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 Posted: Thu Sep 15, 2016 1:42 pm
The master's were preparing for a small dinner party in honor of their wedding anniversary. Nyko didn't much care how long they had been forcibly tied together, nor did he care much about who was coming, what they were bringing, etc. All he seemed to concerned with was the amount of food the kitchen 'staff' was being tasked with whipping up at a moment's notice.
Of course they had known the party was going to happen for a few weeks, but as time drug on the guest list was in a constant state of change. One day it may be nothing more than a handful of Oban nobles, the next it was nearly five hand lengths long. Nyko and his mother barely knew how much to whip up for the night. If they made too much then the masters would be upset for wasting valuable food. However, if they made too little, and goddess forbid one of those stuffed birds should go without, they would punished.
"Put that platter away, Nyko, and clean up. The masters want us there when the guests enter the dining hall."
Naturally. Nyko prepped and fluffed up a the tray before wiping himself down as best he could. There was no helping his bland clothes, or the flour stains on them. Not like it mattered; white on white wouldn't show up.
Following his mother and the other 'servants' out into the dining hall, they lined the wall with their hands clasped behind their backs and waited for the procession to move into the room. He could already hear the masters chattering and coming closer, which only made him want to roll his eyes all the more.
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Posted: Thu Sep 15, 2016 1:57 pm
Aaricia's father entered the home with a grand smile, his deep voice greeting everyone as pleasantly as could be. He thrived on these parties. Business connections, personal connections, all could be had in a single evening. Never mind that this was one of the few houses that got away with keeping servants in their proper places these days. It was a delight to visit~
Aaricia hated these dinner parties with a passion. She would be forced to come along and dressed in some disgustingly clingy dress with her hair tied up under a shawl to spare 'proper' company from the sight of the blue locks. Nothing was expected of her other than to sit quietly. There would be no inclusion in the conversation, there would be glares if she ate anything more than a couple mouthfuls (not that she could eat much more than that in the darned corset restricting her already small waist,) and there would certainly be no respect. She was just her father's doll, and everyone knew it.
Now here she was, at another party she didn't want to be at, in another dress she hated, and already wishing the evening was done. Following after her boisterous father, she kept her hands clutched to the tiny purse in front of her, her golden eyes downcast both as ordered, and from shy embarrassment. She really hated these parties...
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Posted: Thu Sep 15, 2016 6:39 pm
The masters' were dressed some of the finest clothing they owned, the rest of which wasn't shabby by any means. Nyko was momentarily transfixed by the entering crowd who chatted and mingled among each other, each glistening with more golden embellishments and find cloth than the last. One day that was going to be him. Someone was going to stop and look his way, gawk even, then claimer for his attention...
Too bad it wasn't today. Keeping his eyes downcast Nyko heard the conversation switch from politics to social gossip more times than he dared to count. He tried focusing on their shoes, but when that proved too boring he looked up...and caught sight of something unusual. A pretty Oban girl, who seemed shy? Was there even such a thing? Most were opinionated, haughty and self assured. On impulse he smiled her way, and stepped forward, which wasn't allowed by any means, to pull a chair out for her.
"Nicosia!" His mistress snapped. Her voice was so shrill that he visibly winced, even if he didn't turn his attention away from the girl. "How dare you step out of line? You know your pla-"
"Shh, Geneva." Her husband, a middle aged man with serpentine eyes, "He was simply pulling out a chair for the young lady. His heart was in the right place, even if it was her father's place to do so. As such, it will be his place to decide if the boy is punished or not. "
Of course. He could practically feel his mother tense behind him, but the woman made no move to take any of the heat off her son.
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Posted: Thu Sep 15, 2016 7:02 pm
Her own eyes hardly lifting from the floor, Aaricia did look up when a set of Matorian legs appeared in her path. Seeing the boy's smile, her lips began to curve to return the same. Even if pulling out the chair was his job, his smile didn't look too forced. The woman's shrill cry caught her by surprise, making her gasp and jump, a hand smacking up to her chest over her heart. That had given her such a start! Cheeks red, her golden eyes darted between the boy and his 'employers,' uncertain of what to do. She didn't understand why he had been yelled at.. Her father?
Cheeks heating further, her gaze swept over to the big Oban. Her father's face was red with irritation, but his anger was aimed not only at the boy, but at the boy's master. Right or wrong, he didn't like anyone pointing what his job was when it came to his daughter, and it was the boy's fault for inciting such an incident...
Taking a deep breath, she straightened her back and spoke quickly. "Thank you for your concern, but my father is very busy attending to you and to those who have, like him, been honored with the invitation to your fine home today. I am sure he appreciates the relief of the burden of tending to me when he has such more important attention at hand." A quick glance at her father saw the heat practically steaming off his face. He had wanted to snarl, but she had pulled the rug right out from under him. Letting her breath out slowly, she looked to the boy again and smiled. "Thank you. You bring honor to your household, I am certain." Even if it was something he wasn't supposed to do, she wasn't about to let his consideration go without praise.
Realizing she shouldn't push anything too far though, she turned to face the table and slipped in front of the chair, waiting for it to be pushed forward to sit. At this, her father snorted, waved a big hand dismissively, and turned his attention back to the pompous looking man he'd been speaking to beforehand.
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Posted: Fri Sep 16, 2016 11:09 am
Nyko leaned against the back of the seat, keeping his eyes downcast for the most part. Not so subtly he was peeping up through his bangs to watch the Oban's bicker. The one addressed as this girl's father seemed really to blow, but she beat him to the punch.
Perhaps he should have been more worried about the consequences, but Nyko couldn't bring himself to put that much energy into it. He lived to shake up the lives of his master's and even though this 'stunt' had been unplanned he relished in it either way.
"Too busy to notice his own daughter? How interesting." Geneva smiled, and waved it off. "No matter-" She sat in her own seat, waited for her husband to push her chair in and began to converse with the others around her. For the moment it seemed as if the incident had been forgotten.
Nyko stood a little straighter after the girl addressed him, tilting his head in a respectable mini-bow. Once seated he pushed her chair forward, and moved to leave, but not before leaning forward to whisper, "After dinner meet me in the kitchen. They'll begin dancing then, and you can slip away."
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Posted: Fri Sep 16, 2016 11:58 am
Aaricia couldn't stop how the observations of the lady of the house pierced her chest. The woman was right... She glanced over to her father, but he was rather unfazed. The opinions of a woman rarely mattered to him. Even if she hated the man... he was the one who had brought her to Oba. He could do a little more than throw pretty things her way.
As she sat, her brow rose with surprise at the quick whisper in her ear. Lips pressing to hide a smile, she gave a subtle nod of understanding. She couldn't wait to sneak off.
Of course, wait she had to do. He father joined her at her side, the meal was served, and the delicate dance eating and responding to conversation began. Not that she had much conversation, but she still had to pay attention. Then the dancing began, and she sighed with relief, eager to find the kitchen. Yet, a big hand grabbed her arm to stop her. Apparently, there were requests for her to dance...
After being held too closely, listening to underhanded compliments and uncomfortable praises, and smelling far too much dinner breath, she finally was able to escape to the kitchen. It took a few questions with uncertain employees, but she found her way there. Slowly stepping in, she looked about the grand room for the young man who'd invited her.
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Posted: Wed Sep 21, 2016 10:01 am
When Nyko returned to the kitchen he didn't miss the glares both his mother and masters gave him. Instead of ducking his head, like a good boy, he walked with an almost arrogant swagger.
As soon as they were out of eyesight his mother laid into him. Zarna was harsh, and really let him have it. Not that Nyko paid much attention to her; his mind was still drifting to that girl, and her golden eyes. At first he had assumed she was just another rich Oban, but now...now he had to wonder...
The dinner portion of the gathering carried on for longer than Nyko wanted. He wasn't allowed back out into the main serving hall, on his mother's orders, so he busied himself in the kitchen by preparing dishes. Fixing up meals, sending them out, washing up when the plates came back...I can't wait to get out of here.
And finally, the dancing began, which should have been the cue for all servants to kick the cleaning into overdrive. All except for Nyko, who despite his mother's hissed words of caution, approached the lady and passed her yet another cheeky grin. "I see you accepted my invitation. I take it dancing doesn't suit you?"
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Posted: Wed Sep 21, 2016 10:26 am
Seeing the boy and his confident grin, Aaricia blushed slightly. Frankly, she wasn't used to seeing such a confident servant. It was a nice change. "I have had my fill for the night," she admitted, clasping her hands in front of herself nervously. Looking around at the other servants, she bit her lip and sighed. "I do hope my words won't cause trouble for you," she said softly. "Though.. why invite me here? I truly appreciate this.. but won't this upset the lady of the house?"
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Posted: Wed Sep 21, 2016 10:34 am
Nyko leaned against a cabinet and waved his hand in the air. "Everything upsets the lady of the house. Honestly, I'm hoping this party will be enough to calm her for a few days." They could rarely do anything to please the woman these days, so Nyko either assumed her marriage was on the rocks or something was happening in her more feminine bits. Neither of which he really wanted to know about.
He pushed off from the cabinet, and held his hand out to her. "I thought you were amazing. You were just doing what I've wanted to for years. It's about time someone shook things up around here." His golden eyes twinkled with mirth, and for a moment he looked away from her, though just to motion to the left with his head. "Come on, there's something I want to show you."
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Posted: Wed Sep 21, 2016 10:41 am
Aaricia couldn't help giggling. She found that to be the case for many Obans such as these people and her father. "I am actually hoping the same for my father," she whispered with amusement.
The praises made her golden eyes widen. "A..amazing?" Blushing hotly, she bit her lip to keep from smiling too brightly. She hadn't meant to shake things! ...It did feel good, though... Brow cocking curiously, her gaze flicked over to where the boy had indicated. "Okay," she agreed in a hushed tone, incredibly curious despite her heart pounding in her chest. If her father caught her in here... but he was so busy sucking up to the other businessmen out there. He surely wouldn't notice for a while.
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Posted: Sun Sep 25, 2016 3:29 pm
Nyko fed off the blames of her blush. It was a sign to him that his charm was working, and that she wasn't normally subjected to such treatment. In all honesty he should have laid off, for her sake; but this was just too much fun.
Despite her acceptance, Nyko did notice that she didn't take his offered hand and wasn't entirely surprised. She was, after all, of breeding whether she pretended to demurely forget that or not. He pulled his hand back to his side, keeping his smile in place and turned to lead her towards the back.
He moved past bustling servants, barely pausing when some stopped to openly stare at the pair before going about their duties. Nyko stopped short of a small doorway, pausing only to open it and show the water to an outer courtyard. Even from the door one could see carefully tended foreign flowers blossoming in the night air, and rows of carefully laid stone making pathways through the enchanted place.
"This way, princess~"
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Posted: Sun Sep 25, 2016 10:05 pm
Trying hard to not look over her shoulder like a criminal, Aaricia focused more on Nyko's face, missing the offered hand. What did he want to show her? Her curiosity got the best of her, of course, and she followed readily.
When the courtyard was revealed, gentle in the moonlight, she gasped softly. It looked beautiful! Of course, any Oban noble with a garden wouldn't have anything less than pristine to show. This couldn't be all. Her gaze looked over to Nyko with surprise, heat along her face again. "Oh, I-I'm not a princess. Th-that's not necessary. Please, call me Aaricia." Painted Moose ((Sorry Nyko! Operator error. Totally missed him holding out his hand to her))
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Posted: Mon Sep 26, 2016 11:41 am
"Lovely, isn't it?" Nyko mused with a little quirky grin. He ruffled his bangs, and pushed strands of ivory hair away from his face. With one long, carefree step he moved out of the doorway and into the garden.
The stones still carried some heat from the previous day, but not enough to burn. Rather, it was just enough to keep the chill away from the desert night. "It's the best part about living here. So long as they're busy we get to spend as much time as we want to here." He led the way down the stone path, walking with the ease of a deceptively carefree boy. When he turned back to look at her, the teen shook his head with a little laugh. "And why wouldn't you be a princess, Aaricia? You're as lovely as one. Though, I can't figure out why you would hide your hair like that; I'm sure it's as lovely as those pretty golden eyes of yours."
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Posted: Mon Sep 26, 2016 12:00 pm
Following after, Aaricia took a deep breath. It was wonderful being out here. So much better than being in that stuffy ballroom with those stuffy people. "We have a garden as well. I very much enjoy spending time in it."
Why not? Aaricia's eyes widened, cheeks heating up anew. To hear such a compliment without some kind of lecherous or sarcastic undertone was.. wonderful. Her eyes shifted away, and she shook her head. "It's... It's not that I wish to hide it. ...My father insists on it." She looked around nervously. There was no one else... "If you are sure you won't mind.." Biting her lip eagerly, she reached up and happily pulled the shawl back, letting out her long blue braid. Giggling, she spun once in place. It was so freeing.
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Posted: Mon Sep 26, 2016 12:07 pm
"Oh, is that so? What are your favorites? Mine are those flowers - those over there - with the red petals." They were a fat blossom, hanging heavy on their steams with golden centers and what looked like little black tips on the petals. They were so obviously Oban in color, but surprisingly enough they hailed from Tale.
He waited, more than a little curious to see the grand 'unveiling', pardon the pun. What did it matter if he minded or not? It was just hair; how offensive could it be? And then - there it was. That long, gloriously dark blue braid! If he hadn't seen her pointed ears he would have thought her part Matori. He laughed with her, and stepped closer, amber eyes aglow in the moonlight. Nyko reached out to take her hand, and moved to spin her in his arms. "There it is! I knew you had some spunk in you. So what if your hair is different? That's something to celebrate! How many other girls are as unique as you? None that I know of, and that makes you special. If your father would drag his head out of his a** long enough to see that he wouldn't make you hide it away."
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