Masquerade - These Masks We Wear

[Channelknight Fadran]

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So... yeah, Guard. Ivian has officially summoned Caden to his quarters.

@The Ward's Guard

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Meanwhile....

"GET UP! GET TO WORK!"

Wendy blinked her eyes open and pushed her morning hair out of her face. "Ugh..."

"I said get up!" Someone was hitting a spoon against a pot. "Come on, ladies! Bright and early! Time to start the day!"

She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and sat up, yelping as she hit her head on the bunk above her. Right; she was a waitress now.

Wonderful.

"Morning tasks! Alice, Allivia, Beth: latrines! Cal, Debbie, Flannery: you three get to clean up breakfast! Gerymonne, Hannah, Ilsa, Ingrid, Katie, Mona, Monica, Nelly, Pep: fan out around the hallways. Reyna, Sarah, Veronica, Wendy: laundry!" The taskmaster--a different one this time, as the last one had been male--clanged her spoon against the pot again. "Get to work! Let's go!"

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There you go. A comprehensive list of all the waitresses.

And now I want to flesh out every one of them. Scud.

 

[Zephrun’s Imperium they/he]

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Guard is working on something special for his 1999th post. Masquerade related.  

Also it's official; I can't handle Nicolae, he's too cute.

While Nicolae walked down the hallway, his happy mood slowly began to dissolve. The morning hallways had never made him feel very comfortable; despite all the maids bustling around, the quiet air made him feel painfully lonely and the threat of someone flirting with him made him jump anytime someone said hello. As long as he avoided Allivia he should be fine though. That woman scared him like no other.

When he'd left Ivian's chambers, he'd felt hopeful. If the king trusted him, then surely he was doing something right. But... Ivian's faith in him was terribly misplaced. You really will end up a prostitute, he thought miserably. Just... please don't you screw this chance up. For both your sakes. Oh Stars, Kimby, pull yourself together. S'mthin's wrong with you, terr'bly so. The king trusts you, he does, don't you throw that away. 

He knocked loudly on the door to Eleanor's assigned quarters. She didn't ask for me, did she? Naw, Nico, don't kid yourself. Ivian trusts you. Ivian trusts you...

[Channelknight Fadran]

"Oh stars--" Wendy turned away to gag.

"You new here?" The girl named Reyna asked.

She nodded and tried not to retch.

"That taskmaster's a jerk for putting you on laundry for your first day," Reyna said, throwing dirty socks into a barrel. "Nastiest job. You'll get used to it though; unfortunately. I guess maybe breaking you in right away was the right idea for this."

"Do all noblemen smell this bad?"

"Most, yeah." Reyna hesitated on one particularly dirty-looking pair of trousers. "The decent ones'll wear perfume, but there aren't many. And that just means that you smell like sweaty nobleman and cloves when you finish up with their hunting outfit, which I personally find to be more rancid a combination than a dead skunk."

"Hey, but that's the way most of us smell anyways!" Sarah--a girl several years younger than Wendy, but apparently far more experienced with this kind of thing--said. "Like Reynie said: you get used to it."

"Eeeeuuughh..." Wendy dropped a slimy pair of socks into her barrel. "How often am I gonna have to do this?"

"Once a week. We rotate through jobs day by day. It's not so bad, as long as you don't get too exhausted."

"Or murdered." Sarah added.

"Or raped." Veronica finished.

"Wonderful." Wendy muttered

[Zephrun’s Imperium they/he]

After waiting outside Eleanor's door for about a minute without a response, Nicolae decided to phone a friend. He flagged down a maid. "Ah... Mary, is it, miss?"

The girl glared at him. "Monica," she growled. She stomped on Nicolae's foot with her heel as she passed and the tall manservant cried out, gritting his teeth. 

"Oi!" he hollered, shaking his fist at her. "I had a legitimate question, miss!" 

"Well, why don't you ask Allivia your legitimate question, since she's your favorite?" She shook her head and growled before going into a room to clean it. 

"Oh, by the Stars, wha'did I ever do to you...?" He sighed and looked about for anyone else he could ask. He was either at the wrong door or Eleanor was just a heavy sleeper. It's prob'ly the latter, and if it ain't, you can go check the register afterwards. With that thought - and a deep breath - he waltzed into the room quietly. And there she was. Peaceful and petite, brown curls cascading down the pillow. Well, Nicolae had to hand it to Ivian; he sure knew how to pick a bride. 

Why did that make him so angry?

Nicolae Kimby threw open the curtains, light flooding the suite. "Rise and shine, Miss El'nor!" 

@Condensation

Edited May 13, 2021 by Shard of Thought

[Vapor she/her]

20 hours ago, Shard of Thought said:

"I'm sorry, my dear. I know the cookies aren't much of a consolation... but it's something at least. And I hope I can do a lot more than just that. I do not intend to send you back to the dungeons - they're no place for a sweet little girl like you - and I promise that you won't see any more of General Praetorium. He's a nasty fellow. Of course, he would say the same about me..." She snickered, smiling amiably.

"What about Wendy?" Ara asked. "What'll happen to her?"

[Zephrun’s Imperium they/he]

“In all honesty, love, I don’t know. I wasn’t even aware of her presence until I saw her just now. I can’t control her fate, but I guarantee I have a measure of pull on yours. You’ll be safe. With me.”

[Vapor she/her]

Just now, Shard of Thought said:

“In all honesty, love, I don’t know. I wasn’t even aware of her presence until I saw her just now. I can’t control her fate, but I guarantee I have a measure of pull on yours. You’ll be safe. With me.”

Ara bit into another cookie and smiled. "Okay."

[Zephrun’s Imperium they/he]

Riva leaned forward. “Are you tired, little one?”

[Vapor she/her]

2 minutes ago, Shard of Thought said:

Riva leaned forward. “Are you tired, little one?”

"Yeah."

[Zephrun’s Imperium they/he]

"You can sleep in here if you like. Probaby safest. We'll see about a more permanent place for you in the morning, hmm?"

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Fad, I'm assuming you're gonna discuss Darrin stuff with Caden?

@Channelknight Fadran

[Vapor she/her]

Ara yawned. "Okay, I guess."

[Zephrun’s Imperium they/he]

Riva smiled. "Right then. You may sleep on the bed; the sofa is enough for me. I do have some potions that could help you sleep easier, but... by the looks of things you don't need any of that, do you, child?" 

[Channelknight Fadran]

4 minutes ago, Shard of Thought said:

Fad, I'm assuming you're gonna discuss Darrin stuff with Caden?

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That and the... *evil cackle*... other plan of ours.

Also, if you rob Arabella from me, I will find you and I will kill you. 

 

[Vapor she/her]

"No." Ara smiled.

[Zephrun’s Imperium they/he]

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You won't have to find me, we're meeting up this summer.  

"Alright then. May I have the cookie tin back, please?"

[Channelknight Fadran]

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I'LL JUST KILL YOU THEN

 

[Vapor she/her]

Ara looked down at the cookies and grabbed one before handing the tin back.

[Zephrun’s Imperium they/he]

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Then Xino will kill you back. 

Kill and they kill in return.

"Oh, don't worry, love, there's more where that came from." Riva chuckled. "Now... may I ask a favor of you, 'bella?"

[Vapor she/her]

"What is it?"

[Zephrun’s Imperium they/he]

"I'm supposed to be a very scary woman. Do you think I'm scary, miss 'bella?"

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Hey, Fad, once Riva joins the rest of the characters in the new day, can she say hello to Darrin? Like, will Darrin already be scheduled to be tortured?

 

[Vapor she/her]

"Maybe," Ara said quietly.

[Channelknight Fadran]

3 minutes ago, Shard of Thought said:

"I'm supposed to be a very scary woman. Do you think I'm scary, miss 'bella?"

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I'm sure his appointment will take precendence; but speaking of the new day, GET THE SCUD THERE ALREADY

 

[Zephrun’s Imperium they/he]

"Well. I don't want you to be scared of me, 'bella. But it would be best if everyone else stayed that way. When you see your Wendy again, I don't want you to tell her about our interaction. Pretend I was scary. Can you do that for me?"

[Vapor she/her]

"...okay." Ara looked surprised. "But why would you want to be scary?"

[Zephrun’s Imperium they/he]

"Because, dear. It protects me. Now, off to bed, little one. I won't see you in the morning, but I'll send someone to take care of you. Alright?" Riva kissed the girl's forehead, then strode over to put out the lights.