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 Posted: Sat Oct 15, 2011 12:23 am
in wealthier straits
featuring deborah griffith & valka tverskaya
location jewelry shop, london
in which valka looks for semi-precious stones for his master
***  Just hours earlier, Valka had been informed that he was to be assigned a task of The Utmost Importance. He could almost hear the spoken capitalization of each word as it left his master's mouth, and even at the errand boy's tender age, he could understand that this was, indeed, a matter requiring great precision and, more importantly, discretion.
Going wrong in this matter would certainly not bode well for Valka, and not only would he be first in line for a lecture, but he would also be reduced to sweeping duty for the next month. Neither appealed much to the boy. He could get an earful whenever he wanted, simply by spending too much time in his landlady, Mrs. Whitlock's, presence, and there always seemed to be some spot of the smithy in need of sweeping.
So Valka was determined to pay his utmost care in carrying out this matter of great importance. There was, of course, a certain amount of trepidation that came with the territory. After all, it would be his first time inside a jewelry store. His family had not the money to spend on such luxuries, and, for the most part, neither did his master. But the coming week was to be the thirtieth birthday of Master Jenkins' wife, and year thirty was certainly a cause for Miz Marcela to celebrate.
In order to do that, Valka's master required some jewelry. The young boy paused outside the jewelry store, peering anxiously into the glass display window. His pocket felt heavy with the coins he had been given, and he had even put on some of his best clothes for the occasion. Not that Valka resembled any respectable citizen. It was still rather obvious that he didn't belong in a jewelry store, and for that, he felt a nervous little lump gather in his throat. It was so intimidating.
But, as master had said, this was a matter of The Utmost Importance, and Valka could not fail. Ametrine, his master had told him. Ametrine was what he sought, for its purple color, which was Miz Marcela's favorite, and for the purity and clarity of the stone, which was Miz Marcela's very representation.
Gathering his breath, the boy pushed open the door and stepped bravely inside.
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Posted: Sun Oct 16, 2011 4:35 am
 As a young lady born into the high life, Deborah was occasionally spoiled. If not by her father granting her requests for being taught certain subjects, or him having his designers create her a fashionable new dress, it was something the girl wanted and would long for.Today was a great day, her father was going to introduce her to the woman who would later become her step mother.
A fine dinner party where her father would court his beloved, and a young lady would hopefully bond with the mother she'd never had. So was the plan, and thus the reason why Deborah's father had sent her, along with the family's butler. An escort as always, Catherine off to visit her family.
The jewelry shop was renowned for it's quality, and, for selection. Necklaces and bracelets, lace fans, hair pieces and little jewelry boxes all glittered in their glamor. For Deborah, the only thing she had her eyes on was a lovely ivory and emerald necklace, just the thing for the dinner party. The din of the doorbell caused her to turn. A young boy, just a bit older then her. The clerk was busy in the back getting a few other trinkets, hopeful to deter the stubborn young lady from her prize, the necklace was supposed to be on reserve. She was walking out the store with that necklace, no two ways about it. Besides she had seen the others, and if she wanted those, she'd certainly ask to see them.
"Hello sir." She smiled at the boy, a polite, if small bow. "Getting a gift for someone?" That was the only reason she could see a boy being in a jewelry store. That or repairs. Her escort raised a brow at her willingness to chat up strangers. It was both good and bad in someways. So long as the boy wasn't some crass ill mannered brat the butler could stand by and let things move along. He just wanted to get back and stop playing babysitter.
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iStoleYurVamps
iStoleYurVamps
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Posted: Sun Oct 16, 2011 9:30 am
The first thing Valka noticed was that everything gleamed. It was strange for him to attribute a word so associated to metal to these tiny little jewels, but there was no other way to put it. They gleamed more than any sword or fancy carriage harness his master had ever made. Maybe it was the light. The brightness of the place made him feel like blinking, and everything about it seemed to have been designed to make Valka ill at ease.
Even the customers made him feel uneasy. They were all of them dressed in fancy attire that put his outfit to shame (not that he had expected otherwise), and there just seemed to be a certain... air about them. That wealthy air. It was almost uncanny how easy it was to pick out a rich person on the street, but in here, they almost all were. Of course, Valka himself was the exception. He wasn't used to seeing the amount of money he had, let alone carrying it around in his pocket.
Sir? It took him a moment to realize the girl was talking to him. Sir? His eyes went as wide as carriage wheels as he spun around hastily to come face to face with a young lady slightly younger than himself and a... was that a butler? He almost squeaked in surprise, only managing to reign in his emotion at the last moment. It was probably wise not to make a bigger fool out of himself.
"Uhm..." He cleared his throat, struggling to find words. Was this the first time anybody of wealth (and, therefore, importance) had spoken to him directly? Most certainly. "Da- Yes, Miss," he managed to say. It always took him a try or two to mask the Russian accent he had learned from his parents, and had learned to switch on and off at will. "For a birthday."
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Posted: Wed Oct 19, 2011 2:01 am
Where as Valka might be ill with all the glittering gems and delicately designed jewelry, Deborah felt perfectly comfortable. Fashion was to be her future and her way to remain in the top social class, to her, it was nothing to scoff at. It was also how she would impress and perhaps, even catch a young man's eye.
As Valka's greeting stumbled out, she stiffled a giggle. It wasn't proper for a young lady to laugh at another. Well, unless you were with other ladies and it was something quite amusing. But outright laughing? Unacceptable.
The boy wasn't some urchin, (her escort might have thrown a fit if he was), no he looked neither poor nor well to do like herself. A member of the middle class then. "Hrm, a birthday is it?" She smiled, talking a minute to adjust her bow. “Well, there are many fine things to get a lady on her birthday! Gold is always nice, but so are things that compliment her well. A lady would never be caught dead wearing something that didn’t look good. Do you have something in mind for her?”
The man acting as her escort shifted awkwardly, debating to stop his ward from speaking to a lower class citizen. Truthfully he figured the boy would show her soon enough why not to talk to those who to the man’s eyes, probably has as much class as a wet cat.
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iStoleYurVamps
iStoleYurVamps
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Posted: Wed Oct 19, 2011 12:22 pm
She seemed right at home, standing among all jewelry, and that was intimidating in and of itself. He couldn't help but become acutely aware of just how conspicuous he seemed there. Even if his clothes (an all-too-generous gift from his master for his tenth birthday) looked nice enough to convince passersby that he was worth more than his actual impoverished state, they still didn't justify his being in a jewelry store. Not really. Items of such worth were generally left to for the genuinely wealth to peruse, not little orphans like him.
And on top of that, he could feel her butler's eyes boring into him, and had to make a conscious effort not to sneak furtive glances his way. The big man seemed to have the right idea; Valka wasn't much in comparison to the prim and proper young lady talking to him, and he was just as confused as to why she was. He figured that perhaps she was simply extremely polite, thought politesse alone wouldn't necessarily have driven her to strike up the conversation. So it must have been something else. Valka wasn't sure he wanted to know what. His understanding of the upper class was slim at best, but he figured that they usually wanted something. Maybe it was just a matter of time before he found out what.
"Uhm," he began hesitantly, glancing nervously at her butler in spite of himself. "I... I think I'm meant to find ame... ametrine, Miss." He imagined whatever his master wanted would be less expensive than gold. Jenkins made a decent living as a blacksmith, but that didn't mean he had an ample store of money waiting to be spent either. He was a frugal man, anyway, and gold would have seemed just a tad too extravagant. Miz Marcela probably wouldn't approve of thoughtless spending, even - or perhaps especially - if it was meant for her.
In his nervousness, he was having a difficult time masking his accent, which only made him feel even more ill at ease. It seemed bad enough that he was a poor boy in a jewelry store, but a poor migrant boy... Valka swallowed. He had met enough people in the slums alone that looked down on him for his Russian heritage, and he didn't doubt that there were members of higher social classes that felt the same way. If anything, he expected there to be more, and even if the young lady didn't feel that way, perhaps her butler would.
And, something would go wrong, he was sure. He would do something, or say something that would make her butler grab him and toss him out onto the street. Or even if he didn't, she would most surely realize that he wasn't worth her time and would go back to her shopping. Maybe it was better that way, for the both of them.
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Posted: Mon Oct 31, 2011 5:18 am
Deborah felt more than at home. The shop was no stranger to her and her visit, even if half of them she would just look and never buy anything, (much to the shop owner's dismay). She was a window shopper at times, and with her allowance she was prone to saving for the best she could find. Which usually was the most expensive.
She was to wrapped up in her attention to Valka to notice the butler's looks, and so the man kept glaring. He meant well, even if his ward had little mind to worry about a neatly dressed boy getting a birthday gift. She had few friends, and even if was just a passing greeting a short term friend was better than none at all, (she kept begging her father to let her go to the dinner parties but no. She had to stay and host her own.)
"Is something wrong?" she asked, no clue to her butler's harsh and judgmental looks. Smiling she waved it off. "Ametrine?" She was unfamiliar with it. Well unfamiliar as in she didn't own anything with it. Didn't match her very well. "tapping he chin, she looked at the man behind the counter. "Didn't you hear him?" A huff. "He's looking for Ametrine. Don't you have any?" She wasn't very loud or harsh with the question, just... she sounded more curious than anything.
As the man rolled his eyes both the young lady and her butler frowned. So rude to a customer. "Ivan, make sure this is the last time we shop here. That man behind the counter is so rude!" She whispered to her escort. Turning back to smile at Valka, she waited for them gems to be displayed. "Oh my manner!" A step back and a small curtsy. "My name is Deborah Griffith. It's a pleasure to meet you."
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iStoleYurVamps
iStoleYurVamps
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Posted: Sun Nov 06, 2011 10:14 pm
Valka had to make a conscious effort to stop himself from chancing furtive glances at the butler. No doubt his expression hadn't changed and the man was still glaring disapprovingly at the boy. Valka was accustomed to such reactions - sometimes he passed by the wealthier quarters on his way home - but always from afar. This was the first time he had come in close contact with people of such obvious wealth, and even if the butler was just a servant of the household, he seemed to be one of them by association. Most certainly, he didn't quite hold to his young mistress' choice of jewelry shop companion. Valka didn't blame him.
"Uhm, yes, miss," he managed to say, half distracted by the effort he was putting into focusing on the conversation. It was difficult not to picture the butler's stoic gaze boring into him, just waiting for him to make a wrong move. And most likely, Valka wouldn't even realize what he had done. All he would know was that he was out on the street, tossed outside by the intimidating butler. "My master's wife adores its color," Valka added, swallowing as the little lady turned to the man behind the counter. That man didn't look altogether pleased, either... and he could tell Valka didn't belong there, just like the butler could tell... A small frown fraught with anxiety crossed his brow. If only he could hide somewhere.
"Oh, m'name's... Valka, miss," he offered after momentary hesitation. It wasn't much of a surprise to anyone that he wasn't English, but adding his last name seemed like a putting seal on his doom. Another pause, and then he hastily swept his hat off his head and bobbed in an awkward half bow of sorts. Etiquette was not something that he was altogether familiar with.
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Posted: Thu Nov 10, 2011 9:15 am
So much glaring from behind her, if she had known, she would have been deeply embarrassed. “Please, Call me Deborah.” There was a tiny smile given at that request. “Servants and strangers call me Miss. But I would like friends to call me Deborah. And Valka…” She paused at his name, but her smile didn’t leave her face. Stepping back, she gave another small curtsy of her own. “It’s a pleasure to meet you Valka.” As the man behind the counter began to lay the gems out, and her butler stood stoic and judgmental as usual, the young lady went on. “Please forgive me but, that’s an unusual name. Is one of your parents from another country? My father often talks about the new rushes of immigrants and how it’s helping his business.”
The butler made a small noise and Deborah’s head snapped back, glaring. For a few seconds they two silently faced off, before Deborah sighed and went back to face Valka. “Sorry. Oh- the gems!” Her excitement out weighted her previous thoughts, as the shop keeper laid various gems out on the table, each one glimmering in the light.
“They’re all quite beautiful, do you know what exactly you need?”
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iStoleYurVamps
iStoleYurVamps
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Posted: Fri Nov 11, 2011 12:05 am
Valka hesitated. For a moment, he was tempted to think that... perhaps she had a point. She was so young, after all, and if he had been in a position to have an opinion, he would have felt stifled by titles as well. Of course, that could be nothing more than a byproduct of his family's underwhelming wealth. He had gone some days without so much as a shilling to his name, and no doubt it would happen again during the course of his lifetime.
But that was just the way things were, just like titles were the way things were. She was obviously somebody deserving of respect, and he was sure that the butler behind her wasn't on a first-name basis either. So what gave Valka the right? Other than her permission of course, but... he had never taken things like that to heart. It was too easy to misread a subtle test that way and accidentally offend.
"Yes, miss... Deborah," he said finally, struggling to reach an agreeable medium for all sides. No doubt her butler would not be pleased if Valka dropped the title altogether, and Deborah might have taken offense if he didn't use her name somewhere... Being around the rich took more effort than he had ever imagined. It must be different from where she was standing.
"Oh, yes," he admitted, almost reluctantly. The fact that her father seemed to approve of immigrants (this, Valka found pleasantly surprising) seemed reassuring, although her butler's response, less so. "Both of them, actually. My family is from Russia." Doing his best to quell his fidgeting, he shot a furtive glance at the butler.
He turned his attention gratefully to the gems that appeared on the scene, inexperienced eyes roving aimlessly over the scattered stones. "I've never seen these before," he said, conveniently forgetting to mention that he'd never seen jewelry up close before, period. "I wouldn't know what to look for."
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Posted: Thu Dec 22, 2011 1:36 am
The young lady beamed at him, even if her butler was glowering. It was a young girls foolishness, not yet quite understanding her place. Granted, she grew up in it, but she was too open, free from the snobbery she'd eventually become a part of with age and wisdom of her status along with significance. Valka's admission he'd not handled gems made the clerk groan and hold one gem. "Then how about thi-" "Most certainly not!" Deborah spoke up immediately, the man behind her rolling his eyes. "You cant just foster off any gem onto your customers." Waving at her butler she motioned to the gems. "Pick the best one." The man just nodded with a simple 'Of course.' Her orders didn't exactly stop him from still glaring at poor Valka before getting right to work.
Why should she inspect the gems when he could do it for her. Plus she preferred talking to gem inspecting. "Russia was it? I've- never met anyone from Russia before, but I imagine it's very different than here, London even more so! But, I can't really imagine living anywhere else. London is it's own little world in some ways. As for the gems-" A glance back at the man currently doing Valka's work on her orders, "He'll pick you something very nice. If he doesn't then well-" It was left at that. It didn't really need to be said that if he lied, she'd fire him, or something similar.
A cough and the butler motioned to one of the medium sized gems. "For the best price and best quality Miss Griffith, that is the best." A smile. "See, what did I say?"
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iStoleYurVamps
iStoleYurVamps
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Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2012 6:28 pm
Valka swallowed and averted his gaze, taking care not to make eye contact with either the butler or the man behind the counter. If he could have had his way, he would have grabbed the first gem proffered to him and left as quickly as he could. The men intimidated him, and no doubt his master wouldn't have much noticed the difference.
Still, he couldn't help but suppose that maybe it was a good thing he had managed to meet Deborah. His mistress deserved the very best, and Valka alone wasn't much able to provide that for her. But Deborah could, and with her help, he would be able to buy the best gem.
If he had known how to, and if he had been old enough to do such a thing, he would have offered to inspect the gems himself. As it was, he didn't and he wasn't, so he resorted to continuing the conversation. And after all, what else could a poor boy like him do?
"Uhm, yes, it's cold, I believe," he said, nodding. Valka himself had no existing memories of Russia, but had been born on the last leg of the journey out of the country. "And emptier than here." Sometimes, he thought maybe it would have been a good thing to live in the Russian countryside, where people weren't crammed like rats into a single apartment.
Looking over, Valka peered at the gem, wondering how anyone could see what was better and what was worse. But they had to know what they were doing, so he simply nodded. "I didn't doubt it," he said, managing a smile before he caught sight of the butler's frown again, and promptly felt uncomfortable once more.
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Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2012 3:52 am
Deborah more or less was grinning ear to ear. She had thought she'd done well by Valka all things taken into consideration, never mind the class difference. The gem was the best and- "I'll take it." The jewler was quick to begin ringing it up and when her butler began to make sounds of protest she was quick to shoot him an angry glare. It was her money after all. She could do as she wished with it. Besides-
A smile at the boy. "I would hate to live in an empty place. I imagine it would become quite lonely." As she paid for them gem as soon as it was placed in her hands she offered it to the boy. "Take it." She said, voice both pleased and determined.
It wasn't the most expensive but still. It was a gem and it cost a good number of coin. "Consider it a gift. For a friend." Even if she didn't see the boy ever again, she wanted to at least say she'd done something nice for someone. That she might have made a friend, however brief.
Her butler just looked like he'd given up trying to talk her out of it.
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iStoleYurVamps
iStoleYurVamps
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Posted: Tue Mar 20, 2012 10:52 am
"I hear there's something about the brotherhood out there, where it's lonely," Valka said, thinking back to all the stories his parents had told him as child. Or, a younger child. He was far from being an adult, but that wasn't easy to remember sometimes, not when he worked as hard as he did to survive.
"Oh, but..." Valka's eyes widened, half in surprise, half in fear, as he took in the proffered gem. Never in his wildest dreams would he have come to a moment like this. It just didn't make sense. He was neither rich nor English, and therefore seemed not to deserve any sort of niceties on her part, much less her friendship, and he had certainly done nothing to earn it either.
"I... I can not, it's too much..." He managed to say. Much too much. What would his parents say? What would his master... He wanted to decline, wanted to offer to pay her back for it, or perhaps work off the debt if she would allow him, but there was a certain insistence in her words that made him think, perhaps it would be rude to decline.
Sheepishly, he stole a glance at her butler, expecting to see rage written across his face, but found no resistance, only a wearied sort of acceptance. "I... I suppose..." He reached out to gingerly take the gem out of her hands, still reeling from what had happened. "Thank you." He said finally. "Thank you... Deborah. I..."
He stopped. There was nothing else to say. None of the words he knew could ever come together to express the gratitude he felt in that moment, nor the wonder that had come over him. And none was needed, he supposed. There was, for the moment, a rare and shared sense of camaraderie between the two that might break and disappear at any moment. But for now, it was enough.
/fin
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