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Ashbourne Estates (game thread)


Re: Ashbourne Estates (game thread)

As Peaches glances around, certain there was another maid starting today but unable see her, she looks back to where she was sure the girl was to find an unfamilair figure standing there. Wearing a maid uniform that matched those of the Ashbourne household, this one with gold colourings, the girl was almost a flawless work of art, her bodyshape and cheeks a very artist's definition of perfection. That said, her silver eyes had an unusual hardness about them and she was not eating along with the rest of them but simply watching.

Of course, the most alarming part was that as far as she knew, she had not met this girl. And hadn't Danielle made it very clear that she was the only member of the household staff outside of the newcomers who had arrived today?
 
Re: Ashbourne Estates (game thread)

The silver-eyed girl was sitting to one side, her hands folded in the pleats of her skirted lap, her gaze a thousand miles away. She was so still that she may as well have been a statue. Legs crossed at the ankle, straight-backed, she bore a tiny, indolent smile. Her fine grey hair was braided to the low of her back, and her skin was deathly pale... perhaps more-so than even the Lady Ashbourne herself.

When the pipe-bearing maid turned to glance Sabine's direction, however, the girl lifted her head slightly, nodding gently as her smile grew in acknowledgement. If she noticed any particular scent coming off of the other maid, she made absolutely no show of it, not even the dreaded nose-wrinkle.
 
Re: Ashbourne Estates (game thread)

Peaches found herself staring dumbly over the rims of her glasses at the girl she hadn't seen before, a piece of bread stopped in the air, halfway between her mouth and it's resting place on the plate. "Who, wh- uhh..." she muttered, confused. "Have we... where, where you always there?"
 
Re: Ashbourne Estates (game thread)

Though she didn't blush, Sabine had the good faith to duck her head sheepishly. "I was," she murmured... or maybe it was more likely that when she opened her mouth, a quiet, warmly-burred noise came out that didn't quite seem to match up with her lips. "I seem to fade into the background a lot," she clarified. "I was dusting around the house, so you may have lost track of me?" She hoped that that would mollify the purple-haired young woman. After she'd finished speaking, her eyes blinked closed twice... only then did it seem noticeable that she'd held them open for the entirety of the conversation so far.
 
Re: Ashbourne Estates (game thread)

"Oh... I suppose that could be it," Peaches said back, though she didn't sound very convinced. How could she not remember such a distinctive face? "Well, would you like to introduce yourself as well, Miss... um, sorry, what was your name?"
 
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Re: Ashbourne Estates (game thread)

Jessara turned when the New girl spoke but not nearly as shocked, to be nt told of other working on an estate was not uncommen, she found masters rarely felt the need to fill in their servants of the going ons around the house. She watched cautiously as Peaches and the new girl conversed, wondering why Peaches was so shocked and wondering if she should be too...
 
Re: Ashbourne Estates (game thread)

Elaina stayed silent, observing this newcomer. She didn't like to admit to the fact that she honestly had not noticed this new girl before, or that she had managed to appear out of nowhere. Elaina did not like to be taken by surprise... mostly out of fear of being trapped and chained again.

So, there was one more girl in the house. Something seemed strange about her. She didn't blink nearly often enough, and she seemed so perfect - as though she were designed by some deity.

If the new girl were to glance Elaina's way, she'd see the soldier maid staring at her, as if she were an enigma or a riddle that very much needed to be solved. It was not an antagonizing stare by any means, it was very cool, very observant.
 
Re: Ashbourne Estates (game thread)

"I am Sabine," the young woman replied, smiling warmly and blinking again with a quiet, mechanical click. "Sabine Suneva, if you wish. My mother was Canova Suneva -- she was a famous sculptor, though I profess I did not inherit her talent. You said your name was Peaches, earlier today?" the grey-haired maid asked. "I like that. I think it fits."

Sabine briefly acknowledged Jessara when the blue-haired girl cast a cautions gaze their way. She ducked her head again in a quick nod, and cast a smile towards Elaina despite the somewhat cool stare the soldier-turned-maid was giving her in turn. Unphased by the looks she was drawing, Sabine turned her attention back to Peaches.

The living sculpture had an odd sense of patience; she was used to standing for days without moving, for example, so she felt that this short break would likely not be long enough to really get to know any of the other girls. A pity... while she was grateful to the Lady of the estate for a place to live and honest work, she felt strangely comfortable with these other girls more than anywhere else in the mansion. She hadn't felt a connection like this for a long time, and it left her wishing she could sit and speak with each in turn for hours. Maybe tonight, if the rest of them weren't exhausted from the day's work, she could find some time to speak to them all and learn a little about each of them in turn.
 
Re: Ashbourne Estates (game thread)

As the group finished up their meal, Danielle collected the empty bowls. "With lunch finished, it's time to organise afternoon work assignments," she said as she gathered them up dilligantly. "As before, the grounds and gardens of the manor require work still and the upstairs storage room needs organising and storing away in the basement, both are big jobs that will take some time to get ontop of. The laundry needs to be hung out to dry properly and there are still books that need to be put away properly in the library. I will see to the dishes and then prepare some sweets for the misterss' afternoon tea, someone can assist me if they like, but it is hardly necessary. As always, there is dusting that needs to be done and at least one person needs to stay fairly close to either this room or the front door, the lady's physician is due to arrive early this afternoon and it would not do to keep her waiting outside overlong."

Having gathered the stack of dishes, she awaited the girls to amke their decisions. Would they return to the tasks they had begun in the morning, or swap jobs.
 
Re: Ashbourne Estates (game thread)

ooc:
Let me know if I'm posting too frequently, folks! I'm just an eager newbie who's not involved in any other games right now, but I can tone things back if you wish!

ic:
It seemed as though their introductions had come to a quicker end than even Sabine had anticipated. Focusing on the redhead, she listened to each of the options on display and regarded each of them for their own merits. As much as she was uncertain about cooking, not being able to taste food, herself, Sabine was hoping to catch a spot of time with Danielle so that she could ask what she felt was a very important question.

It was for this reason then, that the grey-haired maid waited only for a short pause before asking, "may I join you in the kitchen? I would like to observe what our Mistress prefers, in the event that I should need to prepare something similar." She had unfolded her hands in her lap, revealing the golden inlay at each knuckle and at her wrist as she raised her pale hand to be noticed.
 
Re: Ashbourne Estates (game thread)

"Since Sabine will help with tea, I think perhaps it's time I got outside and had some fresh air. I'll join with the work in the garden," Elaina said calmly. "Sabine, it's a pleasure to meet you as well. Hopefully we'll all be able to get to know one another more tonight."
 
Re: Ashbourne Estates (game thread)

Jessara thought to ask no other questions to the new girl, turning to Danielle "I would prefer to continue my work in the garden, unless you have another task for me." She heard Elaine request to also work in the garden which could be nice, Having another person around in case something similar to this morning happened again.

She thought back to the man she had encountered, and shivered, he had given her the creeps, even if the lady said he was okay She hoped she would not have be alone with him again.
 
Re: Ashbourne Estates (game thread)

"Oh. Um. Thank you."

Peaches found herself blushing at Sabine's compliment. While she had gotten them before, but they had all come from her clansmen - men and women obligated to be polite to her, and who all in all, didn't think much of her. They'd always been out of propriety, to be polite to the big bosses' kid. Sabine's hadn't felt insincere, like those had been, and it was a welcome surprise.

Despite, or perhaps because of, her surprise at Sabine's sudden appearance, Peaches found herself staring quite intently at the new girl, admiring her amazing figure and her perfectly boned face. Her milky pale skin was as white as Lady Ashbourne's... and Peaches was mystified by the strange mannerisms she had displayed.

"...eet you as well. Hopefully we'll all be able to get to know one another more tonight."

Peaches suddenly realized she'd been staring, and looked away, only to turn back immediately to. "Uh, yeah, good, a pleasure," she mumbled, stumbling over her words. "Um, I'd like to continue working at the the, um... the upstairs, Dan... Danielle."
 
Re: Ashbourne Estates (game thread)

((Eep. I got behind huh? If it's ok, please assume that when asked earlier, Ellen gave a very short simple intro about living locally and coming from a large low/working class family, before the conversation went elsewhere. Just so the basics are known at least.))

Ellen hadn't noticed Sabine's presence in the room either at first, not catching on until she spoke as Peaches seemed to stare right past her for a moment to Sabine seated across the room behind. When she did turn round to see the ghostly pale woman, she actually jumps slightly, but offers a simple quite "Hi" alongside the other greetings, not sure how to react. Noticing that the others were already finished or very nearly finished with their food gave her a good excuse not to stare at the curious person, instead focusing her attention on eating quickly.

With lunch over and done, and people taking assignments again, she thought it only natural to continue what she started. "Well I'll just get on with finishing hanging that laundry outside then. I've already got a bit of it up, and I could probably move on to dusting after that."
 
Re: Ashbourne Estates (game thread)

Danielle frowns at first, but then nods. "I suppose the gardens do need some extra attention," she admits. "Sabine and I will try to get those books sorted away during the afternoon," she says as she takes the pile of dishes and makes her way back into the kitchen.

As Sabine followed her in, she found Danielle placing the dirty dishes in the sink and moving to put a large pot of water on the stove to heat it. "I'll get you to dry the put away the dishes once they are washed," she explained over her shoulder, "But it'll be a while until the water is ready. Perhaps you could fetch Lady Ashbourne's dishes?"

---------------

Having already retrieved the necessary tools, Jessara and Elaina were able to go straight outside. Thanks to Jessara's earlier efforts, the lawn at the front of the estate was in good shape which left pruning back the hedges and maintaining the flower beds as the other tasks that needed to be doing, at least at the front of the house. The grounds to the back would also need attention, but being less visible they were obviously less of a priority at the moment. Were they to work together on a single task, or divide their efforts, either way they would have a good view of the path up to the door and would be able to see the doctor when she arrives.

---------------

Making her way back upstairs to makeshift storage room, Peaches' eyes immediately darted to where she had stashed the strange yet beautiful rod, before she knew it she had retrieved it and was once again admiring it. The way the light gleamed off the well polished wood was somehow captivating and she felt her heart rise in her throat, her breath grow short and her cheeks flush slightly. Suddenly, it seemed really hot in here...

And then she heard a soft voice, in her mind. "Hello there... Momoko, is it? A pleasure to meet you..." it said, the tone soft and smooth, gentle yet somewhat distant and detached. A part of her warned that hearing voices in one's head was never a good sign, but for some reason she didn't feel overly alarmed or frightened by this one.

((Wow, I didn't think it'd happen, but this time you rolled a 1 on your will roll.))

----------------

Making her way down to the laundry, Ellen gathered up the clothing, most of which had been hung up on clothing racks to dry off somewhat and following what resembled a signpost hung on one of the walls, took it down the basement corridor towards where apparently an outside washing line lay.

Coming up out of the basement, she found a fairly impressive sized set of clothing lines in the rear of the rounds, surrounded by large hedges, slightly overgrown and in need of tending, that preserved the modesty of the clothing. A clever idea, that one…
 
Re: Ashbourne Estates (game thread)

As Sabine followed her in, she found Danielle placing the dirty dishes in the sink and moving to put a large pot of water on the stove to heat it. "I'll get you to dry the put away the dishes once they are washed," she explained over her shoulder, "But it'll be a while until the water is ready. Perhaps you could fetch Lady Ashbourne's dishes?"

Ducking her head in acknowledgement, Sabine lingered for a moment, thinking on how to word her reply... it was important to her that she come across correctly. When all of the other maids had left, she began, "Danielle..." threading her hands behind her back and fidgeting with her long braid as she spoke. "You and the Lady know of my origins already... but I have not spoken with the others about it. I am not sure..." she frowned faintly, looking at the kitchen floor as she gathered her strength. "I am not sure that I would be comfortable with their knowing, as many people find me frightening when they realize the truth about me. That said," she returned her strangely flat gaze back to the head maid, "I feel deeply grateful to the Lady for giving me work, and a home. I would like to... to give her my manual for safekeeping, if possible." She couldn't blush, but the pale woman fretted all the same. The manual that her creator had put together contained notes on how to keep Sabine functional, how to dismantle her, how even to alter her moods and consciousness. Sabine had found it merely singed around the edges when she had searched the scorched wreckage of her home. It was the only keepsake that she had taken, and that (she told herself) was merely for practicality's sake...

But she felt that the gesture of giving the book to the Lady ought to be a meaningful one, and she wasn't certain how she could do that. "Do you think that Lady Ashbourne would mind if I presented it to her now? Or would there be a better time...?"
 
Re: Ashbourne Estates (game thread)

Lunch over, Peaches took her pipe back into her mouth, and helped to stack the bowls for Danielle and Sabine to take before leaving.

Walking back up to the impromptu storage room on the upper floor, she tried to calm herself down a little - she had never been good with people, which was had been made certainly and demonstrably evident in there - at least to her scrutiny.

But, it seemed like none of the people here could smell the stink of death that hung on her. She tried very hard not to get her hopes up... but the possibility that it might not influence every minute of her life anymore was just too exciting for her to ignore! And everyone here seemed quite easy to get along with, - except perhaps the cloistered Lady or curt Danielle, though neither of them were actively rude - if perhaps a bit strange, and she could hardly complain about that. A smile and a bounce in Peaches' step accompanied her up the stairs and down the hall, neither of which she had any.

----

When she entered the room, Peaches suddenly found herself where she'd put the rod, pulling it out. She held the cloth open, the rod gleaming as the light in the room reflected off of it, more fascinating than the most brilliant gem.

As her eyes ate up the sight of the rod, Peaches felt herself growing uncomfortably warm. Unwilling to take her eyes off the rod, or bother hoping whatever box nearest had something suitable in it, she took the headdress that adorned her hair and tried to fan herself with it.

"Hello there... Momoko, is it? A pleasure to meet you..."

"Who's that?" Momoko replied, without turning or moving from her position. "Is there someone at the door?"

Were she not so entranced with the rod, she would probably have noticed she'd been called a name no one here knew...


(I seem to traditionally have shit luck with rolls. My first two in DG were both nat 1s, for example. Also, should I be making will saves or something?)
 
Re: Ashbourne Estates (game thread)

Jessara Approached Elaina, maintaining a proper distance. "Perhaps we would work together? I am looking forward to working on the flowerbeds and garden, but as we need to do the hedges also, I thought we could do it first, get it over with then move onto the garden. What do you think?" She hoped she didn't seem to desperate, but she hoped the girl would like the idea and not want to split up, once again she didn't want to be alone out there.
 
Re: Ashbourne Estates (game thread)

Elaina could tell the girl was nervous, and she quite liked the idea of working together anyway.

"Sure, let's do the hedges. There must be a pair of clippers around here somewhere. Have you used them before? It can be tiring on your arms doing hedge-work, and you must be careful not to hunch over too much, or you'll strain your back..."

Elaina walked with Jessara to wherever the toolshed was and retrieved the necessary equipment.

"We'll start with the front hedges so that we'll see that physician woman approach. Then whichever one of us is closest can let her into the mansion, okay?"

Elaina watched to see how Jessara handled the hedge clippers, and would gladly give her hints or help guide her a bit if she needed the aid. As they worked, Elaina was more interested in learning a bit more about Jessara and would bring up basic topics like what sort of foods she liked and what sort of things she did for pleasure and recreation.
 
Re: Ashbourne Estates (game thread)

With things decided Ellen proceeds about her simple task. Coming to the hedged drying area she peers round the hedges into the rest of the gardens wondering if the other two girls would be working nearby. "Ah, of course, they're working out front still. Nyeh, I'll just get on with this then..." She idly says talking to herself and humming a local tune as she begins hanging up the items. She runs into a tiny bit of unexpected trouble when she realises how huge some of the sheets used at this mansion were, her short stature not helping much. The petty hassle not holding her back too long however as she soon enough works out a decent folding method to get the sheets up with letting them touch the ground.
 
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