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

Belle spent an hour or so in the garden, evaluating what all needed to be done. But afterwards, she left the garden, quietly shutting the door to the outside to return to her room. She glanced in the mirror on the wall and paused, studying herself for a moment before taking out the bun Bredna had so carefully crafted and pulled back her hair in a loose braid. She returned to bed with this hairstyle and slept on til morning.

{I thought it was the middle of the night right? xD}

(It is. X3)

The two men were so quiet that Belle would not wake up at all whenever the business guest left. In the morning, whenever she woke up she'd come out of her room to the delicious smell of breakfast cooking. Brenda was bustling about, and if she passed by his study she'd see Arthur hard at work once again.

Belle awoke an hour or two after the sun rose. She stretched out her aching limbs and glanced at the window, sighing softly for a moment before shaking her head and heading to the kitchen. A glimpse into her master's study revealed him hard at work—had he even gone to bed? She decided to leave him be for now and continue on to find Brenda to see what all needed to be done on a day-to-day basis.

Arthur looked up as he heard someone pass by. Belle, most likely. He could recognize the footsteps of his other workers. Brenda was in the kitchen, and when she saw Belle she smiled. "Good morning, child! Did you sleep well?" She went over and ushered the girl into the dining room to sit down. "Cook will be ready in just a minute with your breakfast."
Arthur walked into the dining room and sat down. "Brenda, tell cook that I'll be eating as well." Brenda smiled. "Yes, young master." As she hurried off, he looked at Belle. "..how did you sleep?"

Belle offered a small smile at Brenda. "Good morning. Mm, thank you." She let herself be led to the kitchen without complaint, sitting down. "Thank you, Miss Brenda." She sat for a few moments just as Arthur walked in and sat as well. She straightened a little bit before him. "Very well, thank you, sir," she said with a grateful nod, glancing down at the empty spot on the table before her.

Arthur nodded slightly. "Good." Soon Brenda came back carrying two plates. She set one in front of Belle, and the other in front of Arthur. Both were steaming with delicious breakfast foods. He gave a slight nod to her. "Eat up." He himself started eating, watching her idly. Not so much that she would get nervous, but enough that he would be able to observe how she acted and such. "Brenda will take you around the house this morning and do your chores with you. That way you will be able to get used to them with someone there to aid you until you can do it yourself."

Belle shifted a bit in her seat, before quietly beginning to eat. When Arthur spoke again, she paused her eating, and nodded. "Yes, thank you." And she continued eating, more slowly than the night before. Perhaps she was savoring the food, or just wasn't hungry. Surely her appetite should be growing with each meal, returning back to a normal appetite.

Arthur nodded slightly and just went back to eating. He finished before she did and stood up. "When you're done just bring your plate into the kitchen. If you need anything, ask Brenda or myself. I'll be working." It seemed that was all the man ever did. He went to put his dishes in the sink just as he had instructed her to do, then he went to his study and sat down at his desk to go back to work. Brenda came out and sighed slightly. "I'll have to remind him that you'll be going out today. The young master tends to get wrapped up in his work."

Belle soon finished, and glanced up at Brenda. "What does he do?" she asked quietly, standing and taking her plate and silverware to walk towards the kitchen. He certainly seemed dedicated to his work... She supposed it must have been important though, what with his huge house.

Brenda smiled. "He's a business-man, m'dear. He covers all sorts of areas of interest. Goods, shipments, various legal counsel... He's a very popular man in this area. He gets all kinds of clients, at all times of the day, looking for his help or his supplies." Brenda walked with the girl to the kitchen. "We'll do some chores first, then I'll remind him that he's supposed to take you out today. He usually takes the help out himself to get new clothes. He says it makes the others aware that they are his, so that nobody tries anything with them. Sort of a protective claim, I've found."

Belle listened, nodding quietly. "Mm, I see..." At the mention that Arthur would take her out himself, she blinked in surprise. "O-Oh. I see." Her master seemed protective over his few servants... She wondered why on earth he was like this...

Brenda walked Belle through the chores, which were all fairly simple. Because of Belle's lungs, Brenda would do the dusting, then Belle would wipe down the surfaces, things were picked up and put away, various items arranged neatly, beds made, and laundry done. As they were just finishing up washing the laundry and hanging it out to dry, Arthur walked over to them. "I've called the carriage. We'll be going out to the town to get you some clothing and other necessities in a few minutes. Will you be ready for then?"
Brenda smiled at her. "Don't worry dear, I'll take care of the rest. You go get ready."

"Thank you, Brenda," Belle said softly, before turning to nod at Arthur. "Yes, sir. I'll only be a moment." She excused herself and went up to her room. She took off her apron and the handkerchief that held back her hair, before quickly running her fingers through her hair and swiftly rebraiding it. She ensured she had no dirt or stains on her dress before quickly going back downstairs to meet Arthur at the carriage, ready to leave.

Arthur was standing patiently by the carriage, and he took her hand to help her up and into it. Then he got in himself, and settled in for the ride. It didn't take them very long to get to the marketplace. "We'll get you dresses and nightclothes, and some pants and shirts for working in the garden. We'll also get a few things like a brush and some ribbons for your hair, and things like that." He got out of the carriage and helped her down. "You are to stay right by me at all times. I can't guarantee your safety if you do not obey that rule."

Nightclothes? Ribbons? More than one dress?! Belle could hardly believe her ears! "Th-Thank you, Master Arthur," she stammered quickly dipping her head greatfully. Then he said to keep with him. She...She was to walk directly beside him? But she had never been allowed to—"Yes, sir." Orders was orders, and she had to stay right with him, no matter what she had been taught in the past. He was a strange man, she decided, but...not too bad, for a human.

Arthur nodded a bit, watching her carefully for a moment. He could recognize her surprise and, yes, confusion. So, as they walked, he spoke. "I suppose I might as well explain things to you. I am much more refined than most slave owners out in the world. The only reason I own slaves is because I need to extra hands around the house. In my opinion, a man's slave or worker reflects on the owner. So a man who doesn't feed or clothe his slave does not really care for his work or those who work for him. In short, a failure of a business partner is what that man would be. Therefore, I am careful to have my workers and slaves reflect myself and my work ethic. You will be clothed, kept for, cleaned, and fed. Because I, as a businessman, care about those who work for me. The better I treat you, the less likely it is for you to run away, correct? It is the same with general workers. If you treat them poorly, they hold no respect for you and will leave at a moment. But kindness and provision earns loyalty."

Belle walked quietly beside him, hands clasped neatly in front of her and her head bowed respectively. She listened thoughtfully, nodding from time to time until he finished. Finally, she glanced him. "You are very wise, sir," she said softly. "You are the first master I have had who has thought this way... Most do not wish to waste money on such things. Their respect is earned by fear, not kindness, as kindness can be taken advantage of quite easily." Her voice was quiet, but loud enough to be heard over the noise of the bustling crowds.

Arthur listened to her calmly. "It's a new age, Belle. A new way of thinking. Reason, Belle, it's the core of everything! Brutes ignore it far too much, but it's here, and soon it's going to be so prominent that no brute can ever ignore the demands of reason. Fear leads to anger and rebellion, but kindness breeds only loyalty. There's no risk of kindness if you keep your head about you. A wise man can never be taken advantage of." He nodded firmly and took her into a few shops to get measured and try on some dresses.

Belle was surprised to hear him say those things. A new age? Had the race of Men finally begun to move forward? From all the stories her parents told her of past wars... She wondered if Arthur's words were true.

As they entered a tailor shop to get her measured, she stood silently. The tailor was an older man, one with great skill. He looked delighted to be able to dress an elf, though as he measured her he looked slightly put off. Were elves supposed to look so thin? Nonetheless, he took down her measurements, and began offering dresses to Arthur to choose from for her. He had everything from work dresses to casual dresses to ballgowns...though the later would probably not come into play, as he recognized the elf was a servant. But he showed evening gowns for the young elf anyways. As Arthur would choose them (or have Belle choose them), the tailor would tuck them away for resizing, and told Arthur he would send them over in two days. They were able to leave the shop, however, with a proper work dress and a slightly more refined dress, one that Belle could wear should Arthur wish her to look as ravishing as possible to guests on a short notice.

Arthur was very sensible in the shop for dresses. He made sure that the tailor made her a work dress for her size now, and would make her one a size-ish bigger, because Arthur assured the man that she was going to gain weight after a few weeks in his house. Most of the dresses would be practical, but he did pick one or two nicer dresses, for any special occasions that might come up that he might need an assistant to. He recognized the power in having a slave like her. It would get attention, and attention meant business. Once they were done, he left with her, and went to get a few necessities for her.