~*~ Distress ~*~
He fanned himself with the papers in his hand, ignoring them in favor of staring out the window. The green of the flora outside was surprisingly calming considering he'd just spent the last half hour listening to various people in his employ argue with each other around the table, getting his blood on the boil until he finally ordered them all out.
He knew he should be dealing with them, as he stood and paced in front of the window, but he kept thinking that sometimes nature had a way with colour. He glanced down at the papers in his hand, paying more attention to the black lines of ink than the words they formed, uncharacteristically wondering just how they made it look so velvety and soft, yet crisp and defined.
Shaking his head, he tossed the paperwork onto the table and continued on into the hallway, never noticing those in his employ scattering in every direction as he stalked along in silence. Had he been paying attention, he may well have allowed himself a trademark smirk at their reactions, but for once his mind was somewhere else entirely.
'I'm not getting anything done today,' he thought in disgust. 'My mind is wandering all over the place after listening to them fight like children, trying to pass the blame around. Sod the bastards, maybe I'll just go home instead, relax in the pool...' Thoughts turned to action as he stepped through a doorway, appearing not on the other side, but in his own home, having apparated without much conscious thought on the matter.
He stalked into his bedroom and flung off his robes and stripped down, knowing his house elf would take care of things, and grabbed a towel instead. Striding back out, he threw open a pair of French doors and entered the garden, barely glancing up at the shimmering barrier which domed overhead, making the sky slightly fuzzy to the eyes. Again his silvery eyes were drawn to the green of the grass and the leaves of the roses planted all around the barrier's edge, and he became calmer.
Setting the towel down, he slid into the pool at the center of the garden and leaned back, shifting until he was comfortable in the formed sides and his head was resting on the soft edge. Soft, warm water bubbled against his skin and nibbled away at his temper away as he stared up at the hazy sky, his mind empty for once of feeling or thought.
It wasn't until the sun was low on the horizon that he came to himself with a slight start and rose from the pool, rivulets of water running down his slim, though toned, body. Wrapping the towel around his waist, he circled the garden, gazing at the flowers without really seeing them. He knelt for a moment, idly fingering the velvety petals of a gold-edged crimson rose before snapping it off to bring to his nose. Back inside the flower was left on his bedside table, forgotten as he let himself be drawn down into sleep.