Ashbourne Estates (game thread)

[Skull_Man]

Re: Ashbourne Estates (game thread)

Jessaras tenseness did not leave her as the doctor moved on, happy to have avoided any such appraisals, the small grin sent to her by Ellen helped her breath again more regularly, and she waited a respectful time and closed the door behind her, glad to get back to her work

"Why was the doctor like that?" She offered to Ellen as a way of conversation, waiting until she was sure no one else could hear her.

 

[Incubus]

Re: Ashbourne Estates (game thread)

The doctor tilted her head to one side slightly. ”Maybe, if any of you were to fall ill,” she replies, her lip curling into a slight smile. ”And wouldn’t that be unfortunate,” she added with a slight chuckle. ”Perhaps you had better lead me to your mistress now, although I imagine she’s cooped up in that study; I’m certainly familiar enough with how to get there by now,” she said, allowing herself to be lead off towards there by Elaina. As she knocked on the door and reported the arrival of the physician, there was something of a sigh followed by ”Enter.”

If she hung around to listen, Elaina would here shortly afterwards, ”You’re early,” from Ashbourne, sounding slightly annoyed, perhaps because she had yet to finish her work?

-----

With the doctor and Elaina moving further into the house, Jessara and Ellen had a moment to talk quietly.

-----

Sabine made her way back to the kitchen walking on sunshine, announcing the results to Danielle. "That's good to hear," the head maid responded with a pleased smile, as the pair of them set to work on the dishes.

-----

There was a chuckle from the voice in her mind. ”I can do a great many things, Momoko, you have only to ask…” it told her. ”I exist but to serve…”

 

[Unknown Squid]

Re: Ashbourne Estates (game thread)

"I haven't a clue what that was about. She's a weird one isn't she." Ellen replies to Jessara, but smiling the whole time and apparently not at all put off by the doctors behaviour the same way Jessara had been. The red dressed young maid then sighing lightly and seeming to evaluate the room for a moment, "This room hasn't been dusted yet has it? Don't think so, no... I'll start here then." She says thinking out loud and answering her own question before her colleague could offer any input and stepping to begin her dusting work. "So how's the gardening going? I've never really done any gardening..."

 

[GargantuaBlarg]

Re: Ashbourne Estates (game thread)

"Okay. Good. Then, you're mine from now on." Momoko laughed happily and hugged the rod to her chest. Even if that smell meant nothing here, she didn't have to live with it anyway!

She couldn't stop but hear the nagging thought digging into into the very back of her mind, though... it's not yours. It's Lady Ashbourne's! You have no right to take it - especially since she gave you a new life here! Aren't you ashamed of yourself?

But she didn't care. She wasn't really taking it - she was just using it. It'd been sitting around in here for who knows how long, collecting dust - surely she wouldn't miss it, right? And if she did, then she could just give it back - but if she explained, Lady Ashbourne would let her keep using it, if only to keep the smell off her precious, fancy house... right

Momo tucked Emanazael away underneath her maid uniform, making sure it was secured in place tightly, the weight feeling very odd against her. "Oh, but, I've really got to get back to work, Emanazael... uh, can I call you something else, for short?" She asked, bending over to pick up her dropped pipe, and testing to make sure the rod wouldn't budge from it's place.

 

[wallpaper]

Re: Ashbourne Estates (game thread)

Careful to handle the dishes with a delicate hand, Sabine and Danielle worked through the pile that had been generated by the maids and by the production of the Lady's meal. For a short time, they worked in silence... but Sabine was feeling more animated with her success. She didn't take her gaze away from her work, though she asked the scarlet-haired maid, "how did you find yourself coming to work for Lady Ashbourne, Danielle?" She was curious, partially because Danielle seemed to be the only maid attending the household before Sabine and the other maids had shown up. Very curious circumstances, indeed!

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: Ashbourne Estates (game thread)

"Ah. And there it is," Elaina said to herself as the doctor received a remonstration from Flora. "Oh coz, you're such a stick in the mud."

She moved away from the chamber, not caring to hear if the doctor passed on the blame for earliness to Elaina. She was quite certain it would not be a long time before something else occurred that was not up to her cousin's exacting standards. Very well then, Elaina thought. Let's approach this like the military. Discipline with grace. Leave the fun for the barracks, not for when you're on watch.

Armed with a soldiery attitude tempered by the cool reserves of her own patience, Elaina made her way back to the gardens to finish the hedgework. She would ask Jessara if she wanted to come back and join her along the way, but would make no demands of the girl. That was the head maid's job.

 

[Skull_Man]

Re: Ashbourne Estates (game thread)

"The gardening is enjoyable, I get to be mostly alone and outside, both of which makes it better. What are you working on now?"

She smiled but before the girl could respond Elaina asked Jessara if she would return to the garden "I will be in a moment," waiting for a response from the girl

 

[Unknown Squid]

Re: Ashbourne Estates (game thread)

Lifting her feather duster to an item near the door just as Jessara asks, she looks over with a smirk and waggles the duster around in view as an answer. "Just a bit of dusting now. I'll probably move to the game room soon, it seems like it could do with it."

 

[Incubus]

Re: Ashbourne Estates (game thread)

With the conversation between the girls in the entrance hall running dry (I'm just sorta assuming it's not going anywhere, feel free to post back and forth a bit more if you disagree), they made their way back to their respective tasks, with Jessara joining Elaina to help work on the hedges more, the pair making real progress.

-----
Ellen, finishing up the entrance hall, moves to the lounge where the group had first assembled, both dusting and admiring the Lady's collection of games. A she works her, she notices the Lady Ashbourne and the Doctor she has seen earlier make their way through, her mistress actually relying on the doctor to help her move, her steps weak an staggered although her poise remained unshaken, as if her mind didn't register how feebly her body was doing. It was almost a pitiable site, in truth. The pair move through the lounge and headed out the doors into the main hall.

-----

In the kitchen, the pair of maids finished the washing up and began working on the afternoon snack. Danielle decided that today would be a series of small sweet cakes and instructed Sabine in how to assist her; which mostly involved getting her to watch Danielle choose and measure out the ingredients and having her mix them as she moved on to the next task. They got through it all fairly quickly and all that had to happen now was for them to bake for some time.

"I think I may go check on the others," Danielle announced, once they had finished cleaning up the things they had used to bake their cakes.

-----

"You may call me whatever you like, it is your right," Emanazael answered. "Eman or even simply Man seem to be more common shortenings, but I am also been referred to as simply 'Rod' or 'Slave' at times."

It was curious, when she had found it, the rod had seemed so heavy, but as she tucked it away it felt so light it was like it wasn't even there. She might even forget she had it, were it not for the wonderful scent that danced about her and a warm feeling that seemed to emanate from it.

With the rod secured, she went back to the task of sorting and storing, or in her case storing and then sorting, of the assorted items here. Grabbing up a load of various things, she made her way out of the room to spot Lady Ashbourne and an unknown woman in a white coat, probably the doctor Danielle had mentioned. The were on the other side of the stairway from her, heading into a room with a white tiled interior. As she watched it, the rod in her pocket gave a slight buzz as it vibrated with energy.

 

[GargantuaBlarg]

Re: Ashbourne Estates (game thread)

"Whatever I want, huh? Alright, then," Peaches said, looking down at the pocket Emanazael rested in. She left it at that as she bent down to begin working on the boxes around her.

-----

Peaches paused a moment to watch the Lady and the Doctor disappear into the room across from them. While she was still grinning happily from her discovery of Emanazael, the excitement had left her eyes in the time she'd been sorting and gathering knicks and knacks. By the time she'd made it out into the hall, they were back to their old, sleepy, half-shut selves.

When they were gone, she noticed a strange sensation coming from where she kept the rod - as if Emanazael were humming. She resumed her trip to the basement, but whispered out of the corner of her mouth toward her pocket - "What're you doing, Ema? Something up?"

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: Ashbourne Estates (game thread)

*snip*

Elaina brought her wrists together in a quick, clean motion, shearing the last errant, leafy twig off the top of the eastern most hedge. The top of the elongated bush was now perfectly flat across the top, giving the shrubbery a polished and tamed look. Quite appropriate for an estate like the Ashbourne manor, Elaina thought. If she had more artistic talent like some of the gardeners at the Whitefield summer house, she might have considered making small heraldic devices appear in the sides of the hedge, but alas she lacked the plant sculpting talent.

Finished, Elaina turned to look at Jessara who was likewise coming along nicely. The girl took instructions well, and was really coming into her own with the shears.

"Looking good, Jessara," Elaina told her compatriot and sister-in-arms, as it were. She meant the work of course, but the comment could be extended to the girl herself. She was quite cute and pretty. Her hair matched with Elaina's exactly, though hers was cut longer than Elaina.

It seemed a shame that slavery still went on in Attam and other parts of the empire. There were several powerful families who were against slavery, and that included the Whitefields, but they didn't have much say in this powerful city state, where so many merchants and landowners had a workforce that depended on slave labor. To fight to end slavery in the land would be to start a war, and the Whitefields in particular couldn't afford a second front on their lands.

Elaina sighed. At least Jessara had escaped the worst of it. By being here she was among a more dignified class of people. At least, Elaina hoped that her cousin's family shared the same beliefs as her own.

 

[wallpaper]

Re: Ashbourne Estates (game thread)

Sabine watched the measuring of the different ingredients carefully, storing them away for when she would need them. Baking seemed so frivolous, she mused, watching the creaming of butter and sugar, the addition of leavening agents, spices, flour. The whipping of the eggs she enjoyed for their bubbly froth, and the way that the wet and dry came together was rather fascinating... but she couldn't smell or taste, so in the end, the process was an impersonal one at best. At least she could sense through touch; that had been one thing that her mother had wanted to ensure she possessed without flaw.

As they set to washing their newest batch of dishes, she considered what else needed doing. Earlier, Danielle had suggested tidying books away, so when the head maid announced her intentions, Sabine asked, "Would you like me to begin with those books, or should I keep an eye on the sweets?" Even if she could not smell when they were done, the redhead had told her what to look for and what times to wait for. It couldn't be that difficult...

 

[Skull_Man]

Re: Ashbourne Estates (game thread)

Jessara smiled at the compliment, she had gardened before but it was nice to have someone notice and give praise. Masters rarely had the time for anything but a token comment, but she felt this girl ment it. She wonder what Elainas previous master had been like, this... Lord Whitefield, Was he a generous master? She stopped herself, such speculation was not for her, it was rude, focusing on the task at hand she tries to double the pace, just content someone has noticed her work

 

[Incubus]

Re: Ashbourne Estates (game thread)

((Sorry this is so late, I've not been well. I meant to do this about 2 days ago))

As soon as the pair Peaches saw were out of sight, the warm buzzing in her pocket began to calm down and by the time she had make it down to the basement it has stopped completely. "Apologies Momoko, I do not know what came over me," it replied. "I think perhaps I am hungry, I have not eaten in some time. But worry not about that, for now. You have work that needs doing." And with that, the feeling of the entity that was Emanazael disappeared from her mind, although the delicious scent did not go with it, and it didn't respond to any other attempts at communication.

With the rod asleep, she was free to work for the remainder of the afternoon, Danielle briefly coming by to check on her but merely nodding in approval and moving on to other things, and eventually she saw the doctor escorting a weary looking Lady Ashbourne back to her room late afternoon. It was not long after this Danielle came to inform her that the Lady needed her rest and that all the staff could have the remainder of the afternoon off as free time as long as they did not make over-much noise near the lady's bedroom. She also mentioned there were some sweetcakes in the kitchen if Peaches desired any, the lady would not be eating them so she and the others were welcome to them.

-----

Working on the garden, time flew by as the pair worked diligently. At one point, Danielle came out to check on their progress, but didn't stay long, heading back inside almost straight away which seemed as close to approval as anything. As the afternoon flew by, eventually Danielle returned outside to inform them that the lady was resting after her treatment and they could have the remainder of the afternoon until dinnertime off as free time, provided they did not wake the Lady. She also mentioned there were some sweetcakes in the kitchen if they desired any, the lady would not be eating them so she and the others were welcome to them.

-----

"I won't be gone too long, you may as well get started in the library," Danielle answered as she headed off.

As Sabine shifted her focus to the grand library and its filing system, she found the job to be fairly easy once she had a grasp of where things went. The system itself sorted books first into different categories, of which there was an easy guide available to what the categories were and a floorplan which showed the layout of it. From there, books were sorted alphabetically. All in all, the reason for the task being so simple is that once Sabine had identified the right section and shelving for a given book, the exact space was usually obvious, being the only gap in the rows of books.

The books she filed away were from a diverse range of subjects, ranging from local history, laws, a book about slavery and how human trafficking worked, to a few about demons and dark magic and a range of other topics. All in all, there were around a dozen books that needed to be sorted away, so the task didn't take Sabine much time; most of it was simply working out which section a given book belonged in and finding the right shelf. As she was putting away the final book she saw what she assumed was Lady Ashbourne's physician assist her into her bedroom and then come down the stairs, a slight smile on her lips. At the same time, Danielle entered the library from elsewhere.

"How is she?" enquired Danielle. "Weary, she's taking a rest. But about the same." replied the doctor. An awkward pause hovered over the library before Danielle spoke up once more. "Sabine, that will be all for this afternoon. Take some free time for yourself until dinner is ready. I suppose the Lady will not need the cakes after all, so you are both welcome to some, they're cooling in the kitchen. Oh, and Sabine, try not to disturb the lady while she rests. I will inform the others."

As Danielle moves off, Dr. Remey makes her way to the kitchen. "I think some sweet cakes sounds just fine," she says aloud, but not directed at anyone in particular.

-----

After an afternoon of dusting, Ellen is approached by Danielle. "Thank you for your hard work, Ellen," she says. "The lady is resting in her bedroom, so you may have the remainder of the afternoon off, but I ask you avoid her bedroom or anywhere near it lest you wake her. There are some small cakes cooling in the kitchen if you like, it'd be a shame for them to go to waste."

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: Ashbourne Estates (game thread)

Putting down here shears she patted Jessara on the shoulder. "Come on Jess, let's go have some sweetcakes and some tea. Some refreshment will be good after this hard work."

She took Jessara's shears from her and put them down neatly next to her own, then waited smiling down at the smaller girl as she followed behind her. Once in the kitchen she began to make tea while encouraging Jessara to have a bit of cake. "Don't bother waiting on me, I won't be a moment," she said as she set the kettle on to boil. She'd take care to listen to it very closely and be there to take it off the stove before it whistled. No need for loud noise, as the lady was sleeping.

She looked around the kitchen to see who else might be gathering there and would offer to pour tea for them as well.

 

[GargantuaBlarg]

Re: Ashbourne Estates (game thread)

"...Eat? Eat what? And since when do rods eat, anyway?" muttered Peaches as she made her way down the grand staircase and to the basement, where she'd been directed to store the rest of these things. Though he'd said not to worry and concentrate on her job, it was hardly so complex to carry a box that she couldn't chat at the same time. Anyone looking at her might think she were talking to herself - and she might well have been. She was nearly to the basement, her questions unanswered, before she paused to speak again. "Ema?"

Silence.

Peaches shrugged - she didn't need to know right now, after all, and she could ask later. For now, her arms were getting tired. She descended the stairs carefully, contented smile playing across her face.

----

Peaches was fishing out the things either stored or dropped underneath the bed in the would-be storage room when Danielle came in. She hurried to crawl back out when she heard the door unlatch, managing to get out and time and respond with a "Yes, Danielle, thank you, Danielle" and several bows after Danielle finished relaying her message.

Momo hastily dusted off the cobwebs and dirt that clung to her dress, eager to get at those sweetcakes - lunch hadn't satisfied her as much as she'd have liked, in substance or taste. At least it won't show as much on these dark colors, she thought, as she exited into the hall, breathing onto her glasses and wiping them clean with a clean corner of her apron.

---

Arriving in the kitchen, Peaches was surprised to see a few of the other girls had already come in - Elaina and Jessara, the two who'd been out in the garden, if she recalled correctly. The doctor was there, as well.

As she made her way over to a chair near the platter of cakes, she waved a small "hello" to those there, a soft, spoken "hello" following it as she got nearer. One cake was already hanging from her mouth as she sat down, and as she munched, she surreptitiously (at least, she hoped) palmed a few more when everyone's heads were turned, dropping them into her lap.

 

[wallpaper]

Re: Ashbourne Estates (game thread)

Spoiler

"I won't be gone too long, you may as well get started in the library," Danielle answered as she headed off.

As Sabine shifted her focus to the grand library and its filing system, she found the job to be fairly easy once she had a grasp of where things went. The system itself sorted books first into different categories, of which there was an easy guide available to what the categories were and a floorplan which showed the layout of it. From there, books were sorted alphabetically. All in all, the reason for the task being so simple is that once Sabine had identified the right section and shelving for a given book, the exact space was usually obvious, being the only gap in the rows of books.

The books she filed away were from a diverse range of subjects, ranging from local history, laws, a book about slavery and how human trafficking worked, to a few about demons and dark magic and a range of other topics. All in all, there were around a dozen books that needed to be sorted away, so the task didn't take Sabine much time; most of it was simply working out which section a given book belonged in and finding the right shelf. As she was putting away the final book she saw what she assumed was Lady Ashbourne's physician assist her into her bedroom and then come down the stairs, a slight smile on her lips. At the same time, Danielle entered the library from elsewhere.

"How is she?" enquired Danielle. "Weary, she's taking a rest. But about the same." replied the doctor. An awkward pause hovered over the library before Danielle spoke up once more. "Sabine, that will be all for this afternoon. Take some free time for yourself until dinner is ready. I suppose the Lady will not need the cakes after all, so you are both welcome to some, they're cooling in the kitchen. Oh, and Sabine, try not to disturb the lady while she rests. I will inform the others."

As Danielle moves off, Dr. Remey makes her way to the kitchen. "I think some sweet cakes sounds just fine," she says aloud, but not directed at anyone in particular.

The living sculpture of a maid took a moment to smooth her golden dress down as she peered around the library, smooth marble hands settling her dishwater spotted apron into place as she took in the order that she sensed here. It didn't take her long to understand where and what she needed to do. Soon enough Sabine had found the floor plan, and was gathering books up, sorting them into piles before she brought each to its correct section.

She paused in consternation, having stumbled over the first of the books of dark magic. Sabine frowned, not quite willing to pick up the book. She had been idly reading the titles of the books she was sorting, and a few had given her reason to feel uncomfortable. Human trafficking and slavery... she was not human herself, but these were tenets that neither her creator nor her gifted liason had preached. The books about dark magic... summoning, even... they left the young maid feeling uncomfortable, and her hands trembled as she carried the first of them over to start a new pile.

The topmost book fell out of her grasp, and Sabine struggled to capture it before it hit the floor. A moment later, books were scattered open around her and she cursed herself for the clumsiness. When she hurried to scrabble the books back together, however, she noted that one shared a diagram with her own tome. That stayed her hand. Sabine stared at the open page, frozen with a kind of horror-struck shock. The sounds of other people broke her thrall, and the maid hurriedly gathered up the books she'd dropped, placing them away where they belonged.

She turned just in time to spot a strange woman in a physician's outfit descend the stairs, and to see the headmaid returning from another direction. Sabine was intensely grateful for her inability to blush, though perhaps she stood at attention too stiffly. If it weren't for her maid's uniform, it was likely that anybody who passed her would assume that she was an odd statue. And so she was!

She curtsied to Danielle, nodding at the mention of cakes. "I'll be quiet," she murmured, eyes lowered respectfully to the two women before Danielle hurried out again. She fell in step a few paces behind the physician, giving Dr. Remey a curious looking over. Sabine didn't know enough about the Lady to feel comfortable with directly speaking to any of her outside staff, though she was intensely curious about the woman's illness. And she was curious about the doctor, as well... it was not her place to introduce herself, however, so she entered the kitchen in silence, finding an out of the way place to seat herself as she waited for other maids to return. Already the short blue-haired woman in the pale dress was moving around the stove, a kettle on the brew. The other blue-haired woman -- this one with longer hair and a darker uniform -- was with her. Sabine remembered that they had been gardening together, but while she cast them a nod of greeting if they looked her way, she demurred any further attention. Dr. Remey would likely keep them occupied, and Sabine wasn't sure about conversation, yet. If she could avoid being asked about tea, she would do so!

 

[Unknown Squid]

Re: Ashbourne Estates (game thread)

Ellen nods in acknowledgement to Danielle as she's relived of her duties, face perking up quite a bit at the mention of cake. Quickly finishing off the shelf she was dusting, she stows her duster at the back of her dress and floats off toward the kitchen and smell of sweet cakes. Entering the room she spots the offered sweets at the other end of the counter and that the others had already beat her here. Pulling out the spare unused feather duster with a small smirk, she makes her way past the three women still by the counter, Elaina, Jessara and Dr. Remey, "dusting" her colleges by running and swishing the duster over their backs as she went. Retrieving her prize at the end of the counter she takes a good bite and turns to wave happily at the others. "Oh, it's a clean one don't worry." She quickly adds with a smile if anyone returned a worried or displeased glance about her dusting antics. "Mmm... these are great!" then said mumbling to herself as she regards the small cake.

 

[Incubus]

Re: Ashbourne Estates (game thread)

From her spot in the corner, where she had stood silently, holding one of the small cakes in her hand, perhaps examining it or admiring it, the doctor finally spoke. "Mm, quite the intake of newcomers we have, isn't it?" she says, placing the cake down as she takes a few steps out from the wall, slow and almost overly theatrical. "But I suppose such a large manor requires a suitable selection of... staff..." she adds with a slight smile. "With the big one away, what do the little ones get up to, hrm~? Oh, I wonder where shes gone off to, all by herself..."

 

[wallpaper]

Re: Ashbourne Estates (game thread)

Sabine had to smile at Ellen's antics, glad that she had been bypassed in the dusting. She remembered more than one occasion, being passed over with one of those things and having to hold perfectly still throughout! It had been a particularly difficult experience!

She was pleased, too, that the cakes seemed edible enough, given at least that Peaches seemed to be taking more for later. It was a gamble, the grey-haired maid thought, to have the one who couldn't taste nor eat doing part of the food preparation... and something of a relief that nothing had gone horribly wrong.

"Do you mean Danielle?" Sabine asked of the doctor, tilting her head and blinking in perplexity. "She said that we each have time to ourselves. I imagine that she is doing the same, is she not?"