A Castle's Thorns - Accepting/Finally Open

[Zelly-fangirl]

Lucian led Thomas deeper into the castle with a cheery smile, although the room he finally stopped at was hardly the same luxurious guest room like Luckette was currently resting in. Instead, Thomas was getting a room meant for the servants like himself. "Ah, I forgot to mention....Master Brackengard has allowed you to stay with us, but only on the condition that you make yourself useful and do a bit of work here and there." he said as he fiddled with the lock before opening the door to the small, drab room that was now Thomas'. "Once you get yourself settled in, we'll get you started on cleaning the chimneys and scrubbing the chamber pots."  

[greendragonfly52]

"Tis up to yourself Miss. If you would like you can finish your tea first." Abigail reply. It was starting to get more and more obvious by the second that Luckette was not used to be waited on. Abigail and Arisa were there to tend to her well being, and it was up to her what she wished to do and when. Well accept of course for when the Master called for her. Not that Abigail and Arisa gave a rat's a** what the Master wanted. It was just that keeping the Master in a relatively grim mood made the castle easier to clean when he wasn't busy having a tantrum and having furniture be tossed about all the rooms.
"I just hope you don't mind Miss...that the clothes we have brought you may be a bit old fashioned for your tastes. But they are clean in the very least." While waiting to see what Luckette would decide to do, Abigail poured up her own cup of tea, choosing earl grey with a bit of milk and sugar. She didn't drink it right away however, preferring to let it cool slightly first.  

[M3Gnificent]

"Then..then I'll be dressed before I finish. The sooner I'm out of these filthy things the better." Luckette said after a moment of thought, letting out a soft, nervous chuckle as she stood up and placed her cup down on the nightstand near her bed. Afterwards, she removed her jeans, taking the scented candles(which were still inside of their small, plastic containers) and the pocket-knife from her pockets and placing them atop the bed. It wasn't long after that until she put on the dress brought for her, happy just to have something else to wear more than anything. "Oh, I don't mind in the least if it's old-fashioned or not. I'm just thankful I can wear something that isn't coated in blood, or better yet, that I don't have to go around naked." Luckette admired herself once she had the dress on, and with a bright smile aimed at the other women, she asked, "How do I look?"

 

[greendragonfly52]

"Would you like some assistance with the lacing Miss Luckette?" Abigail asked, as she picked up the dirty clothes and placed them with the linen rags, all to be cleaned later. Abigail noticed the candles and the knife that Luckette took from her pockets. The candles seemed like an odd thing to have out in the middle of the woods, especially with no way to light them.
When Luckette went to admire herself in the mirror, Abigail smiled and took up a jeweled comb from the dresser. She gently pulled back some of Luckette's hair, and placed in the comb to keep the hair in place. "Like a duchess." Abigail replied. Though she had been cheerful all the time she had been in the room, there was a sudden sadness to Abigail's voice. Seeing Luckette cleaned up in a beautiful gown....Abigail knew that Master Brackengard wouldn't be able to resist her. She was too beautiful. "Miss Luckette....perhaps it would be best if you didn't have supper with the Master. He can have quite a sour mood at times. Why don't the three of us have supper together here tonight?" Abigail suggested. She knew the Master was going to become displeased by doing this, along with Lucian, but Abigail didn't care. She didn't want to see another girl killed. She knew she promised herself she would wait to see if the Master actually took interest in her first but Abigail just didn't want to run that risk. The longer Master Brackengard went without meeting Luckette the better.  

[M3Gnificent]

"Yes, please." Luckette was slightly embarassed about having difficulty with the lacing at first, but to be fair, she didn't wear such dresses often - or at all, really. It was an interesting experience for her to try on something new, at least. Upon seeing what she looked like after Abigail styled her hair, Luckette's deep blue eyes almost seemed to glow with utter joy and delight. She wanted to squeel, so happy to see that she looked so pleasant - especially when one considered how filthy and broken she looked before! It almost seemed as if she never suffered such a horrible series of events after all. Her smile fell somewhat, however, as she heard the melancholy tone that the maid took up. Before she could ask what was the matter, Abigail suggested that Luckette not eat with the owner of the house at all. She looked rather puzzled, wondering just how unpleasant he was if the maids wished her to avoid him so. "I don't mind either way, but please could you explain to me how he acts when his mood is sour? I don't want to be a burden, but I don't want to judge someone before I've met them either."

 

[greendragonfly52]

Abigail nibbled nervously on her bottom lip. How to explain this without letting the cat out of the bag and saying that the Master was a ghost who was fond of falling in love with women and then killing them when they didn't return his affections. "Believe me...when he gets in a bad mood you'll know. The whole atmosphere of the room seems to change". Funny enough...that wasn't even an exaggeration. The atmosphere DID change when he was in a bad mood. The candles would dim, the shadows would dance more ominously in the corners. She continued to try and think of a way to explain the Master's mood while she tightened the lacing on Luckette's dress. Just tight enough to emphasize that gorgeous figure, but not too tight as to let her breath. Abigail was quite glad that she herself had never been in a position much in life to need to wear a corset. They had to be the most torturous, painful pieces of clothing ever invented. "And your no burden at all Miss. Your much more a joy to serve then other ladies that have been guests in this castle. If it is not too bold of me to say...I find that you don't act as if the help are bellow you. But rather as an equal. It's refreshing." Abigail admitted. "Also, we haven't had a guest for so long. The company is certainly a nice change."  

[M3Gnificent]

"So...he's a very expressive person? Short-tempered, perhaps?" Luckette was, quite obviously, still rather puzzled by the matter. Perhaps Abigail was being considerate of her master, since he probably suffered some sort of misery lately? Or was this consideration for Luckette herself, with the master being a not-so ideal host? Somehow, she found herself sincerely hoping it was the former. Upon hearing what Abigail said, she seriously couldn't fathom why someone would be so unpleasant towards the help. It's not like, given certain circumstances, it was impossible for you to end up in their shoes someday, somehow. "You aren't below me, though. You and miss Arisa are simply doing your jobs, aren't you? It's not right to take advantage of someone for doing just that." she replied with a warm smile, speaking ever so calmly, relaxed. "I couldn't for the life of me see why. This is such a lovely place."

 

[Mad Haru]

"I'll scrub the inside of your skull when I'm done with you." Thomas said under his breath.
New objective: Eradicate the butler and his insane master with extreme prejudice.

(And now I'm the bad guy. I can work with this.)  

[Razsminion]

Arisa

Arisa watched with as much stoicy as she could force on the situation as each lace of the corset was tightened and Luckette was looking more and more beautiful. Her gown accented her beautifully and she couldn't help but think back to the life that was taken away from her rather ruthlessly. She wondered if she would have been able to wear gowns like that, or have a beautiful wedding? Jealousy and resentment bubbled inside her rotting heart as she looked on as Abigail transformed the girl into something of royalty herself. Her thoughts were temporarily pulled back to the present situation when Luckette asked how she looked.
"Very lovely, M'lady." She replied, closing her eyes and bowing her head slightly for a few second before returning to the pose she held previously. As the topic changed and Abigail suggested not meeting with the master tonight, a vicious glare shot out towards the girls back. She closed her eyes.
"You step beyond your station, Abigail, I strongly suggest that you don't interfer with the masters interests. As long as M'lady doesn't outright offend him then she will be fine. You make the Master sound outright like a monster."
What the hell was Abigail doing?! After all these years of wicked advances and being taken advantage of, here was their first opertunity to not have to worry about their safety, and here this twit was ruining the only sense of security they would have for one or two weeks, she was lovely though, perhaps she would satisfy the masters cravings for far longer than some of the others have. Not to mention, if Abigail kept acting so brash, one or both of them would likely get the blunt of the Masters anger, and she for one was not going to be his scapegoat again.
"Please excuse Abigail, M'lady. The Master may have a bit of a temper, and during those times he can be a rather intimidating man, he is charismatic and charming, though when his mood is soured by insults and rudeness it that presence he commands can shift, but it shouldn't be anything that is needed to be worried about. Just use your manners and don't treat him poorly and you should have a wonderful stay here at the Masters Castle."
Arisa subtly sent Abigail a dark look. Requesting her not to make matters for them any more awkward or potentially dangerous then they already were. She had been here long enough that she should know that she was only delaying the inevidable and prolonging the torment for them when they got caught doing something like this. Why couldn't Abigail actually think of those trapped in the castle for once? Was it not bad enough that they were robbed of their lives, couldn't they have the pleasure of at least not being able to have some level of peace for a while before Abigail descided to screw everything up?
Arisa returned to a stoic expression after the brief look she had given to Abigial. "We tend to be out of the way for the most part, M'lady, so we don't get many visitors. That is largely the reason for it, I think." When the topic once more shifted to them doing there jobs and them being treated as equals, Arisa performed a polite curtsey. "I thank you for your humility, M'lady. But don't feel wronged if you should want some assistance or would like something brought to you. We are the Maids and Servents of Master Brackengard and we here to make sure both himself and his guests have the most pleasant, relaxing and enjoyable time here. So please, don't hesitate to summon us for whatever reasons you need. Speaking of which, Abigail, perhaps Dinner should be started. Will you need me here, or shall I go and start to get things perpared?"  

[Zelly-fangirl]

"Wonderful! Here's your key, should you ever find yourself with a bit of free time and you wish to wander about in between chores." Lucian said, ignoring Thomas' threat as he pulled an old fashioned bronze key from an inner coat pocket and placed it in his hand. "Now I might suggest finding something less...important, for you to wear. We've got some messy business ahead of us today. And of course by 'we' I mean 'you'."  

[Mad Haru]

Thomas glared at the butler and stepped into the room. "Very spartan."  

[Zelly-fangirl]

"As I mentioned before, the Master is preferable to those of the female persuasion, so I'm afraid you were fighting a loosing battle the moment you stepped into this castle. You'll have to put on a smile and work hard if you wish to impress Master Brackengard and have any chance of upgrading to a nicer room." Lucian told him as he walked over to a large chest sitting against a wall, digging through the clothes they held. The chances of Thomas getting any nicer treatment was, of course, utter bull crap, but it pleased him to get the man's hopes up just to crush them later.  

[greendragonfly52]

"Expressive would be a way to describe it yes..." Abigail replied, not really sure how else to say it. It was then that Arisa seemed to break herself out of her stoic silence, only to scold her. Abigail could hardly believe the things that Arisa was saying. Did she simply want Luckette to be killed? Because surely she knew that's what would happen in all due time. "I do not remember you being made my superior Arisa. I would appreciate it if you didn't speak to me as such either." Abiagail said, just barely holding back her anger and disbelief. Abigail could hardly care about making the Master angry, so long as no one got killed.
Abigail turned from the two girls to gather a hair brush for Luckette, to brush out any leaves and other forest debris that may have gotten caught in her hair. Taking the comb out for a moment, Abigail began to brush out Luckette's hair for her, making it shine like spun gold and strawberries. She held her tongue while Arisa dared to praise up Brackengard, as if nothing horrible would happen if Luckette met him. Did she not remember her own death? Did she not remember that it was their Master's fault that Arisa hadn't grown old and died with the man she really loved. Had Arisa forgotten the horrible, terrible, unspeakable tortures that Brackengard's ladies had to suffer through during their last hours of life. Did she really wish that on anyone else?
"I'll meet you in the kitchen when I'm finished here." Abigail told Arisa, making it obvious that she had no patience to be with the woman right now. Not after seeing her callous nature, and her unwillingness to save an innocent life.  

[M3Gnificent]

Upon hearing how Abigail and Arisa were starting to speak to one another, Luckette fell dead silent for the moment being, not wishing to bring any of the tension between the two on herself as well. She bit her lip, wondering if the master of this castle was truly such a polarizing figure. Abigail seemed rather passionate at this point about how she shouldn't see the master, whereas Arisa seemed to praise him and encourage a visit on her part. Now, Luckette was rather puzzled as to whose advise she should take. The maids both seemed like nice, level headed ladies. Very polite, too. However, they had two entirely different viewpoints in the matter. T'was no surprise, now that she thought about it, since both already looked and almost behaved like polar opposites anyway.

 

[Grey Moonfang IV]

((Just for the sake of saying it I am still indeed here, and watching. I'm simply bidding my time, picking my moment, plotting and such.))