Delivering the Bouquet [27th afternoon]

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Aerin Penna Seleratus
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Post by Aerin Penna Seleratus »

“I am sorry, Mistress…” Aerin replied as she sat, her eyes as much fixed upon Ashari as her mentor’s gaze was averted. “There is a lot that you do not know…about me, I mean…just as I do not know everything about you. I put on a good face for the others and pretended I know you better than I do but the truth is that we have not had much time to talk and so I…”

Aerin paused, thinking of the best way to put her thoughts into words.
“It is an old habit, I think…” she began, her gaze lowing to Cicero as she bared a part of her past that she preferred to stay buried. “My mother was fond of two things, drinking heavily and scolding me. I cannot remember a single burn where her thoughts were unclouded – I never met her mother, that I recall, but in my dreams, she is a wrinkled old grape of a woman with kegs for breasts and taps for nipples as my mother drank as if the fruits of grapes and wheat were mother’s milk to her. As for the scolding…” Aerin continued with a sigh. “The drinking made her angry at the smallest noise – the most minute of errors. And it made her lose track of time, yelling at me for events that, while ‘recent’ in her mind had occurred days, weeks, months, or even yahren earlier.”

She blinked twice and continued. “My father had me studying alchemy to try to cure her, but I was mother in her stead and while he got to avoid her by work or visits to the temple, I had to stay by her side and learn to always expect trouble.” Aerin wiped her eyes with the backs of her hand before continuing. “I do not know, Mistress, if it was the ale or her nature which made her do this, nor do I know you well enough to know your nature. When Trevyn spoke of rules and behavior, I was reminded of her as I thought of the lessons I have learned from the unwanted kiss and from my blunder which nearly cost a man his life.”

Aerin took a deep breath and reached into her pocket, withdrawing a crudely wrapped parcel and offering it to Ashari. “On the farm, when you reach into a hole, you never know if a snake lies within or not…” she said semi-cryptically. “…and so your hand and mind always tend to act as if you will feel fangs at any flicker, you know?” Aerin wiggled the package a little while forcing a smile, bringing her gaze back off of Cicero to a point in Ashari’s hair where she hoped Ashari’s eyes would soon move.

“I will work harder at not being afraid of you, while still respecting you, Mistress. I am not sure if I will succeed, but I do promise to try. I did want to give you one other ‘gift’ in that regard, Mistress… All of the tobac---mist that I had gathered in the Red Banner. Keep it for yourself, sell it, give it away, throw it away, burn it, save it for me to learn to use responsibly…whatever you chose, Mistress… It scares me now and I think I am safer without it.” She took another deep breath and continued for one question’s length, no more.

“If I am not in trouble, Mistress, what do you require of me?”
”The true man wants two things: danger and play. For that reason he wants woman, as the most dangerous plaything.” – Nietzsche

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Post by Ashari »

Ashari was more than a little suprised by Aerin's involved story and her admission of failure when it came to the heart-racing drug. A hand hung in the air for the student to place the bag in. "Do you want to never do it again? It does scare you - it should and with good reason. Even if it weren't for your mother and weren't for your father, it should still scare you. This morning - everything that happened this morning, it happened because of this," she dangled the small parcel between her fingers.

"For us, in my mother's garden, we learned not to reach blindly into holes - we learned to find something else to take the bite. I don't give a shite about whether or not you fear me. You should. I could kill you, Aerin. I could do it with a blink, and you've no way to protect yourself - not yet, anyway." For, Ashari had every intention on giving the redhead the tools to prevent such an open attack. "What I need is for you not to be afraid to ask for that something to take the bite - to ask so that you need not be hurt anymore." She paused, and in that time returned her attention to their furry little caesar. While paying special mind of his reaction she continued to brush, her words coming eventually, but without rush. "I need for you to not hurt yourself, Aerin. You are your own worst enemy."

Her body shifted and encouraged the semi-trained primate to slink into it's owner's lap. Animals - especially pets - were very capable of brightning the mood of their possessers. "I won't be here when the rest of them get back. You're going to have to play the part of the all-knowing senior student again," she smiled warmly and reclined into the cushions lazily. "I think you can handle it, though. I'll be out for a while - arranging for dinner as well as making arrangements for Aeris." She suspected she didn't need to go into the details for Aerin to understand what she meant. "Which leaves you to lead them about. Get them each into a room, tell them to get settled and prepare. I'd like everyone well dressed for a dinner this evening, but I'll be leaving shortly after for another meeting." If it went as well as her last meeting with Andolin then she was sure to come back chipper as a song bird in spring.

"Make sure they're all in their rooms by a respectable time and if you're tired do make yourself comfortable, but expect that I might wake you up when I get back in. There may be some things I need to discuss with you - depending on how the evening goes." Her mood was light and the suggestion was unlikely to leave the impression of anything forboding as far as the continual plan. "I hope to get some more information for your assignment. If everything goes well you should be off and running tomorrow evening, so don't make plans." They had spoken briefly earlier in the day about Ashari wishing to send the girl on a small assignment to flex her muscles so far as seduction and luring.
[color=#000000][i]"What of the soul was left, I wonder, when the kissing had to stop?"[/i]
-- Robert Browning. [/color][size=75][i]Avatar by: [url=http://vyrl.deviantart.com/]vyrl[/url][/i][/size]
Aerin Penna Seleratus
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Post by Aerin Penna Seleratus »

“That’s the thing…” Aerin replied with a shrug. “It was good…and fun…and I would probably do it again if afforded the chance, but I have my promise to you, my duty as senior student – if even by only a burn or two, really – to the others and, after this morning, the health and well-being of others to consider and their needs outweigh my own, I think.” She nodded solemnly at Ashari’s word of being her own worst enemy.

“I know that, Mistress, and I will work on doing more asking and being more cautious, I promise. And I do not fear you, Mistress, even though I know that you could snuff out the flame within me on a whim. I do respect your power, mind, and intents however, so the thing that I really fear the most from you is…” she looked up at Ashari. “…displeasing you. I cannot even begin to imagine the pressure on your side of this fence, having to sort through the ashes and rebuild like this, plus whatever other private matters you are attending to. In that end, yes, I have tried to be a bit more… self-supporting… I guess, trying to ease your burden by not asking first on things as simple – or so I had thought – as cleaning quietly and having a smoke while Wrinkles slept. Found out the hard way that not all tobacco is the same.”

She nodded again at Ashari’s instruction about playing senior student to the others. “Even more reason for you keeping that, I think” Aerin laughed lightly, pointing at the parcel. "Walking in on me and Wrinkles is one thing… I can only imagine the troubles that would cause with four of us…” Aerin took Cicero’s tiny hand and pulled him over onto her leg. “Or five…” She had re-read her latest diary entry before going out for her errands and was certainly glad that Ashari had not been forced to walk in on that as well. "And I shall see to your wishes although my best dresses are still awaiting a washing. They are ones that I got from the Red Banner…made by someone named Audrey, I think – I haven’t looked that closely at the labels.” Aerin paused for a flicker, deep in thought.

“Speaking of which, Mistress, you have far more connections than I do, so I was wondering if you knew anyone…” she said, pulling the vial of glowing red liquid from her pocket and holding it aloft. “…who could tell us what this is? I found it in the Banner as well and – you will be happy to know – found it exactly this way and have not drunk a single drop of it.”

“Not tonight, of course…” she hurriedly added. “Unless you know for a fact that there will be someone there who would know.” Aerin offered up a smile, not knowing the Ashari’s plans but women’s intuition telling her that it was something that Ashari looked forward to more than after-dinner conversation with herself and the others. “And not to worry – I am as nervous as…well…as I was this Morningtide when we thought Wrinkles to be lost…about the upcoming task, so I will most likely be in the gardens when you return. After finding some gloves, of course…” Aerin gave a small chuckle and looked at the scratches on her hands.

“If I am my worst enemy, thorns and brambles are my second worst. I look like I’ve been fighting with a cat and the mark might not be impressed.” She stated, half-confessing about the butchered tomcat in the garden and half showing Ashari that she was already preparing for the assignment at hand. “And I keep my schedule open just for you, Mistress…” Aerin added, once again telling a half-truth. She had little, if anything, to do with her days besides shop, clean, and keep her legs closed, so it was not just for Ashari’s sake that no plans were in the works.
Last edited by Aerin Penna Seleratus on Sat Jun 21, 2008 11:19 pm, edited 2 times in total.
”The true man wants two things: danger and play. For that reason he wants woman, as the most dangerous plaything.” – Nietzsche

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Post by Ashari »

Aerin was just full of surprises. She followed up the parcel of mist with a curious vial of semi-luminous goo. Her eyes cued in on it. "I think I might know someone who would atleast take a look at it, yes. For now, hold onto it and tuck it away somewhere it won't break." She hmmed and considered her options concerning the alchemical liquid. There was one fence in the city who she knew on good authority helped Tom on a regular basis - perhaps he would have an idea on who to talk to about the stolen substance. "Either way, it's not entirely important for now, but I'll give some thought to it."

Ashari flexed her fingers thoughtfully and examined them with care as her student recounted her bit about thorns and brambles. "Don't worry about them. Tomorrow afternoon, after a class in the morning, I'll take you out for some shopping. We do need to make sure you look nice for the evening," she commented as if such an excursion were going to become commonplace in Aerin's life.

"A nice dress, perhaps a pair of long satin or lace gloves - and no one will notice a bit. You have other assets which are likely to gain more attention." Ash winked playfully. She might've denied Aerin but that didn't mean she couldn't appreciate the beauty that she was blessed with.

"What do you think of your new classmates? Who is your favorite?"
[color=#000000][i]"What of the soul was left, I wonder, when the kissing had to stop?"[/i]
-- Robert Browning. [/color][size=75][i]Avatar by: [url=http://vyrl.deviantart.com/]vyrl[/url][/i][/size]
Aerin Penna Seleratus
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Post by Aerin Penna Seleratus »

Aerin re-pocketed the vial with a nod and listened as Ashari spoke of gloves and shopping, which perked the redhead right up. Her first assignment was looking better and better already. “I know that his identity is a secret, Mistress, but I wonder what kind of a man he is… I mean is he the kind of man who favors ease on the eyes over how the girl acts…or the opposite…? I must say that not knowing is giving me an unexpected thrill, which is quite fun.” Aerin gave a small grin and scratched Cicero’s head, behind the ear.

Aerin then listened to Ashari’s question about favorites. The question gave the redhead pause for thought.

“My….favorite…?” she asked, raising an eyebrow. “I do not think that I have a favorite just yet, Mistress, for each of them is so different and interesting, it is like asking a diner which bite of her food or sip of her drink was her favorite. I think they are all equal right now, but this evening should be a good sign of who curries my favor and who loses it, yes?” Aerin asked, implying that all students were still in the ‘best behavior/first date’ stage and that it would take time for them to relax a bit more and start showing flaws.

“Might I ask – who is yours, mistress?” Aerin asked with a smirk, more curious about Ashari’s assessment of the three than any narcissistic or sadistic reason. “Of the three of them, I mean. Out of all of your houseguests, we all know that you love the Caesar the most, don’t we, Cicero?” she asked, referring to Ashari’s fondness for the animal in her lap. Her fingers moved to Cicero’s chin as she giggled.
”The true man wants two things: danger and play. For that reason he wants woman, as the most dangerous plaything.” – Nietzsche

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Post by Ashari »

"I'll tell you all about him tomorrow. I wouldn't want to ruin the surprise just yet." Aerin was excited about her first assignment. That was promising. Ashari still held much concern for the young woman thanks to previous issues, but there was hope in her heart for the country girl who could fight her way out of magick.

"Diplomatic response," she said lightly. "You're right, it's too soon to decide." She giggled (and was that a hint of blush?) at her student's comment about the Caesar being her favorite. Cicero was a rather interesting and delightful creature - as was Andolin. "Though I'll admit an immediate fondness for the blonde - Helena?" Names were never Ashari's thing (especially foreign ones), it was something she was going to have to work on. "Someone will fall in love with her as soon as she's polished, I know it for a fact. I wouldn't be surprised if she's got a suitor after one of the first events she goes to. There's something to be said for those... quiet demure adhiel that gets a strong-minded noble's blood boiling." She sighed.

"But.. she will need work. Paige - she's strong and capable. She'll be a great student, but refinement will be the difficulty there. As for Trev, he's quite the looker and thoughtful - the only thing I see holding him back is his own hesitance. One needs to make their own way to a certain point. I cannot hold their hands." The brunette shrugged.

"I'm going to send for dinner from Simple Pleasures - though I suppose I really ought to invest in a cook. I have to admit I'm no great chef myself," an embarassed smile. "With more students every day it shouldn't be difficult to keep a cook busy, wouldn't you think?"
[color=#000000][i]"What of the soul was left, I wonder, when the kissing had to stop?"[/i]
-- Robert Browning. [/color][size=75][i]Avatar by: [url=http://vyrl.deviantart.com/]vyrl[/url][/i][/size]
Aerin Penna Seleratus
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Post by Aerin Penna Seleratus »

“Yuh, mistress…” Aerin corrected politely “Yuh-lena… and I admit that I have similar feelings about her ability to attract a suitor.” She noted, having met Yelena once before in the Aether where she thought the blonde to be a mere aspect of herself and that the Aether was no more than a dream. Aerin, of course, could not remember details of the dream itself, only a slight nagging sense of familiarity with the young blonde. Perhaps it was all just something to attribute to Aerin’s own bisexual nature, the attraction for the blonde akin to the forthcoming attractions that Ashari spoke of, for Aerin had felt the same type of attraction to the silver-haired Adhiel at the university. Yes, there was something quite alluring about the gentle race.

The redhead smiled at the assessment of Paige. “Paige is a former slave, Mistress, so that may serve as an advantage – she has been ‘broken’ once before – and I think that if you put she and I together, we may work well at helping each other with refinements for you have seen firsthand that I am not the most delicate rose in the bouquet either.” Aerin let a little shrug slip past her shoulders. She knew that she could be as crude as any brazen whore on the docks if allowed to be and that was probably a trait that she would have to pocket deeply if she ever hoped to reach Ashari’s level of sophistication. “I have never been a slave, myself, but thanks to my parents I do feel a kind of kinship with miss Paige.” She stopped scratching Cicero for a flicker and gave her own chin a tiny scratch.

“At the risk of opening a box that might not be easily closed, mistress, do you think that perhaps myself, Yelena, and Paige practicing our seductions upon him while playing coy and he doing the same might help draw each of us along while pulling him from his shell at the same time?” she asked with a hint of blush on her own cheeks. “Before I brought them here, we had some coffee and brownies at Simple Pleasures where I got to know each of them a little and we played a small game that I used to play with my siblings where you move in a circle, describing the best traits of the person to your left to someone who had never met them.” Aerin’s hand went to her sternum as she took in a deep breath. “Trevyn excelled at that game, Mistress.” She confessed. “I do not think that his hesitation will be all that hard to overcome – just the habit of being hesitant at first…: she said as she gave the matter more thought.

“As for the cook, Mistress, my first impulse is to point out that your students are all from common stock and possibly used to cooking but…” she said with a chuckle. “Your goal is to marry us off into stations where our only knowledge of the kitchen is that it exists, yes? I think that hiring a cook would certainly be wise and yes, he or she might well stay quite busy with the six of us.
”The true man wants two things: danger and play. For that reason he wants woman, as the most dangerous plaything.” – Nietzsche

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Post by Ashari »

"Yuh-lena, yes.. thank you," she grinned broadly at her own mistake. "Mistress I might be, but I'm still learning myself."

"First impressions are just that. Time will tell who falls into what place. Perhaps he will surprise me. I hope so... he could be quite dashing if given to being more - oh.. I'm not sure what to call it, except for that it's sort of a mix of confidence and surity. You have it. Maybe he's just shy."

Aerin suggested playing with the new student with the other female students as pawns. She shook her head. "No... I wouldn't suggest it. Play flirting, as well as practice of anything you learn is absolutely recommended, but I would like for him to come out of that shell on his own - in his own time. For, it's one thing for him to be comfortable around his fellow students and another to display it infront of strangers - who are the true audience, yes?" She folded the fingers she'd bee examining together. "Plus, I wouldn't want for him to feel less. If you and the other girls got together for your little ploy and he found out then I imagine he'd feel quite out of the loop. No one wants that. I wouldn't be surprised if he and Yuh-lena hit it off and become fast friends. Their quiet nature ought fit together well. You and Paige, as well, should make a fine pairing just don't get overly caught up in your similarities. It's exactly the things that give you common ground which we are trying to move away from."

"So far as the cook, I'll have to see what can be arranged. Maybe we will stick to doing our own cooking for a while, it might suit everyone to learn such a thing together - especially the women. Trevyn - I imagine I can find something else to entertain him while you girls cook." Already ideas brewed. She would need to find out if he was trained in any useful crafts. Ashari gave a deep sigh. "I suppose I ought head out to see to preparations for Aeris," she rose from her seat. "Do whatever you'd like with these few marks, just make sure you're back for your fellow students. I shoud be along not too much behind them."
[color=#000000][i]"What of the soul was left, I wonder, when the kissing had to stop?"[/i]
-- Robert Browning. [/color][size=75][i]Avatar by: [url=http://vyrl.deviantart.com/]vyrl[/url][/i][/size]
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Post by Aerin Penna Seleratus »

Aerin shared a sly smile with her younger mentor. “That shall be our secret, Mistress, for I won’t do that in front of others out of respect for you, yes?” Aerin swore, nodding as Ashari added weight to Aerin’s own reasons against the mock seductions. Her nodding stopping once Ashari reached the part about herself and Paige. “Oh I understand fully, Mistress. I was meaning that I can recognize the ‘bad’ traits and descisions with her and she – hopefully – with me so that we can correct each other and, hopefully, ourselves in the process.” She stood, shifting Cicero to her shoulder.

“I will do, Mistress…” Aerin promised as she was given instructions. “My play at being a maid for Thalas was…interrupted…but I had plans to resume the act while the others were off fetching their things. I think that having nice, clean rooms to move into would lessen the appearance that things here are…” she said, giving a pause to wipe a line of dust off of the desk as if proving a point to herself. “…less established. It also helps me learn the layout of this lovely house a little better, your chambers and the office notwithstanding, of course. I know not to touch those without permission – if there are any others, please let me know.”

She smiled at Ashari. “After their rooms are cleaned, I plan on working on my meditation for a mark or so…depending on how fast I clean…for I am quite anxious to start using my mind for more useful things than tending to monkeys and seducing the elderly nearly to death.”
”The true man wants two things: danger and play. For that reason he wants woman, as the most dangerous plaything.” – Nietzsche

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Post by Ashari »

The clean finger that swiped along the dusty surface caused Ash to shake her head shamefully. "I know, I know... this place truely is in a state of disrepair. It shouldn't be too bad, though - mostly dust bunnies and fairy swirls." The house had never been properly cleaned, though Ashari did it in the last time around. Even then, it had only been the rooms the couple used and never the full house. She hadn't even given a thought to the library or other places inwhich she'd never spent any time.

"Clean the rooms first and then take care to tidy up the dining room as we'll be using it." She responded. "Meditation would be a good way to spend the latter part of the afternoon, though - I agree." Infact, she was rather jealous of the idea. She could use some simple quiet time to just sit and contemplate. Perhaps then she wouldn't feel so jumbled and shuffled around. There were so many things she had to keep going, so many plates to keep spinning as if she were an entertainer from the Eastern Empire.

"I imagine you'll be able to sort through your time well enough. Good luck on the cleaning and I'll see you in a few marks." She took the small baggy of mist with her upstairs and she made sure to tuck it away safely in a place that made sense. If Aerin changed her mind and she wanted it then it wouldn't be altogether too difficult to find, but it also wasn't resting out in the open where anyone who entered the room might see it - mostly because she didn't want Ketch to stumble across the substance and think her a user.

She left Thalas Manse in as good of spirits as she'd had while entering it, and that, in itself, was something to be happy about.

OOC: Fin for Ashari!
Last edited by Ashari on Sun Jun 22, 2008 9:54 pm, edited 1 time in total.
[color=#000000][i]"What of the soul was left, I wonder, when the kissing had to stop?"[/i]
-- Robert Browning. [/color][size=75][i]Avatar by: [url=http://vyrl.deviantart.com/]vyrl[/url][/i][/size]
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Post by Aerin Penna Seleratus »

Aerin nodded in silent reply and, after looking about for fresh dusting rags and whatnot - leaving the strange bottle alone for the interim, began cleaning the appointed rooms, starting with the dining room and then moving her way upstairs, happy in her own right and allowing the mundane chores the opportunity to begin stilling her mind for the coming meditation although fantasies about the upcoming shopping trip for a new dress kept flickering at her thoughts on occasion as well.

Fin for Aerin too.
”The true man wants two things: danger and play. For that reason he wants woman, as the most dangerous plaything.” – Nietzsche

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Post by Turi »

Skills
Aerin +* to animal handling, new skills etiquette and psychology
Ashari +* to leadership and counselling

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