The Master's Wish IC

[BinaryEntity]

OOC (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=128229)
Recruitment (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=127723)

The Chesterfield Manor, in its idyllic state of verdant lawn and spacious grounds, is quite serene and typically tranquil. To excess, unfortunately, as its inhabitants, particularly owner Mark Chesterfield (age 13), found the routine daily life lackluster.

Today is not routine.

The morning tranquility's two year record was broken by a group of horse-riding, sword-toting bandits, at 7 am sharp.

They were clad in the well-maintained leather armor of fantasy tales, carrying non-descript one handed swords and most also packing some daggers and knives. Their hair was somehow kempt, but not close cut - definitely the style so often seen in movies, and read about in books. They were big, they were strong, they wanted more than just lunch money.

But there is something to be said about the maids' efficiency (and perhaps courage), as they were alert to the attack promptly, and managed to neutralize a half dozen of the bandits by 7:10.

However, school starts at 7:45, and Mark still wasn't downstairs for breakfast.

[EvilRoeSlade]

With a groan of effort, Maria pushes her petite frame to her limit as she drags the dead body of the highlander down the hallway. His face was pale white and frozen in shock - the last anyone had seen him alive he had tossed Maria over his shoulder and galloped off into the distance. Moments later Maria and the highlander had reappeared much as they were now - with the Maid's petite frame struggling valiantly to get him to her laboratory.

Maria herself was off in a dreamworld, wildly imagining all the wonderful experiments she could perform on the body. She had been working as a live-in Maid for months now and she had quickly found that finding suitable raw material was impossible.

However, her reverie vanished when she glanced at a clock and saw the time. With strength that she certainly hadn't displayed before, she shoves the body into a nearby closet and daintily rushes off to Mark's room.

She raps politely on the door and then barges in without waiting for a response. It's time to get up, Master! She looks around with concern to see what the hold up is.

[Tackyhillbillu]

Annisa sighed, watching the last of the Bandit's souls Vanish. She enjoyed guiding them over to the other side. Of course, she had to make sure they were all dead first, so all of them had their heads rendered into something resembling what happens when those damn hooligans smash a Jack'O'Lantern with a Baseball Bat.

"Your Souls have now gone to rest."

She probably had taken a couple of Shinigami's jobs there, but it never hurt to be careful. And they wouldn't object to a bit more time to slack off. She returned to the House, her Blood Soaked Robes slowly losing the red that stained that at the moment. When she heard Maria call for the Master to awaken, Annisa leapt hurled herself up two flights of stairs, over a bannister, slid under a Table before slamming full tilt into Maria.

"Is he dead? I'll collect his Soul!"

She didn't even untangle herself from Maria.

And send it to a hell of my own designing, a land of forms in triplicate, lines, and rude tellers. I think the humans called it the DMV.

Annisa couldn't help but let out an evil cackle. Ordinarily, a tiny girl cackling would be rather amusing... but this was anything but normal!

[Serenade]

It seemed rather fortunate for Alice that the strange pattern of her maid uniform managed to help in deterring several bandits for a few moments. Then again, who wouldn't be shocked by a dress of what felt like both all and none of the colours at once?

Alice traipsed over to the Master's room, her pipe dragging against the ground with a dull grating noise as she did so. "Bandits this morning huh? Geez... I guess we'll be fighting Samurai next - or possibly ninjas," she quipped as she advanced. She stepped up to the Master's door, staring at Annisa and Maria for a few moments.

She cleared her throat loudly before speaking. "Annisa - get off Maria please, and stop your cackling. The Master hasn't awoken yet, therefore, your cackling - it does nothing," she said with a final huff as she rapped against the doorframe sharply with her pipe. "Master Maaaaaaark, it's time to get up and get ready for schoooool!" she said in a sing-song voice."

[BinaryEntity]

Silence greeted the trio as the Master's door was opened.

Nothing was out of place, so it was clear nothing had been stolen. The only difference, one which was only unusual in its hasty creation, was that of the bed sheets thrown back in what was clearly a surprised awakening.

The bed was empty. No blood or bodies, so the master was alive, or, at the very least, wasn't killed here.

Any hopes or fears of a missing master were quelled, though, when Mark said, "Awww, are the robbers gone already?" He was coming out of hiding in a room down the hall, still in his pajamas, but at least with the sense to put on slippers, since the brisk October morning had no doubt chilled the non-carpeted floors. Continuing the pattern of normalcy, he appeared unharmed, except for perhaps his brown hair, which was the disheveled mess of short hair after a restless night waiting for Christmas morning. His grey eyes seemed alive with the hope of their being more bandits, though his tone expressed clear understanding that there were none.

[EvilRoeSlade]

As Maria flops to the ground, her long gold hair flops a bit and then rearranges itself perfectly - now it's falling over her right eye instead of her left. She seems completely unfazed - her expression doesn't shift in the slightest.

I'm flattered, but now really isn't the time Miss Annisa.

She wriggles out from under the Shinigami and brushes herself off before walking down the hall toward Mark. Fighting bandits is our duty, she says with a completely straight face. Your job is to get ready for school Young Master. I will prepare breakfast now. You two please see that he showers, brushes his teeth, and proceeds to get dressed.

Downstairs Maria begins whipping up some pancakes, eggs, and toast, and prepares a chilled glass of orange juice. She makes the pancakes skull-shaped since she can't comprehend why anyone would want boring old circular pancakes.

[roll0]

[Tackyhillbillu]

Annisa sighed as things turned out badly. First Alice scolded her, and then Mark turned out to be not dead. The Little Shinigami had seen her illusions of a world free of Mark smashed. However, then Maria said something that made her perk up.

There is always next time!

"Don't listen to her Mark. Be a man! Fight the Bandits! Men don't let little girls fight their battles for them."

Annisa hopped up lightly, and sighed, before just walking over to Alice, and collapsing again.

"Alice, why won't he just die? I want to reap his soul!"

Annisa sounded remarkably like a petulant little child, demanding a toy from her mother. The fact that said toy was the incorporeal essence of the boy still in the room failed to bother her.

[Serenade]

Alice clucked her tongue and wagged her finger back and forth. "Now, now Little Reaper, I still have a debt to pay off with this lovely little human - therefore, I need him alive for now. And even then, no, you can't reap his soul - it's mine I say," Alice quipped with a silly grin as she stepped forward into Mark's room.

"Alrighty then, time for you to get dressed and ready for school Master!" she said, adopting a much more chipper tone than before.

[Tackyhillbillu]

Annisa stamped at Alice angrily, not willing to accept that result. It wasn't fair.

"Not uhhhhhh!"

Annisa stuck her tongue out, a strange act for a 2000 year old Soul Reaper.

"I claimed him and his entire bloodline before you were born."

Annisa turned to Mark. standing on her tip toes to see over Alice's shoulder.

"That's right isn't it Mark? Your Soul is mine to reap!"

[smuchmuch]

"To Reap ? Don't thou rather mean bludgeon ?"
Azzie is standing in the doorway, smoothing a few ruflled feather on her left wing, an obvious sneer on her usualy impassible face.

Sighing, she gets back to her usual wooden expression, the face of those who barred the world fun from their vocabulary a long time ago, and enters the room.. she moves to a cupboard and takes somme clothes. Standing in front of Mark from all her height (she's by far the tallest and oldest in the room), she lowers her eyes to stare at him with authorithy
"Has thou taken thine shower ? It is almoth a quarter past nineth and timeth is running out"

[BinaryEntity]

Confused by the mixture of advice on bandits, Mark simply answers Annisa, "My soul is mine," using the response he had been taught. Looking to Azzie while being ushered into getting ready, he asks, "And what's a 'blood-gen'?"

Grumpily, like many children, he does get ready for school, going through his morning routine, pulling on his uniform, grabbing his bookbag, and lastly a worn book from under his pillow, which he stuffs into his bookbag with the frown of disappointment and dissatisfaction.

As the preparations upstairs go underway, Maria's pancakes finish with enough time to eat.

[Serenade]

"Nono, she said bludgeon, which is a fancy way of saying 'beat-your-brains-in-with-a-pipe,'" Alice remarked, before leading Mark downstairs for Breakfast.

"Just keep your distance - I won't let her get at your soul - at least not yet," she added, ruffling Mark's hair a bit.

She smiled and hummed to herself as she continued towards the kitchen, taking a seat and helping herself to some pancakes (and quickly putting some on a plate for Mark) before practically drowning her pancakes in syrup, and then digging in.

[Tackyhillbillu]

Annisa is very dissatisfied with this turn of events. She doesn't like Azzie, and had rather hoped the Bandits had done away with her. But they had failed at that as well. And Mark was being uppity.

"Not fair!"

Annisa stamps downstairs, and grabs a plate, stealing the Pancakes off of Mark's plate. If she couldn't get him killed, she could starve him.

[EvilRoeSlade]

Maria turns away from her work and goes to the unhappy Shinigami, having heard most of her side of the argument from upstairs. She gives her shoulders a light, comforting stroke.

You know Annisa, it's not possible for him to live more than 80 or 90 years, and that's assuming he dies of old age. Considering you've been alive for over a thousand, that's not too much of a wait, is it?

Her eyes wander as she starts with the imagining again. Of course, if I still need work at that point I might have no choice but to bind his soul into his still-warm corpse and bring him back as an undead monstrosity where he can continue to rule the mansion until the end of the world.

[Tackyhillbillu]

Annisa sighs smiling, enjoying have his shoulder's rubbed. But then Maria had to go and ruin it all.

"Over two thousand, actually. But it doesn't matter. I can wait, if it's needed. But it isn't. He doesn't have an entry in the book of heaven. He should die at any moment. But he just won't."

Annisa sighed.

"And don't worry about employment. Once Mark is dead and I have Reaped, not bludgeoned..."

Annisa's voice turned haughty at that.

"...I'm sure I'll be able to find you something else to do. We are supposed to keep an eye out for people like you."

[EvilRoeSlade]

Maria shrugs. The most likely explanation is that it was just a clerical error. These sort of these happens all the time, an incompetent or careless worker makes a mistake and then... well, something like this looks more mysterious than it really is. Your concerns have roused my curiosity but all my tests have concluded that he's no different than an ordinary human.

She had made extra batter for the maid's own breakfast later, and now she pours some more of it in the frying pan. But you know, she chirps. With all this human blood available for me to harvest, I can start in on some real magic. Tell you what, when he gets back from school, I'll have had time to research and prepare a ritual to determine his lifespan. Will you stop making such a fuss if I do that?

[smuchmuch]

Azzie

Azzie, who has been silently praying (in a position wich happens to conveniently shield the passing guilt on her face while the other two are talking about the irregularity that Mark constitute. The lifetime of the universe of flawless and regular work washed away by one freaking mistake, unfair really ) in a corner of the table, raise her head thoughfully when she hears what Maria said.

"Thou might want to be carrefull. While necromancy isn't exactly the tool of the devil there art somme strong ties.
And while I had'nt too much contact with heaven lately, I heard holy crusades and righteous smiting ath been quite returning in favor lately, something about starting the new millenia big.
Tedious buisness all that flamming sword pointing and waving if you asketh me, but thou may want to lay low with the abominables experiments for a while."

[BinaryEntity]

"Um, okay," Mark answered Alice, following behind her to where the food was.

After weighing the food options given to him by Annisa, Mark decided that a fresh plate was in order, rather than attempting to get his previous pancakes back. He did, however, seem calmer now that conversation has returned to its more normal topics.

Maria's vocalized thoughts piqued his attention as he poured his own fair share of syrup. "You can make me a zombie?" he asked, before shoving a pancake piece into his mouth.

Upon the completion of that sentence, the Westminster Chime tones of the doorbell echoed through the house.

"Ah, it's okay, Azzie, didn't she try it last week? And besides, I'll protect her if anyone tries to do anything to her." Coming from someone more capable than Mark, that might have sounded somewhat heroic and stalwart, but as it were, it was nothing more than idealistic speech followed by the unheroic squelch of another pancake piece being devoured.

[EvilRoeSlade]

That's my brave and noble master, says Maria without a trace of sarcasm (not that her voice usually has a trace of anything whatsoever).

I'm sorry to say that your car was damaged in the attack, so we won't be able to drive you to school. You'd be late if we walked you but... not to worry, I've already created a solution.

Deciding that Mark has eaten enough, she takes him by the hand and yanks him out to the front courtyard, where the bandits horses had been... and still are, in animate skeleton form.

I made enough for everyone since I think you need the extra security. Today you ride to school on an undead horse!

[BinaryEntity]

The morning air had already started to warm, and a few birds were visible in the sky, likely doing their typical migration. The sun was rising lazily, and did not seem to care about the recent attack or the group of undead horses that were in the courtyard.

"Excuse me," a young woman's voice said from the front door, interrupting whatever imaginings of serenity the horses might have allowed. "But are you Mark Chesterfield?"

The woman's face had no lines, and she did not appear to be much older than Mark himself. Her blonde hair was tied up in a bun surrounded by a braid, and her blue eyes had a definite innocence of youth about them, though they were not drowning in it. Her pale sapphire dress was corseted with a real underbust corset, and though simple, the embroidery suggested that she was of higher station than what might be initially thought. The small gold circlet atop her head merely reinforced this.

"Um, yeah," Mark answered, quite uncertain of when this woman showed up, and where she came from. A dark cloud drifted over the lawn, addding unnecessary tension to the scene.

"I must say I expected someone taller," the woman said, arms crossing in slight irritation. "And more...knightly looking." Mark's eyes narrowed, but his retort was cut off when she said, "Ah well, I will go find a real knight to slay the dragon."

[Serenade]

Alice raised an eyebrow at the girl's statement.
"I'm sorry... for a second there it sounded like you mentioned a dragon," she said, crossing her arms and stepping in front of Mark.
"Master Mark here needs to get ready for school - not go off to slay some 'dragon'," she added, muttering something under her breath about how they couldn't exist.

Well, sure, she know Necromancy and Soul Reapers existed - but Dragons? Not a chance. Right?

[Tackyhillbillu]

Annisa walked out from the table, realizing that she should be paying attention to this. She sided with this unknown person, standing next to her.

"Alice, that isn't fair. If Master Mark wants to be a hero of Legend and slay a Dragon, who are we to stop him?"

Annisa really still hadn't figured out how obvious she was being.

"So Mark, do you want to go to boring School Today, or do you want to be a hero and slay a Dragon?"

[EvilRoeSlade]

You're saying it almost as though it were up for debate Annisa. He doesn't get to skip class for any reason.

She takes Mark's hand and watches him expressionlessly. Besides, if we don't leave now, then all your friends won't see you riding on my horse skeletons. If you really want to slay the dragon we can talk about it after school.

[roll0]

[Tackyhillbillu]

Annisa glared at Maria, knowing what she was up to, and not approving. So the little Shinigami decided to fight fire with fire.

"Master Mark is the Master, Maria. I don't think you have the right to tell him what he can and cannot do."

Annisa looked at Mark, smiling and trying her best to be convicing.

"Isn't that right Mark? You have the right to skip school for a day and be a hero?"

Affection: [roll0]

[BinaryEntity]

Crestfallen that two of his maids insist that his school is more important than a fantasy creature, Mark slowly nodded acknowledgement to Maria's and Alice's combined statement.

"And that's it? You're just going to follow your domestic servants' advice?" the young woman asked.

Mark, looking despondent, replied, "Didn't you want a real knight? I'm just a school kid who's too short."

The woman's mouth dropped open, but no retort emerged.

Ignoring this, Mark realized that he was, in fact, too short - he could not mount up on the horse alone. "Um, a little help here?"

[Serenade]

Alice stepped over and immediately set to work with a sigh. "If the young Master wishes it, then who am I to complain?" she said with a small smile.

Well, true, if it was up to her, she'd go with Mark choosing neither just so she could be with him all day... But then again, perhaps he wouldn't like that very much.

OOC:
Athletics roll to lift Mark ad get him on the horse: [roll0] (her Athletics is one =P)

[EvilRoeSlade]

Kneel before me thrall, says Maria to the horse that Mark is trying to mount.

[roll0]

[BinaryEntity]

The horse obeyed without anything more than the sound of crunching grass. This is fortunate, as Alice's attempt to lift Mark was unsuccessful, though slightly humorous to the onlooker, as the foreign woman giggled despite her current anger.

He did manage to mount the horse, so it wasn't a total disaster. He also didn't do too bad getting the horse to move at a decent pace while remaining sitting on it.

Except, his school is that way, not the direction he's going.

[EvilRoeSlade]

Maria isn't paying attention, unfortunately as she's turned to address the strange new woman.

By the way ma'am, we have a strict policy against solicitors. Please make all further appointments by phone. All violators are subject to organ harvesting. She blushes at this last statement, as though she had mentioned some cute feminine secret.

[smuchmuch]

Azzie has been silent for a while. She's apparently absorbed in the contemplation of one of the undead horse and wraped in somme vague naostalgia, she hasn't rode on of those in a while. She's not really paying attention to the discution outside.

As far as she understand, dragon slaying as been mentioned. It's a proper heroic occupation and as an angel she's all for it, but she's skeptical about the aptitude of an untrained 13 year old boy with no proper narative support to do it.The Shinigami seems to wholeheartedly support it so it's probably dangrous or at leat a very bad idea for the boy.

As Mark is getting away, she mounts one of the horse and catch up with him, blocking his way.
"Thou seems to be going mistakengly in the wrong dirrection. "

She stares at him sternly.

"Surely, Thou wouldn't dream about skipping school, Wouldn't thou ?"

Will [roll0]

---------------------------------------------------
OOC:

Sorry if I haven't been posting much in this game, I'm kinda busy on the sides.
For the next four/three days, my connection will be unreliable at best, most probably inexistant so I probably wopn't post at all.

[BinaryEntity]

Floored by Maria's comment and reaction, the young woman could do nothing but gape, blue eyes wide and blonde eyebrows up. Not a peep emerged from her motionless lips, and her brain currently seemed to be as functional as that of the horses.


Nearby, Mark, being unschooled in concealing his expression, showed clear surprise at Azzie blocking his mount's path. Less surprised at being scolded for skipping school, he tried to put up a fight by saying, "But, I can't have adventures if no one lets me, so I figured I would..."

Azzie's stare quieted him down. "Yes, ma'am. Just one question. How do you steer this?"

---
(OoC: Yeah, sure, that's fine, and thanks for the notice.
I'm sure everyone has noticed I have a lousy weekend post rate; its 50/50 that I even get a chance to read the posts, and I'm 0-2 in succeeding at making a weekend post. Just do what you can when you can. :smallsmile: )

[EvilRoeSlade]

Maria blinks and then looks horrified. Oh no! I mean, the sign got knocked down in the raid, so it really wouldn't be fair too... umm... I'm sorry, I didn't mean to...

She takes a step closer and lowers her voice. To be honest, I can't help but take a professional curiosity in this dragon. Why don't you return when Mark gets back from school? I'm sure he could slay it with our help, it will be fun for everyone. Except maybe umm... the dragon. She looks guilty.

[BinaryEntity]

"You want me to stop by later?" the young woman asks, finally regaining her composure. "After he's done with his schooling for the day?" She fidgets, adjusting her sleeve to some imaginary 'correct' place. "And what exactly am I to do in the meantime?"

The cloud that had been overhead returns, but this time, it is more clear as to what it is - a large shadow. Realization dawning in the darkness, the woman mutters, "Not again," before the large, burnt-sand scaled dragon drops in and snatches her deftly.

"Unhand me, blasted wyrm! Go kidnap my sisters for once!" she shouts, but, clearly, the dragon doesn't listen.


Mark, hitherto oblivious as to the dragon, does hear the shouts. "Wha-?" he says, turning back to the mansion. "Is that...a real dragon?" Less than a moment passes before he excitedly exclaims, "Oh, wow, it came true! It really came true!"

[EvilRoeSlade]

Her doll-like expression unchanged as she stares at the dragon, Maria reaches into a pocket within her maid apron and retrieves a cell phone. The school is on her speed dial.

Hello? Is this the main office? Yes, this is Maria, Master Mark's caretaker calling on behalf of Mark. Unfortunately he won't be able to attend school today. Please have his homework and a make-up assignment sent to the mansion. Maria gives off the address and hangs up.

[smuchmuch]

Azzie just shake her head sadly and sighs while dragon flying away. Her scowl indicate that she really don't see how that justify Mark missing a day of school.
Sure that dragon just kidnaped a princess but you can't hold it acountable for that. It would be like hating a cat because it's sheded it's hair on the carpet or blaming a baby for drooling, It's just what dragons do.

"I doeth protest most energicaly, that doeth set a bad precedent. If we let Master mark miss a day of school every time a princess doeth get kidnaped, he'll never complete his studieth."

[EvilRoeSlade]

On the contrary, I think he might learn something that they just don't teach you in school. And he's certainly not going to do it twice, once he marries the princess I think we can safely say his adventuring days will be over.

She summons the horse skeleton carrying Mark to trot back to her and stares expressionlessly at him.

[BinaryEntity]

Mark beams at Maria as she calls the school, though in truth he cannot hear what she says - but he does hear Azzie's response. Naturally, his face turns sour at the mention of marrying the princess, and "Eeeew," not only escapes them, but is forcibly ejected.

"I don't wanna get married," he says, "Especially not to her. So when do we go after the dragon?"

The dragon, bizarrely obeying some laws of physics, has not managed to disappear into a speck. It is, however, out of earshot, and trying to exit an aerial stage East-ish.
--
(Just realized I haven't actually given out the favor I've noted down. That'll be out tomorrow, when I reacquire my flash drive.)

[EvilRoeSlade]

Maria stares contemplatively at Mark. Well I guess you could skip the marriage part if you want to ruin her entire life.