paixaorpg | Of Servants and Guests [Complete]

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Of Servants and Guests [Complete]

Character(s): Nill, NPC (servants; namely Liam), and Haine!
Content: After spending a peaceful night in the home of Peter, a relative of Ersesat Manor's owner, the little angel decides to explore.
Setting: Ersesat Manor
Time: Monday, mid-morning
Warnings: Violence (breaking into a house, whut!) on the White-Hair's part.

She would have pulled the lightly patterned comforter over Badou's shoulders, but she did not want risk waking him. Her red-headed substitute guardian was sprawled over the bed in all directions with one leg in and the other out; one arm above him and the other under. Oh, and his hair? It covered the upper half of the bed.

The scene amused her so and offered Nill a chuckle before she quietly left a post-it note reading "Wanted to look around. Will be back soon!" Although, the u looked more like w, and the letters were slightly lopsided--but that didn't matter as long as it was comprehendable (and legible it certainly was), right?

With that, the long-haired girl stepped out of her room onto a polished hallway, laying her rusty blonde hair neatly behind her in order to hide Them. Although it was a bit uncomfortable, she also tucked Them beneath her jersey. Haine did tell her "hide them," did he not? She was just obeying his protective command.

In any case, Nill's first impression of the halls could be summed up in three words: Big, Bright, and Shiny.

She stood in one place, slowly turning a full-circle with her eyes towards the ceiling, which looked almost as high as the church's. Except, this was a glass ceiling with quite intricate framework webbing from one wall to the other. Through the spotless glass, Nill was able to see the sky--a slightly cloudy and dim sky. It had just hit her that she almost never, if never at all, saw the sky: the endless blue sphere dotted with cotton.

"It may be fake, but it sure is pretty...." she thought, hardly noticing a uniformed boy approaching.

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Mornings were always busy. It was when the most work had to be done. There were things that had to be cleaned or washed, there was inventory to check, there were errands to be run, and there were meal orders to take. Of that last measure, Liam had been dispatched. After all, there were guests in the mansion. They had arrived the night before, to quite a stir among the hired help. Suddenly, Liam and his peers had become pretty popular. Everyone wanted to know who the guests were, what they were like, how they had gotten there, were they citizens or visitors? Liam fielded these questions as best he could. He guessed they were visitors because of the man’s vividly colored hair.

Liam was picked to take breakfast orders because he had blushed the brightest the night before. Also because of how he’d reacted when he’d been chosen to carry the girl. And she had been so light. Well, pretty girls were always light, weren’t they? He was glad he was picked to go to her again. After setting her down in bed the night before, she had hardly left his thoughts. He wanted to know what she was like.

And so it was that he came upon her, looking up through the hall’s tall, glassy ceiling. Liam thought she was just about the single most beautiful thing he’d ever seen, standing in the light like something sacred. He hesitated, not wanting to bother her. He ran a hand nervously through his short blond hair. What should he do? He’d be reamed if he didn’t show up with a breakfast order soon. But she was so peaceful…

He gathered his courage with a mighty breath and trotted up to the girl. “Nice weather we’re having, huh?” He couldn’t hide his blush again. Or his nervousness as he shifted from foot to foot. At least he’d found the words to start a conversation with her.

~~OOC: ARG BAD SPELLING. Deleted and then lost my post. Noes. ANYWAY. HAINE YESSSS.~~

Haine found himself at the gate of a large manor. He took a quick survey of the building, making mental notes about certain features of the place, before opening the gate and walking up the pathway to the front door. There was a large, lion-shaped knocker that hung gleaming in the light. Surprising, as the wet drizzle gave the place an errie sense of forebodingness. Even in the poor light, the knocker seemed to come to life. Haine raised a hand, grasping the cool metal handle of the lion, and made three resonate knocks. From outside, he could hear the sound echoing throughout the halls. He stood, waiting. He knocked again. Nothing. Silence.

He attempted to open the door himself, only to find it locked. Dissatisfied, he walked around the building to the back. Again, locked.

"Screw it," he muttered under his breath.

And proceeded to kick the door in.

(ooc: ~~THIEFFFFF~~ Meredith~ what about this (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v126/furumun90/touya-liampaixao.png) for Liam~? and omgosh, you are the cutest Liam. XDDD)

Having spun in circles for a while, Nill had thoroughly dizzied herself enough to fall down at any abrupt disturbance, and she very well did as the servant boy timidly commented the synthetic sky, now morphing back into its delicately painted frescoes (which the angel girl found stunning). She made no sound as she tripped over her tiny feet; her surprise reflected by her facial expression and wide blue eyes.

All she could do was blink and think "Who...??"

Clearly, she couldn't remember anything that had happened after she fell asleep.

The girl had spun and spun and spun too much, and she tripped over her own feet in her dizziness! Liam stepped forward reflexively. He wanted to catch her if she fell, but he was torn. He shouldn’t touch guests! Especially not pretty ones. She might get mad at him. He did have rough working hands, after all. Soon, though, the choice was made for him and the girl fell. He cringed as she hit the floor. No!

But the look she gave him made his heart sink. It wasn’t the one he was expecting – anger for falling down without anyone to save her. It was another one entirely. It was as if she had never seen him before!

Wait.

She technically hadn’t. She’d been asleep already when he had moved her to bed. So it wasn’t that she had forgotten him, it was that she had never met him in the first place! That thought grounded Liam, and he composed himself again, going to her side and kneeling. He offered an arm for her to take so he could help her up.

“I’m sorry!” he said cheerfully. “I didn’t mean to startle you, miss. My name is Liam. I work here at the manor. I came to see if you wanted anything to eat for breakfast. It’s morning, you know.” As if she couldn’t tell that herself! He was such an idiot today.

Faintly he heard the echoes of knocking, but knew one of the other servants would be there to tend to it. Besides, he wouldn’t want to leave this girl alone by herself, would he? No. Of course not. She had come here with someone else, but he was still asleep. And it would not do for a girl to be unchaperoned!

There was a brief pause before the blonde-haired girl accepted the kind boy's assistance, for she was surprised with the warmth he showed--not to mention, he was cute! She blushed slightly as she studied his features (the morning statement completely going over her head). What a soothing blue his eyes were, and what gentleness did they reflect! They do say that eyes are the windows to the soul.

Letting all that information sink in, Nill got to her feet and patted the back of her skirt--not that there was any dust. This manor was polished to look like a mirror. Hmm, perhaps that contributed to her fall.

Oh no! She was stalling. Um, what did he say his name was? Lime? Leen? No, 'Liam.' She repeated his name in her mind as she looked right at him, smiling. Hopefully that would suffice communication for the next several seconds as Nill mused whether to return to her room and check whether Badou wanted breakfast too.

Eventually, she decided not to disturb the man. Besides, he was as out as a dry log. She nodded enthusiastically at Liam, her smile brighter.

"Okay!"

Haine stepped through the now-splintered door frame to find himself in the servant portion of the manor. The patio may have been a better idea, he thought, as he observed the dreary area. There was a greater risk of being found near the servents quarters, but it wouldn't really make much difference in the end. Haine stood perfectly still for a moment, listening to the sounds of the manor. Making a few more mental observations of the happenings in the manor, Haine moved forward into the dark hallway.

The hallway was poorly lighted, with a few lonely portraits strewn upon its walls. At the end of the hallway there was a door. A white door. Images flashed through his mind. Haine cringed and put his left hand to his face, his body naturally stumbled for support, only to find the wall of the hallway. He felt a throbbing in his neck. Haine closed his eyelids, willing the images away, slowly opening them again, red eyes flashing in the dim light. With clenched teeth, he moved onwards, gripping the door handle, turning, turning, to find a deserted kitchen. This was surprising for a manor of this size.

Haine's footsteps made noise as he made his way through the kitchen, opening yet another door, to find yet another hallway, that led to a substantially sized dining room. He glanced upwards, to see a glittering chandelier suspended from the ceiling. Haine moved onwards, through yet another door, another hallway, a larger hallway with high ceilings, and alas, the front door. To his right was a large staircase that curved upwards, split, and went in two directions. Haine heard a thump eminating from the staircase closest to him, somewhere in the hallway upstairs. He silently ascended the steps, making his way toward the hallway where the sound came from.

Liam felt like the center of the universe as the cute blonde girl looked him over. She appreciated his presence. That was more than he could ask for, really. And she seemed all right after that little trip, even though he didn’t help stop her. She wasn’t angry!

And all she’d said in response was, “Okay!” Nothing else. Liam was a bit perplexed. That wasn’t what she wanted for breakfast! Maybe she hadn’t heard him. He straightened, moving his foot in anxious little circles.

“I’m glad you’d like some food, Miss. Now, I would like to know what you would like to eat so I can fetch it from the kitchens.” He laughed nervously. Oh, she was too cute. He wished he could grab her wrist and run laughing with her through the halls, but that would wake far too many people. It was still early, and his hide would be tanned if he acted out like that. He couldn’t be harmed for merely imagining it, so he did, grinning happily.

He heard footsteps approaching, but dismissed them. People were free to walk about the manor, weren’t they? Maybe it was one of his supervisors wondering what was taking him so long. Normally he was very fast at these kinds of things. He didn’t get distracted like the others did, but here he was, waist-deep in distraction. It was worth it, though.

Realizing her error, Nill grimaced and dropped her face to stare at her feet. Frankly, she did not know what to request. She did not eat much back home (one might be able to tell by her looks). When she did, it was usually bread and water (if she was lucky, she sometimes got milk instead). There wasn't a large menu to choose from when you live in the Underground, especially if you hide from...kidnappers...in a church with a blind priest.

Hmm...how is the priest doing. Maybe going hysteric because his little angel disappeared--Ah! Stalling again!

"Um.... show me?" whispered the girl. She was still not used to speaking. Who knows how much more difficult it was to do so with strangers! But then again, Liam was no longer like a stranger to her. She inched herself closer to the servant, smiling and hoping he'd understand her thoughts.

As Haine reached the top of the stairs, he slipped into the shadows so he might not be seen. The two figures--one of them he immediately recognized, and his heart skipped a little--were talking quietly in the hallway. He watched the young lad carefully, a servant of the manor, he assumed. The lad seemed distressed, to say the least. He grimiced as Nill inched towards the servant. Haine momentarily closed his eyes and uttered, just loud enough so Nill might hear him at such a distance,

"I asked you not to associate with strangers."

“Sure, I’d be more than happy to show you.” Liam smiled happily. He could show her around the mansion a little and show her the kitchens. There was lots of food there, and maybe something there would catch her attention. Sometimes there was so much stuff that even he didn’t remember every little bit of it.

As for her whispering? Maybe she was worried she’d wake someone, as it was still early. Or maybe she was shy around strangers and this was a natural reaction. Either way, it was cute, and it made him happy. If they went now, maybe his supervisor wouldn’t yell at him. After all, he was serving a guest, and being of some use. That wasn’t punishable, was it? Sure, he was slow, but he got the job done.

“Let’s go, okay?” He made a beckoning gesture with his hand and turned away. “Follow me, please.” He’d walk nice and slow, just for her, just to extend their time together. Who knew if he’d ever see her again, anyway?

(ooc: ...I recorded as Nill (http://s1.upload.sc/request/df001911556e5b37a02cc3fddebfeb13/owner)--in Japanese! ...just because it sounds better. 8D;;)

Nill had not even stepped forward to take the servant boy's hand when she heard a familiar voice somewhere in the room. She perked up, eyes darting around. When she saw his white hair, which stood out even in the shadwos, she jumped. She couldn't contain her joy of seeing him, but his scolding remark made her think twice about leaping towards Haine with a hug.

"Ha-Haine..! When did you.. don't get mad! Liam is a really nice person--he was just showing me around. Please don't hurt him!" she blurted nervously. Was he going to take her away because of her error? Will he teach Liam a lesson? Oh no! What a situation. She glanced at Liam then at Haine who she could tell stared at her sternly.

Liam stopped once he realized the girl was talking to someone else. Who else was around? Feeling nervous and not a little self-conscious, he looked around carefully. Was it one of his supervisors? No… From the girl’s apologetic speech, it had to be someone she knew. He turned to see if the door to the bedroom had moved. It was probably her sleeping friend, wasn’t it?

But the door hadn’t moved. It wasn’t he who slept like a log. So… someone else she knew. Liam turned back towards the stairs. Someone had probably let her other friend into the manor, of course. The master was never averse to visitors.

Though he couldn’t see him yet – or much of him yet, as a brief glimpse of white caught his eye for a moment and was quickly lost again – Liam smiled and bowed, just as he was taught to. “The friends of our guests are welcome here,” he said politely. “Welcome to Ersesat Manor.” He wouldn’t stand in the way of a reunion. Sometimes, judging by snatches he caught from his master, those were hard to come by.

Haine's red eyes flashed as he stepped into the light as if to signal a warning. As he stepped closer to the pair, it could been seen that he was resisting the urge to tear the manor to pieces. "You're not safe here," Haine spoke, devoid of emotion. "It's time to leave. Get Badou."

He glared at the servant boy with distaste. He pointed his gun leisurely to gesture, "Go find her things."

Nill's little of a voice caught in her throat. She felt her heart wrench. Why was Haine being so vehement? Liam was a nice person! How can it not be safe? She was so confused and upset.

And angry.

She puffed up, stomped over to Haine with her hands on her waist, and displayed the most intimidating frown she could muster.

The first thing he became aware of when he woke up was that he did not know where the hell he was--oh, wait. He blinked tiredly and scanned the room over. Now he remembered. That girl and him had been invited here..or something. He couldn’t quite recall everything in his current state.

Badou frowned and threw the comforter aside as he swung his legs over the side of the bed. He then noticed the small note left on the bedside table. Curious, he picked it up and held it close to his face. Squinting at the disorganized scrawl with a tired eye. The girl, Nill, must have left it for him. Though he wasn’t quite sure what the entire message was.

“…’Uill be back soun.’” He read out loud slowly to himself as if deciphering some type of code. Badou stared down at the paper while running a hand through his long, tangled hair and holding it behind his head to keep it out of the way. The girl must have just gone to wander the manor. Nothing he had to worry about.

The redhead suddenly looked up over at the door when he thought he caught sound of a few voices. They were quiet, but it seemed there were a couple of people just down the hallway outside the room.

He placed the note back on the table and began towards the door. Carefully, he turned the knob and opened it just enough to peek out with his good eye. Badou blinked, a little surprised to see Haine’s conspicuous head of white hair. Nill and the kid from the previous day was there with him. He sighed and quietly walked out into the hall, still looking very much like he’d just woken up with his wrinkled clothes and bed head hair.

He promptly stopped a few feet away with a startled expression at the scene before him now that he had a closer view. Just why did Haine have his gun drawn out? Just what did he miss this time?...

Liam froze when he saw the white-haired man pull out a gun. His eyes widened in fright. They were supposed to check for such things on entry to the manor! Was everyone else asleep today, or just off-duty? Now he might be shot for some reason he didn’t understand. How wasn’t it safe here, anyway?

“I’m sorry, sir,” Liam said with a little bow, his voice higher than normal due to fear, “but your friend arrived with no luggage or belongings.” He hastily backed away, pressing his back against the hallway wall, not wanting to be in the way any more than he absolutely had to be. Being shot was not on his list of things to do today. He was already late, and there was breakfast still to get to the guests…!

It was hard to hear anything besides the thumping of his heart. This man was dangerous. Movement off to one side caught his eye, down the hall towards the guests’ room. It appeared the other man woke up, the one with the brilliant hair and the funny eyepatch. He hoped he wasn’t armed, too. That was the last thing he needed right now. Did everyone here know one another? The pretty girl knew the white-haired man, that much was obvious, but did the white-haired man know the redhead?

There might be shots fired soon. Liam was ready to bolt at a moment’s notice. He really hoped the scary man wouldn’t shoot the girl. He’d feel awful if that happened, especially as it seemed she was defending him.

Haine glanced at Nill's pose for a moment, then shifted his attention to the figure that emerged into the hallway. "You ass, you were supposed to watch her at all times." He grimaced. That idiot never payed attention to his instructions.

"We're leaving." Haine motioned to the servant boy again, a wicked smile planted on his face. "Escort us out."

He blinked and snapped out of his shocked state at Haine's unreasonable statement. Normal people had to sleep at some point. But he was smart enough to not voice that thought to him. Badou just pouted some and looked back and forth between the three others in the hallway. Nill glaring at Haine. Haine having the poor blond kid stuck up against the wall. The poor blond kid looking like he was going piss his pants if Haine so much as twitched... etc. etc.

Needless to say it was probably not a good time to ask about breakfast.

Badou shrugged nonchalantly and opened his mouth to comment on how Nill looked perfectly fine without his supervision for a total of all twenty minutes to an hour (However long he had been out. Keeping track of those things was kinda useless.). Nill was a big girl and looked like she could handle taking care of herself well enough. Especially now with that defiant stare she was giving--of all people--Haine. But his direction to the manor kid threw Badou off for the moment.

"Huh-? We're going already?" The redhead uttered despondently and taking a few steps closer to his partner. Where else were they going to find free shelter as decent as this? Seriously.

Still no success. Nill now pressed her hand against Haine's cold raised hand that clutched the stark gun. Seeing a firearm so often, even threatend with them on several occassions, allowed her to remain calm. The winged girl was more frightened of Haine's smile. Such a heartless, void smile. She frowned again, but now deepened with sorrow. She would spare an apologetic glance at the blonde-haired boy whom she just knew was offended were it not for her dedication to reason with the red-eyed man.

But then Badou appeared. Nill spun around, flattened wings briefly visible as her soft hair moved with her. She held her breath, scampering towards the long-haired guardian. With doe-like eyes, she looked at him pleadingly and said quietly, urgently, "Convince him, Badou...!"

As much as he’d have loved the blond girl to stay, Liam wasn’t about to defy the armed man’s orders. He did want to bring the others breakfast, as he was supposed to, but plans had changed. He would not insist they stayed. He would not invite them to dine in the luxurious dining room.

Liam forced a professional smile and bowed again to the armed man, the one who was obviously in charge. “All right, sir, as you wish. If you would all follow me, I will show you to the door.” He took a deep breath and started down the hallway towards the stairs. There was a set of doors leading out near the foot of those stairs, and though it was hardly the grandiose front entryway, it would do. Liam wanted the armed man gone, even if he had to take that pretty girl with him. He was sure he’d see her again… he hoped he’d see her again, anyway.

He glanced over his shoulder. “Right this way, please.” He felt like he had a big target painted on his back. He hoped being this nervous wouldn’t cause him to trip. He doubted the armed man was in the mood for games this day.

Haine tore his hand away from Nill's the moment her skin touched his. His eyes flashed for a moment and his face wore a stiff, controlled expression, almost as if he had been wounded. He shifted his attention to his partner while lowering his weapon for the time being. Badou had no sense for saftey. Of course they had to leave. He spoke devoid of emotion, "We can't control the people that come in and out of here. I don't want him showing up." Whoever owned this manor was going to do whatever he wanted. Haine had no way of knowing who the owner chose to associate himself with. It was suspicious that the man had taken such an eager interest in Nill.

With that said, Haine gestured to Badou to go first after the servent boy and for Nill to follow. He spoke softly to the winged girl, "It's for the best."

[...jfdsfds.]

He bit his lip and looked at Haine and then back to the girl in front of him. Feeling a little torn all of the sudden. But, hell, Badou was no hero. If Haine thought there was something wrong with this place that he hadn't noticed he might as well see it through before asking any more questions. He was usually right about these things most of the time, anyway...

The redhead calmly nodded and followed the orders. Frowning in defeat with the lingering hint of some understanding at the angel, he gave her a slight, almost helpless, shrug and sighed. He stuffed his hands deep into his pockets as he moved about her and started down the hall. That strange journal-thing was still there. He'd paid little to no attention to it but still kept it close. It'd probably come in handy at some point.

In passing Haine; Badou hesitated and gave him a curious expression for a short moment before continuing after the boy. Questions would come after, he reminded himself again.

Useless. All her efforts were in vain--Or maybe not? Maybe Haine was protecting her even if there was no apparent threat to shield from.

'It's for the best.'

That phrase rung in her ears as she defeatedly trudged in file with Badou and Liam, misty eyes cast to the ground. Descending the myriad stairsteps, her shoes felt as if they were made of stone: heavy, unwilling.

'It's for the best.'

Reaching the door, her hands were clamped together, shaking and taut. The servant boy she warmed up to was right next to her, holding the door out so politely in spite of the harsh commands he was given by her guardian. "Liam," she muttered inaudibly. This was not a farewell, she mentally declared, but why did it feel so distant? For a brief moment, she faced him and smiled through blurry eyes. "I'm sorry... I will see you again someday. Thank you.....so much."

And so she ran away.

((ooc: I could close the thread now if you guys want!))

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Of Servants and Guests [Complete]

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omg badou. :x

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