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She was happy that he stayed silent, it was enough to know he understood her. The nudge was alien but she accepted it, she would have too if this was the norm. She made sure to place some of the bigger dishes in one of the strainers, not exactly knowing where they went. Cleaning with him was so easy, she could have handled these on her own but together they finished in record time...

He offered her his hand after she lightly dried her own hands on her apron. She watched him, slowly scanning his expression as memories began to flood her again. The men would always offer their arm to the duchess... Alexandria was no princess, she wasn't beautiful or even likeable. She took his hand, as a slave willing to make him happy. He may be a gentleman, but she was less of a woman..."Of course..."She said with a nod to him. His playing with his hair was strange, he seemed to be one of those people who could give little care to his own looks. It wasn't like messy hair would stop him from being so boyishly attractive anyway...

His hand was warm, it was soft in her hand and not once did he falter. He took her through the different areas of the home and she was undoubtedly educated in what the master held dear to him. She immediately began to realize that he was nothing like the Duchess. He didn't have a mirror in every room, he did things to educate himself and culture himself...

He showed her the library and images of afternoons spent here reading began to flood her thoughts. Perhaps...reading with him? He did say he liked the books in her room, she would have to read them; maybe he would enjoy discussing them with her. Next came the music room, she wasn't too fond of playing music but she loved to listen. The ballroom was next, it was large and pretty just like she assumed it was but it looked poorly tended, normal people wouldn't notice but Alexandria could see that the room hadn't been used in a while and was left barren of cleaning. When he led her passed the glass double doors she looked out at the garden. Exquisite and exotic flowers of all different kinds littered the area and she couldn't help but notice butterflies. She let her free hand fly forward slowly and a butterfly of the softest light blue fell to her index finger and fluttered softly.

She must have looked so beautiful, so gentle... The breeze was bracing and something unexpected happened, her worn out blue ribbons that tied her hair came loose and flew away. She must have forgotten to tie them properly when her hair was properly washed. She let go of the male's hand to retrieve them but only moved a few steps away to realize they were lost in the gust. The butterfly abandoned her immidiately as she moved as well. Those were the only presents the Duchess ever gave her besides the clothing she was told to wear. Without them her long blonde hair curled and danced around her, down her back passed her shoulders in silvery wisps. She turned to him and sighed before returning to take his hand again. "I'm sorry..."

She was taken aback by the way he drove his hand through he hair. She had taken care of herself quite well but her hair was the only thing that she thought was of any beauty to her. She never thought she could pull of beautiful dresses or attitudes and makeup was obviously not her forte. Her hair though, it was virgin blonde hair that has never been touched by anything more than some scissors when it became too long.

She looked up to him as he kissed her hair and looked at her as if she really looked beautiful. He looked at her, like the men would look at the Duchess. Finally she felt wrong, she felt above her station and pathetic. She didn't deserve this, she couldn't live in his eyes...his beautiful eyes. She didn't deserve his glance, she didn't deserve his compliment. She withdrew her hand and looked away at the garden. "Thank you, you are kind but...I am of no use to anyone with my hair in my face. I will find something to restrain it..." She rose her hand to cup her other wrist softly, this gesture was possibly the only one she assumed could tell others when she was nervous...

She felt a soft gasp escape her as he drew close. His voice fell against her and his warmth wrapped around her as he reached back to tie her own hair with the remaining ribbon. She looked up to him and rose a hand to her cheek when he brushed it. He had tied most of the hair back but her bangs were still out to view, making her look very hip. It looked nice for someone who thought herself to be more than a slave, perhaps a modern woman.

When he drew himself away she could feel the air around her again and it was bracing in comparison the warmth he gave from just the slightest space. He retreated from her and turned back to look at her. She couldn't help but feel like she offended him somehow, maybe she hurt him in some way. Why was he just leaving her here? Did she...bore him? She took a few steps towards him but he had already left the ballroom, his back towards her. She was alone... She looked to the garden and contemplated the idea behind her surroundings.

She felt the soft gusts against her dress as it furled in the wind. She could feel her long hair blowing in the tie behind her and she reached back to touch the ribbon, she could swear it was still warm... With that she turned towards the ballroom and walked out. She saw a few people walking around but she didn't see the master. Perhaps he did get bored of her... With that she knew she had nothing left to do considering that none of the people around her would allow her to clean if she asked anyway. She simply went to her room. The silent girl found herself walking to the bed and looking over to the vanity staring back at her in the closet. Her body felt as if it were sinking back into the soft silken bed and she felt a bump against her body from something that must have moved. She turned to find the box that had been left for her and she opened it.

Looking at each of the wrapped ribbons presented to her, she felt the onslaught of tears coming to her. He saw through her sadness, he knew what she wanted and got it for her without question. She grabbed a new pair of blue ribbons and put them softly against her cheeks before looking down at the rest. She put the box down with the ribbons inside and looked back at herself to see nothing but a crying blonde maid... A rush of emotions and feelings finally came to her, she had bottled them up for too long... Fourteen years of pent up anger and sadness was free in those tears... She had been taught that crying was weak but her new master had taught her something today that she couldn't keep inside! He had taught her that human kindness did exist, and he was the true form of it...

The world became solid the moment he touched her again. She felt that same warmth from earlier, this time it came with the bitter cold of tears drying on her cheeks while new ones threatened to take their place. She looked up to him into his soft eyes as bright as the sky. She couldn't look away so instead...she chose to speak.

"The only person to give me a gift was the one I assumed was my mother. She treated me like the servant I was and she gave me my ribbons to keep the hair out of my eyes so I could work..." She paused and rose a knuckle to her eye to stop anything but she failed. She couldn't help but feel so weak, so vulnerable. She was the reason he wasn't happy right now. "I always thought I would be alone...but you're so nice to me. You've held my hand, you've touched me without recoiling...Why?" She felt like a child, lost and alone before him. "Why are you so nice to me? I was raised to understand my life and my role in this world but you...Why are you so different? Why are you so nice to me?" Her voice came out like the tears that followed... She thought she could've handled anything he could throw at her, she thought she was the prime example of a pet who had her life together. She never thought she would be that far from the truth. "I don't deserve to dress like a princess, I don't deserve to be a part of a family, I don't deserve the warmth of your hand!" She rose her voice, she had never felt so confused before.

She felt her heartbeat rise like that of a nervous woodpecker when he drew her close. His arms around her drove her cheeks to blare a radiant red that she couldn't quell. What was this awkward feeling she got everytime he touched her? He kept her close and patted her softly. He spoke for only a moment before a silence fell upon them and she closed her eyes. He continued...his story was unbelievable and farfetched. She couldn't believe that someone who could cradle a lost cause like her had the capacity to be mean. Grow together? Into stronger people...together?

He took a step back but the memory of his warmth was easily being memorized by her skin cells that once believed they would know only cold. Their eyes were locked together, so vulnerable, so touching, so...

"If you think I can do it...then I will continue to try." She looked down to her hands which had come together at her waist. "I was raised by a mistress, she never accepted me as her child but I was forced to take her as my mother. Her teachings began when I turned two and started walking. She taught me to dress myself, clean myself, and finally she taught me how to put my hair up so I could work. She never gave me a hug or a loving touch, and she never allowed others to do it in her stead. I was raised to bottle my emotions and work until I couldn't anymore but she gave me away." She paused for a moment before finally feeling the courage to look up at him, with a smile.

"If you can change, I shall do my best to follow...thank you, Young ma-...Ciel..." As she spoke his name she blushed again before him, obviously feeling foolish by uttering his name.

At first she assumed they were having a serious moment, perhaps a loving moment that she could cherish. It was until his sudden outburst that it all changed. She jumped when he called her cute and suddenly her eyesight was clouded by her messed hair! It had been at least the fourth time that he had done that and she could feel her cheeks puffing like a balloon in protest. "S-stop it!" She softly took his hands away from fixing her hair and got on her tippy toes before reaching her own hands up to his head to mess his hair up. Which didn't do much good because eventually it would just fall back into it's 'boyishly handsome always' look anyway...

She felt slightly bitter but after looking at what she had done she blushed and laughed softly. Her laughter eventually got a bit more out of control until she was giggling... Maybe it wasn't her dream moment but it was nice, he had made her happy. "Now how do you feel?" She said, now her voice was gaining some sort of emotion and she was proud of it. No more tears were forming, she was legitimately happy. Maybe she really could change.

She watched as he laughed at her and she couldn't help but smile. This was nice. He liked her laugh, and he liked her, that was all she needed to know to feel better. She nodded to his reply and closed her eyes as he gave her hand a small squeeze. It was reassurance, and much more than she would need. He turned to leave and offered her to come down with him if she wanted to.

She figured she wouldn't have to do any work today anyway so perhaps it was best to simply enjoy herself until them. She took a moment to look at herself in the vanity mirror one more time. 'It can't be too hard to be pretty right?' She undid the old blue bow she had in her hair and turned to the balcony before walking to the edge. With her hair blowing in the higher breezes she reached her hand out and held the soft cloth. "I bind you Duchess from doing harm to me...you will not keep me from living, you will not keep me from loving. You will not keep me from being in this family." She let go of the solitary ribbon and it flew higher and higher in the breezes until it was no longer within her site. She took a brush to her silvery blonde hair and decided that it would be best for today if she wore it down. She didn't need to work anyway right? At least for today she could be happy just being Alexandria...

"So what are you reading?" A while later she found herself in the library looking towards a day dreaming Ciel. She had let her hair down and it looked pretty radiant with the gorgeous homes lighting above her. Something else was new about her... She had stripped herself of the bland blue dress and was trying out something in a radiant red. It fit nicely with her blushing tones and gave her a somewhat strawberry look with her blonde hair accent. She had her hands together at her waist and carefully walked closer towards him. "If I read the books upstairs...would you discuss them with me?" She knew reading would never become a perfect hobby for her but if he would discuss books with her than she would do what it takes to become an interesting topic partner.