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 Posted: Fri May 09, 2014 4:35 pm
"It was not my intent to make you a blood slave. I would not subject you to such a task that would make you uncomfortable." Balthazar knew Rowena was more of a gentle soul. He knew going into this that he would not feed from her, even though a part of him wished to. But it was not necessary. Balthazar was fine with finding his meals elsewhere.
"Again you must forgive my brother. He has his own grand ideas of what he considers 'pretty' or fascinating. We both have differing opinions on what we consider ideal company." Gregory liked to surround himself with modelesque type of people who showered him with praise and compliments. Balthazar preferred more subdued company. He was not the best conversationalist, so someone who did not expect him to idly chit-chat was a plus to him. It was one of the reasons why he liked Rowena. He felt like he didn't have to put up an act in front of her. There could be companionable silence between them and it would not be awkward. He found her shyness endearing and he liked it when her eyes lit up over simple joys he would normally overlook.
Balthazar wanted to go over to Rowena and comfort her, but he felt it was inappropriate given the current situation. It did pain him to see Rowena look so defeated, he never wanted to be the one responsible for making her feel that way. "I would never consider you useless."
"It would appear my company is unwanted and only causing you discomfort," he sighed. "If you'll excuse me, I'll leave you to rest in peace." Granted this was technically his room, but that hardly mattered to Balthazar at the moment. Rowena could make use of his room for as long as she needed. There were various other empty guest rooms he could use if he needed a rest. Despite rejecting Rowena's feelings of being useless, Balthazar himself felt a little helpless. He wanted to make things right with Rowena, but he did not know how. He felt as if his hands were tied.
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Posted: Sat May 10, 2014 2:21 pm
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x"To share your weakness is to make yourself vulnerable..." x
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If he had said anything at all of what he was actually thinking, or if he had sat down and tried to make her feel better, the misunderstanding orchestrated by his brother would have been cleared up much sooner than he had expected. But instead, all Balthazar did was make it seem as if he did believe what she was saying and was merely being polite in discouraging her from thinking that. Even if he had just said that he liked her company - anything positive would have brought the girl up from the dumps she was currently in. She didn't want him to go, didn't want to be left alone, and bit her lip when he stood up and she found herself all alone in the large room. It was frightening and she curled up as best she could, almost pulling the blankets over her head. The bowl was on the table now and she turned her head away from it, no longer have anything resembling an appetite.
After a few minutes, tears began to fall from her eyes and Rowena ended up crying herself to sleep.
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The next morning, one of the maids - not Mia - came in to check up on her and see how she was. Waking the young woman up, she asked if there was anything she could do. Groggy, Rowena looked up at the older woman for a moment, blinking, before nodding. She was in pain, but at least she could move now, the drugs having worn out of her system. "I'd like to take a bath," she said, feeling grimy and disgusting.
"I had a feeling you would say that," the woman said cheerfully, helping her sit up. "There's a bath waiting for you, master said to use his bathroom so you don't have to walk very far," she continued. Unsure what to make of that, Rowena gasped a bit when she had to stand up, and leaned on the maid as they walked to the bathroom. The tub was already full, the water hot enough to leave little steam trails in the air, and she let out a happy sort of sigh as her nightgown was pulled off. The blood had been washed off perfunctorily, but but it was still staining her skin. "Do you need help, Miss Rowena?" the woman asked, as they walked to the tub.
Biting her lip, she slowly nodded. "Um, yes...I don't really want to be by myself," Rowena admitted in embarrassment. The maid nodded understandingly and helped her step into the tub. Rowena let out a sigh of relief as she sank into the hot water, closing her eyes and dipping her head back to get her hair wet. It felt glorious and she simply soaked there, the maid sitting on a stool nearby and playing a game on her cell phone while she waited to be needed. The girl managed to wash herself up, her hands trembling a bit, but she was happy to be able to use them at all compared to the night before. Scrubbing her scalp, she made sure to clean her hair and felt much better just with a hot bath. "I'm ready to get out now," she said softly.
The woman looked up and came over, carrying a large fluffy towel for the girl, and wrapped Rowena up in it as she helped her out of the tub. "There's a toothbrush and toothpaste for you as well," the woman told her. "And breakfast will be ready for you when you want."
"Can I...do I have to stay in Balthazar's room?" she asked, not wanting to at all. Looking at her in surprise as they went over to the sink, the maid shook her head.
"Not if you'd prefer another room. Yours is still being cleaned up, but there are plenty of others," she told the girl, who was concentrating on brushing her teeth. Honestly, the staff doubted Rowena would want to stay in the room after that and had already moved her things to one of the other guest rooms in anticipation of the request.
Spitting and rinsing, the young woman straightened, wrapped up in a towel. "All right. Thank you very much..."
"Hannah," the woman supplied, seeing the girl pause nervously. "Come on, I have some of your clothes for you and then we'll take you to another room." She led Rowena back to the bedroom and helped her change into comfortable clothing, careful of the wound to keep from aggravating it. Rowena didn't talk much, not having a lot to say, and the maid was quiet as well. Once they had gone to the new bedroom and Rowena was settled on a small lounge couch that was there, Hannah smiled down at her. "Do you want something to eat?" she asked.
"Actually, that sounds good, please," Rowena admitted after a moment. When asked what she wanted, she blinked, surprised at the question. "Um, could I...have some french toast, please?" she asked shyly. Hannah nodded, before going downstairs to relay the request. Stuck by herself again, Rowena looked out the window and chewed on her lower lip, wishing she had her sketchpad.
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x"...to make yourself vulnerable is to show your strength."
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Posted: Fri May 16, 2014 4:18 pm
After exiting his room, Balthazar couldn't help but sigh as he leaned against an adjacent wall. How did this all fall apart so quickly? He wasn't sure and more importantly he did not know how to fix it. Balthazar was not the best in understanding the female mind and feared no matter what he said, would only make it worse. He needed to come up with a plan.
Balthazar stayed in his study all night trying to come up with a strategy. Maybe he could right her a letter? No, it seemed too impersonal and cowardly considering they both resided in the same house. Flowers? Possibly, but that lead to the question of what kind of flowers to get Rowena. Perhaps he should give her trinkets and gifts to show his affection. He lacked the vocabulary to express himself, but maybe through his actions he could get through to her.
With the decision set, Balthazar made a few phone calls to arrange for various items and events to be arranged. He'd start off small just to see how she would respond to his gifts. Grand gestures did not seem to hold an appeal to his pet. She preferred the simple things in life and he had to take that into account.
Heading back to Rowena's room, Balthazar saw that some of his staff was hard at work cleaning the bloody room. "Good evening mi'lord. We should have this place all nice and clean by the morning," one of the maids told him with a grimace. She liked serving her master, but the sight of all that blood still did not sit well with her.
Balthazar sympathized with the woman and shook his head. "Take your time, this room will not be of use for a long time to come." Considering his distaste of the events that took place here, chances are he was going to strip the room and completely renovate it. It wouldn't erase the memories, but it would help. "Have Rowena's things moved to another guest room. Anything ruined beyond repair, toss it and inform me of what needs to be replaced."
Balthazar heard a murmur of 'Yes sir' as he surveyed the room. He noticed right away that unfortunately Rowena's newly bought sketch pads were covered in blood. He remembered how the pieces of paper had brought such joy to his pet's face. She would be disappointed in seeing them ruined. It was then he had an idea. He could order one of his staff to do it, but he wanted to see to this personally.
Ignoring the going ons in the room, Balthazar made his way to the guest room balcony. Breathing in the nightly air, he leaped into the air and took off in flight. If he hurried, he could get this done before sunrise.
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By the time that Balthazar arrived back at the mansion, it was almost dawn. He had barely made it back before sunrise, it would not have been pleasant to have to fly in the sun. Landing at the front steps of his home, Balthazar let himself in. His morning staff were already up and about doing their chores and he could smell the breakfast the chef was cooking up. Calling forth his trusted head of staff Walter, Balthazar gave the man the carefully wrapped package and requested that this was to be given to Rowena once she had awakened. It was a sketch book, but it wasn't an ordinary sketch book. He had it enchanted by a witch who owed him a favor so that it would never run out of any paper and it had a protection charm around it so it wouldn't get damaged by anything.
Satisfied that his gift was taken care of, Balthazar made his way upstairs. Since his room was currently occupied, he chosen a random empty guest room to sleep in. He made sure to draw the curtains closed and laid down for a restful sleep.
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Posted: Sat May 24, 2014 6:19 pm
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x"To share your weakness is to make yourself vulnerable..." x
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Even as she wished for her sketchpad, her fingers aching to do something, to move and be useful, someone knocked on the door. Rowena looked around in surprise, thinking it was Hannah to tell her breakfast was ready - but it was too soon for that, she knew it, confused as to what someone would want with her. The person that came in was an elderly man, but his age seemed to belie how capable he was. He looked like one of those seniors she saw who were always going for runs and were healthier than people her own age, in all honesty, and she looked at him in confusion.
"All me to introduce myself, Miss Rowena. I am Walter, the head of staff for Master Balthazar," the man told her, giving her a small bow to accompany his smile. He had a package in his hands, something that was wrapped up, and she looked at it curiously. "That master has a present for you and instructed that I deliver it, as he had to retire upon his return." The man spoke formally, but his tone was kind and Rowena couldn't help but relax a bit. Her curiosity was peaked, however, hearing that it was a present for her. Why would Balthazar even bother with such a thing? The man came over and handed it to her, seemingly pleased that she didn't refuse it right away. He understood some of his master's feelings, having served him for quite a long time, and knew the man would be unhappy if she rejected this gesture of goodwill.
Unwrapping it, Rowena's eyes widened when she saw what it was. A sketchbook, but of quality surpassing even the ones she had bought in the shops. Her slim fingers ran over it and as she was simply human, she couldn't tell there was magic permeating every fiber of the pages she was touching. "Ohhh...this is...amazing," she murmured, still shocked that Balthazar would give her something like this. The man smiled calmly, pleased she liked it, knowing that would in turn make his master a bit happier. The girl smiled as she examined the sketchbook, unable to believe that it was really her own, and she blinked when he handed her some pencils as well. "I thought you might want some of these. Hannah will come to get you when breakfast is ready, if you would like to eat in the kitchen with some people," he offered her. Thinking on it, the young woman nodded in agreement and he gave her a small bow before leaving her.
Alone in the room, the young woman took one of the pencils out of the box and began to absently draw, her fingers doing as they pleased without her really thinking about it. She had found out long ago that the more she thought on something while she drew, the worse it looked. So while her fingers moved across the paper, the small noise of the lead scratching against the fibers, the young woman simply looked outside and daydreamed, lost in thought. When Hannah knocked, she was jerked out of it, startled, and looked down to see if she had ruined her drawing. There was a line cutting across the edge, but the sketch itself was all right.
Seeing that it was of Balthazar made her close it in a hurry. "Time for breakfast?" Rowena guessed, as the woman came in.
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x"...to make yourself vulnerable is to show your strength."
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