Ashbourne Estates (game thread)

[Unknown Squid]

Re: Ashbourne Estates (game thread)

Ellen follows through with the group and slides into the line up, curtseying also as her name is said, then back to standing straight with her hands held gently together in front of her apron in her best "maid stance". She immediately wanted to speak up and say 'nice to meet you', but caught herself and simply smiled instead. Tiny hints of awkward and eagerness. At a glance, Lady Ashbourne did seem a different type than the few aristocracy that Ellen had seen before, riding about on horses and calling out self important sounding orders.

 

[Incubus]

Re: Ashbourne Estates (game thread)

"Well met, newcomers," the lady replied, her voice sounding cold and empty, it wasn't so much arrogant as aloof and without emotion; perhaps what one might expect from nobility, but unsettling nonetheless. "As I'm sure Danielle has informed you all, I am quite strict about having things done properly. She is more than capable of passing the knowledge of how to ensure such things are done on to you, so it falls upon each of you not to disappoint me." She seemed to make an attempt at a smile, although it was about as warm and comforting as sleeping outside without so much as a blanket in the cold winter nights this area experienced. "How has the morning progressed, Danielle?" she asked, apprently pleasantries, such as they were, had ended.

The head maid took a step forward and bowed her head. "The morning went well and without incident," she reported, which receieved a raised brow from the Lady. "Jessara went to work in the gardens, which as I'm sure you're aware are in need of a proper tending to, although she was startled by the appearance of Mouse, her ladyship did not inform me we were receieving a message today," Danielle continued, taking a few steps forward to place a brown envelope on the desk. She receieved a frosty stare from the mistress for a moment, before Ashbourne nodded. "Very good," she says. "It was perhaps a mistake of mine to let the estate go without someone to tend to the gardens, I should have arranged a replacement before dismissing the last one. It is good that my gardens will be back to their proper state soon."

"Peaches spent the morning beginning to organise and store the upstairs room," Danielle went on to explain, which caused another smile from Ashbourne... a cold, frosty smile. "Ah, quite an undertaking for but one individual, wouldn't you agree, Peaches?" she said, clearly somewhat amused. "Danielle and myself do apologise for your predescesor leaving it in such a state, I trust no one else will have any brilliant ideas about storing things in an unused room because they can not be bothered with storing it properly. Still, it will be good to have it all stored and then catalogued."

"Katrina spent the morning dusting the manor," Danielle says moving on to the next girl, to which Lady Ashbourne nods. "Good, good. It is perhaps one of the most important tasks to be done, I cannot abide dust, both on principle and due to the effect it can have on me."

Moving in, Danielle referred to the next maid in the line. "Ellena has taken care of the laundry today," she explains next, to which Ashbourne merely nods in approval, having no comment.

"And finally, Elaina assisted me in the kitchen this morning, assisting in the food preparation as well as squeezing your juice," Danielle finishes. "Ah, good. You're moving quickly Danielle, very good as I have come to expect," she says, sorting the papers away into various drawers of the desk to clear it, gesturing Elaina closer with the meal. Taking the silverware in her hands, the slices off a portion of the meal and brings it to her lips, chewing it with an analytical expression upon her face before nodding. "You seem to have chosen well, Danielle," Ashbourne said taking a sip from her juice. "These new maids will do just fine, I think." Although even this praise directed at the head maid was as emptrty as always..

((Jessara gains 4 favour
Peaches gains 5 favour
Katrina gains 3 favour
Ellena has gained 1 favour (wow, crap roll)
Elaina gains 3 favour))

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: Ashbourne Estates (game thread)

Elaina waited with the tray and then placed it on the desk where her Mistress indicated. Her cool eyes looked almost closed as she set out the meal, but through the narrow slits of her eyes she observed her distant cousin with the same calculation that she was now paying to the the food.

Ah my dear Flora, Elaina thought pityingly. Can you be blamed for that attitude of yours? A life shut off from the outside world. Would you know what joy was if it approached you?

Elaina backed away from the sickly girl and stepped into line with the other maids. When the time had come for dismissal, Elaina would have to approach Danielle again and see if there were other urgent tasks at hand or if she should simply aid one of the other maids with their chores. That sorting out of the cluttered room sounded as if it could do with some extra hands.

 

[GargantuaBlarg]

Re: Ashbourne Estates (game thread)

(port boxes, become the favoritest. Also, should I have learned the Lady's name somewhere before now?)


"It might take a while, but I'll have that room cleared out eventually, Madame Ashbourne," Peaches replied to the Lady, after Danielle had told her what she'd spent the last hour or so doing. Her voice came quietly - the Lady was quite hard to approach, and she was still unsure what to think of her.

Peaches was a bit surprised that the Lady was apologizing for the existence of the tremendous pile in the upstairs that she'd been working at getting sorted and put away. Even if it was just a formality, it seemed to her strange for her employer to say, essentially, "sorry there's work for you to do".

The Lady mentioning firing the old gardeners made Momo wonder just what happened to the rest of the staff. Thinking back, the only person she'd seen in the house that was already here was Danielle - no chef, no stablehands or hostler, no one at the gate, and no live-in doctor or nurse... had it really only been just Danielle working the entire house? What had happened to the old staff?

 

[Unknown Squid]

Re: Ashbourne Estates (game thread)

Ellen initially hadn't much to say, and merely stood patiently, wondering what they'd be doing next. Like Peaches, Ellen also wasn't quite sure what to make of her Ladyship yet, but it would all settle over time. However remembering the recovered note that was still stowed in her uniform, waiting for peaches to finish and an opening to talk, she decides to take a single step forward and speak up.

"Oh... Excuse me, Lady Ashbourne, but I found these papers left in with the laundry. I thought you might want them back?" She says pulling the folded report out from her dress, and holding it out before stepping over to offer them.

 

[Skull_Man]

Re: Ashbourne Estates (game thread)

Jessara waited, unsure of how to react to the mistress, to be honest she was more than a little intimidated by the woman. She held their lives at her command, what could she expect? finally she nodded as the lady complimented her "Thank you. I will endevour to keep the gardens in order from now on."

She smiled at the fact she had apparently handled the interloper as properly as was expected. Hopefully she wouldn't have to see the sketchy man anymore. She let the mistress move on to speak of the other tasks then listen to the other girls talk.

 

[Incubus]

Re: Ashbourne Estates (game thread)

Lady Ashbourne raised an eyebrow, "Oh? Let me see them..." she said, taking them from Ellen and quickly skimming the paces. "Hm. How very unlike me. Thank you for recovering these," she said with a nod. "Could you stay behind a moment?" (Ellen gains an extra 3 favour)

Taking this rhetorical question for what it was, Danielle opened the door and urged the other maids out of the room and into the hallway. "Well, you've all passed the first test," she said with a sigh of relief. "If you'll all head back to the kitchen, our lunch should be just about ready," she explained, moving the gathered group of maids along before her.

Once back in the kitchen, she instructed each of them to grab a bowl and line up, and spooned them out the broth she had put on earlier, along with a few slices of bread. Hardly exceptional cuisine but it seemed hearty enough and was lightly seasoned with a subtle, salty flavour. As they sat down to eat around the table in the servant's quarters, they realised this was the best chance they'd have to get to know one another before they were split up for work assignments once more.

-------------

Meanwhile, in Lady Ashbourne's study, Ellen stood waiting awkwardly for a moment as her master ate, until at last, the lady looked up at her once more. "Tell me, did you read any of these documents?" she asked, once again her voice flat and in this case, difficult to read as a result. "If so, how did you feel about the contents?" She sat, watching the maid, waiting for an answer.

 

[GargantuaBlarg]

Re: Ashbourne Estates (game thread)

Peaches pulled a face at their "lunch". She'd thought the food she had growing up was plain, but at least there was substance there - this looked hardly more than bread and salty water. She felt herself missing the steamy, if bland, rice, and the boiled vegetables - hell, she almost missed the burnt-everything her teachers made her eat when they taught her that you could cure food poisoning by burning and eating that which had given you the ache. Surely, they hadn't fed Airi this badly?

Suddenly realizing the look of disappointment she'd let show, she tried to cover it up, setting her food down on the closest thing behind Danielle and pretending to wipe off some cobweb or find some pointy thing that perhaps had caught on her dress while she'd been cleaning. She hoped Danielle was looking elsewhere at the time, because she was sure her act wasn't very convincing.


Sitting down at the table, she took her pipe out of her mouth, wiping the mouthpiece off with her napkin before setting it down next to her spoon.

To no one in particular, she asked a question. "So. Any of you feeling more talkative than y'were earlier this morning?"

 

[Unknown Squid]

Re: Ashbourne Estates (game thread)

Ellen waits patiently as the others leave, and then for miss Ashbourne to finish her mouthful. Just a little apprehensive as she anticipated the question. "I... yes I did." She says pausing a moment, unable to think of an excuse, as well as unsure if she needed to. "Well, uh, I'd never realised before that there was such a thing hidden in the city. I suppose it's a little unnerving to think about. But it's also good to think that someone is doing something about it." She answers in response to the second question, her gaze begining to roam a bit as she thinks, but flicking back to Lady Ashbourne near the end when she realises. Having to pay deliberate attention to standing straight and not fidgeting as she was unused to doing.

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: Ashbourne Estates (game thread)

Elaina had tasted campaign food, and knew what it was like to eat something for the substance it gave rather than the flavor. It was a shame that the servants be reduced to eating broth and bread, even though this wasn't that bad a broth, all things considered. She didn't know why Peaches was getting such a sour look on her face.

Soldiers took a certain hardy pride in being able to endure, and since Elaina styled herself a soldier princess, she was not about to show any sign of discomfort, or lack of poise. She ate silently, but when Peaches broke the silence, she smiled, sensing the girl's desire to make conversation and break the ice.

"Well, we were a bit busy this morning weren't we, Peaches?" Elaina said, her eyes nearly closed as she spoke. "Hm... but now that we have a moment to let our hair down, yes, I could do with some proper introductions. I am Elaina... and I have previously been in the Lord Whitefield's service. He has seen fit to send me to his distant relative, the Lady Ashebourne, as part of an exchange of favors. The recent war has put his lands and even his fortress in possible danger, and I suppose he thought he was doing me a favor by sending me out of harm's way. Well... when a noble gets an idea into their foolish heads, there's not much we can do to convince them otherwise, now is there?"

She sipped her water and sighed lightly. "Ah well. And so I am here, safe and sound, looking after her ladyship. But enough about me. What about you fine ladies? You too, Danielle, I'd just love to hear your story as well."

 

[GargantuaBlarg]

Re: Ashbourne Estates (game thread)

Lord Whitefield... as a clan of spies, the Ishikawa had impressed upon her the importance of keeping up with current events and the political climate, so they would fully understand any overheard tidbit, and know who was who when they heard a name that would otherwise be unfamiliar. She couldn't remember much about this Whitefield... he was a border noble, constantly warring to hold or gain territory, way out in the East. She'd heard something about his tomboy daughter having gone out and getting caught by the enemy, though she wasn't sure what happened after that.

Hmm... this Tyrol marched his own daughters off to war, but sent his servants away to safety? She supposed what Elaina said about nobles and their lunatic fancies was true, but at the same time, the ones that weren't drowning themselves in decadence - like the generals at the border - were typically more grounded. Surely this girl had some connection to the Lord... an illegitimate daughter, sent away to avoid a scandal that might undermine his authority? ...Doubtful, they were usually sent away much earlier in their lives, though it wasn't out of the question Lord Whitefield hadn't known of her until now, or wanted to see her grow. Perhaps she was a young lover, made to leave for safety, as she had said - or perhaps to flee the wrath of a wife...

"But enough about me."

Oh shit.

"What about you fine ladies? You too, Danielle, I'd just love to hear your story as well."

Now that she thought about it, Peaches supposed she should have prepared her background before she asked about theirs. She was sure she'd prepared one earlier, but right now, she was drawing a complete blank! She tried to stall by pretending to be busy... chewing a mouthful of soup.

"Ah... I, um... ahem... hm-m-mm..."

Damn those old goats, she thought, remembering the whispers her masters had uttered. They'd always said she'd never be able to keep up a false identity. Why'd she have to go and prove them right? She couldn't even blame this one on her smell!

Spoiler

I have just learned the pipe I'm thinking of is called a

You must be registered to see the links

. The more you know.

 

[Skull_Man]

Re: Ashbourne Estates (game thread)

Jessara sat quietly with her food in front of her, glad to be away from her mistress, any person of authority caused her heart to flutter with fear. Now in the kitchen with the other women she watches as they chat. Clearing her throat when she gets the chance she says quietly, "I was given to the lady as a gift by my previous owner. She seems nicer than the rest." Feeling that it was more than anyone had ever asked of her past she thought it was well explained.

She watched the other girls wondering what it would be like to be a noble or warrior or anything other than her.

 

[Incubus]

Re: Ashbourne Estates (game thread)

Lady Ashbourne nods, "Very good. I appreciate your honesty, many would try to lie, but if one had not glanced at the documents, how would one no they're not simply scrap that should have been disposed of. But I digress, how would you like to assist me in dealing with those responsible?" she asks, lightly drumming her fingers upon her desk. "Nothing... permanent, or anything. But in the future, I may have tasks for you that require going into town... and discretion. Can you handle that? I will not be angry if you decline, I am aware not everyone is suited for such things. Danielle, for example, is certainly unsuitable."

-----------

Stepping in, perhaps to help Peaches save safe, Danielle spoke up. "I have served Lady Ashbourne for the past 2 years, ever since my brother and only living family member was killed," she says soberly, in a matter-of-fact manner before going back to eating. If she had more to share, she wasn't doing it just now.

 

[GargantuaBlarg]

Re: Ashbourne Estates (game thread)

"Ah-hmmm. Sorry, something um, went down the wrong way," Peaches lied, hopefully not too obviously. She coughed into her napkin, hoping to lend herself more credibility.

"I was a merchant's daughter. My-" Peaches turned and coughed into her napkin again, "my family was, uh, well... anyway, I ran away. I'd seen maids, in the square, and thi-" another cough interrupted her, "things, and they looked so elegant. And they lived in these grand villas, and everything... I was lucky for Lady Ashbourne to have employed me."

She cleared her throat again, her napkin clasped around her mouth, and turned to look at the girl that had fetched her from her task up in the upper room earlier. "So, um... Jessara, was it? You said you were a gift? What's, uh, what does that mean?"

 

[Unknown Squid]

Re: Ashbourne Estates (game thread)

Lady Ashbourne nods, "Very good. I appreciate your honesty, many would try to lie, but if one had not glanced at the documents, how would one no they're not simply scrap that should have been disposed of. But I digress, how would you like to assist me in dealing with those responsible?" she asks, lightly drumming her fingers upon her desk. "Nothing... permanent, or anything. But in the future, I may have tasks for you that require going into town... and discretion. Can you handle that? I will not be angry if you decline, I am aware not everyone is suited for such things. Danielle, for example, is certainly unsuitable."

Ellen nods acknowledging the Lady as she speaks, and about to nod again and automatically agree to the request before she suddenly realises what she's been asked and her eyes widen a little in surprise. "Oh, I..." Her lips hang open a crack as the proposal is lay out a bit more, "You... think I can help with this issue? I well..." She begins to reply, stopping her broken up speech to take a moment and think seriously before looking back. "Yes... I think I would like to be able to do something like this. If there's something I can do to help stop these people, then I'm willing to try it, certainly."

 

[Incubus]

Re: Ashbourne Estates (game thread)

Ashbourne nods once more, seemingly pleased with the answer, although as usual she seems to be about as easy to read a poorly translated tome about advanced arcane techniques. "Very good then. I will call upon you when I have a task for you, you may join the others for lunch," she says, dismissing the maid from her presense.

 

[Skull_Man]

Re: Ashbourne Estates (game thread)

Jessara smiled softly, "I was another's property, I was born into slavery. I was trained as a servant and as an offering to the Lady I was given to her. It is not uncommon, and I have been traded before. From what i understand skilled slaves can be traded like a second currency. It is flattering to be given as such."

She felt weird being in the spotlight, no one had ever seemed to care where she was from before.

 

[GargantuaBlarg]

Re: Ashbourne Estates (game thread)

"I-is it?" Peaches replied, awkwardly. She didn't think she'd ever been told of things like that... though, she could hardly remember anything of the Ashbourne family, either. It was entirely possible her masters had mentioned it to her and she had simply forgotten about it - her mind was hardly a steel trap.

She looked around the table. That was... Jessara, Danielle, and Elaina. Then there was the maid that had stayed to talk with Lady Ashbourne...


Wasn't there another girl here? Peaches thought to herself. A shrug was all that manifested of the "oh well" that ran through her mind, before Peaches went back to sipping her broth.

(no but seriously, 99 did have a sheet, right?)

 

[Unknown Squid]

Re: Ashbourne Estates (game thread)

"Mmm, I'll do my best." Ellen says with a swift bow, "Enjoy your lunch my Lady." continuing to back-step and turn to exit the room. Once out of sight, holding in a small self concious giggle, about the "my lady" line she'd thought to add last minute. She wasn't used to speaking like this, but thought she was doing ok with all the 'maidly' stuff so far. Her mother had always criticised her boyish behaviour and manners, talking about how she'd never find a good husband because of it. Well she'd show her still, "~I shall be an elegant and perfect maid!~" she quietly sung to herself putting on a silly little display as she went back through the libary, very nearly tripping over an item of furniture due to holding her head too high to see it. Quickly catching herself and preventing the quiet bump from turning into a crash, she sets the item straight and sheepishly skips along normally.

Getting to the kitchen she fetches her portion of bread and broth and joins the others, looking quite pleased to see her food. Very much the same kind of thing she was used to getting at home, spare she was looking forward to more regularly getting spares and meat stock from the kinds of richer meals prepared for the lady here. "Hello." she greets the others again, sitting down and dipping her bread. Smiling but eye's on her food.

 

[GargantuaBlarg]

Re: Ashbourne Estates (game thread)

"Hey," Peaches said as the last girl sat down. "We were just getting to know each other. Would ya like to tell us a little about yourself?"