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 Posted: Wed Aug 16, 2017 2:26 pm
Victoria lives in a renovated three story manor home accompanied by twenty luscious acres. The homes was hers during her mortal life and she later repurchased it as a vampire. The home is surrounded by cast iron gates and modern security: including cameras and daytime werewolf and human guards who monitor the estate. The home itself has twelve bedrooms, an attic and basement, a large kitchen, a bathroom connected to each bedroom (as part of a later renovation) , a formal dinning room, a private study, a library, a parlor room, and a ballroom or medium size(also a later addition to the estate). The home also has stables outside with seven stalls and a large outdoor night garden.
The home itself still has much of its original artwork, decor, and detailing. Much of the renovation work focused on restoration and adding modern appliances like llighting, safety measures, and additional bathrooms. However, the home still retains its centuries old style and many of her family heirlooms. It is in most ways a 'classic style home' rather than modern.
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Posted: Wed Aug 16, 2017 7:08 pm
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Rachel gave a nearly silent sigh as she waited. She had been woken up extra early and told that she was to be delivered to her newest mistress, but she didn't expect her to live so far from the shops. Normally, this wouldn't be a problem, but she admittedly wasn't a fan of being stuck in the van that was used to make deliveries for quite this long, without being allowed out in order to stretch her aching legs. She kept what complaints that she may have to herself, however. Rachel knew her place, so made no sound.
The guard then made a comment that they were now on her new misstress's property. Curious, Rachel leaned forward to look out a window, hearing the chains rattle as she moved. It was indeed a large property, she noted, looking towards the manor that they were finally approaching. She found herself sitting up straighter, tugging strands of hair, making sure everything was in place. By the time they had pulled up in the driveway, she decided that she would make an adequate first impression. She climbed out at the guard's orders, waiting behind him as he rang the doorbell. The chains on her wrists started to bother her, but she didn't let the irritation show. At this point, the chains were a mere formality, and would be removed soon enough.
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Posted: Wed Aug 16, 2017 7:45 pm
❝ Follow me through the night, ❞ ❝ we are sisters of the light. ❞ ❝ We are daughters of sin, wild and free. ❞  ↙☾ Victoria ☾↘
The guards at the front gate knew to expect the truck, and with ease buzzed them through the cast iron gate, which opened on its mechanism with a loud creaking sound. It was a bit slow, but the iron was solid, not truly meant to be fast. It had been put in before the modern technology was added to make it open on its own. The van was waved through and when the door was knocked upon it was a butler who opened it. A man of about six feet in height and rather odd looking eyes. He was a vampire, of only fifty or so years of age. But his maker had died some decade or two ago and Victoria had been kind enough to 'adopt him' and offer him a job at her estate. Her age was not ancient, but her natural inherited wealth and the nobility of her maker made her of high rank in her vampiric world. It gave her standing, and meant that she had some duties in her own world. Those included adopting orphaned vampires and giving them jobs when she could. Of course it also meant keeping to the rules of her own community and acting properly, lest she expose herself or her kind and receive very strict and harsh punishment as a result. It was partially why she was getting personal guard now. Her last one had been killed a year or two back during an attack at a ball in St.Petersburg.
The butler smiled. "Please, come in. My mistress is waiting in the parlor room. I must ask , however, that you leave any weapons, silver, or religious items outside the door please. If you refuse you must remain outside. She will sign all final paperwork in the parlor room." The butler didn't leave much room for argument on the matter. His mistress did not answer the door herself, lest it be some kind of hooligan or armed intruder who managed to get past the gate and security, though that was doubtful. But one didn't get to be her age with foolishness. Plus, she was a lady, born and raised in an era where she was waited on hand and foot. No one would see her lowering her standards just because it was a new day and age. No! She would uphold the existence she had been born into and had the money to continue living in.
She mourns beneath the moonlit sky,
Remembering when they said goodbye.
Never forget what I did, what I said,
When I gave you all my heart and soul.
Morning will come and I know we’ll be one,
Cause I still believe that you’ll remember me.
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Posted: Wed Aug 16, 2017 9:13 pm
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Rachel looked up when the door was opened by a man- he seemed to be a servant, or a butler, if she was pressed to guess. He told them to come in, and leave behind her weapons, silver, or religious items. Considering that her hands were bound, she gave her guard a look. After a bit of a grumbling sound, he took the swords on her hips. When he backed up, she retrieved one knife from each boot, one steel, one silver, and gave them to the guard, who placed them on the ground off to the side of the door.
When she was fully disarmed, Rachel gave a small nod. "That's everything." She kept her voice quiet, as if speaking might cause a problem. She then waited for the servant to approve, ready to follow him. After a moment, the men delivering her likewise disarmed themselves, with some complaining. Finally, one left a cross necklace behind with some regret.
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Posted: Wed Aug 16, 2017 9:46 pm
❝ Follow me through the night, ❞ ❝ we are sisters of the light. ❞ ❝ We are daughters of sin, wild and free. ❞ ↙☾ Victoria ☾↘
The butler lead the guards and the slave to the parlor where he opened the doors, which were a french style, nicely designed with intricate carvings, to reveal Victoria. The mistress of the home was sitting in a chair facing the doors, wearing an elegant ankle length dress with a high collar, lace at both the hem of the gown and at the top of the collar. She was also had strikingly almost white hair and when she looked up to great them one could see her nearly crimson eyes. They nearly glowed , a sign of age in a vampire. Her skin was pale for she had not seen the sun in over three centuries. But her lips were a pale pink and her facial features delicate, and likely would have been coveted during her era of humanity. Her frame was small and her stature of height likely only slightly over five feet. The small woman didn't seem capable of being a killer or of striking fear into the hearts of others. But she was a killer, it was in her nature as a vampire.
The woman smiled at her guests and in that moment flashed the white tiny fangs in her mouth. Unlike male vampires, females have small fangs. Hers game in a single set, one on eat side, natural born vampires have two sets. A well kept secret among her kind. "Welcome, please, remove her chains. I see no reason to keep them on her. Nikolas, please see to it that her possessions are returned to her, save any religious items---" for obvious reasons. But any weapons that had been hers, she would be allowed to keep on the premises. The guards, on the other hand, would not be permitted their weapons inside her home. "Now, if you will give me any necessary documentation I will of course sign it and let you be on your way, but from this point on you will keep your distance from this young woman your eyes averted from her. Thank you." In her home, she did not have slaves unless they were prisoners facing punishment for crimes committed. This woman was going to be her guards, and thus in her employ. That meant she would have a certain level of respect. Slave traders and guards rarely understood such pleasantries and simplistic mannerisms, she'd learned in the past. So simple instructions. Keep their hands and eyes to themselves. Get them in and out.
"Warren, when we are finished here you will escort these guards off the premises yourself, and ensure they move quickly, have the wolves help you." The butler bowed. "Of course my Lady." Ah, Victoria clearly did not care for the guard men much. Her eyes were very fixated on her newest addition to her home, Rachel.
She mourns beneath the moonlit sky,
Remembering when they said goodbye.
Never forget what I did, what I said,
When I gave you all my heart and soul.
Morning will come and I know we’ll be one,
Cause I still believe that you’ll remember me.
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Posted: Wed Aug 16, 2017 10:15 pm
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Rachel followed along, saying nothing and making as little noise as humanly possible. When they entered the parlor, her attention was instantly called to the woman there. There was no doubt in her mind that this was her new mistress. She was small, beautiful, and seemed to have an aura of power that Rachel couldn't deny. She instantly gave directions to the guards, who removed her chains as requested and brought over the necessary papers, being careful to not irritate the vampire.
She could probably kill them both, if she had a mind to. Rachel thought, then realized that she may have been staring at her new mistress. Blushing slightly in embarrassment, she looked down towards the floor. She didn't want to be punished for breaking the rules the very first day. Her past masters have taught her his place, and she wasn't to stare at her owner.
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Posted: Wed Aug 16, 2017 10:37 pm
❝ Follow me through the night, ❞ ❝ we are sisters of the light. ❞ ❝ We are daughters of sin, wild and free. ❞ ↙☾ Victoria ☾↘
She signed the paperwork quickly, then waved the guards off as if they were nothing to her. And they were exactly that. Nothing. The butler made quick work to taking the men back out of the room and closing the french doors to the parlor once more, leaving Rachel and Victoria alone in the room. "You may look up girl, it is only the maids that do not look me in the eyes, as most of them are afraid of being entranced but I have no use for a guard that is hypnotized and contrary to belief only some vampires have the gift and I am not one of them." She bluntly said. Might as well put it out there into the open. The butler knocked lightly on the door. "Come in Warren." The woman said, not turning her eyes from Rachel as the butler came back in and laid the girl's weapons on the floor, gently, then once more left , leaving them alone again.
"My name is Victoria. You may call me Mistress, My Lady, or Victoria. Any of those is fine. Vampires never keep our last names when we are turned, so I have no surname. However, when other vampires come into this home you will need to address them as Sir or Madame." On that note, she could not bend, otherwise the girl might find herself in a heap of trouble, before Victoria could come to her rescue, sadly. "I don't have too many rules here. No religious items. You may have silver and weapons, all guards are allowed this because some of my enemies are nonhumans. But no maid, servant, slave, prisoner, or guest is allowed these items. As a guard you have the authority to tell them this and remove the items from their possession if they refuse to ...hand them over of their own free will. If they still do not comply they must leave. On this I cannot bend. Also, you are to be my personal guard so you will have a room next to mine and will attend meetings and such with me, instead of monitoring the outside perimeter with the others. Should you require any additional weaponry, clothing, or such you need only ask the head of security, he will supply whatever you require."
Victoria paused to let this all sink in. There was much to go over, since it was their first meeting. Best to get all the rules out of the way now. But it was a lot, so she wanted to break it up as much as she could. But she also didn't want to just do half now and half later, that would be stupid. A big waste of time. "I don't feed on guards, so you will not need to worry on that. You will be responsible for scheduling your own meals around my schedule. I recommend speaking with Markus, he is head of security. He can give you more information on all of that. I will have him stop by your room later tonight to speak with you. " He could tell her more about when guards had their meals, any information she might need about security details, answer any questions about that, etc. He would be the man with the info as far as that went. He was a werewolf so he was able to be awake during the day, but Victoria was not ...able to be. The older a vampire was, the harder it was to stay awake during the day and the more sensitive they were to the sun. A newborn might have stung eyes, sensitivity, but an older vampire could die from sun exposure.
"You are allowed no lovers while in my employ. You will be allowed to wear any clothing of your choice so long as it is black, that is the color of the guards uniform. Also, no unauthorized trips away from the estate without my knowledge or consent. And I do highly recommend remaining loyal. While most may not prefer working for my kind, we do pay well over time and there is always the benefit of possibly becoming a vampire over time, if one chooses. Or possibly gaining an estate or land. But you will be paid. I always find that paying a guard is better incentive then simply trusting them to do their jobs. The longer you work for me the better the pay." Plus she didn't trust a slave to simply be willing to die if necessary without some sort of..compensation on the front side. She figured payment, and treating them more like a hired position and giving them some actual dignity was a better way of going about things.
"Any questions?"
((Sorry that was a lot of wording. Figured I'd try to get all her ...rules and stuff out of the way.))
She mourns beneath the moonlit sky,
Remembering when they said goodbye.
Never forget what I did, what I said,
When I gave you all my heart and soul.
Morning will come and I know we’ll be one,
Cause I still believe that you’ll remember me.
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Posted: Wed Aug 16, 2017 11:18 pm
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Rachel looked up when her mistress told her to. She nodded as her mistress explained, not interrupting. There was then a knock on the door and the butler came in, delivering her weapons. When he left again, she continued her instruction. Call vampire guests sir or madame. She would have, anyway. No religious items. That was fine. She didn't worship any god. Go to the head of security for weapons or clothing. The rule of having no lovers was strange, but also a relief, in a way. It meant that she was less likely to have... Unwelcome advances, at least. She then said that she would be paid. Rachel stared at her, shocked. She had never been paid for anything, or even handled money, in her life.
Rachel swallowed before talking. This was already more freedom than she was used to. "Am I your only personal guard, mistress?" She asked, concerned if that was the case. It seemed for most of her questions, she would need to talk to the head of security. She also wondered about why lovers were forbidden, but that was out of mere curiosity.
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Posted: Thu Aug 17, 2017 7:54 am
❝ Follow me through the night, ❞ ❝ we are sisters of the light. ❞ ❝ We are daughters of sin, wild and free. ❞ ↙☾ Victoria ☾↘
She smiled. The girl was smart. The question she asked was a well placed one. "Yes. You are my only personal guard. Some of the events I attend are very private and it is better to have a single loyal guard than to have several who stand out. Especially if i choose to go among humans. I rarely choose to, but often one loyal guard does more good than a dozen." She had guards in quantity to watch her home, but when it came to her person she had some capability , so she didn't require extensive protection. But she did need a personal guard. The female vampires of rank all had a personal guard or attendant. It was how they did things, besides she couldn't watch her own back twenty-four seven. That was completely illogical.
"Come, I will show you to your room, you may pick up your weapons Rachel." The woman said as she stood. Standing, she revealed just how graceful she was. Or maybe it was just vampire reflexes? One of the two. Either way she wasn't lacking in the grace department. Or in beauty. Now as for why Rachel couldn't have lovers? It was simple. Lovers were a distraction. Distractions meant she wouldn't do her job. Victoria had similar rules for all her staff except the werewolves. She couldn't forbid werewolves from having their true mates, but she could forbid them from having lovers and such, people that were not their mates. So far it had worked well. But a distracted guard was a guard not doing his or her duty. It was also a guard whose loyalties were not with her, but with their lover.
She led the way out of the parlor room and to the right, towards a staircase. "This is the only staircase in the house. There are three stories, not including the attic or the basement. All of the bedrooms are on the second and third story, but our rooms are on the second story." Every bedroom had blacked-out windows, and some rooms had bars on the windows, but neither of their rooms had that. Those rooms were for special guests. She led the way up the stairs then to the left. She gestured towards one room. "That is my bedroom, but this is yours." She opened a door and revealed a medium sized room that looked like it was straight out of the 1700s. The only difference was the in-suite bathroom attached to the room.
"There is a secret panel along the wall that opens into my own bedroom, should it be required. You can see it --- there." She pointed to the panel. It was hard to see, but if one looked carefully it was visible. "The bathroom is modern, of course, but please be careful with the items in the room, most are quite old. Including the furniture." This room and once been the nannys room when she had been alive and human, and the other room the nursery for her and her sisters. But that was long ago. But that was why this room had a normal door and the other room had a set of french doors and the other room was slightly larger. And why both rooms were connected. Some nannys slept in attics or with the servants, but in her family the nanny had acted as a guard over the babies , just in case. Kidnappings of wealthy children had not been unheard of in her region during her time. But ...that was long ago. Memories of the past.
She mourns beneath the moonlit sky,
Remembering when they said goodbye.
Never forget what I did, what I said,
When I gave you all my heart and soul.
Morning will come and I know we’ll be one,
Cause I still believe that you’ll remember me.
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Posted: Thu Aug 17, 2017 8:17 pm
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Rachel nodded at her response. Sure, in that respect, it made sense. Still, she couldn't say she had no concern of possibly fighting multiple vampires. She was human, and knew her limitations. She didn't voice this. There was no point. Her mistress, after all, surely knew about this. She decided that she had been chosen for a reason, and wasn't going to second-guess her. Suddenly, she was told that she would be shown her room. Rachel quickly took up her weapons, returning them to their correct positions with a speed that showed how used to she was to this.
Rachel then followed her, doing what she could to ensure that she remembered every detail. When she was brought to her room, she looked around curiously. The secret panel was hidden well, without being obvious that it was being hidden. She liked that. She was surprised that she left old things in here. Luckily, she wasn't exactly clumsy. Are these from her human life? She wasn't going to ask, though. She knew that most vampires didn't appreciate such questions. Instead, she decided to ask something else. "May I see the rest of your manor, mistress? I'd like to know as much of the property as possible, as soon as possible."
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Posted: Thu Aug 17, 2017 8:29 pm
❝ Follow me through the night, ❞ ❝ we are sisters of the light. ❞ ❝ We are daughters of sin, wild and free. ❞ ↙☾ Victoria ☾↘
She was pleasantly surprised by the girl's choice to ask to see the rest of the manor. It was a wise request. It pleased Victoria. "Then come, before the hour grows too late and I have to withdraw from the sun." She said. She went to the door and out into the hallway. "Most of the bedrooms are unused but the maids clean the regardless, to ensure the items within them are kept in high standard. The heirlooms are old and I would hate for them to be damage simply because they were not cleaned or cared for, but should a maid be caught stealing you are to report it right away." Stealing was not permitted, of course. Neither was disloyalty. She couldn't stand for either crime. Disloyalty got one executed among vampires. But no need to scare the girl on her first day.
She decided to go the third floor first, so she went up the stairs. She first pointed to the panel above , indicating the door that hid the staircase that led to the attic. "That is the staircase to the attic. It is dirty and full of items. The third floor is mostly bedrooms as well. The head of security has his room up here, as well as my head housekeeper, Gerta. Their rooms are at the far end to the right. " She pointed. "The rest of the staff resides in rooms renovated in the basement. They are dormitory style rooms. To get there you simply access a door in the main hall. Across from the kitchen."
Next they went back down the stairs to the main floor, the first floor. "You have see the parlor room and main entry. Now, next to the parlor room is the library, and connected to that is my private study." She led the way. "Way down that hall, in its own area is the ballroom. It was an add-on so it actually not connected to this wing. " She turned the opposite direction and walked down to the other side of the house. "The kitchen is down that way. The stable is outside, as well as the guard hut that is by the gate. The laundry facility is in the basement, and...I believe that is all there is. But I am always considering new additions, renovations, and conservation works to the house." The home was meant to be lived in, after all. If she didn't keep updating it, it would fall apart due to age.
She mourns beneath the moonlit sky,
Remembering when they said goodbye.
Never forget what I did, what I said,
When I gave you all my heart and soul.
Morning will come and I know we’ll be one,
Cause I still believe that you’ll remember me.
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Posted: Thu Aug 17, 2017 10:53 pm
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Rachel followed her again, taking everything in. For every new master, she went through a similar process, discarding what wasn't necessary to make room for new information. Figuratively speaking- she wasn't a computer, after all. Still, she knew that if she didn't memorize this now, she should learn it later. As they walked, she talked. She caught her talking about if someone was trying to steal something, and raised an eyebrow. Quite foolish to steal from your employer when you live with them. She thought dryly. She couldn't understand such foolishness.
Rachel waited until the tour was over and Victoria didn't say any more to speak. Despite however lenient she may be, she still knew her place as a slave. "Mistress, do you traditionally rest when the sun is up?" She asked. She knew that most vampires did, and that she'd get a more detailed rundown of her schedule later, but if this was the case, she would soon have to rest. And she wanted to see if she should change her sleep pattern to stay awake overnight.
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Posted: Fri Aug 18, 2017 9:19 pm
❝ Follow me through the night, ❞ ❝ we are sisters of the light. ❞ ❝ We are daughters of sin, wild and free. ❞ ↙☾ Victoria ☾↘
It was a good question. Yet again the girl was revealing herself to be, in the very least, well trained if not some level of clever. "Yes. I am often in my bedroom from sunset to half an hour past sunrise. You are free to use that time as you see fit, but I would suggest using at least part of it for sleeping. Since while I am awake you will be required to attend to your duties as my guard. You may adjust your sleeping schedule as you require. I lost track of human sleep and eating requirements long ago I'm afraid." She smiled a bit. She didn't really require sleep herself, but sun made her extremely fatigued so when it was out, she was forced into sleep. The older a vampire got the more it affected them. It was why all the rooms and all the halls had heavy blackout curtains. The staff new never to open the curtains during the day and all the curtains were drawn closed an hour before sunrise. It was a custom in the house. A good way for anyone in the home to tell when it was going to be sunrise soon. But then again, that was several hours. So that meant she would have some time to herself where she could eat or do other things, but then again, she'd have to speak with the head of the security to find out all that was expected of her.
"There are werewolf and human guards on this property. I am unsure of how Markus arranges the rotations , but I know some work at night and some during the day, but Markus himself is a werewolf. There is always a decent portion of werewolves on both shifts, by my own request. They can communicate telepathically, which comes in handy." Something to always keep in mind. "Most of the other staff such as maids, servants, and any others you might find are mainly vampires. Fledlings of younger age. They are orphans mainly. Their makers died and as a vampire of older age it was my duty to provide them employment. That or they are werewolves as well, kin to some guard here. But usually I only allow that under special circumstances. I do think the cook is related to Markus. His...grandmother I believe. Old woman. But I'm told she pleases all the staff, and that matters to me. " A happy staff was a staff that did as they were told.
She mourns beneath the moonlit sky,
Remembering when they said goodbye.
Never forget what I did, what I said,
When I gave you all my heart and soul.
Morning will come and I know we’ll be one,
Cause I still believe that you’ll remember me.
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