Roulette of Recognition IC

[Deme]

OOC Thread (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?338650-Roulette-of-Recognition-OOC)

Stitch Manor --located upstate of the big city, it's a sprawling mansion that, at one point in time, was home to the wealthy Abigail and Brandon Stitch, founders of Stitch Inc, the premiere collection of fashion talent in the world. After their tragically early deaths in a plane crash, the mansion was home only to their son, Cecil Stitch, and his personal staff, including the formidable day-to-day executive of Stitch Inc, Claire Voiance.

And now, also, to you. A few days after a large fashion show you did some temp modeling work for (a common enough thing for Stitch Inc employees, who often work as models or designers as well as in whatever small capacity the company keeps them in during quiet seasons), where you met young master Cecil, you were suddenly shifted to work as a maid in his personal staff, and perhaps a model for his upcoming show.

Now, you're standing in the mansion's foyer, being looked over by Ms. Claire. Her blonde hair is up in a relaxed knot, perfectly in place. Her blouse has a pop of color, something almost floral while being a bit abstract, over which she wears a dark jacket and a matching pencil skirt. Her tailoring is perfect. She has a clip-board on her person at all times, and company rumors say she has at least 3 phones in her brand-name handbag at all times. Her blue-grey eyes, lined lightly but early from her serious demeanor, sweep up and down the assembled maids, checking their uniforms for anything out of the ordinary.

"So, you're the new staff. Please report your names, and get yourself in order before Mr. Cecil arrives."

[Lycan 01]

A short, petite maid steps forward! She looks rather young, but her poise and the glint in her violet eyes make it quite clear that she's certainly no child. "Victoria Katarina Zimenvekov, the Third," she states factually, her voice tinged with hints of a distinct but unplaceable Eastern European accent. The maid gives a respectful bow, her blonde pig-tails bouncing slightly.

Hopefully the new boss can't pick up on the fact that the young scientist has no idea what she's doing. If it weren't for all the legal fees from her last experiment's rampage, there's no way she'd be here playing dress-up for some random fashion designer and his (scary) secretary! But a dollar is a dollar, and Victoria Katarina Zimenvekov III needs all the dollars she can get.

[TheAmishPirate]

Another maid bows in place, smooth and practiced. Her long, silvery hair flows behind her, with not a strand out of place or peeking across her furrowed brow. "Catherine Feliday. I am ready to perform my duties," she recites without emotion. And indeed she was ready; uniform worn without a single crease, hands and neck devoid of any jewelry, and hat worn perfectly square upon her head. A life-sized doll of a maid, cast and clothed so immaculately it almost dared fate to find fault in her.

[Benson]

"Alexis Blake, at your service madam," Announced one of the maids as she stepped forward and gave a small bow, she then took a moment to adjust her glasses. The maid in question appeared rather young and quite boyish and her skin so very pale she might just have been an albino. She wore her short dark purple hair brushed back, looking immaculate and proper with only a small x shaped hair clip to keep a tendril back from falling over her eyes. She of course donned the uniform given, making sure everything was perfect, not a wrinkle in place or crease where one did not belong.

The young maid kept a straight face as these proceedings went on. Her mind however was racing with the thoughts of how soon she would be able to see her crush, Cecil Brandon and be graced by his presence. She mentally swooned thinking about him, her inner chibi self bopping about having its own imagine spot. Oh that night when she first met him, swoon at first sight, oh how she had hoped to seeing him again and then these positions of maid work opened up, oh such chance!

[Deme]

She nods at the introductions, but stops in front of Alexis.

"Your hair clip is not part of the uniform. Please remove it when you're at work here."

She snaps her fingers and points at the X-shaped hairclip.

"Mr. Cecil is...An unusual person, and not very good with people. It's for his sake that I ask you to blend in with the background as best you are able. Interchangable staff members become 'background,' you see."

This was mostly true when it came to her reasoning...But not entirely. It would be uncivil to say that she suspected most people of trying to use her innocent ward.

[Lycan 01]

Victoria raises a hand, looking a bit unsure. She waits until Miss Claire addresses her before asking: "If we are to blend into the background, should I undo my pigtails? Or do they not stand out enough to cause a problem?" she asks uncertainly, hoping to avoid causing any sort of trouble or issue. She really needs this job!

[Deme]

"It would be preferable. Of course, it is not company policy to demand an image for our employees to maintain outside of work."

She said. She had to admit, she was still feeling out the exact rules concerning hair...But since someone had brought it up, then yes.

[Benson]

Alexis recoiled and shrank back, her ears going a faint red from her error. "R-right uhm...sorry.." She reached up and unclipped her clip as her hair flopped over her forehead. She tightly grimaced and softly sighed.

[TheAmishPirate]

Catherine said nothing. Did nothing. Her face held its impassive, focused expression as the other girls met the scrutiny of Miss Claire. Her uniform was perfect, her hair was perfect, she was completely devoid of all prohibited frivolity, all that remained was to await further directives.

So wait she did.

[Trobby]

It's a good idea to be attentive to your employer when working in a new position. Any sensible new worker would know that.

Which is why Connie, who knew nothing about sensible work, didn't pay a single thought to what Claire had said, her blue eyes idly wandering around the room, admiring the highest level of opulence she had ever seen in a human home before.

Oh, she wasn't human herself. That much was abundantly clear. Ms. Claire had provided her with a uniform that did everything it could to hide any interesting features, and Connie had promptly removed all of them. Her little horns stuck out of her headdress, complimenting her messy brown Coronet of hair, forming together like an elegant tiara. Her dress she had adjusted not only to show her entire back, but to let her large purple succubus wings air out, which she flapped gently as if they were perfectly natural. And her long spade-tipped tail swished out from a hole she'd cut in the back of her own skirt, occasionally curling around her leg in a manner that would be inappropriate for almost any workplace.

A finger curled around the messy locks of hair that fell out of her ill-kept braids, as her eyes wandered around everywhere looking for something interesting. And to her, Ms. Claire wasn't the least bit interesting.

[Lycan 01]

"Oh, okay," Victoria says with a meek little nod, before reaching up to undo her pigtails. She shakes her head a bit once they're undone, resulting in blonde curly hair floofing out and hanging loosely down her shoulders and back. "Is this more acceptable?" she asks with a

[Deme]

"Yes, that will...suffi..."

She came to the end of the line. And she stopped. And she stared at Connie for a moment, as a number of thoughts and indignant feelings playing across her face. Finally, she lifted her pen and set it to her clipboard, an act with the severity and formality of a declaration of war.

Her voice was clipped and quick, as emotionless as a machine, though with better cadence.

"I don't believe I stuttered, miss...? If you cannot tuck in your wings, we have an option of a coat. Tails go under the skirt. Horns or ears, under the headdress.

Deviation is all fine and good in front of the camera... But here. And now...
You will do as I say, or you will find a new place of employ."

She fixed Connie with a stare that had all the brightness of fire and the coldness of the vacuum of space.

[Trobby]

And Connie, in all of her wisdom and clarity, took nearly half a minute to even realize that she was being spoken at by this woman...

"...And you are...?"

Oh! Right, she was employed here, and this was her...boss? Sort of...she assumed that was her role at least, by the way she fumed at her about her...what was it exactly?

"Oh yes! Ms. Claire, I did mean to tell you, while of course I can comply to your requests, I'm afraid instructions to do so did not come with my uniform. I fear they may have gotten lost in the mail, or perhaps misplaced by a servant. I assure you, once my duties begin, I shall hide away any signs of my demonic heritage, so as not to upset the more...sensitive staff members."

Ah yes, the outfit, the wings, the tail, the horns, she'd heard those complaints before, and while normally she'd tell little busy-bodies like this that she was far far above such trivial concerns, the icy stare had her believing this was not an option this time.

"Of course, I would not want to upset you Ms. Claire."

At least not for right now.

"But, begging your pardon miss, where is the master whom we shall be serving? Does he not wish to greet his new maids? And while we are on our duties, what duties are we to perform, precisely? And shall we all be reporting to you, or is there a head maid as well? And while I'm on our arrangements, where will we be staying? Are our arrangements here, or off-site? Are we the entirety of the house staff? Are you as well a member of our group?"

And for right now, a barrage of questions would do to shift her focus away from her anger. At least it would always work on her father, hopefully it would work on someone with a much cooler temper than his.

Cunning to Redirect Her Focus to other matters: [roll0]

[Deme]

That almost worked...Almost. But there's one thing it neglected, that was written in crisp, sharp movements on the clip board's paperwork, and spelled out clearly

If she had been listening, she wouldn't have said a good portion of that.

Ms. Claire's foot was tapping in irritation.

"...You are so lucky he requested you lot particularly," she mumbled in annoyance, her words clipped and enunciated slightly more clearly than they would have been in the mouth of a normal person. Like her posture and hair, her voice, too, had the mark of careful training.

However, the girl's rambling questions did one thing to keep the wrath of heaven off of her: Took up time. Ms. Claire glanced at the arrogant maid. Then at a small, beautiful watch on her wrist. It was an analogue watch on a flowered and jeweled bracelet, almost more jewelry than anything else -- an oddly ornamental touch on a practical figure.

Her eyes darted to the top of the staircase. She turned to the other maids and flashed a bright, if business-like, smile.

"I'm afraid I no longer have time to do your orientation... Because I have to deal with fixing incompetents."

She reached out a hand behind her and grabbed Connie roughly by a wing...And dragged her out of the room so quickly it left a dust cloud in the air.

---

A few seconds after she left, a slight young man appeared on the landing at the top of the stairs. He was handsome, in a sort of baby-faced way -- hardly a staunchly masculine fellow, but with a pleasantly open, unassuming face. He had a red pencil tucked behind one ear, marked clearly against his light green hair. His hair was let to be a little long, though not mopish -- it was not a bad cut for him, but at the moment, it was just a touch disheveled.

When he saw that there were people on the landing, his hands flew to his hair and tried to smooth it out, and dusted off his neutral grey blazer -- it was unbuttoned, and without a tie the look wasn't particularly formal. He wore it over a shirt patterned with blue flowers. He ran his eyes over the crowd -- they were hazel, and with the blue floral print seemed to be more of a golden-brown. At the end of the row, his expression, smiling naturally but also loosely, like there wasn't any particular deliberation to his lips being in the position, was the same at the start. Something about his face betrayed his unease a bit too openly.

He took the stairs down slowly at first, and then a bit more quickly towards the bottom, where he asked,
"Ah, y-you're the new staff, right?"
Having said that, he looked... particularly nervous.

[Trobby]

Connie stumbled forward as Claire dragged her away. This was...odd. She wasn't used to being dragged off like a servant, so carelessly and so...painfully. By the time they were out of sight, her wing ached like no tomorrow, and she tugged it free to rub it gingerly, wincing at the pain.

"...Ms. Claire, I know you wanted to have a...private moment with me, but could you not have grabbed me by the hand, rather than my very sensitive wings?" She inquires, and likely to Claire's joy she dismisses said wings so she no longer has to nurse them. "I was not aware that there would be such...strict rules for the housekeeping staff."

[Benson]

Alexis watched the proceedings between Miss Claire and the devilish..or was it demonic maid..? Eeh..Alex recoiled a bit as the maid was whisked away. Whelp, better that maid than her.

Twas then the young master appeared as she found herself stiffening while she tried to retain control over her taut expression that so badly wanted to smile goofily. Well...there he was, boyishly handsome as ever, oh swoon. Her heart fluttered a little as he walked down the stairs.

"Oh uh hauh y-yes," She sputtered after he asked his question, she chastised herself for such smoothness on her behalf. "Ahem, I mean," She straightened herself out and placed her hand over her chest, trying not to be a goober and introduced herself. "Yes, I am Alexis Blake, and I feel it such an honor to be able to work within the Stitch household, thank you for having me."

[TheAmishPirate]

The dust settled around the maids, leaving them standing alone in the entryway. Catherine bowed - measured and careful - to the empty space before them. "As you wish, Miss Claire." she said softly.

And then the Master of the house appeared. Catherine turned in place, swiveling slowly around to lock her golden, shining eyes onto Cecil's face. For every step he took, she moved with him, always facing towards the young Master and never blinking. Or smiling. Or even breathing too visibly. Only after Alexis introduced herself did she lower herself into a poised, graceful curtsy. "Catherine Feliday. Miss Claire has deemed our orientation complete and rendered us fit for our duties. What are your directives, sir?"

[Lycan 01]

Victoria watches the small fiasco play out with a curiously raised eyebrow. Once Miss Claire and the odd maid are out of the picture, and the new boss shows up, she snaps to attention and does her best to look prim and proper. She can't afford to screw this up!

"Good day to you, sir," she says with a polite bow, hands clasped in front of her. "We are indeed the new housekeeping staff," she explains, doing her best to suppress her quasi-Russian accent. She succeeds, for the most part. "My name is Victoria - how may I be of assistance, sir?" Cheerful smile! Good first impressions! Hopefully! Yay!


Skill to make a good first impression: [roll0]

[Deme]

Up until someone said that, yes, they were the new staff, he'd been dreading the exact opposite outcome -- that they were the staff being moved to a new position, saying goodbyes, and had been working here for some time, and he'd hurt everyone's feelings only he'd done so hard enough that they'd all laugh at him at the same time.
Once that hurdle was past, he could breathe a sigh of relief. He repeated their names inside his head and tried not to show his amusement at the last girl's failed attempts to sound properly official; it'd be horrible to laugh at someone on their first day.

"Well, it's nice meeting you all. Um. Tasks...Tasks..." He tilted his head and thought about what might need doing. After a while, he shook his head. "Wait, when she said your orientation is done...Have you been shown around? I mean, I can't ask anything of you until you know where things are, right?" he explained with a little smile, sticking his hands in his pockets.



---

"Listening is not a strict rule. Now, you and I have a lot of work to do." She looked to the back of the dress, where at least the wings had disappeared. "Can you undo the alterations you made back here as easily as you could hide your wings, or do we need to go hunt down an entire new dress for you?"

She seemed less angry than before, having something to focus on that was practical.

[Trobby]

"...It would be most inconvenient for me to undo these alterations..." She says with a slight huff. She had gone through such pains to make sure she would be able to spread her wings, and now she wanted them all gone? If she were her servant, she'd fire her on the spot!

"But...with the proper tools and materials, I could....'undo the alterations' as you suggested. I know my way around a needle...though it would be most uncomfortable..."

[TheAmishPirate]

"We only possess knowledge of the front lobby, but Miss Claire has deemed us fit for service." Catherine intones, having resumed staring at Cecil. "By the regulations set for your maids, you are able to assign us tasks at any time. You are not required to give additional information, although it would expedite our work."

Her hands shuffle about within her sleeves, and she produces a small, leather-bound book simply titled, "Stitch Inc. Employee Handbook, 11th Edition." The pages blur as she flips to a specific passage, and holds it up for inspection. There, right beside her finger, is almost word-for-word the explanation she just gave.

Somebody had done their homework.

[Deme]

Ms. Claire shook her head.

"No, at that rate, it's easier to find a new uniform for you from storage. I only meant if you had altered it magically, or could alter it magically, with easy to make that unnecessary."

When Ms. Claire sighed, she sighed from deep in the muscles of her back and shoulders, like Atlas shifting the globe on his back might.

"Well, it'll give me the opportunity to conduct a brief tour, since you will likely need to be told twice. We're going to the servants' rooms and lounge on the second floor. You'll be staying there when you work overnight; and he likely will, since he's working at odd hours this week."

She began to move down the hallways, westways through the house.

---

Cecil blinked. Who actually used the handbook, anyway? Even he had one, somewhere, but besides maybe looking over it once or twice, he'd never given it much thought. Certainly, no one had ever recited it around him before. ...Still, that was useful to remember -- Catherine was the maid who had a handbook. Assuming the other two didn't also have handbooks.

A hand running through his hair mussed it further, and he just shook his head and smiled wryly.
"Yes, it may say that...But that's dumb, so why don't I show you girls around? Please let me. Besides, it'll help me remember you better to spend some time with you."

While he'd requested an additional girl to be moved to this job, he supposed she hadn't accepted. Well, one short or not, it'd have to do.

[Lycan 01]

Victoria gulps nervously as the maid next to her recites from the handbook, and then produces said handbook. Was that... was that what she was supposed to do? Or did this other maid simply outclass her in ever possible maid? Did that make Victoria lowest on the totem pole? Well, second lowest, assuming the girl with wings hadn't already been fired.

Trying not to go pale or look unnerved, the mad scientist forces a meek, pleasant smile onto her young-looking features. "A tour sounds nice, sir," she says, trying to sound pleasant and polite, and not paranoid for the security of her job. "Whenever you're ready to begin..."

[Trobby]

The young succubus takes note of the tension in Claire's shoulders, and makes a mental note to herself - perhaps a massage would help smooth things over with this woman...later though, right now she's about as tense as her father after coming home from a long night of bloodthirsty conquest of neighboring demon lords.

Instead, she tries to follow the lead she's been given and to show a bit of interest in her job, for a change.

"Are there other maids that we will be working with during our tenure here?"

[Deme]

"Alright, well...This is the foyer. Besides the stairs to the second floor, the doors here lead to the main hallway, "
He pointed to the north door through which Ms. Claire and Connie had left, and then gestured to a pair of double-doors to the west,

"That's the reception room there -- we'll be using it a good bit in the next little while, since we'll be having some meetings." And to the east, "That's the drawing room. Um, not the actual room for drawing, that's on the third floor."

This was a weak attempt at a joke, plastering over his nerves with a small chuckle.

---

She led Connie past a number of doors and to a staircase in the back of the house, near a door that looked to lead outside.

"No, actually. We're usually more heavily-staffed, but this was Mr. Cecil's request for this week. I suppose he doesn't want people underfoot he can't use for fittings."

[Trobby]

"Oh yes I know that feeling...ah, what I mean is, what will Cecil have us doing during our stay here?" She corrects herself. "Sweeping floors? Dusting books? Feeding him peeled grapes? That sort of thing?"

Those were all things she could remember servants doing off the top of her head. Admittedly, she preferred strawberries dipped in chocolate.

[Benson]

Alexis followed with the tour, her focus mostly on Cecil as she watched him give them the tour. From her point of view, bishie sparkles glittered about him and occasional moments of time freezing, the camera focused on a close up of his face as roses blossomed in the background.

She chuckled at his attempt of a joke mostly out of politeness.

[Lycan 01]

Victoria can't help but giggle softly and smirk a bit at the corny joke. She then looks around curiously, and raises a hand to ask a question. "Um... If you don't mind my asking, do you have any sort of... workshop?" She can't very well ask if he has a mad science lab. That would be unseemly. But a normal workshop shouldn't be too out of ordinary! Right?

[TheAmishPirate]

Cecil blinked. Who actually used the handbook, anyway? Even he had one, somewhere, but besides maybe looking over it once or twice, he'd never given it much thought. Certainly, no one had ever recited it around him before. ...Still, that was useful to remember -- Catherine was the maid who had a handbook. Assuming the other two didn't also have handbooks.

A hand running through his hair mussed it further, and he just shook his head and smiled wryly.
"Yes, it may say that...But that's dumb, so why don't I show you girls around? Please let me. Besides, it'll help me remember you better to spend some time with you."

While he'd requested an additional girl to be moved to this job, he supposed she hadn't accepted. Well, one short or not, it'd have to do.

The handbook disappeared into one of the many pockets and folds of Catherine's uniform. "As you wish, sir. Should you wish to alter the Stitch Inc. employee handbook to better suit your staffing needs, I can point you to the relevant sections."

She fell into step behind the other maids, already practicing blending into the background. Poised, graceful, she walked with near-silent footsteps in the back of the procession.


"Alright, well...This is the foyer. Besides the stairs to the second floor, the doors here lead to the main hallway, "
He pointed to the north door through which Ms. Claire and Connie had left, and then gestured to a pair of double-doors to the west,

"That's the reception room there -- we'll be using it a good bit in the next little while, since we'll be having some meetings." And to the east, "That's the drawing room. Um, not the actual room for drawing, that's on the third floor."

This was a weak attempt at a joke, plastering over his nerves with a small chuckle.

Catherine did not laugh.

It was the background's job to clean, wait upon the Master, and assist with any emergency household needs; no laughing involved.

"Have you any special directives for the upkeep of these rooms?" She asked quietly, expression flat and neutral.

[Deme]

"Oh yes I know that feeling...ah, what I mean is, what will Cecil have us doing during our stay here?" She corrects herself. "Sweeping floors? Dusting books? Feeding him peeled grapes? That sort of thing?"

Those were all things she could remember servants doing off the top of her head. Admittedly, she preferred strawberries dipped in chocolate.

"No grapes, but you will be expected to help him prepare for his runway show at the end of the week, helping him with fittings or doing some assisting in sewing or the like. Cooking, cleaning, and ensuring to the well-being of Missile will all be parts of the job. There may be special occasions, such as parties or runway shows on some evenings."

They ascended the staircase, and were in a quiet-looking back hallway on the second floor. From there, she opened a large pair of doors to reveal a comfortable-looking room. It had a series of lockers and cubbyholes on one wall, and a large cabinet or wardrobe of some sort, a table, a few couches and chairs, and a TV and mini-fridge.

"This is the staff lounge. In your off-time, you can relax here. Food you bring for yourself can be kept in the fridge -- though as long as deficiencies aren't excessive, you are allowed to supply yourself meals from the kitchen, items for work in the lockers. Spare uniforms in the cabinet. "

---

He glanced gratefully at Alexis, who at least pretended the joke was funny, and smiled just in one corner of his mouth, too embarrassed for more. He was willing to let himself go into pausing and considering the facts of the matter re: particular notes for these rooms.

"Well, you want to be careful with some of the art in the reception room -- we'll let you know if there's a reception, but it won't need much cleaning the rest of the time. The drawing room sees more use; if there are papers out, just move them to a pile on a table or something, don't throw them away. You never know what's important. That goes for pretty much every room."

He opened the doors in the back of the foyer and stepped into that hallway, which itself branched off into a number of rooms.

"A workshop? Why, of course. Like I was saying, there actually is a room for drawing -- You could have all the supplies to design or make clothing, any step of the way, somewhere on that floor. I'm working there a lot lately, putting together my collection. Honestly, I could appreciate a bit of help."

This was not what she had meant, but he talked about it vigorously and cheerfully, a big innocent smile on his face. His step bounced and his voice was more energetic since he'd introduced himself. Idly, he took the pencil from his hair and twirled it between his fingers.

[TheAmishPirate]

He glanced gratefully at Alexis, who at least pretended the joke was funny, and smiled just in one corner of his mouth, too embarrassed for more. He was willing to let himself go into pausing and considering the facts of the matter re: particular notes for these rooms.

"Well, you want to be careful with some of the art in the reception room -- we'll let you know if there's a reception, but it won't need much cleaning the rest of the time. The drawing room sees more use; if there are papers out, just move them to a pile on a table or something, don't throw them away. You never know what's important. That goes for pretty much every room."

He opened the doors in the back of the foyer and stepped into that hallway, which itself branched off into a number of rooms.

"A workshop? Why, of course. Like I was saying, there actually is a room for drawing -- You could have all the supplies to design or make clothing, any step of the way, somewhere on that floor. I'm working there a lot lately, putting together my collection. Honestly, I could appreciate a bit of help."

This was not what she had meant, but he talked about it vigorously and cheerfully, a big innocent smile on his face. His step bounced and his voice was more energetic since he'd introduced himself. Idly, he took the pencil from his hair and twirled it between his fingers.

Catherine gave a slight nod of acknowledgement. "Directives noted." In her head, she was already working out a mental mapping of the building. Her eyes took in the little details she could use to remember which room was where. A good Maid did not waste the Master's time with asking for directions.

...that wasn't in the handbook, but she was certain Miss Claire would say it eventually.

[Lycan 01]

Victoria tries not to betray her awkward nervousness as the new boss totally misunderstands what she meant. Should he ask more specifically? Or just go with it? Though he did mention help...

"Help, sir?" she meekly asks with a nervous little smile. "What sort of help might we be able to, uh, provide as per our duties?"

[Trobby]

"Ah perfect! I shall be but a moment, Miss Claire, as I slip into a more...suitable uniform." She says, turning on her heels. "I give you my word I will not alter it in any way...I would like a bit of privacy for this though, if you don't mind...do you require anything else of me?"

Connie really wished she didn't have to say that last bit, but as it was she was on thin ice.

[Deme]

"Oh, nothing too serious... But if any of you'd be willing to help with fittings or, just, you know, little odds-and-ends tasks... A stitch here or holding a thing while I drape or so on, it'd be greatly appreciated. You don't have to --" here, he glanced over at Cat, with a little concerned expression, "Well, it'd be useful. So much to do, so little time and all that."

The pencil was still twirling, with a sort of jittery air. The matter seemed to be weighing on his mind.

"Any other questions before I show you more?"

----
"Ah, very well then. Please remember to hide your horns as well."

She exited the room, though to be honest, she was not pleased with the turn of events. Still, it wasn't as if there was anything wrong with the request... It was just a troublesome person couldn't help but be trouble.

[Trobby]

Connie did her absolute best to hold the smile until she was absolutely certain that Claire would not re-enter the room.

Once she was certain she wouldn't be returning, Constantine let her smile drop into a much more relaxed glower.

"Hmph...as if my heritage is something that has to be hid...ought to have her sued for all she's worth for discrimination..."

A cigarette right now, she thought, would be lovely, not to smoke since it didn't really have any effect on her demon physiology if it were human-made, but just to twirl in her fingers to relieve a little stress...

Ah, but that was why she'd brought him along.

"Oh Azzy, no need to hide anymore baby, come on out. Mommy very much needs your company."

It was a good thing she'd gotten Claire out of the room, because if she'd seen this, she would've definitely fired Connie on the spot. Out of the heavily-modified uniform, from the center of the blouse to be precise, came a long black adder, nearly the length of Connie's arm, sliding up to her cheek and giving it a gentle lick with its forked tongue. Connie giggled at what she considered an adorable greeting and proceeded to play with the poisonous snake in her hand. Of course it was completely non-lethal...to her. Anyone else would probably die if Azzy didn't like them, but she always felt he was so agreeable that nothing like that would ever happen.

"Sorry Azzy, I'm going to nave to take you out for a bit. You'll be getting a new temporary home. Just rest here like a good boy." The succubus said, letting the snake slide down onto a table, as she began to undress. Only when she was completely disrobed did she bother to open the cabinets up and search for an outfit that would fit her.

Just for fun, Luck to see if she can find a well-fitted uniform: [roll0]

[Deme]

She finds an appropriate uniform easily enough.

[Benson]

Al flinched slightly at the sight of this Catherine whipping out her instruction manual book, damns, she knew she should have brought hers. She started to ramble in her head that she wound up only catching half of what Cecil said. When he asked about there being any questions, she froze, her inner Little Al acting up all flustered and berating Alexis for not paying attention. Now she felt too awkward to say anything...such as...asking about what he said earlier in his tour of the room here.


She shook her head /no/.

[TheAmishPirate]

"Oh, nothing too serious... But if any of you'd be willing to help with fittings or, just, you know, little odds-and-ends tasks... A stitch here or holding a thing while I drape or so on, it'd be greatly appreciated. You don't have to --" here, he glanced over at Cat, with a little concerned expression, "Well, it'd be useful. So much to do, so little time and all that."

The pencil was still twirling, with a sort of jittery air. The matter seemed to be weighing on his mind.

"Any other questions before I show you more?"

"Directives understood..."

She closed her eyes, slipping the extra jobs effortlessly into her scheduled free time.

"...with additional directives noted." Her eyes snapped open. "Ready to proceed at your discretion."

[Trobby]

Connie sighed a bit. She almost wished she hadn't found one that would fit, so that she could wear the one she'd altered to be less...

Boring.

That was the word that had crossed her mind when she saw the uniform, so utterly plain and uninteresting. If there was anything Connie despised more in the world it was to be plain and boring. She was proud, absolutely proud of her succubus heritage, even if her body hadn't quite 'grown in' to fill the part...

"And probably never will." She said ruefully to herself as she tied her apron on, reaching out to her pet Viper, who curled up around her arm and hid back inside her blouse.

"Oh Asmodius, Asmodius, devil knows why I agreed to this, but so Hell help me, I will make the most of it." Connie said, as she slipped her headdress over her horns, pulling her tail in under her skirt to completely hide her uniqueness.

"Well, if I can't have fun with the way I look...I suppose I'll have to make fun some other way."

And with that vow, Connie tucked her alternate uniform away and skipped out into the manor, back to the main room to catch back up with the other maids.

[Lycan 01]

Victoria shakes her head meekly, an uncertain look on her face.

Actually she had lots of questions. Most of them silly or mundane, though, and regarding maid duties. She had no idea how to be a maid! Well, she'd read a few basic guides and stuff, and watched some instructional videos. But the actual practical application of maid responsibilities was somewhat elusive to her, and the handbook was rather intimidating. Besides, who actually reads the handbook, besides that oddly stoic girl over there? Now, if being a maid involved mad science and stuff, Victoria would have no questions at all.

...did it involve mad science? Was that something she should ask? She opts to err on the side of caution, and not inquire. "Er, no sir. No further questions."

[Deme]

As he was about to turn and go, Connie came skipping towards them.

"Oh, um. Hello. Good morning," he said, smiling a sort of bright, nervous smile -- the smile of a person not sure what to expect, but trying to greet it cheerfully. The pencil came to a stop between his fingers. He was not sure which of 'hello' or 'good morning,' was more appropriate, since he wasn't sure if he'd seen this maid before: was she old staff, or new staff, or what?

[Trobby]

At that moment, and perhaps only in that moment for right now, both he and Connie were in the same boat together - He had no idea who she was, and at the moment, she had no idea who he could possibly be.

Other than, and this was very important to her, quite handsome in her own opinion. Which at the moment was enough for her.

"Why hello yourself. I do believe we haven't met before, which is quite a shame, and I do hope we get to know each other much better. I am Constantine, but you may call me 'Connie' if you wish, handsome~"

She placed a gentle kiss on his cheek, the French manner of greeting, and also much more fun than a handshake.

[Benson]

Ali let out an audible squeak and choking sound as she stiffen, one hand extending a little outward as Connie casually flirted with Cecil and kissed his cheek.

Why that little hoochie...yer not just gonna let her do that are you??? Little Al hovered around Alexis with an angry expression on her chibi face.

Oh my~ drama....the Rival makes her move and appearance~ Oh fabulous~ A triangle of love, tension, and drama, ooh I can't wait to watch~! Another little Al appeared and hover and bounced around knocking into First Little Al.

What are ya doing? Go away! Only one crazy inner voice at a time! First Little Al glowered at Second Little Al.

But drama~ Two girls, one guy, blossoming flowers in the background, aaaangst!~ Second Little Al scene chewing-ly declared.

Back in the real world, Alexis caught herself and had a violent coughing fit to cover up her previous actions. "Bleck ack cough don't mind me, my apologies, cough."

[TheAmishPirate]

*whirrrrrrrrr*

In the stunned silence that followed, Alexis' squeak was accompanied by a steady hum of flipping pages. Catherine held her employee handbook, scanning the pages at impossible speeds. Whatever she may have been looking for, she evidently did not find as she reached the back cover in moments, and closed the small tome with a loud *whump!* She fixed the succubus with a probing stare, watching even the slightest twitch of her devilish lips. It was a look not unlike the one Connie had just received from Miss Claire moments ago; focused, sharp, and quietly judging. A great weight of condemnation hung over her head, and the icy maid held her knife to the knot ready to cut.

Alexis' awkward coughing forced Cat to lower her blade and break her gaze. "Do you require a refreshing glass of water?" she asked in her dull monotone, as if nothing had transpired.

[Deme]

This brain has performed an illegal operation and needs to be shut down to prevent damage.

Not at the kiss -- the kiss was, after all, just a kiss on the cheek, in the French fashion. He gave, like, 10 of those a month. He returned the gesture, red-faced and mechanical. No.
~ She'd called him handsome. ~

Obligation done, he turned his head and reached for the pencil in his hair for some sort of reassurance, but didn't bring it out. He just adjusted the hair around his ears and tried to compose himself.

"I-It's, Ah, a pleasure to...Um. Meet you." He said, feeling like his tongue -- or possibly his brain -- was made of lead.

"Anyway, I'm -- uh, you probably know who I am, right?"

He chuckled nervously. He had, after all, been of some media attention in the past and recent past -- when reporters were bored, they naturally went to the kid with the unusual disorder whose parents died in a tragic planecrash, leaving him heir to a fortune. Just, you know, for pathos.

[Trobby]

Constantine considered the possibility that she might have met this man before. Truth be told, mortals often blended together to her, even ones so deliciously handsome as this one. She licked her finger in an 'innocent' manner that wasn't even the least bit innocent, while contemplating her response, at last flashing a bright smile as she slid her finger out of her mouth to speak.

"Ah, alas I haven't the pleasure to know you personally, yet." She says, adding a light airy giggle that even she thinks is perhaps a little much. "I've only just started working here today. What might be your name?"

And upon asking this, she placed a hand against his chest, which to an outside observer would be quite an innocent bit of contact, but to the two of them, allowed her to get just a little closer, and just a little more intimate.

"You handsome devil you~" She whispered softly, licking her lips and lowering her eyelids in a seductive manner. Again, doing her very best to 'look innocent'.

[Deme]

With his green hair and his bright red blush, Cecil could have made a very good Christmas ornament at the time she started this. He could see some logical problems with her statement, but they seemed far away and tiny.

"W-well, I, I'm -- uh, give me a... Um..."

The words he was looking for did not seem to arrive, and he fluttered and sputtered about, trying very hard to work out a sentence that just would not arrive, because another human being (as far as he knew) was taking an interest in him.

And then she turned up the heat. From a purely practical level of seduction, this was kind of a bad call. From the level of getting the most reaction... Cecil stood there for a moment, his brain rapidly overloading...

And then he fell backwards, a bemused expression on his unconscious face.

[Trobby]

Connie just stood there for a moment, her hand held up to her mouth, both in fake innocence and genuine surprise, as she quietly spoke the words.

"Oh my...did I overdo it a bit?"

Her shock was such that she didn't immediately attend to the man, who was now passed out on the floor in front of her.

[Lycan 01]

Victoria gasps, jumping slightly and clasping her hands over her mouth in shock and surprise. "Oh my gosh!" she squeaks, almost adorably so. She stares in shock for a moment...

...before doing a little jump for joy, and punching the air. "Yes! I'm not the worst maid here!" she cheers with a grin, joyful to know she won't be the first one fire.

She then immediately blushes, and grins sheepishly. "I mean... uh... we should... er... help him." She scurries over to kneel down next to the unconscious boss-dude, and looks him over to make sure he's okay. All those years working with corpses, she knows a thing or two about first aid. Or at least, telling if somebody is dead or not. "Hellooooo? Sir? Sir, wake up!"

She gently pokes and jostles him, carefully trying to wake him up properly.


Cunning to see if he's okay and wake him up: [roll0]

[TheAmishPirate]

"I believe your assessment to be correct." Catherine slips her book away and bows lightly to Alexis. "Please excuse me, a pressing matter has just come up." she apologized.

Her head swiveled around to glare fiercely at Connie. "You." She marched forward, interposing herself between the succubus and her hapless victim. Arms at her sides, she stood motionless, an icy wall protecting her charge. "I must request that you remove yourself from the Master. He is having an adverse reaction to your close proximity." she asked coolly.

[Benson]

"Whaaaaaat did you do you hussy??" Al choked and exclaimed not being able to contain herself considering the actions this woman took against her crush. She sputtered again in disbelief, her so call cool, just gone. Luckily, Catherine intervened first.

She milked the mighty cow in the sky and rushed over to the unconscious Cecil. "Sir...sir, my lo---" She caught herself and choked on her word, and swallowed it back down into the pits of her stomach.

[Trobby]

~....Well, it's good to know I'm well-liked by the staff..and that it was apparently the master of this house that I was flirting with...oooh and I made him faint from how hot I was. Score.~

Are the thoughts going on in Connie's head, which is why she isn't immediately intimidated by the accusations of being a terrible maid, bad for the master's health, and a hussy. Two outlandish accusations she would've otherwise tried to dismiss immediately.

But at present...

"The poor dear...this dreadful summer heat, and here he stood in such stuffy clothes without any reprieve, it is a wonder he was standing for as long as he was. I suggest we get him somewhere cool and dark so that he might recover, wouldn't you agree?"

[Deme]

Victoria's assessment would roughly agree with that, except that there's clearly no heat stroke. There is, though, signs of stress and bad sleep. He didn't hit his head when he hit the ground, from the look of it, so it seemed like he'd come around in a little bit.

[Lycan 01]

"Not heat stroke," Victoria mutters with a frown as she checks his pulse. "But he's definitely stressed, and likely not getting enough sleep. No signs of head injuries or other trauma, though. He should wake up momentarily."

She gently pokes his cheek with a dainty finger. "Sir? Sirrrrrr? Please wake up? Pleeeeeeeeeease?"

[Deme]

"Fweeble weeble...Fwuh?"

The world swam slowly into focus. The world was hard and cold. Oh, wait. That was the floor. The floor was hard and cold, and he was on it for some reason.
He was on it, and swarming above him were young women. Whether or not they were the same young women he was with before...he was on the floor, he couldn't say. They blocked his view of where they were, so if he'd moved or been moved, they might not be the same at all... A fact which, for the moment, he was keeping to himself; it'd be really embarrassing, and with any luck, he could wing it.

"Ah....What just happened?"

[Trobby]

"Ah, I am afraid a lack of sleep and a little..overstimulation is what happened, Sir." Connie says, trying to at least appear helpful. "We lovely ladies are here to assist you." She adds, gently placing herself into the ranks of ladies who did not make their master pass out in the middle of her introduction.

[TheAmishPirate]

"You experienced a temporary loss of consciousness as a direct result of close proximity to this maid." Cat reported without turning around. Her duties were not evaded so easily. "Miss, I must firmly insist that any assistance you provide be provided from a safe distance, so you do not further harm the Master's condition." Her firm insistence sounded an awful lot like her normal insistence, only this time with slightly sterner eyebrows.

[Benson]

She shot an unpleasant look in Connie's direction and then took a moment to try to regain her composure.


"Sir, you are alright, right? would you care for some water?" She asked despite not quite having the layout of the mansion memorized to find the kitchen.

[Lycan 01]

"Should I go get somebody?" Victoria offers with a helpful little smile. "Doctor? Nurse? Miss Claire?"

[Deme]

This rush of contradictory information was...Not exactly helpful. Well, except that now he faintly remembered...Someone being rather polite to him. He'd gotten rather worked up about a little bit of courtesy, didn't he? Oops. He followed Cat's indication and assessed the maid she said was responsible; she didn't look unlike the person he recalled. So these were probably the same maids as before.

He sat up slowly, taking a few deep breaths. As comforting as Ms. Claire would be in the situation...That maid would get in a rather lot of trouble, wouldn't she?
"Um...I think it's probably not a great idea to tell Ms. Claire about this, alright? She wouldn't, um, take things well."

He got up, wobbling a bit for the first second.

"But I wouldn't mind a glass of water. Do you know where the kitchen is?"
He asked, aware that, since these were probably the same maids as before, they probably did not know.

[Benson]

"Uuuuhhh.........no," She admitted a little embarrassed. She tried to keep a straight and professional face though to terribly mask said embarrassment.

[Trobby]

"What Miss um...Miss Alexis means is that all of us only started working here today, and haven't been given a proper tour yet." Connie explains. "We were, however, told to help you with anything you need, so perhaps one of us could help you find someone who knows this place a bit better?"

[Deme]

Ah, so definitely the same maids, then.
Still, getting other people involved...Sat badly with him. He was going to actually take over the company soon, after all.

"Ah, why don't I show you the way, and we'll get it there?"

He began walking down the hallway, whether or not anyone was following. Wasn't this just going swimmingly? It seemed the only natural outcome that he'd go and screw it up...

[TheAmishPirate]

"As you wish, sir." Catherine bowed, and fell into line. She let Alexis and Victoria support the Master; she could provide the most assistance from the rear, keeping an eye on this troublesome maid. Whatever spell that had weaved over the Master, it would not happen again. Not on her watch.

[Benson]

Alex eagerly nodded her head and walked on his side, two steps back, holding her hands in front of her apron.

[Trobby]

Connie had absolutely no problem being given the least amount of work, and followed behind the other maids bringing up the rear.

[Deme]

They head to the kitchens, a sparkling, modern facility with all the trimmings -- the mansion's structure was build only 20 years ago, and has been kept updated since then as well, with a walk-in fridge and freezer, and a similarly-sized pantry. While the main dining area isn't in there, it has a small table and some chairs in the corner, and Cecil sits down into one of those and massages a temple. He mutters something, but not every maid would be able to catch it -- as such, if you want your maid to hear it, offer forth a roll (any stat you can justify, but luck's likely).

[Lycan 01]

Victoria sticks close to the Master, ready to support him if need be. When they get to the kitchen, she stares in awe at all the appliances and cabinets and other neat things. It reminds her of her lab! A much fancier and cleaner version of it, but still! She slinks a bit closer to the table, and runs her hand along its edges, trying not to imagine all the fun experiments and abominations she could create on this little piece of furniture. Why, if she could take apart the microwave, rewire the stove, and get an adequate amount of power, perhaps she could-

Wait, what's the Master muttering?


Luck: [roll0]

[Trobby]

Connie endeavors to stay far away from the other maids, towards the back of the room, in fact. She'd rather distance herself from apparently making the master of this manor faint.

~Apparently,~ she thought to herself, despite being a rather handsome fashion mogul, he's not quite used to being flirted with...I'll have to ease him into it, 'til it fits him like a glove.~ A sly smile plays across her face as she imagines the drawn-out game she'll play to get her master used to the idea that he's quite handsome. After all, what good is the lord of a castle if they haven't the confidence to lead their troops into battle?

Ah, and thus he speaks, but what is it he's saying all the way over there?

Luck: [roll0]

[TheAmishPirate]

Catherine let out the breath she was holding when the harmful maid opts to search far away from the Master. Doing her duties was hard enough without having to keep an eye on her. She would have to check with Miss Claire if it were possible to get some manner of monitoring device, or perhaps a guard dog to keep an eye on her. Otherwise, her effectiveness could take a steep dive.

She immediately went for the sink to collect a glass of water, and as she returned to her Master's side she heard him mutter something faintly under his breath...

Rolling luck to hear it: [roll0]

[Benson]

Naturally of course Ali stuck close to Cecil, keeping a fair pace behind and too the side, perfect for sneaking glances at his handsome profile all covertly like. She did her best to listen to his tour trying not too get too caught up in the eyes she found dreamy. Oh swoon~

She also kept a watchful eye on a certain maid who shall not be named. coughConniecough. Though because of so, it caused her to fail to be the one to acquire the young master his glass of water like she had wanted to. Her brow furrowing as Catherine went over to him with the glass of water. Her head then quirked as her gaze fell upon Cecil's lip. What was that?..


Luck [roll0]

[Deme]

He took the glass from Catherine and drank, muttering into it so that, somehow, only Connie and Victoria could hear...

"Just your style making a mess of things already, huh? Well, let's try and keep things going..."

He took a few deep drinks from the water, giving the girls time to explore the kitchens and pantry and so on, or respond to this if they heard, before moving on.

[Trobby]

Connie felt a little pang in her heart. Which she very, very rarely felt, so it was an especially sharp pang for her. An unfamiliar, deep distaste for her own actions that simply did not become her. An achy feeling she wished to dismiss immediately and hastily, but that could not be dismissed so easily.

She felt regret for what she had done.

And she wasn't entirely sure what to do with that feeling.

"...Hey...hey, none of that's your fault y'know...we just met, and it was rather sudden and well...it's gonna be okay..."

She says it pretty quietly, but it's easy enough for everyone to hear.

....She then clears her throat, and straightens up.

"Ah, what I mean is, there's no sense moping about things you can't change, right? And besides, none of us are gonna tell Ms. Claire about it, or any other guests, right gals? Our collective little secret~"

[TheAmishPirate]

Though Catherine stood dutifully at her Master's side, she failed to catch his words. She stared unblinking as the troublesome maid expressed...regret? An apology? It was quiet, hard to catch the tone, but the words were said.

Interesting.

"Should the Master be of good health, then there should be no need to concern any of Stitch Inc.'s other personnel." She replied, no indication if it was a concession, or a statement of fact. "In the future, please keep your distance from Mister Cecil until such a time as your close proximity will prove harmless."

That certainly didn't help anyone discern her intent.

[Benson]

Alexis had really nothing to say right here, observant mode or whatever was activated, and just observed the moment.

[Deme]

Cecil smiled into his glass, a little regretfully: he hadn't intended anyone to hear it...But although one of them had only ridden opportunistically on the response, they had, in their own ways, been consoling. He glanced at them each from the corner of his eye, not fully taking himself out of his drink, and mumbled.

"Ah...Thank you. Both of you. When I run into problems, it...uh....Tends to have a fairly wide...splash effect."

He rubbed the back of his head and downed the glass as quickly as he could, trying -- and, probably, failing -- to hide how ashamed he was of this.

"Alright! Kitchens! Um. The pantry and fridge/freezer are walk-ins...Which is a little silly, but it does feed the whole household staff. You don't have to worry about that, though. Just myself and Ms. Claire, and maybe a guest of mine if I have some. Maybe help with a party."

He held up his hands as if to assure them.

[TheAmishPirate]

"I would be delighted to serve yourself, Miss Claire, or any number of guests you wish to invite on the premises." Cat reassures Cecil in a wholly unconvincing monotone. "Such is my duty as your Maid."

[Lycan 01]

Victoria seems lost in though, studying the table and various appliances. She still seems a bit in awe of all the tech and potential a room like this can hold; this "humble" kitchen outshines some of her best labs and workstations. She absentmindedly starts to stroke a table. "I could make so many great things on this table..." she mutters to herself with a silly little smile, imagining what sort of hodgepodge creations she could create. Is there a turkey in the freezer? Or maybe some duck? Both? And if there were a chicken, she could create a whole new definition of the word "Tur-duck-en."

[Trobby]

Connie considered where her talents could best shine. She couldn't cook, she couldn't clean worth a damn, and she certainly wasn't going to be caught SERVING anything.

Ah, but she WAS social...

"I volunteer to welcome the guests and show them around. And to act as general hostess to this evening's events."

That's a maidly duty, right?

[Deme]

Cecil looked very closely at Cat, trying to detect for sarcasm -- or delight. Or anything. Still, he smiled at what he thought might be enthusiasm, or at least the desire to appear enthusiastic.

"...Delighted, really? That's...kind of putting it strongly, don't you think?"

He said with a little chuckle. To Connie's offer -- well, much of it was good, though to be precise... Here, he looked at her very gravely, as if for a second he took himself seriously.

"Actually, acting as host is my job, being that I'm the host...Uh...Well, I usually need, uh, a bit of help, so, uh, I guess it's sort of Miss Claire and I's job..."

This seemed to be a slightly awkward subject, causing him to turn and look away a bit, squirming in his chair -- even though he had started the statement looking directly at her, he'd broken the contact at the first 'uh,' and was largely left mumbling.

Which is why Victoria's comment was like a beautiful golden shiny thread of hope -- the precious desire of awkward people everywhere: the subject change!

"Oh, you cook? That's great! Our last maids were all pretty hopeless at it, so it's been a while since I've had something really tasty." He scratched his head and looked upwards, into the lighting fixture -- or, more accurately, the second floor. "Though I'm not sure how much time I have for sit-down meals right now."

[Trobby]

Connie huffed a little. Of course, as a servant she wouldn't play host to the party, but a little part of her had wished to be the bell of the ball, and this was just a reminder to her that, at best, she'd be the yoke that kept the bell ringing.

"I suppose I could settle for greeting guests at the door and taking their coats..." She murmured, failing to try to not sound discouraged.

[Lycan 01]

The blood drains from Victoria's face as she's suddenly presumed to be a master chef. She turns to face Cecil, and despite taking on a certain pallor, she manages to crack a wide (albeit awkwardly sheepish) grin. "What? Oh yes, I'm, er, quite proficient with a knife and various other, uh, tools and appliances. My creations usually spark quite a... clamor. The talk of the town back home, more often than not," she nods, not exactly lying but not exactly being honest either.


Cunning to twist facts and convincingly sound like a chef instead of a mad scientist: [roll0]

[TheAmishPirate]

Cecil looked very closely at Cat, trying to detect for sarcasm -- or delight. Or anything. Still, he smiled at what he thought might be enthusiasm, or at least the desire to appear enthusiastic.

"...Delighted, really? That's...kind of putting it strongly, don't you think?"

"Not at all, sir. I am honored to hold the position of 'Maid', and as such my attitudes towards Maidly duties are of the highest excitement." Catherine replied blankly, bowing low and robbing Cecil of any hints her expression might betray. "I will wait upon your every order with the most bated of breath, sir."

[Deme]

To Cat, he managed to say, before Victoria's response fully hit him. Because, to be honest, he didn't buy the bated breath thing. For one, because her breath was not bated: it was just regular breath. He was not fooled. He was on to her perfectly regular breathing pace.

"You know, you don't have to pretend; no one'll think you less professional for it. It's alright to be, you know, just regular determined... Though I agree, there's no sense in being a slouch, even if the work's not the most exciting..."

He nodded resolutely, and then this moment, and whatever he might have thought of it, evaporated in the face of Victoria's comment.
Cecil paused and considered the very worrying things coming out of Victoria's mouth. Very worrying. He stared at her quietly for a long time, and then said, his mouth and eyebrows a set of matching straight lines,

"You're not some sort of serial killer or assassin, are you?"

[TheAmishPirate]

To Cat, he managed to say, before Victoria's response fully hit him. Because, to be honest, he didn't buy the bated breath thing. For one, because her breath was not bated: it was just regular breath. He was not fooled. He was on to her perfectly regular breathing pace.

"You know, you don't have to pretend; no one'll think you less professional for it. It's alright to be, you know, just regular determined... Though I agree, there's no sense in being a slouch, even if the work's not the most exciting..."

"...pretending?" Catherine looked up. A single eyebrow rose a centimeter. "Are the games known as 'make-believe' among our duties?"

[Benson]

Alex had been caught up in her own head, wondering what sort of tasks she should offer to this, ones that made the most of her skills that she did not quite hear most of the conversation between the others, except until the young master asked Victoria a certain question.

"Wait, what what what?" Derp.

[Deme]

"...pretending?" Catherine looked up. A single eyebrow rose a centimeter. "Are the games known as 'make-believe' among our duties?"

"Aaaah, no. No. You know what? Nevermind."
Nice going, Stitch. Niiice going. His head drooped.

[TheAmishPirate]

"Aaaah, no. No. You know what? Nevermind."
Nice going, Stitch. Niiice going. His head drooped.

Catherine tilted her head ever so slightly, betraying a shred of confusion. Rustling through her uniform, a feather duster appeared in her gloved hand. With an expert flip, she grabbed it by the business end and pressed the handle gently to Cecil's forehead until his gaze lifted.

There she held him, studying his eyes for a few long, uncomfortable seconds. "Employees of Stitch Inc. are to perform their duties with joy, inserting their hearts into their work," she finally explained, tone neutral. "Stitch Inc. strives to be a place differentiated from a standard 'work-place' by virtue of this focus upon joyous heart-work. Should this focus waver, then it is only logical that Stitch Inc. shall cease to be unique in this regard. Thus, all employees must never lose possession of hope, or cease to locate the joy inherent in their work." She pointedly raised his head another smidgen. "No exemption is made for the president."

[Lycan 01]

Victoria just stands there, blushing, dumbfounded, and frozen in mortification, confusion, and horror. Eventually, she manages to let out a little squeak. "I'm not an assassin or anything scary like that, no. I just like science and stuff..." Fidget fidget. "I didn't mean to spook anyone."

[Deme]

He reaches out to Victoria consolingly, but thinks better of it -- though, he does not know if it is actually better. Instead, speaking quickly, he replied,

"Ah,no -- no, I was kidding. Sorry. ...I'm really very sorry. You just made it sound...sort of like you were hiding something creepy. It makes much more sense this way, though; I was dumb for not catching on. Science is pretty interesting, though!"

That was, he felt, a pretty weak recovery. He wasn't very good at recoveries, which was a problem, because he was also very good at fumbling. There was further head-drooping, which allowed him to get a forehead full of feather-duster handle.

The rule she mentioned was, in a way, Cecil's favorite: if you could have something like a favorite rule. A faint, apologetic smile spread on his face. It was some oddly worded cheering, but he was better at detecting efforts at kindness than she was, odd as that effort was.

"I know, I know...You know, giving people tours isn't part of my job. I'm just doing this because I want to.... I really do get enthusiastic about what I do do...."

He perked up and rose from his chair and took his red pencil from between his fingers and spun it about.

"Actually, why don't I show you guys that, next?"

[Trobby]

Connie perked up at this offer. She had been grumpily contemplating her spot as a lesser star of the evening, but his exact wordings had brought her back to attention.

"Ah, yes, that does sound rather wonderful. I would love to see how talented you are, Cecil. She says, still not used to calling people "master" or being a servant herself.

[Benson]

"Oooh...it would be so great..I mean.." Alex took a deep breath and kept her composure relaxed, and try not to look too overexcited. "I would love to see it, sir." This time more reserved and 'cool'.

[TheAmishPirate]

Cat twirled her feather duster in a robotic, stiff imitation of Cecil's excited gesture and thrust it away somewhere within the folds of her uniform. "Very good, sir. I will accompany you with company-appropriate levels of enthusiasm."

[Lycan 01]

Blushing, Victoria smiles meekly. "It's quite alright, sir," she quietly squeaks. "I should have been clearer. And yes," she grins a bit, "Science is rather interesting. Especially biology, alchemy, and-"

She pauses, before tilting her head slightly. "Oh, you want to show us what you do?" She gives an excited smile, and nods. "Sure! That would be lovely!" And it would also be a lovely distraction from the sort of science she does!

[Deme]

"Alrighty, then!"

With that he led them eagerly back into the hallway, and up two flights of stairs, taking them two at a time.

The third floor of the mansion is smaller than the other floors, which are built wide and sprawling. It opens first to a small hallway, which features three doors: two to the left, one to the right, and one dead ahead.

"Oh, the one to the right's a display room...Well, mostly. It does different things. The one in front leads to the conservatory. But these two... These two are my workrooms!"

Cecil led them up to the first door on the left...

Which was home to a flurry of chaos. There seemed to be fabric everywhere, not counting the wall that was bolts of fabric; a second wall was supplies of other sorts. There was, near the door, a rack with a variety of clothes, with a sort of bright, vintage aesthetic, in various stages of finish; a dress or two, a pant, a blouse that has sort of a sailor-girl look to the collar and puffed sleeves... Around the room were scraps of fabric and the remnants of pattern paper, over the large tables that dominated the room. It was designed to have a number of projects going at once, or, at least, to be able to hold a project while Cecil worked on a different projects-- which seemed to be the case, since there were a number of mannequins with less-completed works, including a cute little summer dress with a dipped back and a flaring skirt with a trail of what seemed to be some sort of pink fabric roses pinned near the shoulder straps, and one or two placed near the skirt's hem, tentatively, that was near the center. A few sketchbooks were strewn about, for reference. Outside of the actual objects of work themselves, there was also signs that, well, work had been done fervently: for one, there was a pile of mugs on one of the tables, and a number of plates. For another, the moment Cecil entered the room, he paused and considered the dress in the center with a serious expression, as if he'd forgotten his original intention for being in the room

[Trobby]

Connie, having straggled towards the back of the group, poked her head around the door frame to get a good look inside of Cecil's workroom.

She had seen workrooms before of course. Most often her father would take her to one to show her what it is that their servants would do all day, so that she could one day rule over them appropriately herself. It was always boring. Everything was always kept so clean and tidy for her visits that she couldn't really tell what they were up to at all.

She had never in her life seen a room in such working disarray as Cecil's. Half-finished projects, bits of fabric in ungainly places, an occasional finished piece here and there, and sketches all over.

It was a mess, it was deplorable working conditions.

And it was utterly fascinating.

It reminded her of her foray into the world of fine arts...at the age of eight. When her entire room was covered in a beautiful chaotic mess of paint. She had to sleep in a guest room for days as the servants cleaned it all up, but she remembered the gorgeous mess she had made of every inch of the walls, floors and ceilings.

And this, was definitely a gorgeous mess.

"Oh my, Cecil, is this the workshop of a true artiste?" She says, pushing her way in past the other girls with complete abandon, reaching for one of his completed works hanging on a mannequin.

"My goodness, such talent! And here I thought it was just throwing a bunch of fabric together with string!"

She danced the mannequin around the room, watching the dress hanging off it sway back and forth like a ballroom gown.

[Deme]

"Well, I, um... I'd hardly call it an artiste's workshop, I mean...I'm not exactly avante garde..." His golden-brown eyes shyly turned away. With a rosy smile, he watched the girl dancing with his dress, which was a wholly-completed dress with a handkerchief skirt that moved, he saw, like an absolute dream, twirling with Connie without missing a beat, the ragged edges like wearied flower petals in the light.

That last comment caught his attention, though, and distracted him both from the dance of his work and his own shyness about being complimented.
"Uh, you probably shouldn't say things like that bit around everyone else... I mean, everyone at the company, and all the designers and your fellow models all work very hard for this industry, so I don't think they'd forgive that sort of thing." He offered this as earnest advice.

[Trobby]

Connie paused in her little elegant mannequin dance, and the words seemed to hit her all at once as she set it down gently.

Yes. Right. She'd almost forgotten herself in the moment.

"Well...of course I realize it is quite a tiring and difficult field to work in, and of course I did not mean for a moment to undersell the hard work you've put into it, Cecil."

Of course she did want to say she loved the chaos he works in, and how completely untidy it was all over again, but refrained, not wanting to slip back into slander again.

Professional. You had to treat people like professionals.

[Lycan 01]

"Whoa..." Victoria observes, slowly looking around the room with awestruck eyes and a slightly slack jaw. She then notices the small collections of coffee mugs. The maid furrows her brow. She herself was all too familiar with spending sleepless nights slaving away at a workbench, plotting, planning, and working on projects with only coffee and inspiration to keep her going.

"Um, sir?" she meekly squeaks, raising a hand to get his attention. "Would you like me to get those before one gets spilled or broken?" she asks, pointing at the coffee mugs. "Also, would you like me to prepare you some coffee once we're done with the tour?" She flashes a perky, earnest smile. "Just let me know your preference for flavor and strength, and I'll brew it to your liking!"

[TheAmishPirate]

Cat seemed pleased by seeing her Master in his natural habitat. Or she seemed disheartened at the state the room was in. Or she seemed determined to help in any way she could. Or maybe she just kept the same stoic, flat expression, and let the onlookers guess for themselves.

"To what state of uncleanliness do you wish this room be kept?" She asked the Master. "What disorderly piles are to be used for inspiration, and what disorderly piles are to be picked up?"

[Benson]

It was so cute how enthusiastic he seemed to show them his workroom, Alex could not help but smile widely as he showed them in....

She immediately cringed at the messy sight and choked out a sputtering chokey noise. Oh gods...Alex stood there with a forced toothy smile as her eye twitched repeatedly. The mess...the chaotic mess....coffee mugs...plates...everywhere....one too many...needed washing, everything in disarray, nothing organized. For neat freak Alex, this kind of room was a worst case scenario.

"I-it's...lovely.." She said, as her eye twitched again. She glanced at Cat and nodded her head and then looked back at Cecil. "I would though be more than happy to organize and clean the room if that is something you desired, sir." She bowed her head.

[Deme]

Cecil shrugged off Connie's comment -- or, at least, her apology -- with one of his nervous little smiles, sort of pleading and wilting.

"Oh, well, I didn't mean it like that. I don't mind what anyone says... But, well, I know people who'd probably take offense... And I just don't want you to get shivved or anything!"

He...Well, he wouldn't say he knew people, but at the same time, he knew people. He'd met people who he would not be surprised if Connie didn't end up in an alley somewhere for implying their lives were less than the most important thing (they might, in fact, be people not unlike Connie).

Though this uneasy explanation would have to be interrupted by the other maids, who immediately wanted to fix the room. He turtled his head between his shoulders sheepishly, and grinned,

"Well, it's just sort of been a busy couple of... That is... It's not normally... Um, yes, I'd love some help with the plates. And coffee -- that'd be the greatest gift of all; I'll be up late tonight, I think."

Having seen how that one dress moved had fired him up, however the mood might be dampened.

"But the rest of it...Might want to wait for another day to organize. See, I've done all the work I need to do, in terms of actually using and making the patterns -- that's what this room is for, mostly -- but because these designs will see production, I can't throw any of it away until copies have been made, and the show's in a week..."

That sentence, on his lips, had a nearly electric effect. His eyes widened, his pupils dilated. He stood perfectly still for a moment, as if rooted to the spot by the hand of god.

"The show's in... a week."

He began to breathe quickly.

"That is not enough time oh goodness whatamIdoing? Wheredoyougetmoretimewhere'sthetimetimestore." He mumbled, clearly just to himself. His eyes swept the room at the clothes on the rack, and the two dresses still on the dummies, and at the doorway to the other workroom, which contained still other projects. He twirled his pencil for a minute, until he noticed one of the maids -- he was not, to be honest, sure which one's -- unease with the room.
Cecil was nothing if not desperate not to cause anyone anymore trouble, so the sight of a clear problem made life...simpler.
"...IIII will find time. I will find time. It will be OK. We'll organize this room...Tomorrow, maybe? And I'll log a few extra hours somewhere, to make up for it, yes."

[Lycan 01]

Victoria smiles meekly. "Would you like to cut the tour short so you can focus on your work, sir? We don't mind if you have other things you need to work on. I can see to preparing you some coffee, if it helps." Yay for being potentially helpful! She could also offer to make him some zombie henchmen to do much of the work for him, but that might not be as potentially helpful.

It'd be fun, though...

[Trobby]

Connie furrowed her brow at Cecil's words. He was...telling her not to worry?

She hadn't even realized she was worrying at that point. But she had...she'd let herself get carried away in something childish again, just like her father always chastised her about....and just like she always chastised herself about.

She was childish, impulsive, selfish, greedy, all the things a demon princess was expected to be, yet she wanted to be cool and collected like her father, to be a true heir to his throne.

But...to not worry about that...

"...I can take care of myself." She assured him dismissively. Even though his mind has traveled to an entirely different place in an instant, and she said it quietly enough that it was more of a mutter.

[Benson]

Alex was a little confuzzled though she kept her composure at Cecil's words, despite her current eye twitching surroundings. She wanly smiled and nodded her head.

"Very well sir, though I'll get those plates out for the time being, maidly duties and all," She then advanced towards the dirty plates and cups.

[Deme]

He took a step back from the mental edge of pure panic, not really noticing Connie's comment or reaction -- it took him a bit of effort to even notice the comments that were entreating him, though Victoria's reached him first.

"Ah...Yeah, that sounds good. Thank you, yes...Both of you,"

He added, glancing at Alex with a warm, somewhat apologetic smile. A hand ran through his hair, adjusting it back into something...Actually, more disheveled, but Cecil seemed to feel better about it.

"Though the coffee can wait until later; you'll all need to find Ms. Claire to finish the tour, though I guess you'll be on your own until then... Um, you guys won't mind me leaving you all to that, do you?"

[TheAmishPirate]

"If you wish us to find Ms. Claire, then we will find Ms. Claire. Your orders will be fulfilled, Master." Catherine bowed low, already running through her mental mapping of the building so far and retracing her steps.

[Lycan 01]

"Not at all, sir," Victoria smiles meekly. "We'll be fine. Thank you very much for the tour."

[Deme]

"Alright, thank you!"

With a flurry of concern, he dashed to the room attached to this one; it was likely a different workroom, though it'd take some sort of investigation to find out, leaving the maids to work out where to find Ms. Claire, or to explore the rest of the house themselves.

[TheAmishPirate]

Catherine kept her head bowed, only raising it when Cecil had left the room. "Come; the Master said we must find Miss Claire and complete our orientation." She turned and left, offering little room for debate. She navigated the maze of doors and hallways with unflinching precision, letting none of the mansion's distractions or diversions slow her down.

Either she'd slipped a tracking beacon on Miss Claire's person, or she was extremely lost.

[Rolling luck: [roll0]]

[Trobby]

Connie folded her arms across one another and gave a little half-pout at Catherine's insistence. Who was she to tell her what to do?

Well, she wouldn't be doing it, that was for sure. The last thing she was going to do was let herself get ordered around by a maid...well, another maid besides herself.

So, after waiting a few moments until after Catherine had left, she slipped away from the other maids back down towards the kitchen where they'd revived Cecil.

He had made some mention of wanting coffee. That sounded easy enough to make. And it'd put her in good graces with him, which was a plus in and of itself as far as she was concerned.

Cunning (to sneak away undetected): [roll0]

[Lycan 01]

Victoria nods along as Catherine suggests they find Miss Claire. "Indeed. Orders are orders, and she may have even more orders for us. And if we take too long to find her, she may get irked and think we're lazy or something." She then slumps her shoulders a bit, and lets out a small sigh, her voice briefly slipping back into its natural Eastern European accent. "I vould razzer not be fired on ze first day of ze job..."

She shakes her a head a bit, and then saunters off in search of the boss-lady. Hopefully with (most of) the other maids following her.


Luck: [roll0]

Assisting Catherine's check to luckily notice Connie sneaking off, using Luck: [roll1]

[Benson]

Alex stood in the hallway sort of just standing there for a moment trying to gain her bearings after exiting the young master's workroom. She closed her eyes for a moment while a soft sigh escaped her lips.

"That was admittedly a little overwheming.." She said with a small smile as she then straightened herself out and made sure everything was perfect. "Right, finding Miss Claire, maidly duties, yes." She said while pushing up her glasses on her nose.


Luck to notice Connie trying to sneak off, well assistance...I think, yea, luck assistance

[roll0]

[Lycan 01]

Connie's escape is cut short by Victoria calling after her. "Er, Miss Connie?" the young scientist asks, tilting her head slightly in uncertain confusion. "You are going the wrong way. We're going this way," she says, pointing down the hall, rather than the convenient little passage the other maid was likely trying to sneak into.

[Benson]

Alexis spied the maid from the corner of her eyes seemingly trying to ditch the group or some such. She narrowed her eyes a little and placed her hands on her hips.


"Hey you, Miss Connie, you weren't thinking of shirking duties were you?" It was less a question and more an accusation. She shifted her glasses, adjusting them a little with a hand and raised a brow at the apparent maid.

[Trobby]

Halfway to escape, Connie froze in place.

She did not, she would make clear to anyone who asked, stomp her foot down in frustration. Stomping down in frustration was the sort of thing a petulant child would do, and as she would assure anyone who asked, she was not a petulant child. She was a full-grown woman.

She did however press her left foot down firmly and cross her arms, but of course neither of these had anything to do with frustration. Not at all.

Taking a deep breath and counting to three, she turned around to face the two maids, who she had to remind herself were her equals in rank in this world.

"I can find my way around this manor quite well on my own. I assure you, I have an impeccable sense of direction. However, there are four of us, and at least one of us four should be making life a bit easier for Cecil, which I think you will all agree is the duty of a maid." She glanced Catherine's way, daring her to flip her book open and say otherwise.

"So, I was simply heading back to the kitchen to prepare a pot of coffee for Cecil. Surely, this being a very stressful time for him, we can spare at least one person to perform this simple task for him, yes? It is, after all, our duty as maids to act upon his needs before he himself is aware of them, and I should hasten to think we do not wish for him to be worked to exhaustion. A pot of coffee is the least we could do for the poor soul."

[TheAmishPirate]

Catherine stiffened, her face hardening into a mask of concentrated fury. Escape? This maid nearly escaped her watch, after what she nearly did to Master?!

Inexcusable.

"Though the intentions you express are not against the Stitch Inc. employee handbook," she replied, forcing herself calm. "As his personal Maids, we are required to prevent any harm against Mister Cecil. Given his harsh reaction to your close proximity earlier, it would be unwise to leave this task in your hands. Were Miss Claire here, she would assign this task to another."

[Trobby]

...Well, that just about tears it.

This girl had been on her nerves since the moment the two of them met, and it had worn her patience down about as far as she could take it.

She turned on her heel, and walked up to Catherine with her hands on her hips, glaring at her like something that came out of the fires of hell itself.

"Ms. Claire is not here." She says very clearly. "But I happen to agree with you, that this task should not be done alone. Another maid shall accompany me to the kitchen, and we shall make coffee together for Master Cecil."

She paused for a moment to straighten herself up, though she had little actual height to look down upon Catherine, she did her best to look dignified.

"Might I recommend, since you are so keen on knowing the rules of this place so very thoroughly, that you and the other girls take a tour, whilst I and another volunteer perform this task? Oh, but don't tell me, is there a rule against that as well?"

[TheAmishPirate]

Catherine took the full brunt of the demon princess' wrath, standing against her fiery tirade like an icy, implacable fortress. Her only reaction was to calmly smooth out a crease on her otherwise-perfect uniform. "You are requesting that another maid be deprived of the training necessary to complete their assigned tasks." She replied coolly. "However, given that the objective of this new task is the well-being of the Master, the rules will only condone it. Were Miss Claire here, she would approve of such an initiative."

She paused, and turned the full force of her piercing gaze on the immature scamp before her.

"However, your influence on the Master can only be classified as harmful, destructive, and in conflict with the objectives of this coffee task. It would be advisable - if you actually wish to fulfill your job - that you refrain from touching, speaking excessively with, or approaching within a close range of the Master. Whomever accompanies you will ensure the Master's safety is not compromised, as per our duties."

"Do you wish me to repeat these instructions? Or do you comprehend your task?" She asked, seemingly without a trace of malice.

[Trobby]

Connie bit her lip. There was no escaping Catherine's assault - she had the book of rules memorized and used them like a suit of armor to defend her.

It was time to use a dirty tactic.

"Oh...of course, I hadn't realized..." She said, using her absolute best doe eyes she could manage. "You must think me so terrible, Miss Catherine, to have unknowingly caused such maladies to our master, and to ask to do him a favor, to atone for such ah..."

It was perhaps a bit too cruel, but she managed to even fake holding back a tear.

"Forgive me...this all would clearly be against the rules, as you have told me many a time. That, I can see, is far more important to you, than to help our Master in these very hard and trying times, in any small way that we can. And to ask to atone for my actions...you must think me so very selfish."

[Benson]

Alexis looked between the two with uncertainty, she sorta just wished she had kept her mouth shut earlier. Uhm.

"I don't mean to like...butt into your guy's...exchange.....but the more gabbing around....that is time we are not performing our maid duties....so...yea." She pushed up the bridge of her glasses on her nose as light briefly bounced off of them.

[Lycan 01]

Victoria stands back, expression flat and mildly exasperated. She mutters something in Romanian, before shaking her head and turning to walk down the hall. "I volunteer to make coffee and keep other maid from accidentally causing issues with Master," she dryly remarks, accent and exasperation both heavily dripping from her words. "I know thing or two about making good coffee. Besides, I would also like to further examine kitchen and accoutrements better. Now, can we be moving along?" The petite little scientist looks back over his shoulder, and raises an eyebrow slightly. "Or are you two wanting to continue this bickering banter?"

[TheAmishPirate]

Things happened quickly. Much too quickly. Suddenly the other maid was at the verge of tears, begging forgiveness while spouting out things that weren't quite true, and one of the other maids was pointing out they really did have to get going, and she agreed and disagreed and many other points in-between.

For the slightest of moments, she hesitated.

Fortunately for her, Victoria chose that moment to swoop in and be decisive. "No, there is nothing more that needs discussion at this time. The plan you have proposed is satisfactory." Catherine nodded rapidly. "We should establish a meeting point from which to continue our exploration of the house. The lobby is a spacious, central location."

[Trobby]

Drat, and it had been such a convincing fit of near-tears too.

But Connie couldn't object to something so frustratingly reasonable. After all, even though she'd never made her own coffee before, she was fairly certain that it only took one person.

"Thank you, Victoria. It is very, very kind of you to offer. I will...I will have to find some other way to make it up to...our master."

The last pause was not for effect, as it took some effort for Connie to accept calling someone else her master.

The half-stutter towards the middle though was a nice touch, she had to admit to herself.

[Benson]

"Oi..finally..alright, well Catherine, let's go," Alex said with a sharp nod as she began to make her way.

[Deme]

Finding Ms. Claire group
Alrighty, using earlier rolls...

They find Ms. Claire in the downstairs hallway, not far from the foyer, where she'd obviously expected them to be. She looked very cross, and seemed to have been searching for them.

"There you are! Well...some of you. Where's the rest of you? Don't tell me you all scattered about to the four winds the instant I turned my back."

Kitchen Crew

The two maids manage to, very carefully, make their way back to the kitchen.

[TheAmishPirate]

Finding Ms. Claire group
Alrighty, using earlier rolls...

They find Ms. Claire in the downstairs hallway, not far from the foyer, where she'd obviously expected them to be. She looked very cross, and seemed to have been searching for them.

"There you are! Well...some of you. Where's the rest of you? Don't tell me you all scattered about to the four winds the instant I turned my back."

Catherine weather the angry salvo, her only motion to give a stiff, professional bow to her superior. "Our sincerest apologies, Miss Claire. Upon your exit we were happened upon by Master Stitch himself, who decided to further conduct the tour himself. After visiting several halls, the kitchen, and his workspace, he then decided his current work was much too pressing to continue administering the orientation. Two of our number - in accordance with Stitch Inc. regulations - are currently performing a task for Master Stitch in the kitchen. The task would ordinarily require the services of (1) maid, but a second was dispatched to...ensure Miss Connie caused no further disturbance." A pause spoke volumes she would never dare to utter. "They shall join us upon completion of their duties. We stand ready to continue our training, Miss Claire."

Skill 2: [roll0]

[Trobby]

Connie immediately regards the kitchen with suspicion and disapproval. The only time she can recall spending in the kitchen was time spent trying to sneak cookies away...well, and that one time she had made her father a cake by hand, but he refused to believe she'd done it all on her own, thus ending her very brief dreams of being a pâtissier.

"Alright, Vicky." Constance says without asking if a nickname is appropriate. "Just let me find the coffee pot and make up some coffee for the master and we can get this over with."

And thusly does she search for the required tools of the cóffisier - a coffee machine and coffee grounds.

Luck: [roll0]

[Lycan 01]

Victoria giggles softly. "Oh, it's not that easy. The Master drinks a lot of coffee. Which means he probably has quite a taste for it. So if we just half-ass this, and the coffee isn't good, he'll notice. So we need to be more careful about it - proper measurements, letting it strengthen, providing creamer and sugar but not adding it ourselves..."

She begins to look for the coffee pot, coffee grounds, and filters. "I bet he likes his coffee black. Working around the clock like that, downing cup after cup, you kinda stop caring about sugar and stuff..." she idly observes, as though speaking from experience.

[Trobby]

"Heh, to be honest I could never stand the taste of this stuff." Connie says. "Tea is more the drink for me. Herbal tea, with a bit of honey and lemon to strengthen the flavor." Truth be told, usually far too much honey, but she wouldn't admit that much to Victoria. "I do know how to make it though. My father drinks the stuff like water."

[Deme]

Kitchen

The girls would find a great stock of coffees and coffee-making tools, for basically any coffee-drinking occasions: you long hours or just waking up coffees, your espressos, your dessert coffees with a variety of ways to dress up and froth up foam, syrups for flavor, this and that... This, it said, was a household that drank coffee, and provided guests with coffee, at a variety of times and events.

Ms. Claire

Ms. Claire adjusted her glasses and gave this some thought. While the whole situation sounded like it had gotten out of hand,
"Well-reported, and a wise choice of making sure Miss 'Connie' is not left unattended."

She said, in a prefunctory way. Her pencil skritched lines across her clipboard.
[roll0] favor for the fine report!

Then she looked over her glasses at them. The clipboard came to rest behind her back, and her full attention came to rest on them. Her eyes gleamed.
"And how was your first meeting with Master Cecil? How was he? Please, be honest with your impressions."

[Benson]

"Uhm...it went...well," Alex replied. Admittedly, though whole messy work room thing really threw her off. It knocked her chi out of place as she tried not let her OCD nature take over, and let the disarrayed room stress her out because she could not do anything about it. "He was nice, maybe a little scatterbrained..j-just a little." She quickly added the last bit. "Uh, I look forward to working under him."

[TheAmishPirate]

"My opinions of Master Cecil are irrelevant, beyond those required to perform my assigned tasks. He is my employer, I am his employee." Catherine intoned professionally. "Relevant opinions include a large burden of personal work, anxiety regarding an upcoming show, and minor feelings of inadequacy. I will work tirelessly to reduce this burden and restore a proper mindset and pride in his work to Master Cecil."

She bowed; the maneuver was fast becoming her default state.

[Trobby]

Connie looks at the assortment of many coffee-making ingredients and tools with astonishment. She knew there were quite a few different ways to make coffee but...never quite to this incredible magnitude. It is, to the young demoness-turned-maid, a bit much to take in.

So she very gracefully backs away.

"Well, Vicky, since you are the true coffee connoisseur, why don't you take the lead here?" She suggests, deciding that if things don't go well, she can always blame her. And if they DO go well, she can always take credit for helping.

[Lycan 01]

Victoria nods, and steps forward to start gathering up the needed ingredients. "I believe he'll need something with higher levels of caffeine, but not an espresso. Too much kick, too much crash. Also something with decent taste, since it still needs to be palatable if he opts to drink it black. Let's see....."

The young maid begins to sort through the coffees, before finding a good, rich roast and setting about the task of brewing it up with adequate strength!



Skill: [roll0]

[Trobby]

"Hmm, we'll need a darker roast then, for a bolder richer flavor." Connie concludes. "And we may want to use a paper filter, rather than a machine, to enhance the flavor."

She helps her fellow maid gather the appropriate ingredients, assisting in the task of brewing the coffee properly.

"A warmer-colored mug would be preferrable, to help suggest feelings of warmth, though not too dark or he won't be able to tell how much creamer he's adding, if he prefers it that way. Hmm, raw or refined sugar? I suppose we'll have to offer him both..." Connie sets up the coffee tray, making sure it is arranged with everything their master could want with his coffee.


Assist in Coffee Making

Skill: [roll0]

[Deme]

They make a good cup of coffee. Whether it'll suit his needs is another story, but it's definitely a good cup of coffee.

---

Ms. Claire brings out her clip-board and writes something down, on a different sheet than where she'd been writing before. At Cat's comment, though, she shakes her head.

"Miss Catherine, your current task *is* to furnish me with a personal opinion. Not for sentimental reasons. If it makes you feel better, consider it like... A product assessment. Or a personnel review. In life, you will not," And here, her expression seemed to soften, just a little, by comparison giving her a wistful look. "Always have the luxury of being called upon to perform tasks in which the personal can be safely ignored. Or in which the results of your actions are clear to yourself."

[Trobby]

Connie observes the cup of coffee, as if it were a boiling pot of witch's brew set to explode at a moment's notice.

"It...looks like coffee..." She says hesitantly. "And I...think it smells like coffee...well, let's bring it up to Cecil before it um...does whatever coffee does if you leave it out too long."

[TheAmishPirate]

Ms. Claire brings out her clip-board and writes something down, on a different sheet than where she'd been writing before. At Cat's comment, though, she shakes her head.

"Miss Catherine, your current task *is* to furnish me with a personal opinion. Not for sentimental reasons. If it makes you feel better, consider it like... A product assessment. Or a personnel review. In life, you will not," And here, her expression seemed to soften, just a little, by comparison giving her a wistful look. "Always have the luxury of being called upon to perform tasks in which the personal can be safely ignored. Or in which the results of your actions are clear to yourself."

"A...product assessment, Miss Claire?" For the first time, a note of hesitancy entered Catherine's voice, and she turned the thought over many times before replying. "I believe I am capable of such a request. I shall endeavor to provide you with a satisfactory explanation."

"Mister Cecil possesses the skills and insight with which to perform his duties. Were his mind free of distraction and his workshop filled with necessary supplies, he could create a line of clothing more than adequate for any show at any time of the year. The variables are, however, less than ideal. Mister Cecil's thoughts and workshop are of the same status; not sufficiently organized. Distraction and clutter litter both and negatively impact his performance. They must be properly addressed if he is to succeed at all of the tasks he has wished for himself." The whole evaluation was utterly devoid of passion, judgement, or any trace of emotion. It was a cold, honest assessment of a scatterbrained Master.

[Deme]

Ms. Claire nods. This is, apparently, more along the lines of what she was looking for -- though, given that she did not call Alex's answer insufficient, that, too, had been what she was looking for. She had been looking for a lot of things.

"I see. Thank you both very much. Now, allow me to continue the orientation; what rooms did he show you?"

[Lycan 01]

Victoria grins. "Ah yes, perfect. Let me just get the sugar and creamer and whatnot..."

She quickly sets about arranging a serving tray with everything he'll need. A mug of hot coffee, a thermos of even more coffee if he so desires it, sugar, creamer, honey, and a few small spoons for stirring and sipping to check the flavor. She does her best to arrange them in a nice presentation!

(Skill: [roll0])

She then picks up the tray, and nods to Connie. "Let's go see the boss!" she chimes happily. "Would you get the door, please?" she politely requests, with a friendly little smile.

[Trobby]

Connie takes a look at the arrangement that Victoria has made.

...She very gently tries to correct a few...errors that may have happened along the way.

((Skill: [roll0]))

Once she is satisfied, she opens the door for Victoria.

"After you, Vicky."

[TheAmishPirate]

Ms. Claire nods. This is, apparently, more along the lines of what she was looking for -- though, given that she did not call Alex's answer insufficient, that, too, had been what she was looking for. She had been looking for a lot of things.

"I see. Thank you both very much. Now, allow me to continue the orientation; what rooms did he show you?"

"Mister Cecil showed us the kitchen, reception room, and his own personal workshop, along with associated hallways and passageways." Cat listed off.

[Benson]

"Uuuuh...yea...what she said.." Alex stupidly said. Well she didn't know what else to say, Cat pretty much covered it all!

[Deme]

"Very well, then."

She made a note of this, too.

"Then next, I think I should show you the dining room; it's where you'll usually need to go after making food, after all... Well, unless Master Cecil or I are working, but I usually manage to come down to a meal."

She began walking them down the hallway, back towards the kitchen -- they'll end up missing the coffee-delivering maids. She gestured to the door across from the kitchen's door. "The dining room is right across this hall, so you won't have to carry food for terribly long. We'll have some important dinners this week, so for the course of your employ, please remember it."

[Trobby]

The coffee delivering maids, in the meantime, bustle their way up to Cecil's workroom. Since Victoria is burdened with the tray, Connie takes it upon herself to open the door as well, neglecting the nicety of knocking.

"Cecil, we've brought you a hot refreshment~!" She declares, in a way that she hopes is very professional, and maybe just a little cute.


Skill to help present the coffee, and hopefully improve their chances of positive favor with Cecil -

[roll0]

[Lycan 01]

Victoria does her best to enter with grace and poise, holding the tray with perfect balance and a confident smile. Hopefully. She tries not to bumble about or seem uncoordinated or lacking in confidence. "Black coffee, sir?" she asks pleasantly. "Sugar and creamer too, if you so desire."


(Skill: [roll0])

[Deme]

There's one problem: he's not in this room anymore. The door to the other room, however, is slightly ajar, and the sound of a sewing machine at work can be heard.

When they enter with the coffee for take two, they'll find a room with all sorts of sewing machines, for different material, different weights, different stitches, prepared to make any sort of connection from ever cloth from silk organza to thick leather or denim. Cecil is hunched over one of the smaller, more general-use machines, whirring away at the dress they first saw when they came in. He has not noticed them yet -- his world is the needle, jabbing in and out of the fabric of the skirt as he feeds it, his foot keeping the pace in place. He rocks, slightly, with the rhythm of the machine.

And, off to the side, surrounded by boxes of beads and flowers and lace is a dress. A single, shining dress -- a white and creamy wedding dress, immaculately detailed, petalled skirts held with white roses in the back emerging from the bodice, pinned at the shoulders with white small white flowers that seem to have been hand-sewn beaded with white in fern-like, frost-like patterns -- and in the front, layers of soft, translucent material, the layers almost concealing lace-and-fabric motifs of flowers. There are clear places where the work is still progressing, where the soft petals of the skirt need to be pinned, the pinned-on flowers and beaded segments need to be actually stitched in place, the one attempt at some little off-the-shoulder sleeve that, at present, seems to just be an idea...
But the dress, somehow, seems like an idea. Like a dream, there on the dress form, white as sunlight on a winter day.

(Y'all can keep your rolls, though, for when you need rolls.)

[Trobby]

When she enters, Connie is taken in awe by the craftsmanship taking place - the beauty of raw fabric and thread being woven together to make something unique and gorgeous. It's almost enough to get her lost in a world of her own.

She recognizes first, however, that Cecil is hard at work, and gestures to Victoria not to make a sound, lest they cause a flaw to form in his hard-crafted art.

She knew all too well what an overeager observer could do if they interrupted an artist at a critical juncture...like, for example, every five minutes to check on how she was doing.

Once the machine came to a halt, she rapped her hand carefully on the wall to catch his attention.

[Lycan 01]

Victoria follows the other maid's lead. She doesn't say anything, just carefully holding the tray. She doesn't pay too much attention to the fabric and dresses in the room, but rather the various machines and sewing implements. If she could borrow one of those sewing machines... ooooh, the marvelous abominations against nature she could create~

[Deme]

Cecil sat up quickly at the sound of the rapping, looking about as if awakened from a dream by the noise. He tensed up a bit when he saw the maids.

"Oh, hello. Um, is there a --"

His eyes darted to the tray. Oh, so one of these was...the maid who'd offered to bring him coffee, right? He squinted a bit, trying to sort through the past while, trying to go back as far as he could to make a guess.

"Oh, the coffee. Gosh, the time must have really gotten away from me. Thank you --" Internally, he winced and made a metaphorical mad dash. He adressed them nonspecifically, "Victoria and...Um... I'm very sorry...?"

He muttered, deflating a bit. The apology seemed not half-hearted, but routine and ordinary. He had to just give it up. He'd tried.

[Lycan 01]

"Correct!" Victoria chimes cheerfully when she sees him having some trouble. She tilts her head a bit towards Connie, gesturing with a perky smile. "And this is Connie. It's okay, sir. I have trouble remembering names sometimes, too. And you've been working hard, so being a bit fuzzy minded is understandable. But that's what coffee is for!" she says happily, nodding down to the tray. "Oh, and it's black coffee. Sugar and creamer and other such things are on the tray, since we weren't actually sure how you preferred it fixed up."



Cunning to help disarm the situation and make Cecil feel less bad about getting their names/faces confused: [roll0]

[Trobby]

Connie manages to fairly carefully not show any signs of disappointment and not being remembered first. It's a very minor slight, but one that she did notice...still, she DID only meet Cecil today, so it's natural that he might not remember her name.

So she thinks nothing of it, letting Victoria handle the re-introductions for now.

[Deme]

Cecil's shoulders drooped a little. He was still a little red-eared (Cecil being one of those people who blushes not just with his face, but with his entire head) from embaressment, but he smiled a little, too -- he did not look so much like he wanted to crawl into his personal corner of shame and die.

"Ah, yes, thank you, dreadfully sorry about the -- about -- "

He stumbled a bit, trying to decide how much to say, how much needed to be said -- it was not as if matters of his neurology was a secret. It was not as if they shouldn't know. Between the two, he might have squirmed forever.
And there was Victoria, trying to offer him a way out of explaining, or out of apologizing, or both -- one little moment of being not unusually erroneous, troublesome, or bothersome. He crossed over, to where she was still holding the tray, and took the cup in both hands, still resting on the tray.

"Thank you," He said again, more simply and sincerely than before.

((5 favor to Victoria for that move, since I said I'd be handing them out deliberately now.))

[TheAmishPirate]

"Very well, then."

She made a note of this, too.

"Then next, I think I should show you the dining room; it's where you'll usually need to go after making food, after all... Well, unless Master Cecil or I are working, but I usually manage to come down to a meal."

She began walking them down the hallway, back towards the kitchen -- they'll end up missing the coffee-delivering maids. She gestured to the door across from the kitchen's door. "The dining room is right across this hall, so you won't have to carry food for terribly long. We'll have some important dinners this week, so for the course of your employ, please remember it."

"Are there any additional parameters required to make the important dinners more important than the unimportant dinners?" Cat asked. She glanced at the various doors, striving to remember where each one was and finding notable little decorations near each one. She would remember them. A good maid did not forget her doors.

[Deme]

"The guest list. At the end of this week, we'll be holding a show -- this show is the launch of Master Cecil's personal career as a designer, and his first official, personal act as the head of this company."

She explained. At first, it sounded detached, but as it built -- and now, here, at the heart of it was her heart, what of it could easily be found. She had unquestionable passion for this.

"To put it mildly, it's the most important show for Stitch, inc, in over decade; the beginning of a new era for the company and brand. Leading up to that, we have some minor shows -- it is fashion week, after all -- and lots of meetings, many of which will be dinners or parties. With members of the board of directors. With industry talent in and outside the company, with members of the press... In other words, everyone who'd be remotely interested in this company's activities. You will be alerted in advance, to properly prepare."

[Lycan 01]

"You're quite welcome sir!" Victoria chimes cheerfully, sounding perky, chipper, and quite well spoken. Her accent has been perfectly subdued for the sake of professionalism, even though that would probably make his life a lot easier if he could recognize her by such a distinct characteristic. "Let us know if there's anything else you need. Perhaps a snack, or some sort of musical accompaniment?" he asks, before a little voice in the back of her mind screams in horror, realizing that she doesn't actually know if any of the girls can play an instrument.

[Trobby]

Connie may have been trying to help, she may have even really liked Cecil, and she may have even tolerated Victoria.

But she was still a demon. Well, succubus but a TYPE of demon. And she still was a mischievous creature at heart, which may explain the next words that came out of her mouth.

"Why, Victoria, are you offering to play music for the master? I had no idea you were musically inclined! How splendid!"

Of course, Connie herself could play a bit of Violin, though not very much. And she could sing, though not professionally. But she wasn't going to volunteer either of those things, having much more fun putting the other maid on the spot instead.

[Benson]

With Cat and Miss Claire


"Wow...this sounds really...intimid----I mean.." The boyish maid shook her head. "Of course..." She placed her hand over her chest. "I will do beyond my best on my part to ensure the success of the show and everything else this week, and that Master Cecil, well, really knocks their boots off with his talent." She smiled and then remembered, 'professionalism' and instead copied Cat with her neutral expressions.

[Deme]

Connie may have been trying to help, she may have even really liked Cecil, and she may have even tolerated Victoria.

But she was still a demon. Well, succubus but a TYPE of demon. And she still was a mischievous creature at heart, which may explain the next words that came out of her mouth.

"Why, Victoria, are you offering to play music for the master? I had no idea you were musically inclined! How splendid!"

Of course, Connie herself could play a bit of Violin, though not very much. And she could sing, though not professionally. But she wasn't going to volunteer either of those things, having much more fun putting the other maid on the spot instead.

"Ah, no, that's...That's quite alright. Actually, I don't feel hungry. Weird. What time is it?" Cecil asks, looking at his wrist for a watch he, to his apparent regret, is not wearing. Yes, he was really so involved with his work that he did, in fact, not notice it's been, like, 5 minutes.

----------



With Cat and Miss Claire


"Wow...this sounds really...intimid----I mean.." The boyish maid shook her head. "Of course..." She placed her hand over her chest. "I will do beyond my best on my part to ensure the success of the show and everything else this week, and that Master Cecil, well, really knocks their boots off with his talent." She smiled and then remembered, 'professionalism' and instead copied Cat with her neutral expressions.

"I'm glad to hear it -- he might ask you for help with fittings, or even to be in the show...But that's fairly normal. Speaking of guests for the occasion, we do have a formal parlor where we meet with guests and investors and the like, and that's going to be important for that sort of occasion. This way."

Having reached basically the end of that wing of the first floor, she moves them back towards the entrance, where there's a side door they didn't take due to Cecil having passed out and all. The opened door revealed a room done in wood panelling and foresty greens, with a sofa, a few chairs, a coffee table and fireplace to round out the arrangement, many book-cases, and cases of displayed art. There were some paintings on the walls, and vases on the shelves, mixed in with odd, little storied bits -- a Venetian carnival mask, an autograph from a well-known model, with love, photos of dresses on various young women, a beaded shoe...

"These will need dusting, but take some care. This room needs to be kept more tidy and clean than some of the others, on the grounds that it's not really intended to be 'lived-in.'"

[Trobby]

"Ah, no, that's...That's quite alright. Actually, I don't feel hungry. Weird. What time is it?" Cecil asks, looking at his wrist for a watch he, to his apparent regret, is not wearing. Yes, he was really so involved with his work that he did, in fact, not notice it's been, like, 5 minutes.


"Oh it's been five...hundred years." Connie says. "I'm terribly sorry, you see you were placed under a curse and have been asleep at your desk for five centuries. The original maids who worked here had their DNA kept on record so we could be cloned. I'm so terribly sohahaha no I can't even finish that with a straight face. It's been like, five minutes Cecil."

Even Connie can't be that cruel...well she could, but not to Cecil.

[TheAmishPirate]

[color=dimgrey]"I'm glad to hear it -- he might ask you for help with fittings, or even to be in the show...But that's fairly normal. Speaking of guests for the occasion, we do have a formal parlor where we meet with guests and investors and the like, and that's going to be important for that sort of occasion. This way."

Having reached basically the end of that wing of the first floor, she moves them back towards the entrance, where there's a side door they didn't take due to Cecil having passed out and all. The opened door revealed a room done in wood panelling and foresty greens, with a sofa, a few chairs, a coffee table and fireplace to round out the arrangement, many book-cases, and cases of displayed art. There were some paintings on the walls, and vases on the shelves, mixed in with odd, little storied bits -- a Venetian carnival mask, an autograph from a well-known model, with love, photos of dresses on various young women, a beaded shoe...

"These will need dusting, but take some care. This room needs to be kept more tidy and clean than some of the others, on the grounds that it's not really intended to be 'lived-in.'"

"The directive is understood." Cat said, taking in the sights of the well-decorated room. "This room will be cleaned in any significant downtimes between directives, so as to keep it pristine at all times and hours."

[Lycan 01]

Victoria recoils slightly, the petite blonde briefly looking a little caught of guard. "Wait, what? Music? Me? Oh no no no," she says, shaking her head with an apologetic smile. "The playing of a musical instrument is not part of my repertoire. The only music related activity I may have any skill with is dancing, I'm afraid, and even then, I have little actual training," she sighs forlornly. She then perks up a bit, her slight frame bouncing slightly on the balls of her feet. "No, I was more-so intending to go out and find a source of musical entertainment for our dear Master. Perhaps another maid - such as yourself - to play a tune for him, or mayhaps a stereo or record player or whatever technological device he may prefer me to fetch!" she chimes cheerfully.

She then turns to Cecil and tilts her head a bit. "Oh, but you don't want music or a snack? Well, that's alright sir. Oh, and it's been-"

She pauses to give Connie a dirty look as she tries to toy with Cecil's head, before turning back to her boss with a deadpan expression. "Er, yes. Five minutes, thereabout," she says flatly, her chipper demeanor briefly evaporating thanks to the other maid's exasperating tendencies.

[Deme]

"Glad to hear it. Now, below the grand staircase in the entrance hall is the living room; don't let it become a wreck, but it's a different sort of 'presentable.' Tidy, but it doesn't expect company, so keeping common objects and papers visible is more important. You're free to relax there in off hours -- if a room's not a show room, then make yourselves at home."

She explained, taking them back out to the foyer. She gestured to the 3rd and final door, fit opposite the parlor.

"The study is a show room, but throw nothing you find there away. Work for the business is done there... The other rooms on the first floor are staff rooms or bathrooms or closets; when we've gathered everything up, we'll speak about those. But for now, the second floor..."

She headed up the staircase Cecil had made his first appearance on.

---

Speaking of whom...Cecil scratched his head. The joke didn't work, since while he'd been sort of entranced, it's not like he'd have fallen asleep or anything.

"Five minutes?...Uh, isn't it a little early -- err -- a little late -- for coffee?"
He meant, of course, that he didn't need to wake up, or fight the night. Well, it was good coffee, so he'd accept that, he supposed.

"Right now, I don't need to do anything but finish this dress..." He glanced back at it -- it was really all but done, the hem now nearly handled, the roses attached...
"Though, actually... Um, could you two stand side-by-side for a moment?"
He went and fetched it from its spot in the sewing machine, and he held it up as if looking at them in comparison to it.

((If you'd like, you can roll to try and convince him you're the appropriate maid to try it on.))

[Trobby]

Connie, who had been fascinated by the process from the moment she found out he was a dress designer, was shaken out of her fascination by the request. She stepped to the side of Victoria, though by no mean did she stand firm or rigid, flaring her hips and trying to look as impressive as possible.

((Affection to try to catch Cecil's interest.

[roll0] ))

[TheAmishPirate]

"Glad to hear it. Now, below the grand staircase in the entrance hall is the living room; don't let it become a wreck, but it's a different sort of 'presentable.' Tidy, but it doesn't expect company, so keeping common objects and papers visible is more important. You're free to relax there in off hours -- if a room's not a show room, then make yourselves at home."

She explained, taking them back out to the foyer. She gestured to the 3rd and final door, fit opposite the parlor.

"The study is a show room, but throw nothing you find there away. Work for the business is done there... The other rooms on the first floor are staff rooms or bathrooms or closets; when we've gathered everything up, we'll speak about those. But for now, the second floor..."

She headed up the staircase Cecil had made his first appearance on.

Catherine headed up behind her, still cramming as many landmarks, notes, and information into her head as physically possible. "You have made mention of the 'second floor' as a distinct entity from the previous floor. Approximately how many such 'floors' will we encounter in the course of our duties?"

[Deme]

Ms. Claire paused, and gave Cat a skeptical appraisal. Does this person not understand the premise of floors? Oh, well.

"The house has 3 floors -- the first, you've more or less seen; the second is bedrooms, a game room, the gym... And the third is the two work-rooms, the display room, and the rooftop conservatory."

She explained. "The yard has a few places worth showing you as well, of course."

[Lycan 01]

"Um... yes sir?" Victoria replies back with a meek, uncertain smile. Modelling isn't something she's ever done, or had much interest in. Setting down the tray, she slinks over to stand next to Connie, and tries to stand up tall and proper. She looks over at Connie, then over at the dress, then down at herself. She fidgets a bit, looking a little uncertain. She absentmindedly fiddles with her blouse and skirt, smoothing down the fabric and trying to compare her figure a bit to Connie's. Though they're both rather lacking in the cleavage department, the young mad scientist can't help but feel self-conscious next to the more confident maid. Her flat chest was always a source of worry and embarrassment. But at least she's got a nice figure? Or so she thinks, as she runs her hands down her sides, examining her own petite curves and wondering how she would look in the dress.

Who knows, maybe Cecil has a thing for flat-chested petite gals with sexy foreign accents....... oh right she's hiding her accent. Yeah, she's doomed.


((Luck: [roll0]))

[Deme]

Cecil looked them over, not in an 'a thing for' or not sense, but with the eyes of a designer. He was looking -- well, it'd not exactly be right to say he was looking for a human clothes-hanger, but he was looking for what would suit his dress better. Straight lines, a smooth, easy fit, something that worked with the length of skirt he had in mind...

He pointed, after some contemplation, at Victoria.

"Alright, would you mind getting undressed so I can try fitting this on you? This sort of gown's really best fitted to a live model, more than a dummy."

[TheAmishPirate]

Ms. Claire paused, and gave Cat a skeptical appraisal. Does this person not understand the premise of floors? Oh, well.

"The house has 3 floors -- the first, you've more or less seen; the second is bedrooms, a game room, the gym... And the third is the two work-rooms, the display room, and the rooftop conservatory."

She explained. "The yard has a few places worth showing you as well, of course."

This was getting to be a great deal of rooms. Cat would need an additional checklist. "Are there any rooms that you would like to remain private, and disable our services for said rooms?" she asked, preempting that eventual topic.

[Deme]

"No, that rather defeats the point of --"

She spoke quickly, and then ground to a stop as an idea formed behind her eyes.

"There is one room. Not that it doesn't need service, because you will need to dust. But other than that, everything in it must remain exactly as it is."

She sighed, and started up the stairs.

"I'll show it to you, so you understand which it is."

This path would take her onto the second floor, past a few likely-looking doors, and to a large wooden door. With a look of unease, she opened it.

The room was a large bedroom, with doors for a walk-in closet and bath. Decorated in warm green and earth tones, it gave off a peaceful feeling. An unnaturally peaceful feeling -- here and there, there were signs of something stopped, suddenly -- a white-and-floral-print dress, faded slighly, its hanger on a doorknob; items on the shelf, listing to one side as if things had been removed; a pair of dark loafers, next to the bed; Throw-pillows on the ottoman in front of the loveseat as opposed to on it; a blanket draped over said loveseat. Pictures framed on one wall, arranged in a sort of artistic pattern (they're a little hard to make out from this distance). One pair of curtains, near the bed, thrown open and looking out over the garden. The other, closed -- forever.

[Trobby]

Cecil looked them over, not in an 'a thing for' or not sense, but with the eyes of a designer. He was looking -- well, it'd not exactly be right to say he was looking for a human clothes-hanger, but he was looking for what would suit his dress better. Straight lines, a smooth, easy fit, something that worked with the length of skirt he had in mind...

He pointed, after some contemplation, at Victoria.

"Alright, would you mind getting undressed so I can try fitting this on you? This sort of gown's really best fitted to a live model, more than a dummy."

Connie instantly broke her pose and snapped her fingers indignantly at the rejection. She even briefly glared at Victoria, for daring to best her in this battle.

She also looked down at herself, indignant at her own body for failing to win this contest, and even more indignant at her uniform, for being so utterly unbearably plain.

She wanted to wear a nice dress. She wanted to make it look as good as possible, and she wanted to tear her current uniform apart until it was nothing but shreds.

Instead, she just stood there looking pouty and indignant.

[TheAmishPirate]

"No, that rather defeats the point of --"

She spoke quickly, and then ground to a stop as an idea formed behind her eyes.

"There is one room. Not that it doesn't need service, because you will need to dust. But other than that, everything in it must remain exactly as it is."

She sighed, and started up the stairs.

"I'll show it to you, so you understand which it is."

This path would take her onto the second floor, past a few likely-looking doors, and to a large wooden door. With a look of unease, she opened it.

The room was a large bedroom, with doors for a walk-in closet and bath. Decorated in warm green and earth tones, it gave off a peaceful feeling. An unnaturally peaceful feeling -- here and there, there were signs of something stopped, suddenly -- a white-and-floral-print dress, faded slighly, its hanger on a doorknob; items on the shelf, listing to one side as if things had been removed; a pair of dark loafers, next to the bed; Throw-pillows on the ottoman in front of the loveseat as opposed to on it; a blanket draped over said loveseat. Pictures framed on one wall, arranged in a sort of artistic pattern (they're a little hard to make out from this distance). One pair of curtains, near the bed, thrown open and looking out over the garden. The other, closed -- forever.

Cat stepped slowly into the room, such that even her wake would not disturb anything. She scanned her vision about, taking in all the details before her. With her measured step, dull colors, and neutral expression, she seemed as though she too belonged in this room; an eternal guardian, unchanging and uncaring. "I would assume," she spoke. "That in addition to removing dust, we must also take necessary precautions to ensure there is no unauthorized, haphazard access to this room, so as to preserve its state. Is this correct?"

She glanced at the pictures as she walked.

[Lycan 01]

"Undress? Er..." Victoria blinks a few times, before shrugging. "Alright."

She is from Europe, after all. Famous for its open-mindedness. And nude beaches.

...she proceeds to start unbuttoning her blouse.


Luck: [roll0] to fluster Cecil in an amusing manner, rather than make him angry or annoyed.

[Deme]

Cat stepped slowly into the room, such that even her wake would not disturb anything. She scanned her vision about, taking in all the details before her. With her measured step, dull colors, and neutral expression, she seemed as though she too belonged in this room; an eternal guardian, unchanging and uncaring. "I would assume," she spoke. "That in addition to removing dust, we must also take necessary precautions to ensure there is no unauthorized, haphazard access to this room, so as to preserve its state. Is this correct?"

She glanced at the pictures as she walked.

The pictures were of a couple -- fairly young, scattered through time here and there. A green-haired lady with a beaming smile, a sharp-looking man. Their respective families. A few limited fashion shows...
Their son, who would have been a very familiar sight to Cat... some long-ago, almost forgotten, sight. In none of the pictures is he older than 8 -- though, of course, in some, he's younger; there are baby pictures, even.

"I suppose it doesn't matter who enters, as long as they don't interfere with it... So, yes." She said, aware some people would. "Anyone on whom you cannot express its... Its..." Here, Claire faltered, for a moment. "Really, we've just never quite decided what we intended to do with all the things in here. That's all."


***


"Undress? Er..." Victoria blinks a few times, before shrugging. "Alright."

She is from Europe, after all. Famous for its open-mindedness. And nude beaches.

...she proceeds to start unbuttoning her blouse.


Luck: [roll0] to fluster Cecil in an amusing manner, rather than make him angry or annoyed.


Cecil watched her. Then flushed and looked away. Then he remembered that she was a model, and he was a designer, and this was fine, and he'd have to overcome his sheepishness at some point. And so he looked. And then looked away. Back and forth for a few minutes, until eventually, with a gulp, he looked over...And noticed she'd undressed, and waiting. Oops.

"Thank you very much."
With the care and delicacy of a person handling a snowflake made of glass, he took the dress off the dummy.
"This has to be done carefully..." If she eventually would cooperate, he'd slip it over her head. "There we go. I'll sew you in the rest of the way, so I can see how I'm doing."

He began a few stitches in the back.
"How is it fitting?"
((I'll leave you to decide that))

[Trobby]

Connie just grinned, and grinned, and grinned in amusement at this game. It almost made up for not being the one chosen to model.

...Almost. Connie still wanted to be the one doing the teasing, but observing it would have to do for now.

[Benson]

With Cat and Claire

Admittedly, a lot of what Claire and Cat were talking about went in one air and out the other within the pale maid's head. She unintentionally tuned them out having had been distracted by all the sights within the room. A room of memories...She warmly smiled upon seeing what was a baby picture of little Cecil, so cute. Her hand reached up and touched the picture of her crush, in a minor moment of derp, she accidentally nudged it just as Claire was saying something about the stuff to be undisturbed. Crapiscles.

She froze in place while the background behind her darkened with squiggly little vertical lines while she herself sweatdropped. "Gyaak..s-sorry.."

[TheAmishPirate]

With Cat and Claire

Admittedly, a lot of what Claire and Cat were talking about went in one air and out the other within the pale maid's head. She unintentionally tuned them out having had been distracted by all the sights within the room. A room of memories...She warmly smiled upon seeing what was a baby picture of little Cecil, so cute. Her hand reached up and touched the picture of her crush, in a minor moment of derp, she accidentally nudged it just as Claire was saying something about the stuff to be undisturbed. Crapiscles.

She froze in place while the background behind her darkened with squiggly little vertical lines while she herself sweatdropped. "Gyaak..s-sorry.."

A shadowy figure rose above the hapless maid. Eyes shining with cold, unforgiving steel gazed down upon her. The light darkened, thunder rolled in the distance, and all pleas of mercy were silenced before they began.

"Remove your hand from the picture, and step aside." Cat coldly commanded.

[Deme]

Claire decided that the best response to this...Was to see what would happen. These were new staff, nothing was broken or damaged yet, she'd take notes on their behavior for further assessment. The pen started to jot.

[Benson]

Crapisicles. Pen jotting. Probably about how such an unfit maid she was. Al's imagination went wild with the worst possible comments it could be.

"Right..yea......." Man, Cat was scary...and probably took her job way too seriously, or intensely...something. The silly maid stepped aside and gulped.

[Deme]

"It's no harm done. These aren't made of wet sand and hope, you know."

She said, waving a hand. She considered, briefly, admitting that, when it was hard and lonely -- especially in those first years -- she'd come in here and just... try and reach something. Touch the pictures. Try to get a sense of warmth from the clothes. If the place was to be undisturbed...It's so that the memories held there could be kept safe, and nothing more.

"Moving on."

[Lycan 01]

Victoria doesn't blush as she stands there in his skivvies. It seems the petitie maid favors black for her brazier and panties... the latter of which seems to sport a cute skull image or two. Odd.

She offers no opposition as he slips the dress onto her, keeping her fidgeting to a minimum, both to be professional and to avoid needle jabs. As he sews her in and asks how it fits, she looks down and runs her hands along her sides, hips, and... chest.

Or lack thereof.

She pats the loose fabric over his bossom a few times, before her head droops and her shoulders slump. "It's a bit loose in the front, sir..." she quietly observes. "Though that isn't a design flaw, necessarily. Just... something to bear in mind?" she mutters, unable to stop herself from fidgeting a bit. Stupid Fate, making her flat-chested. Skeletons had better cleavage than her.

Seriously. She'd studied them extensively.

[Trobby]

Connie doesn't shy away at observing the fellow maid, and every last detail she exposes.

"A bit of stuffing could fix that, or a pin in the front." Connie idly muses. A part of her is relieved she didn't have to slip into the dress.

"So..Cecil, is this dress going to be part of your debut?"

[Benson]

"It's no harm done. These aren't made of wet sand and hope, you know."

She said, waving a hand. She considered, briefly, admitting that, when it was hard and lonely -- especially in those first years -- she'd come in here and just... try and reach something. Touch the pictures. Try to get a sense of warmth from the clothes. If the place was to be undisturbed...It's so that the memories held there could be kept safe, and nothing more.

"Moving on."


"Of course yes, right, please," Alex sported an embarassed flush and dared not look at the intimidating Cat. She kept her eyes on Claire and awaited the next move.

[TheAmishPirate]

Crapisicles. Pen jotting. Probably about how such an unfit maid she was. Al's imagination went wild with the worst possible comments it could be.

"Right..yea......." Man, Cat was scary...and probably took her job way too seriously, or intensely...something. The silly maid stepped aside and gulped.


"It's no harm done. These aren't made of wet sand and hope, you know."

She said, waving a hand. She considered, briefly, admitting that, when it was hard and lonely -- especially in those first years -- she'd come in here and just... try and reach something. Touch the pictures. Try to get a sense of warmth from the clothes. If the place was to be undisturbed...It's so that the memories held there could be kept safe, and nothing more.

"Moving on."

No. Not yet. The orders clearly stated that the room was to be undisturbed. The clumsy maid had disturbed the picture by approximately .75425 inches. Their job was incomplete.

Catherine turned the weight of her disapproving gaze on the picture frame. She saw not the loving parents, not the face of an old friend, not a happy memory so carefully preserved. The pictures contents, after all, were meaningless. It was an object disturbed, and she would un-disturb it. Nothing less. Nothing more.

Prepare yourself, picture. Mercy is not within task parameters.

[Making a Skill roll to fix the picture just right: [roll0]]

[Deme]

Victoria doesn't blush as she stands there in his skivvies. It seems the petitie maid favors black for her brazier and panties... the latter of which seems to sport a cute skull image or two. Odd.

She offers no opposition as he slips the dress onto her, keeping her fidgeting to a minimum, both to be professional and to avoid needle jabs. As he sews her in and asks how it fits, she looks down and runs her hands along her sides, hips, and... chest.

Or lack thereof.

She pats the loose fabric over his bossom a few times, before her head droops and her shoulders slump. "It's a bit loose in the front, sir..." she quietly observes. "Though that isn't a design flaw, necessarily. Just... something to bear in mind?" she mutters, unable to stop herself from fidgeting a bit. Stupid Fate, making her flat-chested. Skeletons had better cleavage than her.

Seriously. She'd studied them extensively.

Cecil blushed, and hurried -- well, in this case, because he wasn't entirely confident with how close she wanted him to be to her chest, he hurried to the side. He lifted her arm a bit.

"Oh, don't worry about that -- since that's, um, a delicate area to fit, I mostly kept it loose until I had a model. It's easier to take in than let out..."

He muttered, uneasily, as his needle darted in and out of the side of the dress, pulling closer a seam just under her arm, which began to tighten the dress's chest.

"Really, though, you shouldn't be shy about it; most of the time, a designer doesn't expect a curvy model. Except for underwear or swimsuits."

To Connie's comment, he nodded.

"Yes. It's the last piece -- the showstopper. I, well... I wanted to do a tribute to my parents. My father made dresses like these, sometimes."


---

That picture is hung so level, man. You have not seen a more level picture.

"Anyway, on this floor we also have my bedroom and Master Cecil's -- which should be made and tidied, but unless it's obviously trash, not thrown away from."

She opened a door to a rather sparse-looking room, in neutral colors, which was clearly hers. The bed was already made, of course. It had a bookshelf, a desk, a closet, and a chair at said desk. It also had a nice little vanity, for looking tidy.

"All the rooms up here have on-suite bathrooms. Master Cecil's is at the end of the hall, but..."

She narrowed her eyes.

"We should probably check on when the last time he used it was."

[Trobby]

His father...

The young maid's eyes glazed over slightly, focused on on the world around her but a world within. A world of memories...

Memories of color, of proud pictures painted lavishly, of doting fathers, of long, boring lectures, and disapproving fathers.

Of tattered canvasses...

[Lycan 01]

"Oh, do you design underwear and swimsuits, too?" Victoria asks innocuously, with a curious little head tilt. She doesn't seem bothered by Cecil's proximity to her chest, and offers no opposition to him lifting her arm or otherwise moving around. "Are you needing models for those?"

[Deme]

Her lack of shyness was his own cue to calm down a bit, and his tone and movements became relaxed: once context was firmly established, his nerves vanished. He adjusted the fabric and made a few stitches until it fit more evenly against her chest.

"Oh, me? No, it's not something I've really done... But the company supports a few brands for both of them, and it's something you notice in the industry as a whole."

He stepped back and nodded appraisingly; for all the world -- well, barring the fact that nothing else about her is prepared for it -- like a lovely bride.

"Have you been working with us -- or, well, in the industry in general -- very long?"

[TheAmishPirate]

That picture is hung so level, man. You have not seen a more level picture.

"Anyway, on this floor we also have my bedroom and Master Cecil's -- which should be made and tidied, but unless it's obviously trash, not thrown away from."

She opened a door to a rather sparse-looking room, in neutral colors, which was clearly hers. The bed was already made, of course. It had a bookshelf, a desk, a closet, and a chair at said desk. It also had a nice little vanity, for looking tidy.

"All the rooms up here have on-suite bathrooms. Master Cecil's is at the end of the hall, but..."

She narrowed her eyes.

"We should probably check on when the last time he used it was."

Cat, satisfied with her work, followed along on the tour. Thankfully, the upper levels appeared to have less rooms than the lower levels. Easier to keep track of direction that way.

"Ms. Claire." She spoke up before they reached Cecil's room. "Is the maintenance of Master Cecil's well-being among the requirements of our position?"

[Deme]

She opened the door: Cecil's room was pretty tidy, actually; it had a bed, a bookshelf, a desk, a closet and a dresser, a lamp... It was a pretty ordinary-looking room, for a swank house, done in greens not dissimilar to the color of his hair and sort of warm creamy colors. It looked like no one had been in it for a while -- the bed was made, clothes in the hamper, notebooks and sketchbooks stacked tidily on the desk...

Claire clicked her tongue, somehow dissatistified.

"He has not been getting to bed. And yes, yes, it's your job, it's my job, it's the dog's job. This is his house, and his company -- soon enough -- and you work in maintanence of it and of him."

She glared at the room, her voice rising a tick in frustration, clearly leaving unsaid -- 'and he's making it so difficult.'

[TheAmishPirate]

She opened the door: Cecil's room was pretty tidy, actually; it had a bed, a bookshelf, a desk, a closet and a dresser, a lamp... It was a pretty ordinary-looking room, for a swank house, done in greens not dissimilar to the color of his hair and sort of warm creamy colors. It looked like no one had been in it for a while -- the bed was made, clothes in the hamper, notebooks and sketchbooks stacked tidily on the desk...

Claire clicked her tongue, somehow dissatistified.

"He has not been getting to bed. And yes, yes, it's your job, it's my job, it's the dog's job. This is his house, and his company -- soon enough -- and you work in maintanence of it and of him."

She glared at the room, her voice rising a tick in frustration, clearly leaving unsaid -- 'and he's making it so difficult.'

Something hardened in Cat's eyes, and she gave a shallow bow. "Required: Daily schedule. Emphasis: Morning and evening appointments. Master Cecil will receive adequate rest and nourishment." she swore, like a loyal samurai before their daiymo.

[Deme]

"Thank you. Though I should add... It's important that this collection gets done on time."

She accepted the bow with a nod.

"He changed some of it just recently; much too close to showtime...He really does take after..."

Claire muttered, her expression briefly concerned -- if exasperated. She cleared her throat, regaining her posture.

"Alright, then. That's it for living spaces, outside of your own... There's one other major concern, but before I do... How do you feel about dogs?"

[TheAmishPirate]

"Thank you. Though I should add... It's important that this collection gets done on time."

She accepted the bow with a nod.

"He changed some of it just recently; much too close to showtime...He really does take after..."

"Affirmative. Adding parameters: The collection will be complete, and Master Cecil will be healthy."


Claire muttered, her expression briefly concerned -- if exasperated. She cleared her throat, regaining her posture.

"Alright, then. That's it for living spaces, outside of your own... There's one other major concern, but before I do... How do you feel about dogs?"

Cat's eyes flashed, and she stiffened even more than usual. "Dogs...are wild, loud, without any sense of propriety and decorum, and possess an unhealthy obsession with their own useless tails."

"...why do you ask this?" she asked guardedly.

[Deme]

"I meant, for example, a phobia or difficulty."

Normally, Claire screened people about this, but everything about the hiring of these maids had been irregular.

"If, say, an old sheepdog were to run at you covered in mud and slobber all over you..." She did not look comfortable with this description of events herself.

[Trobby]

Her lack of shyness was his own cue to calm down a bit, and his tone and movements became relaxed: once context was firmly established, his nerves vanished. He adjusted the fabric and made a few stitches until it fit more evenly against her chest.

"Oh, me? No, it's not something I've really done... But the company supports a few brands for both of them, and it's something you notice in the industry as a whole."

He stepped back and nodded appraisingly; for all the world -- well, barring the fact that nothing else about her is prepared for it -- like a lovely bride.

"Have you been working with us -- or, well, in the industry in general -- very long?"

The question brought Connie slightly out of her flash of memories.

"Well, I was told that I was selected for my qualifications as a temp employee, so I assume the same is true for all of us." She says to Cecil. "We're all temps, though I guess we do have that one thing in common.

All of us were at the same show."

[Deme]

When she said this, he beamed at her, his eyes bright and shining.

"You did? Oh, what a relief." A relieved sigh escaped him, his shoulders relaxing a notch, his gaze dipping. "I've never tried anything like this, so I thought I wasn't really sure I could get the right people...I, um, was working backstage that night.
It was a favor."

He amended that part to the end in something of a hurry.

[Trobby]

On that, Connie perked up. In fact, her uniform perked up as welll, as her tail raised in excitement, but more noticeable even than that was her expression, starting first with a sudden shock of surprise, then slowly, smoothly, comfortably slipping into a big, self-satisfied grin.

"So...what you're saying, essentially, is that you hand-picked us specifically, that you in some small way...'like' us."

The way she smiled as she said this, and the way she slid her hips back and forth as she closed the space between them, made the message quite clear: not just a 'like', but a "like" like.

[Lycan 01]

Her lack of shyness was his own cue to calm down a bit, and his tone and movements became relaxed: once context was firmly established, his nerves vanished. He adjusted the fabric and made a few stitches until it fit more evenly against her chest.

"Oh, me? No, it's not something I've really done... But the company supports a few brands for both of them, and it's something you notice in the industry as a whole."

He stepped back and nodded appraisingly; for all the world -- well, barring the fact that nothing else about her is prepared for it -- like a lovely bride.

"Have you been working with us -- or, well, in the industry in general -- very long?"


The question brought Connie slightly out of her flash of memories.

"Well, I was told that I was selected for my qualifications as a temp employee, so I assume the same is true for all of us." She says to Cecil. "We're all temps, though I guess we do have that one thing in common.

All of us were at the same show."


When she said this, he beamed at her, his eyes bright and shining.

"You did? Oh, what a relief." A relieved sigh escaped him, his shoulders relaxing a notch, his gaze dipping. "I've never tried anything like this, so I thought I wasn't really sure I could get the right people...I, um, was working backstage that night.
It was a favor."

He amended that part to the end in something of a hurry.


On that, Connie perked up. In fact, her uniform perked up as welll, as her tail raised in excitement, but more noticeable even than that was her expression, starting first with a sudden shock of surprise, then slowly, smoothly, comfortably slipping into a big, self-satisfied grin.

"So...what you're saying, essentially, is that you hand-picked us specifically, that you in some small way...'like' us."

The way she smiled as she said this, and the way she slid her hips back and forth as she closed the space between them, made the message quite clear: not just a 'like', but a "like" like.

"Hm? What? Industry?" Victoria blinked, having zoned out a bit while trying to come up with an appropriate response. "Ah, yes, I'm afraid I'm still rather new at this. My previous lines of work did not quite pan out, so for the time being, I'm trying my hand at other things. But hey, if it pays the bills?" she says with a shrug and a meek smile. "I'm fine with sticking with it."

She'd rather be digging up graves or making unspeakable amalgams of flesh and bone and live electricity, but eh, that doesn't pay the bills, generally. Only adds to them.

[Deme]

"Well, that's good," he said to Victoria, not at first noticing the approach. "What did you do before --"

This was halted in its tracks by that bombshell of a statement, his eyes losing focus on the matter at hand, and onto the swing of Connie's hips. He blanched. He flushed. His wrang his hands, deft habit and some awareness causing him to miss the needle.
For a second, he sputtered, his nerves aflutter in the wind.

"Well, I mean, I wouldn't put it exactly -- it's a little complicated -- I was sort of picking randomly, but -- I mean, I was very impressed, and..."

And he paused, and looked at the dress as Victoria was wearing it. Something seemed to overcome him. He nodded fiercely, his eyes shining with an earnest zeal. He clutched one of Victoria's hands, and made a sudden grab at Connie's, and held one hand in each fist. He grinned like a dope.

"Oh, have either of you ever been in love?"

[Lycan 01]

Well that escalated quickly.

Victoria blinks a few times in confusion, both from having her hand held, and from the sudden personal inquiry. "Bwuh?" he blurbles back, momentarily bewildered. She then gives an aloof shrug. "Er, no, I am afraid. I have never really had much time or opportunity for romance. Do not get me wrong, I have thought about it before. But I always felt that the work required to find someone who suited me would be... quite the endeavor."

There would be so much graverobbing involved. Then she'd have to find the right brain bits to make a matching personality. Not to mention all the tools and supplies needed to put him together. Ugh, so not worth it for just a pet project...

[TheAmishPirate]

"I meant, for example, a phobia or difficulty."

Normally, Claire screened people about this, but everything about the hiring of these maids had been irregular.

"If, say, an old sheepdog were to run at you covered in mud and slobber all over you..." She did not look comfortable with this description of events herself.

"...then it would deeply and immediately regret its mistake." Cat replied with a voice of iron.

[Trobby]

The sudden motion of grabbing her hand out from mid-air, especially when it was already on a collision course with prodding the center of Cecil's chest, threw Connie off her balance for a moment.

But the question he had asked of her threw her off for more than just that.

She had to seriously think about the implications of the question - a question she was not at all prepared for and, in her long, long life, a question she'd never been asked.

Not even by herself.

"Well...I...mean that's quite a question to ask a lady, Cecil." She says, diverting it rather than answering it. "Have you?"

[Deme]

"Duly noted. I will mark this as an unperformable duty in your files."

She didn't say it as a threat, but hey -- Cat were threatening the boss' dog. The reply then likely sounded somewhat threatening.

"I'd advised caution going into the back yard. And you?"

She turned to the other maid, who'd been quiet for much of this leg of the tour.

---

Cecil had already sort of taken a flying leap off of his nerves, so the best he could do was nod along at, well, mostly Victoria's comment, though conveniently he could answer Connie's question.

"I'm about the same way; I've thought about it, but it seemed like something that was always for somebody else. Someone who could deal with people better, for one thing."

He chuckled a little uneasily, but his expression perked back up right after. He was a little giddy, frankly, and rocked on the balls of his feet. His face flushed...But rather than release their hands, he clutched them a bit closer.

"But during the show... I saw something so... beautiful. Like an angel, maybe. My heart's pounding just thinking about, and whenever I do... I just feel like there's still so much left to make."

He let go of Connie's hand to gesture at his designs, which frankly looked pretty good; looking at some of the colors, you could maybe see a bit of that giddiness, that bright spring rush. There were just little things that seemed to have a tiny bit of extra care in them.

"I guess I'm saying... I might have fallen in love just a little."

Just a little, Cecil? Blushing, he let go of their hands apologetically. Compared to how nervous he normally seemed, the change in energy seems to have washed over him like a wave and left him gleaming.

[Trobby]

It was extremely suprising to see Cecil burst with such excitement and passion.

Connie, naturally, decided to encourage it.

"My my, feelings for one of the designers maybe? Or have you fallen for one of your own models?" She asked coyly, curling her chestnut hair around in her finger and placing the other hand on her chest. "How scandalous, how uncouth..." She said, gesticulating with one hand, then the other, before grinning like a wolf at the young man.

"How romantic, do tell us more. Who is the lucky person?" She asked, leaning in with keen interest.

[Deme]

"For Ronaldo? Me?"

This somehow caused him to blush more, but with a bit of a real laugh. It was better than thinking about the actual answer.

"I know the old stereotype, but I don't think he's interested in men. Or women. Or things that aren't art."

He shook off the idea of what dating his only friend would be like. There'd probably be a lot of flash. When Avant-garde dating that would crush the societal order of human affection had faded from his head as an image, though, he was left with only the truth. The simple fact. The enthusiasm died.

"But as for who, um... Well..." For a long time he was very quiet, his shoulders raised and his head down, looking like he was trying to escape into his blazer. He was a failure at love. "You two know...about me, right? My, um, condition?...Well, that's how it is, so... I... um... Don't know."

[Trobby]

There was a lingering question in the air. Connie after all hadn't been with the organization for long, and she'd essentially just met this man today - if she'd met him before, she surely did not remember, though now that she knew him a bit, she wished she had - but that aside, there was one thing he had mentioned that buzzed inside her head that she absolutely, positively could not hold onto for another second.

"Who's Ronaldo?" She asked cluelessly. "Oh, nevermind...it was a very busy night after all. You might not've recognized them unless they had-"

Ah, a thought crossed her mind. Carefully, but without much thought as to who was watching, she undid the front of her apron, and rolled her blouse up to just beneath her chest.

Then, from beneath the blouse, she allowed her set of characteristic batlike wings to sprout forth, fluttering in the air as they escaped before settling into a resting position.

"Did they have wings like these?" She asked, letting Cecil get a good look at them. She would have to later, she thought to herself, add something in the back to let them out more easily, but for now, this would do.

[Lycan 01]

"Beautiful like an angel? No, that would not be me," Victoria replies with a lofty giggle. "I'm afraid you... wait, what? Condition?" She raises an eyebrow curiously. Hadn't she heard about this? Claire had said something about it, right? She was kinda hazy on the details. And asking would be a bad idea. Quick, distraction! "Uh, well-"

Oh hey bat wings.

The girl next to her has bat wings.

Neat.

Victoria blinks a few times, before pointing a finger at Connie. "Uh, those aren't angel wings?" How very astute, Victoria...

[Trobby]

"Very astute of you, Vicky." Connie replied with a mild pout, crossing her arms...and did her blouse slither a bit there? Huh... "It was quite a hectic night though, so perhaps Cecil was just a bit mistaken...but yes, they are not bat wings, and I have them."

She then turned back to Cecil, aware of her evocative state of dress, and grinned at him flirtatiously

"Well, Cecil? Am I your mystery angel?"

[Benson]

"Duly noted. I will mark this as an unperformable duty in your files."

She didn't say it as a threat, but hey -- Cat were threatening the boss' dog. The reply then likely sounded somewhat threatening.

"I'd advised caution going into the back yard. And you?"

She turned to the other maid, who'd been quiet for much of this leg of the tour.



"Huh...wha?" She had kinda spaced out for a moment, her thoughts elsewhere. "The dog thing?...Well I am pretty sure I would yelp and then yelp out when the inevitable happens and I get dog-mudded and end up dry sobbing?" She awkwardly smiled and chuckled and then just kinda stared at the ground.

[Deme]

Cecil flushed a little, caught off-guard by the sudden shirt removal. He laughed it off instead, shaking his head.

"I, uh, didn't see anyone's back, I'm afraid; She was getting ready for the show, so she was in one of Ronaldo's designs, so... I have no idea what she really looks like. Even less than normal."

Since the designs had involved wigs, he didn't even know the color of her hair. Still, when he thought about her, a dreamy look crossed his face. It was a beautiful serene smile.

"No, it wasn't what she looked like... It was how she was that was so wonderful, so wonderful I can hardly imagine --" His breathless revery came to an abrupt stop. "Wait, why do you have bat wings?"

---

Claire stared at them both, her face full of restraint. Visible restraint, struggling against the forces of disappointment.

"Then do not enter the back yard without cover, and I will make a note of it on the duty roster, as we are in possession of an old sheepdog."

[Trobby]

Now in times like this, it would be prudent to make up some clever lie to explain away such an unusual set of appendages, so as not to blow her cover.

Not only was Connie anything but, but the entire point was to get him to recognize her, so she did not even try.

"Oh I am a demon. A succubus in fact, a daughter of the ninth level of hell itself." She said as casually as one would describe an odd birthmark, shifting her shirt back into place. "But don't worry, I don't mean you mortals any harm. I'm just here to have a bit of...shall we say, 'fun'?"

As an afterthought, very casually, she added "Oh but please, Cecil, don't go telling Ms Claire about this. I'd...really hate to have to leave so soon, when we've just started toget to know each other."