust me. Please, trust me. I can take it now."
A small breath escaped his parted lips as he paused, bravely holding her gaze for five long seconds before fixing his spread out flower arrangement into a decent assemblage again. The Pledge had been made, the Turn carried out... and now, as a mere magician at the Prestige of his most recent act, he humbly averted his gaze. The stage was spent and his audience had already initially been ensnared, but in the spotlight of her gaze, he waited on pins and needles for her reaction, every part of him tensed with apprehension for something akin to thunderous applause.
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