Forums » Fantasy Roleplay » Elves of All Kinds (1x1)

Belle tensed as he began to speak to her, but was able to relax a bit when he didn't sound angry. She stepped fully into the light poured out from the room, and nodded slightly. "Yes, thank you." Thank you seemed to be the only thing she said when she wasn't asked a question. But she was a bit hungry again, so a meal would be nice. (Honestly, she was quite excited about having regular meals!) She waited for Arthur to lead her, as she was accustomed to following her masters whenever going somewhere with them. One was to never walk beside or in front of them; always keep a respectable distance behind.

Arthur passed her and led her to the kitchen. He showed her where things like the pots were kept, and how there was usually hot embers in the fireplace and stove for most of the night. Then he put in some broth, pieces of bread, meat, and vegetables that were leftover from earlier, set it over the fire on the hook and stirred it. He walked her through each step while he did so, so that she would be able to make this sort of thing herself later. "Cook may ask you for help sometimes, just simple things. Chopping carrots, ripping lettuce pieces, things like that. You'll listen to anything he or Brenda ask of you just as you would listen to me, understood?"

Belle caught on quickly; housework was something she was fairly good at, save for dusting or cleaning out fireplaces—too much dust. She listened intently, taking in his instructions. When he spoke of listening to the other servants, she nodded dutifully. "Of course, Master," she said quietly.

Arthur clenched his jaw for a moment. "Master Arthur," he corrected, his voice lacking any kind of anger or discipline. "It is what the others call me, it is what I am used to." Of course, it was really just because being called simply 'master' left a bad taste in his mouth. He didn't wish for the reputation of the other monsters that took slaves. Nobody in respectable circles with respectable businesses had a slave that was used for what Belle had been used to. He didn't want to be associated with 'those' kind of men. It was insulting, really. "Now...let's tour the house."
He took her around the house, showed her every room, explained to her about each one. Nothing special about any of them, but he told her the general rule was that if a door was closed, you do not enter.

Belle bit her lip, and quickly nodded. "My apologies, sir." She was glad for the house tour, just having to follow along and listen, hoping to remember each room and where it was. It was arranged similarly to a few other homes she had been in, so it shouldn't be too difficult for her to master maneuvering the house.

Arthur finished the tour at his bedroom. "This is my room. As I mentioned before, you will be responsible for waking me. But not for a couple days. You must get into a routine, you must get enough sleep, before you can be able to wake up to wake me." He pointed to his door. "Remember, if it is closed, do not enter. This goes for any room in the house. And by default, others will think of your room the same way. If the door is closed, no one will enter. Brenda may knock if she needs you, but no one will just walk in."
He paused, thinking for a moment. "Any questions?"

Her own room, and such privacy? The idea was dizzying. But Belle shook her head silently when he asked for questions. She had studied each room and listened intently to their uses and times of use. Being in this position so many times before, she had been able to figure out how to remember things fairly quickly and efficiently. But she suddenly did have something she needed to ask, and she swiftly cleared her throat. "Does anyone else live here with you, Master Arthur?" she asked flatly. She had not seen a wife or any children or siblings, so she assumed he lived alone besides his servants...but anyone else living there could possibly have been out and come home while she was sleeping.

Arthur shook his head. "No. You are the only one occupying the house as much as I. The rest of the staff is part-time, but I decided I needed some extra help throughout the day sometimes, and Brenda is too old to handle a full schedule." He looked at her calmly. "You should already know by now that you needn't worry about sharing a house with a man." He turned and walked back to the kitchen. "I have no interests in follies like that." He stirred the stew again, then dished them both a bowl. He leaned against the counter to eat his own, though she was free to take a seat.

Not that she worried about that sort of thing anymore, anyways. Belle had been used and abused in the past; she was used to those sort of things, almost numb. Nonetheless she nodded and followed him quietly into the kitchen. Upon taking her bowl, she went to the table and delicately sat down, as if her weight would break the chair. She surely hoped Arthur hadn't bought her in hopes for companionship; she had never been much of a talker, even before the war, but especially after all these years it was only habit to remain silent in almost everything she did.

Arthur himself didn't seem to be much of a talker at the moment. He just leaned where he was, eating his soup. It was probably her first chance to get a real good look at him, outside of the slave market and in his own environment. He'd left his business clothes, and he was in a pair of plain brown trousers and a white button-up shirt with billowy sleeves. The top three or four buttons were left undone, but it seemed more out of the weather than any attempt at handsomeness. Though handsome he was. He had dirty-brown hair with some natural, light, blonde highlights. His hair was long, not by elven standards but by human standards, and kept back in a low ponytail. At the moment, the ponytail was more loose than it normally would be. He obviously wasn't dressed for business. Arthur had to be only in his twenties, quite young for a human. But yet here he was, with his own business and everything. One thing she might notice as well was a ring on his left hand, on his fourth finger.

Belle indeed took this time to study her new master, memorizing every feature. He was quite handsome, as far as humans went. One of her more attractive masters, she had to admit, compared to her usual buyers. His hair intrigued her; not many human men had hair that touched their ears, much less hair that could be pulled back. If his jaw wasn't quite so masculine and perhaps if his features were sharper, smaller, he could almost resemble her own brother, Valenthion...or at least, what she could remember of him... She quickly brushed the thoughts aside and realized she had finished her stew while watching Arthur. In a moment she stood and walked to the wash basin, not hesitating to clean out her dish without a word.

Arthur was in his own thoughts until she moved, and he lifted his gaze from his now-empty bowl of stew to watch her work. He didn't do anything or say anything, he just observed. He wondered how much strain her lungs could take. Not that he was planning on pushing her, truly the opposite. It would be terribly inconvenient for her to have a breathing fit while he was in the middle of work. When he was satisfied that she was cleaning her dish well, he straightened and walked over, setting his own bowl down beside her. Might as well let her do that one too so she could get used to it. Then he took the clean one and opened the cupboard, putting it away. A way to remind her where the bowls went, without even saying a word.

Belle glanced up in time to see him put the bowl away. Once she dried his now-clean bowl, she went and put it up as well. Reaching up on her toes, perhaps Arthur would realize that she didn't quite have the height of a natural elf. Perhaps it was merely genes, or a side effect of her poor health. But either way, she seemed significantly smaller than most natural elves, despite obviously being one.

Arthur made sure she could reach the shelf, his hand moving to her back in case she tottered. However, he didn't touch. There was a good amount of space between her body and his hand, but it was there just in case she fell backwards. "I will be working on papers now. Do what you like. If you know how to read and it is something you enjoy, the books on the shelves in the sitting room are open to you. I would recommend getting more sleep, however, if you feel tired." He glanced at her. "If you do not, though, there's no sense in laying in bed. So do what you wish for the rest of the night according to how you feel. I will be in my study if you have need of me."

Read? Oh, how she wished she could read in Common! But alas, her skills were contained to Elvish, both in natural and proper dialects. Nonetheless, she nodded. "Thank you, sir." She hesitated, before quietly heading out of the kitchen. She was just going to explore a bit for now, get a feel for the house. However she stopped in the hall, looking at a door he had not shown her. It was made of glass inside a bronze and wooden frame, and beyond it she could see...a garden? Was she allowed outside? It was obvious she longed to go out there, to breathe in the fresh air and be with nature, if only domestic plants. Her mother had instilled a love of gardening in her, despite her breathing problems, and she felt drawn to gardens of all kinds, no matter how small.

Arthur made his way to his study, but on his way he noticed her looking at the door. He paused, then walked over and opened it. "Ah. I forgot this part. I don't really use it, it's far overgrown. Brenda can't bend over to bother with it, and I'm far too busy." He let her into the garden. It was a pretty garden, closed in by a low stone wall, with a stone path and a bench along the path, and a fountain (clogged and not working) in the middle. Everything was overgrown, ivy climbed over everything. Arthur sighed slightly. "It's really disgraceful...I should get it fixed up at some point, but that requires hiring a gardener, and that's bothersome."

Belle listened quietly, gazing around the garden. Where he saw mess and disgrace, she saw potential and overwhelming beauty. With a silent nod, she headed wordlessly down the path, quite curious as to what treasures lay beneath the vines and weeds. Oh, if her mother was there, she could have the garden beautiful in a day's time. Arthur said he didn't care to tend to it... Perhaps Belle had found what would fill her free time from now on. She could be away from the others and spend time in something she loved... That would definitely make her stay there more bearable. Arthur had made it sound like a dream so far, with his kindness and generosity; she truly hoped it wasn't all just an act.

Arthur watched her go through the garden. Obviously she didn't mind all the weeds and overgrowth. "...this is like any other part of the house. You are free to come here. I wouldn't recommend trying to climb the wall; anyone seeing you on your own will try to take you. However, you are free to spend time in the garden when you are not working, and you are safe as long as you are within these walls and in my property." Maybe she would clean it up. Then he'd have it looking nice and it'd be a respectable garden without him having to bother with a gardener.

(Time for me to sleep now, I'll post when I can tomorrow)

Belle glanced back at him and gave him a nod, understanding his words, before going to the fountain. She reached down and cleared some of the leaves from its edge, before gazing around. Yes, it would be something to occupy her and yet still be productive. She continued through the garden, pausing here and there to pick off a few weeds to peer at dead or half-dead flower beds underneath. She sighed. It would take a while, but she could definitely fix this garden.

{Ach, for me as well! Goodnight!}

Arthur watched her curiously, until there was a knock at the front door. "That is a business partner of mine. We will be in my study. Do not disturb us unless absolutely necessary." He left her, then, and went to answer the door and go into his study with his partner. It was a male voice, she'd be able to hear. They exchanged pleasantries as they walked to the study, and then the door was closed and conversation was muffled.