Head down to the main hall to meet the staff

You leave your bedroom and start to head down the hall, enjoying the stroll through the manor. On one hand, you have most of your staff waiting for you, but on the other hand, it's early and you need to collect some thoughts. Today is the first time most of the staff will have heard of what you are modestly calling your "master plan" for Aelfryd Hall, and the long-term stability and maintenance of your property, and you want to make sure you compose yourself just right.

As you start down the stairs, you observe once again that one of the main liabilities of living in an enormous, historic manor is all of the stairs. Your bedroom is on the third floor, but someday you'll actually move to the fourth floor, to the original master suite. Unfortunately the furniture, carpeting, and wallpaper all need a serious overhaul, and you're also fairly sure that your departed uncle died in bed up there - you're probably going to want new furniture, too.

You round the corner on the last flight of stairs, turning down the hall toward the impressive main hall, a sweeping, curved set of stairs leading down either side of the immense room to a wide landing, a decorative suite of armor on either side. Whoever built the original manor no doubt had a flair for the dramatic, and you suspect that the whole setup was to allow the lord of the estate to make as impressive an entrance as possible when visitors had gathered in the hall. On the back wall of the landing hangs a large, rectangular painting, currently covered by a thick, black sheet. You'll be unveiling the work itself shortly.

Stepping onto the landing, you see that Aeola has already arrived - it isn't surprising that she beat you here, considering your leisurely pace. Her dark grey suit jacket tightly hugs her slender frame, drawing your attention to what little curves she possesses. While not very well-endowed, even for an elf, she certainly still manages to make herself appealing. Her form-fitting skirt stops just above her knees, the dark fabric nearly a photo-negative of her exceptionally pale skin. As you once again marvel at her choice of clothing - at once both sexy and professional - you can't help but dream about what's under it. As she notices you staring, Aeola gives you a slight nod, the barest hint of a smile on her face. She takes a step back and gestures you towards the front of the landing.