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 Posted: Sat Jun 14, 2008 11:44 am
THE DAY BEFORE LAUNCH OF THE ONE-TO-ONE CARE PROGRAM
VM is bustling with activity, since they rarely have off days or celebrations
like this. The chefs are busy thinking up of catering plans, the lower staff
are taking a break from research, and everyone is spending some time
tidying up the mansion and dusting off the barely used furniture.
Letters/invitations had already been mailed to unaligned people who
seemed like possible candidates -- anticipation permeated the air.
Staff Only
[tiel, publicia, evander, dante]
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Posted: Sat Jun 14, 2008 11:46 am
Tiel was sitting in his office, as usual, trying to stay out of commotion's way. The day had barely started and everyone was already running about, talking about how they would decorate the reception area. Why couldn't they be like this with their research, he thought to himself, shuffling some papers around moodily... which ended up making his desk even more of a mess. A few rays of sunlight shone through the window behind his chair, lighting up sections on the rug. He sighed, I suppose they deserve a break... it's not like I could've really rejected the idea.
The noises from the first floor had made their way past his office's heavy mahogany doors. Tiel found himself having trouble concentrating on the research notes he meant to review, which made him irritable. He had just started a third reread when a few knocks interrupted his concentration yet again. Without looking up, he snapped, "Who is it?"
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Posted: Sat Jun 14, 2008 11:53 am
"Me." A firm voice stated. "Publicia." The manager of the mansion opened the door. Her high heels made clicking noises as she moved towards Tiel's desk. A bunch of papers was dropped onto the wooden plate. Publicia smirked.
"I know you're busy, but I need you to sign these." Same procedure as every week. Publicia's golden eyes trailed towards Tiel's beloved plant which was in reach. A little colorful feather was attached to her blazer.
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Posted: Sat Jun 14, 2008 11:59 am
The main entrance of the mansion was practically bursting at the seams with people, all getting ready for the event that would really begin the hard work at Vix Moria. Despite the bussle of activity, Evander looked as he always did, his appearance slightly tussled yet still somehow managing to look professional, wearing his typical polite smile. It was not that he wasn't excited for the event -- this was what he had been working so hard for. The coming of the first guardians and the distribution of feathers was a big event, and he was quite looking forward to it.
Sliding around one girl who was pinning up some gold decorations on a ladder, Evander glanced around, looking for the silver-haired woman he knew had to be behind this organized chaos. Publicia was good at what she did, and this just had to be her handiwork. Surprisingly, however, the woman was nowhere to be found. A glimpse of silver on the stairs, however, tipped him off to where she was, and where she was going. There was only one person who would be in his office at a time like this.
Moving quietly up the stairs and down the hall, he watched as Publicia entered the room, and quickly moved just behind her, standing just slightly in the doorway.
"You're the only one I know who would be in their office at a time like this." Evander teased gently, grinning at the two other staff members.
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Posted: Sat Jun 14, 2008 12:48 pm
Tiel looked up at the sound of Publicia's voice. The familiar silver hair, sharp golden eyes, and smile greeted his eyes -- sometimes Tiel thought she resembled a cat of some sort. But no matter, Publicia kept everything moving along smoothly at Vix Moria. Without her, Tiel would probably have too much to handle... besides, she was a bit more approachable than he was when dealing with lower staff.
Tiel's flat greeting of "good morning" was responded with a pile of papers placed in front of him. He looked down at the sheets and picked one up to examine it, all the while looking for a pen to do as he was told -- sign them. He didn't even bother asking her what they were for... Publicia always took care of these things properly.
Just as Tiel finished up the last page, Evander had appeared at his door. Oh, wonderful, the party seems to be moving to my room... His sullen voice reflected his thoughts, as he replied, "My only quiet place seems to have succumbed to this..." he waved his pen towards the first floor "... this celebration." Evander was a good person at heart, at least from what Tiel has seen, but sometimes the man's personality can really be quite bothersome.
He handed the signed papers back to Publicia. "Anything else..?"
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Posted: Sat Jun 14, 2008 12:57 pm
Publicia's body straightened at Evander's remark. As she turned her head slightly to face the other staff member who appeared to have followed her. Men. They always behaved like puppies.
One of her kindest fake smiles was shown to Evander. "Somebody has to organise the party, dear." The woman teased and her eyes twinkled as some sunlight touched them gently. The papers were quickly pulled off the table. "Thank you, Tiel."
She neatly arranged the sheets in her hands as her gaze fell upon the little feather which had been attached to her blazer. "Well, perhaps it's not bad to have Evander around, too. I wanted to inquire about the feathers. What are we supposed to do with them? We can't carry them around during the celebration, can we? It could actually destroy the project. Otherwise we need to keep them in control..."
"Where's your one anyway, Evander?" She asked as one finger gently traced alongside the flowerpot. She didn't dare to ask about Nue. Everyone was quite aware that Tiel didn't care about the girl as long as she didn't destroy anything.
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Posted: Sat Jun 14, 2008 1:16 pm
Evander returned the smile Publicia gave him, looking privately amused by something or other. He wasn't as stupid as he sometimes lead people to believe. He had noticed the slightly stiff look the woman had taken when he had spoken. Likewise Tiel's irritation wasn't hard to miss... but Evan was fairly certain that was on purpose. His grin broadened slightly at the thought, and it took a lot of self control not for him to start laughing. He was quite aware of the fact that most of the upper staff walked on eggshells and carried big sticks around each other, if you could pardon the terrible metaphor.
"Not so bad? I think I should be offended," the man replied with a grin, quite obviously not offended. "I don't see why you shouldn't carry it around. In fact, I almost recommend it. I'm not quite sure yet, but I'm starting to believe they give off a reaction on occation. Dante has mentioned his tends to glow a little brighter sometimes... although this could be just a trick of the sun." Again, he grinned, shrugging easily. Letting the room go quiet for a moment, Evan's hazel eyes drifting to the pot Publicia traced with her finger, and his grin turned into a slightly comical sulk, eyes narrowing. Damn plant.
"I use to keep it keep it on my clipboard..." he muttered a bit distractedly, forcing himself to lift his eyes from Popo-chan, "Since it's been embued, however, it glows much too brightly to leave it there. Very distracting. Now I keep it in my breast pocket." Sliding open his white jacket, he revealed the bright, gold-colored feather, the glow slightly illuminating the dark recess.
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Posted: Sat Jun 14, 2008 2:12 pm
Tiel sighed as he listened to the conversation between the two. He was clearly not enjoying multiple people standing around his office with no intention of leaving any time soon. Especially since both of them gave noticeable attention, whether good or bad, towards his potted plant. What is with everyone and my plant? They don't tend to stare at all the other potted plants in the manor the same way...? He was slightly amused (albeit slightly confused as well) by Evander's expression, but nothing was said.
His thoughts were wandering again, as he wasn't really paying attention to their excessive talk about the feathers... After all, the problem had already been stated: could they or could they not show off their feathers? He quietly observed their faces -- Evander grinning as usual and Publicia keeping her composure. Never good with people or emotions, Tiel wondered what they thought of him, as he couldn't really tell or even guess.
As the talk quieted down, he cleared his throat and stated, "You are free to display them as you like, since, afterall, there is no harm done showing these candidates mere feathers. However," he paused, glancing at Evander, "you are to be careful with them, especially if they are imbued. We wouldn't want anyone blinded. As for keeping the project a secret..." Tiel stared at his plant for awhile in deep thought. They must take all necessary precautions; letting any information leak about their secret experiments would put all their work to waste. Perhaps it would be cruel to do this... but the candidates would be none the wiser.
"Any of the candidates that are not up to par will simply undergo a quick memory wipe before exiting. We'll have some of the researchers perform that -- make sure you notify them of this, Publicia."
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Posted: Sat Jun 14, 2008 9:03 pm
Dante was hurrying down the halls toward the front reception area. They were getting ready to welcome the first batch of guardian candidates and there was still a lot to be done. Not to mention he just got to a good finishing point with writing in his book. There's probably still a lot of work to do. I'll just jump right in there whe-- hmm? What's going on over there? Under one of his arms was a list of pamphlets for his orientation talk about care of Aethios that he and Evan were to present on.
Dante ducked his head in quickly, as he passed Tiel's office door... making sure to rap twice just in case. "Good Afternoon. Erm... what is everyone doing here? We were planning on using the reception area and lounge for the welcome seminar, correct?" Choosing to ignore the fact that each one of them were looking at the plant on Tiel's desk with a different expression on their face, Dante continued, "In any case, the caregiving pamphlets are done. Was there anything I needed to hear about in regards to feathers or uniform?"
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Posted: Sun Jun 15, 2008 5:49 am
Publicia let go of Popo-chan and eyes the golden feather which Evander presented to her. She pursed her lips. "Indeed, it's glowing. You should keep record of these - how did you call it - reactions." The last word was pronounced in an especially teasing way. She knew Evander liked these jokes and she needed to please him a bit so he behaved at the party.
A small notebook was drawn out of her blazer's inner pocket. Publicia flicked it open and made a note to get her own feather imbued. "Thanks for reminding me. I need to get that lady to cry on my one." She also made a mental note to make sure that she would take a share in distributing those feathers in future. Why did it seem like everybody had nice looking feathers and her one was an atrocious mix of absurd colours?
She made another note as Tiel mentioned the memory wipe. "I will also inform the guards that nobody is supposed to leave without carrying a sign of approvement." Get some souvenirs ready to hand out to the memory wiped people. Probably a cinema ticket.
Publicia was about to turn around and leave as Dante entered the room. "Looks like we're complete now." The woman was quite aware of the fact that Tiel didn't like them to stay in his office, but personally she was glad that all of the others appeared to be around. This meant less struggle for herself to organise the events.
She smiled and nodded in approvement as he mentioned the caregiving pamphlets. "Good job, Dante. The reception area should be decorated for that purpose, I will check on that right after this little discussion." Her voice became more soft. "Feathers: You are allowed to carry them around, but be careful. Uniform: I need you to wear your crest pins. That's all. Try to talk to people and get to know them, so we can make a decision."
Turning back to Tiel a sly smile covered her face. "Anything you want to add?"
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Posted: Sun Jun 15, 2008 9:06 am
Evander, refusing to rise to the bait, just continued to smile politely at Publicia, giving a slow nod. What it was about him that made everyone think he was going to misbehave he didn't know, but it was rather annoying and in his opinion his actions were being misconstrued, quite frankly. Sure, he didn't wear a tie, but Dante didn't wear the white jacket the others wore. Even so, the others seemed to take particular care to make fun of him at any available chance, and while he didn't mind and wasn't in the least bit offended, it did occasionally put him off a bit.
"Of course. I have been sure to take detailed notes, and what I have no witnessed myself, I have been sure to squeeze every detail from Dante."
The firm knocking at the door temporarily brought Evan's attention away from the group of other staff members, glancing over his shoulder, his hazel eyes falling calmly on the slightly-taller brunette chronicler. "Speak of the devil," he said quietly, a slight grin curling the corners of his lips. For a moment he leaned on Tiel's desk a bit, listening quietly as Publicia explained the short conversation that had taken place, and turned his attention to Popo-chan, giving the plant one last little glare before straightening up a bit.
"Well, I don't know about you all, but really I think we shouldn't be loitering in Tiel's office. Although I also think Tiel should come down and join the preemptive war we're calling a celebration."
Smiling pleasantly, he turned to Tiel, raising his eyebrows questioningly.
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Posted: Sun Jun 15, 2008 12:19 pm
"Excellent idea, Publicia. Also make sure that all candidates entering present their ID as well as the letter of invitation that was mailed to them. Although Vix Moria is situated in an area at a great distance from others, we do not want any unwanted visitors." He wanted to add, And don't be fooled by Evander, he'll do his job accordingly. Or else he would not be part of the upper staff in the first place... but he decided it was best left unsaid.
Tiel sighed, as his last upper staff member joined them in his office. Dante, the chronicler of histories... Pourer of tea, he mused. That aside, Tiel was pleased that the pamphlets were done, but not exactly ecstatic that everyone decided to visit him all at once. His office was spacious, perhaps for one or two people (and his plant), but certainly not all four. He nodded approvingly as Publicia gave her summary. When prompted, he replied, "Keep an eye out on where the candidates are at all times -- they are not allowed to wander past the front of the manor. That is all."
He leaned back in his chair as Evander spoke. Hmm I had the same thought, it would be absolutely lovely if everyone left right about now. Then he heard Evan's second sentence and responded to the smile with a slight frown. "A war..." he muttered. Tiel was about to refuse when he realized it might not be so bad after all. Besides, he had been meaning to spend more time with his staff. "I will be down in a few moments."
Staring at all three of his staff with his usual blank expression, he waited for them to leave. Tiel still wanted peace, even if it was only for a few minutes.
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Posted: Sun Jun 15, 2008 3:27 pm
Dante replayed the list back aloud to ensure he remembered the right information. It's not like he really needed to, but it would clear all questions later. "Feathers are fine to bring, but be careful as usual. As long as we have our crest pins on, it's fine. Make sure to mingle and get impressions of our invitees. Also make sure only those invited guests show up and not extras. Make sure no one wanders off too far. That's all as far as I understand?" Dante moved his head out of the office and cleared the doorway to let the other two out. Now was not really the time to be bothering Tiel with the small points, as he probably had his own issues to deal with.
"I guess I'll have to be particularly careful. After Evan took a look at my feather, it's started glowing brighter than ever before. More than a bookmark, it's been more effective as a book light. However it makes it really distracting trying to read." Dante admitted a little sheepishly, pulling the feather out of his pants pocket. It shone a bright green, blue and almost a whitish gray. "In any case, let's head back down to the main area. There's probably still a lot of work to get done...?" His eyes turned questioningly to Publicia. He didn't want to step on her feet when she was planning the welcoming events.
Still he was glad that Evan was around too. That was, as long as the other did not cause any awkward situations while his hands were full. Still Evan had more class than that. Right? It's just hard to tell when the man had the mind of a playful jackal at times. Still there was no question he did good work when it was time to focus.
To be honest, he didn't really know Publicia all that well. She seemed to do really good and efficient work. That was definitely a plus for Tiel... which meant he would never complain either. Still, when all was said and done, he'd much prefer to walk a different path than her.
"So... erm... are either of you as nervous as I am for the opening events?" Dante asked to the others... hoping to break the awkward silence up a little. Through the use of awkward conversation.
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Posted: Sun Jun 15, 2008 9:54 pm
Oh, he knew that expression. That was the "this conversation is over, why are you still here" expression, and it was not an uncommon one. Evan got it frequently when he tried to talk to people who were very... antisocial. Antisocial slash anti-people. Like scientists. Like Tiel. Of course this didn't deter him -- he was quite good at getting on people's nerves. However, he was also good at cracking hard shells like the the ginger-haired man, and he wasn't going to give up on him so easily. Somewhere underneath that hard-working, slightly bitter exterior was the real Tiel... who might be even more bitter than this one. He hoped not.
Lifting a hand, he was about to protest when the other said he'd be down in a few minutes, but thought better of it, lowering it again and letting out his breath evenly. Instead he gave the mansion's master a warm smile and headed for the door Dante had hospitably opened for them. "I'll hold you to it," he replied cheerfully, dipping his head in thanks to the chronicler as he slipped through. The second he left the room Evander let out a heavy sigh, sliding his hands into his hair, and glanced over at Dante as he spoke, a grin spreading across his features.
"Probably not. We're not trying to impress them, they're trying to impress us, so what's to worry about?" Quirking an eyebrow, Evan's grin turned into a teasing smirk. "Why, you nervous?"
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Posted: Mon Jun 16, 2008 7:00 am
Publicia's tongue flicked against her teeth as she tucked the papers under her arm and followed the men out of the office. Tiel was indeed a very lucky person to have such superiority - she would like to shut her own office like that. Still, she was the manager and people relied on her more than they obviously did on Tiel.
Quite aware of the fact that these thoughts were nonsense, it still gave Publicia a good feeling as the door was closed behind them. She listened to the conversation of Evander and Dante for a while. This was so typical! One of them was filled with worries, the other one too easy-going.
"Being a bit nervous is normal." The woman added in a calm tone as she moved along the hallway. "I'm hoping for three responsible guardians with some intellect, but not too much actually. I don't want any people to cause us some trouble and demolish our research."
The thought of getting her own feather imbued was nagging in a corner of her mind. Damn, she wasn't fond of this program. Finally she noticed that Dante had inquired about work beforehand. "Ah yes, I guess we should check if everything suits our will downstairs. I need a male perspective on the decorations." Actually she didn't, but it sounded nice.
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