Dedication (Nina / BlueSlime)

[Guan Yu]

Re: Nina (BlueSlime)

Iris shows her gratitude for the food with a small nod. She exchanges a voiceless introduction with Jashi, who admits to being quite surprised at the sight of an eastern girl so far away from home. "It would've been nice to thank the one who offered us this chance as fast as possible, but I'd imagine it's better to let the mistress of the house have her beauty sleep." the oni says, taking Nina up on her offer to see the unused forge after they are finished here.

Among the idle talk at the table, Jashi lays his eyes on Iris' sword, immidiately getting curious about such a design. The blind girl had already eaten everything, so she stood up and went over to Jashi's side. Before she can take the sheathed sword from her belt, Iris' blindfolded eyes meet with Patch's for a quick second. Immidiately put on guard, the girl makes a somewhat loud nonsense sound as she backs away to the corner of the room. Pressed against the wall, she holds her sword partially unsheathed in front of her, shaking visibly from fright.

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: Nina (BlueSlime)

Nina stood up... "Iris... what's the matter?" She looked between her and Patch, and then to Jashi.

"Please Iris, calm down. Shh... it's me..." Nina tried to approach Iris carefully and put a hand over the one gripping the blade. "Jashi has already let on that there is a mystic force inside of Patch. Do not be frightened. She won't harm us, isn't that right Patch? Jashi?"

She looked over her shoulder at the two guests, searching for an encouraging sign of non-hostility. She feared what the force inside Iris might do if it sensed an enemy inside of Patch.

 

[Guan Yu]

Re: Nina (BlueSlime)

"Ah...aaah.." Iris makes more nondescript sounds as she moves away to another corner, trying to get away from the little girl as Nina holds onto her hand to prevent her possible attack. The girl and Jashi don't show any hostility towards her, though the oni looks at the scene with the same wondering as the rest of the people present. Before long, Iris lets go of the blade and ducks down into the corner, curling into a shivering little ball. Whatever she detected in Patch has forced the blind girl into a stage of primitive fright.

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: Nina (BlueSlime)

"I'm going to take Iris back to her room. Jashi would you mind walking with us for just a moment? Just you?"

Nina cradled Iris and wrapped her in her arms as she brought her up and to the dining room door, opening it and leading Iris out, stroking her hair and whispering words of comfort.

Once they were outside and Jashi had followed she turned to him.

"Jashi, I think that it would be best if Patch was kept away from Iris. There is obviously something inside of Patch that is frightening my friend. She is sensitive to the supernatural, I think, and she is not a coward by any stretch of the imagination. You and I and some more knowledgeable people are going to need to discuss Patch at length. You are both welcome to stay with us, but I'd like to know exactly *what* Patch has inside her and I'd like to know that it isn't a danger to those I love and care for. So please, if you have any sort of control over Patch, please use it to contain her. I will be with you soon to show you to the forge."

Nina left the oni then and brought Iris back to her room, where she sat the girl down and sat beside her, hugging and stroking the girl's back. She would stay with Iris until the girl showed signs of recovery.

 

[Guan Yu]

Re: Nina (BlueSlime)

Jashi turns his head towards Patch as Nina asks him. "Are you willing to be by yourself a little while?" she asks the girl. Not receiving an answer in a while, he sets his hand in front of the girl who casually steps on it and lets herself be lowered to a chair. "I won't be gone for long." the oni assures the book-reading girl before stepping out of the room after Nina and Iris.

Once they are out of the room, Jashi listens to Nina in his usual fashion before turning over his answers. "Unfortunately, I have no idea what the deal with her is and no control over her. I've never actually seen her do anything harmful either, aside from the incident that brought us together. Sorry, but I can't be of much help as far as she is concerned..." the oni says as they arrive near Iris' room, waiting near the door and letting Nina deal with Iris' frightened state in all due time.

It takes about half an hour in Nina's embrace to stop Iris' uncontrollable shaking. Not long after, she starts to return to her normal calm self

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: Nina (BlueSlime)

"I think it's best that I get Jashi and Patch set up in the Forge and once I'm done with that, maybe you'll find a way to tell us what you sensed... We'll be careful, okay? I'll be back to check on you in a bit."

She stepped outside and then wasted little time in getting Jashi and Patch set up in the forge building. Along the way she would find the time to report the occurrance to Lynette and Valkenayn, and she advised them to keep an eye on Iris and inform Haku when they got the chance. Perhaps the eastern man would know more, or be able to communicate with Iris about the matter.

She then set up Jashi and Patch and asked them if they needed anything else.

Ultimately, Nina just wanted to wait until everyone - Iliana, Haku, Iris, Lynette, and the others could get together and really discuss Jashi and Patch. Nina had the disturbing feeling that Patch might be an even greater danger than all the ogres, unless some of the mystery was brought to light. They really needed information...

 

[Guan Yu]

Re: Nina (BlueSlime)

Iris showed that she understood with her usual slight nod, letting Nina know that she was feeling calm and collected once more as the green-haired girl leaves to look after the new guests.

Jashi was waiting outside for Nina, asking about Iris to check if the girl was alright. The oni had wanted to see Iris' blade, as his curiousity had been aroused by the design of the concealed sword. But he knew better to bring the blind girl near Patch anytime soon, and held back his investigation desires for now. They leave for the dining hall to pick up Patch. The girl hasn't moved an inch, still completely absorbed by her reading, under the watchful eyes of both Lynette and Valkenhayn who had been there to witness the scene alongside Nina. Offering up his huge hand, Jashi picks Patch up and places the little girl back on his shoulder as they depart for the forge outside.

The small workshop building has everything a smith could ask for within, all the necessary tools along with plenty of materials and stuff to keep the fires bright. There's even a separate area to eat and sleep behind a small inner wall. "This is really something.. I couldn't really expect such a great spot to be working at. I hope the Lady of the house wakes up soon, I really want to thank her for providing me with such a fine estabilishment to work at." Jashi says as he inspects the place, blowing off the small layer of dust from each tool as looks through them. "No, I'm not in need of everything else, thank you. I'll just get to starting up the operations here, soon you'll have all the work that needs doing covered. I'll be happy to put my skills to use." the oni says, letting Nina carry on with whatever she had to do.

Opening up to Lynette about her suspicions, Nina finds the one-eyed blonde agreeing with her. "A new meeting could be arranged, yes. But it'll take a while for the others to come back as Haku and Elise are in town. Not to mention the Lady is having her needed sleep." With a slight shrug, the head maid agrees to call the two back, telling Nina to do something she wanted to do in the meantime. It would take a few hours at least for everyone to be available.

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: Nina (BlueSlime)

At a loss for anything else to do about the situation, Nina agrees to spend the next few hours doing maid work around the mansion, trying to ease her mind on the whole subject. After about half an hour of simple chores, she goes in to check on Iris again. Nina was beginning to feel fatigued herself, and she realized that she hadn't had much in the way of comfortable sleep since her trek through the sand.

"Hello again, Iris," Nina said before stifling a yawn. "No after-effects, yet? Would you mind if I rested in here with you for a bit? I don't feel like being alone, yet i could really do with some rest."

 

[Guan Yu]

Re: Nina (BlueSlime)

After a bit of dusting and cleaning around the mansion, Nina finds herself at Iris' room for the second time in just a short passage of time. The blind girl seemed happy to have the other girl there, letting Nina use her modest mattress if she so desired, offering to be there next to her if she wanted to. Iris didn't show any signs about possible after-effects, perfectly normal once again.

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: Nina (BlueSlime)

Nina didn't object to the blind girl lying beside her, but as soon as her head hit the pillow she began to drift off to sleep, her weariness catching up to her. She murmured her thanks to Iris for nothing in particular and then began to gently snore...

 

[Guan Yu]

Re: Nina (BlueSlime)

With a few hours passing as she dozed off, Nina finds herself waked up by the combined efforts of Iris and Lynette. "The others have arrived. With the exception of the guard captain and Isaku, the group has gathered. We're still waiting for the Lady to get dressed so she can take part." the head maid informs her, giving Nina the time to properly wake up before leaving towards the study with both girls in tow.

Upon entering, Nina finds the group there, with Iliana still missing but entering not too long after her. The mistress takes her chair proper before taking a look around the room, Iris finding her way near the commanding woman in short notice. "So, our new guests have already caused a stir? Valkenhayn informed me that much. We'll start from the beginning." the Lady of the house says as she assumes control, keeping her eyes on the move as she waits for the conversation to start.

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: Nina (BlueSlime)

Seeing no one else step forward to explain, Nina took it upon herself to start in on the explanation. She did a quick summary of what she'd experienced in meeting and traveling with Jashi and Patch, and then the reaction that Iris had with Patch in the dining room. She finished by explaining that Jashi and Patch were currently bunked up in the forge.

 

[Guan Yu]

Re: Nina (BlueSlime)

Nina tells the story from the beginning, quickly but with all the important details there. Everyone present pays her the necessary attention, Haku and Elise being the ones most interested about the whole ordeal. Once Nina was finished, Iliana asked around for opinions, quickly getting one from the priestess. "It does sound like something is hiding inside the little girl's body. I think a banishment spell of sorts could work." is Elise's suggestion. Haku however, is quick to stump the idea. "Really? Who do you think has enough potential magic power to cast such a spell? No offense good sister, but you don't have what it takes if Iris' reaction is any indication towards the invading presence's power." the eastern warrior replies with his echoing voice, still concealed under his helmet.

Before the two of them start any head-butting, Iliana breaks them away from each other. "So, no real way to work this out under current circumstances?" she asks, getting no answer from the others. "So, Haku. Can you somehow give us an answer what exactly it is that Iris saw in the little girl's eyes?" the mistress continues, getting a stern nod in reply from the warrior. "I'll try, we share an empathic bond with each other. I'll be able to make something out." Having said that, the armored man moves over to Iris' side and takes the girl in his embrace. "Now, my dear student, please share your thoughts with me." he says to Iris, keeping their heads touching as he started to ask things from the girl. Haku keeps Iris against himself during the entire time, questioning her in some language Nina was unable to understand.

Before long, Haku retreats, petting Iris on the head. "You told me anything you could, Iris.." he says before turning to the others. "My dear student was not completely able to reveal what she felt, but there was a strong presence within the girl's mind. A hint of sorrow and loss was briefly eminent among all the magical power, but soon got lost among the roiling power again. A vague humanoid shape was also detectable. That's all I can make out."

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: Nina (BlueSlime)

"Was Iris' reaction merely to the power of the presence within the girl? Or was the possessing entity showing signs of hostility as well? I think it might be important to find a way to communicate with the being and discover its purpose before we go about attempting to banish it. If it's so powerful, we don't want to risk upsetting it without knowing if it's possible to mollify it. Ideally, we should want to seek a way to separate it from the girl without conflict. We also can't afford to be too distracted right now, not with the ogres still out there."

After that Nina stayed silent. She had said her piece and hoped someone had a good idea about moving forward with the situation. Strong possessing spirits was a bit out of her league in this game... she was just learning how to swing a sword right. Magic was a whole new issue.

 

[Guan Yu]

Re: Nina (BlueSlime)

"The presence didn't show any signs of attention towards the outside world, looks like it's just... lingering there in the girl's body. The spirit seems to be as uncaring as Patch herself." Haku replies to Nina. Elise pokes in to the conversation once more. "If that really is the case, we should keep an eye on the girl and seek out someone who can communicate with the spirit as soon as possible. This might be troublesome since we have to split attention to two different fronts..."

With no other suggestions offered, Iliana takes the suggestion offered by Nina and Elise as the one to follow. The priestess herself offers to remain at the mansion in case something happened, as does Haku for the exact same reasons. With the plan now prepared, the mistress dismisses everyone, leaving them free to do things they saw best at the current moment.

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: Nina (BlueSlime)

Nina decided to hang around with Lynette, getting back to the business of her training as a maid in the mansion. She would spend the day cleaning rooms, doing laundry, and running errands for anyone who might have need of her. She took her direct orders from Lynette, unless the Lady Iliana gave her any direct orders. She would keep up the work until it came close to dinner time, when she made her way to the kitchens and aid Lynette in the preparations. She would bring Isaku his meals, and he would bring separate meals to Jashi and Patch as well.

She would of course see to any special request asked of her.

 

[Guan Yu]

Re: Nina (BlueSlime)

The two maids spent their time doing housework as originally was intended before the ogre invasion and Jashi's arrival. Doing everything one would imagine a maid to do until dinnertime, the pair set about making the food when time was due. With her usual skill, Lynette prepares the dinner, letting Nina add some things of her own if the aspiring maid so desired. With the food prepared, Lynette sets aside the portions for Isaku, Jashi and Patch. She gives the first box over to be taken to Isaku.

The guard was doing well, reporting no disturbances or alerts townside. He gives Nina a friendly pet on the head as thanks for bringing over his food and cheered her on. With the huge man looked after, the green-haired girl went to pick up another set of food and headed towards Jashi's workshop next.

The oni smith had managed to get the forge up and running within few hours, though was not sure what to make as his first work. Taking the food from Nina, Jashi asked the rookie maid about the Lady's preferred equipment. He had decided to use his new forge to give the mistress of the house a piece of kit that she would be proud to have.

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: Nina (BlueSlime)

"That is nice of you, Jashi," Nina said as he considered his question. "The lady is primarily an archer, but she is also a knife fighter, so if you wanted to make her a new knife, I'm sure it would be appreciated." She nodded, and then, with a quirky smile, added, "Maybe a nice ridged grip on the handle."

She set the food down and told the oni that she would be back to take away the food after the mistress' dinner was done.

Nina headed back to the mansion proper and after double-checking with Lynette that everything was going well, she went to inform Iris, Iliana, and any guests such as Haku who might be joining them, that dinner was ready to be served. She then aided Lynette in setting the table and bringing the finished meals out for everyone. She then poured drinks and stood back to let her beloved mistress and Miss Iris dine in comfort.

She felt proud of the work she had done that day. Life as a warrior-maid was quite rewarding, especially with all the bizarre yet wonderful people she worked with and for. She gave Lynette an appreciative smile for all the guidance she had given her thus far.

 

[Guan Yu]

Re: Nina (BlueSlime)

"A dagger it is then. I'm no bowyer or fletcher, making a good bow is way out from my league. But, a ridged grip? I could make one just so, with a grip made entirely for one wielder, with a small ridge between each finger." the oni ponders aloud, already going through ideas in his head as he goes over to the table behind the small inner wall and starts to unpack his food from the box. He gives a casual "Alright" as Nina says she'll come to fetch the empty dishes later before leaving the workshop, heading towards her other duties.

Once everyone was there in the dining hall, Nina started to serve up the food, assisting the seasoned head maid in the task of presenting all the people present there their parts of the dinner. With drinks and foodstuffs brought to the table, the aspiring maid moved away to witness the vent from the back. Still, Lynette leaves Nina's side a little bit later, bringing along another pair of dinner plates. She sets one in front of the empty seat next to Iliana, goes to the other side of the table and sets the other next to a empty seat near Valkenhayn before sitting down next to the butler.

The mistress herself stops eating for a while, gesturing Nina to come forward and sit down next to her. "Eat with us now, you deserve to sit down among us. You are a part of this household like Iris or Lynette is, and we eat together." the woman says to her. "Don't make Lynette feel bad about her food. She might not show it, but has a certain degree of her pride invested in each meal."

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: Nina (BlueSlime)

At the mere suggestion that she might be somehow showing disdain for Lynette's cooking, Nina quickly took a seat by her mistress' side.

"I meant no affront to your cooking Lynette... honest. I just... I just liked seeing you all enjoy your food. I don't know. It makes me happy."

She bowed her head, a little ashamed for having admitted to such an odd thing, but then she picked up her knife and fork and began to devour Lynette's cooking with an eager and somewhat unladylike appetite.

If any light conversation began at the table she would after a time eventually join in, unable to help herself from chattering. But she was beginning to conform to the decorum of her role little by little, and so she would not be overly loud in her conversation, and would always defer to others who 'outranked' her.