A Fae of the Utmost Standing

[Quiet One]

Overview

• 
  How things have changed for Eseldor Skinchanger. For centuries life as a changeling was nothing but hardship. When he was born his mother stole a human child and put him in its place. He was discovered and the humans tried to kill him.
  
  A century later he was fully grown. He tried living in a human town, drawn to older women with plentiful breasts. Again he was discovered and had to run for his life.
  
  This went on for five hundred years, until at last the Fae races of the world came forth and brokered a deal with the murderous humans. They revealed themselves in London, the source of the most poisonous age of Man. They called it progress; heavy machines billowing smoke and blackening the sky, tainting the water and felling the trees. The Fae offered the humans magic, in exchange for protection and standing in society. Eseldor had no magic beyond the powers of his own body, but as a Fae he shared in the spoils.
  
  He had chosen a form he could live with in day to day life. Short hair styled immaculately. It was dark, with touches of grey on the sides. His skin was well-tanned, his body void of hair in most places. He didn't like how cumbersome hair could get in the wrong places. And his suit was well tailored as well. But then he didn't always wear suits. His eyes as always did not match; one was blue while the other was brown.
  
  His opulent estate was larger than some of the towns he used to slink around in, trying simply to scrounge for a decent meal. He sipped at the glass of milk beside his desk and looked through the photographs again. He thumbed idly through the black and white images as he'd done many times before. But always his hands stilled when they turned to hers. And she was beautiful. In truth he had made his choice dozens of times but had stopped before announcing it again and again.
  
  "No longer," he said aloud, perhaps to convince himself, as there was no one else there. Which was precisely the problem. He set the other photographs on his desk, face down, and held up hers. "You will be many things I need, but most importantly you will be company."
  

 

[Suga]

Packing her bag Serena tried her best not to think about the life she was about to have here on out. She was finally at the age to be able to do work according to the new human working laws. For years she watched her sisters leave and come back tiered from the long nights of work, usually sweaty and physically tiered only to hear there tears shed at night as they hoped for a new life. Now she was 18, and ready to work. A week ago she had to sit still for the pictures the agency used to get the woman hired. It felt awkward standing there in a maids uniform happily when all she wanted to do was stab the camera guy in the eye for looking at her the way he did from behind the camera. The outfit was awkward as it was without some creep smiling at her giving her what he thought were compliments. But what was she to do, she was nothing but hired help. They said it would take weeks before someone would want her services but it was just short three days but here she was packing the little she had in her life into a carrier bag.

It was always extremely rare for the people hiring them to also throw in room and board but as she was getting into the carriage, riding off for what was going to be her new home she couldn't help but feel worried. Biting her lip she played with the ends of her light brown hair wondering if it was okay. They told her very little about the person she would be working for. Only things were he demanded she lived there for easier access to work and that he wasn't human. Which wasn't rare, most non human species these days were hiring human help for the jobs they felt were beneath them. Considering there was very little jobs humans were even allowed to do. Sighing she looked in the mirror her sister had given her as a going away present looking at the braids in her hair that were created to make what looked like a crown on top of her head, the rest falling beautifully in light tossed curls around her cleavage that was embaressingly noticeable in the tight corset they made her wear.

Serena played out what was going to happen, she knew she was being hired for maid work but everyone thought it was weird she was going to be paid to live there. Most non human species tried to avoid living with humans, or doing anything but simple transactions that usually involved work or pleasure. A lump was built in her throat as that thought came to her mind. What if she was just bought to be a whore to her new boss. Her hands were shaking as she tried to sit still through what had to be the longest ride in history. After what seemed like forever the carriage finally stopped in front of what had to be the most beautiful house she had ever seen. Flowers bloomed everywhere, as the house had a pretty modern theme to the times. Her new employer had money that was for sure, yet that didn't help to settle her racing mind. If anything it only made it worse.

(Alright try number two!!!...)

 

[Quiet One]

Eseldor looked out through the window as the new maid exited the carriage. He still had bad memories of interactions with humans, so he was shy to go to see her arrive. He watched as she came up the pathway, a trunk behind her.

He descended the staircase to the main lobby, his hairline receding and his build shrinking into a withered old man. His nose became larger and hooked, his eyes developed heavy bags. He adapted an uptight posture and put his arm behind his back and opened the door.

"Good afternoon, madam," he said with a slight French accent. "My name is Pierre. The master has alerted the staff that you are to be joining the household, and I am to escort you around the premises. Shall we begin with your living quarters or your duties around the household?"

 

[Suga]

The carriage door opened as a small foot followed by a big dress walked gracefully out the door. Serena's big caramel brown eyes looked over her new home with fear but excitement as she followed the man holding her belongings. "I can take that." She spoke gently at the man grabbing her bag. In a way she wanted to keep it close something to ground her for the adventure coming her way.

As she made it up the steps to what had to be the most beautiful porch she had ever seen. So distracted by the scenery she barley noticed the door opening. Turning quickly to see an older gentleman holding the door for her. Walking in reluctantly she turned to look at him as he spoke. Smiling she pulled up the side over dress with a graceful bow. "It is nice to meet you, my name is Serena." All she could focus on was she hoped that he couldn't see how nervous she really was.

 

[Quiet One]

The "butler" raised an eyebrow at the girl. Her gaze kept flitting from the molding to the marble, to the gold brackets for the lamps. The walls had a shade of green paint similar to the ritzy rooms of the Grand. Eseldor had inherited quite an opulent estate.

"Madam?" he inquired a bit more sternly. "Your quarters or your duties about the house? I am required to show you to both."

 

[Suga]

The house was more beautiful then Serena ever thought a house could look like. Everywhere she looked you could tell the status of how rich her new employer was. Everything seemed to fit together well with the light greens and golds that touched every corner of the house, or mansion. Living here would be perfect the only thing that really still worried her was the master of the house. Serena loved the house but there was no telling that she was going to love her new employer. As she was looking around the sound of someone talking to her caught her attention. "Oh, i am so sorry I guess quaters first would be more appropriate." She shyly spoke as her cheeks fill with a light shade of pink from her airhead display she gave off.

Smiling she held on to her bag telling anyone who tried to grab it from her telling them it wasn't heavy. When in reality the bag was something to hug close so her shaking wasn't completely obvious. This was her first job last thing she needed ws to be the shaky one. As she followed behind her eyes wondered around everything and everyone. Smiling she bowed her head and said hello to anyone who greeted her first. There weren't as many people as she thought would be working in such a huge house. "How long have you been working here? If you do not mind me asking. Also does this house hold a different uniform or will I be wearing the one the agency gave me?" Serena's voice was curious but light as she really wanted to get along with this gentlman. He seemed as if he was the one who ran things around here and being on his good side could help to her advantage.

 

[Quiet One]

Eseldor's staff was small. Finding humans he could trust wasn't easy. In all he had maybe five regular staff, a quarter of what a house like this required. But he didn't care so much if absolutely everything couldn't be dusted or polished. He'd made due with nothing before. This fanciful gold was cold and empty to him.

Still disguised as the old man he turned and rested his hand on a doorhandle, the entrance to her room. "I have worked for the master for many years. His ways are...peculiar to most. His value of gold and cleanliness and the quality of fine things is low. But his value of people is very high. He chooses very carefully who he lets stay with him here."

He broke the stonewall face of the butler's character and smiled. "He chose you among dozens. Already you don't disappoint."

He opened the door. These weren't a simple servant's quarters waiting on the other side. This house had a dozen beautifully furnished rooms, so he was more than willing to part with a few. A magnificent fourposter bed met their eyes, as well as a bright set of windows and gold candle holders just like elsewhere in the mansion. An armoire stood in the corner waiting for her. There was even a small fireplace.

"The master likes his servers comfortable," he said. "As I mentioned, peculiar. The question of your attire when working he leaves to you. Your uniform, his, or something else entirely. You'll find it won't upset him so long as the job is done."

 

[Suga]

It touched her heart to hear the way Mr. Pierre talked about the master of the house. It was obvious he was very respected among his staff but the idea of have so little of a staff made her ponder. Though Serena could not quite help but smile at the old man as he spoke. He was right how could a man with so much wealth not care about, his wealth that was very peculiar. It also made her head turn with the possibilities of why. "You speak so highly of him. It almost warms my heart." She spoke as they walked. Serena made sure to walk slowly so he would not feel a need to rush, at his age he should take his time to travel through out the house. As he stopped in front of a door his comment about not being disappointing made her cheeks glow a light red on her tanned skin. She couldn't explain it but as she looked into the eyes of this old man she felt a warmth.

When the door open her eyes went wide as she looked around the room. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen in her entire life. Everywhere she looked it looked more and more like a princess lived here. "This can't possibly be my room..." a part of her thought this was some kind of sick joke but as she looked at Mr. Pierre his face said other wise. This was truly and utterly her new home. Before she could stop herself tears fell from her eyes as she quickly covered her face with her hands. Taking in a deep breath the tears still fell but she turned and smiled at the older man. "I'm sorry I must seem crazy standing here crying. It's just so beautiful I couldn't help but tear up from the sight." Her honesty made her embaressed a bit as she quickly tried to wipe her eyes clear of the silly tears.

 

[Quiet One]

He felt uneasy as Serena began to cry, wondering how he had upset her. Then she turned and smiled and he realized they were something he had rarely seen: tears of joy.

He smiled back, but quickly resumed the professional, stiff demeanor his character was supposed to possess.

"You are quite welcome, but I am only here to show you what the master offers," he said. "If you need a few moments, it may be best if one of your fellow maids shows you your duties. After you get comfortable here."

 

[Suga]

Drying her eyes she felt a bit silly with the way she acted. Though she appreciated that Mr. Pierre didn't draw attention to her behavior. "Thank you for everything." She smiled as she picked up the end of her dress again bowing at him. Serena respected him so much but there was something she really wanted to ask him.

"I'm sorry to bother you but there was a piece of information that was not given to me about the master." Serena felt embaressed asking but she needed to know. "What is the master?" Hey voice was lower than she expected as if she were sharing a secret. More than anything she hoped he didn't think of her rude for asking such a question.

 

[Quiet One]

Eseldor stopped in his tracks. She wanted to know his race. He took a deep breath and stiffened like a board. He did not turn all the way to face her, for fear he would somehow give himself away.

"He is...a changeling." He quickly left then, closing the door behind him.

He rounded the corner, changing back to his standard form. As he walked he began unbuttoning his shirt and removing his waistcoat. Lucinda, a maid watched as he came by her dusting the banister.

"Hello, Master Eseldor." She gave him a brief curtsey and a smile. "I believe I saw the new maid and you earlier. She's very pretty, Sir, the sort I'd favor, certainly. Why are you pretending for her?"

"Why do I do it for you?" he countered. "To be certain of her opinions without boundaries. Like me paying her. That's quite a boundary."

"Master, you're heading for my room. I trust you're doing your scaly trollop impression next?" She grinned at him as his shirt came off.

He waved her comment aside. She meant it harmlessly, after all. "I promise to put it back in the same condition."

He entered her room and removed the rest of his clothing. Her room was just as ornate and beautiful as Serena's, but had the askew appearance of the lived-in.

Eseldor made his hair grow out long and wavy, turning black. His skin turned green and developed small scales that covered his body. That body shrunk and sprouted feminine curves, a full rear and small breasts. The last detail was the long scars of pale flesh showing underneath. Then Eseldor put on a red dress that would have counted more like a nightgown. He/she went up to the mirror.

"Ey! Oy...oyyy...Oy! You d'ere. Watchoo doin' out so late, eh?" He paused, blinked, and headed out. Perfect. A perfect reminder.

The maid went to the door of Serena's room and knocked. He managed to make the thick cockney accent come off sweet and teasing, just like the original.

"Oy! Sweetie! Best finish straightenin' up and come out." She added with a laugh, "We don't get paid just to make our rooms look nice."

 

[Suga]

As the door shut Serena stood there wondering exactly what a changeling was. She had heard of them but no one ever gave her a clear description of what one was. Trying to think she spent the next couple minutes looking over all the furniture smiling as she looked around the room. Everything looked so beautiful and expensive it still felt unnatural to be here, as if it was still a big joke. Any minute someone was going to come in yelling at her that this was their room. Grabbing her back she shoved her clothing into a draw, she had many to fill but her belongings only filled the first draw.

Looking into the closet she saw the uniform. When she walked around she saw a majority wore the uniform for the manor. Quickly grabbing it she untied her dress letting it fall to a pool around her feet. As she spread the uniform on the bed she fixed her corset when she heard someone coming into her room. Quickly covering herself she saw it was one of the maids coming to show her around. Smiling she put the uniform back on the bed. "Hello." She smiled walking over to her shaking her hand. Her corset and underwear prepping her breast up. "Sure, just give me a second to finish getting dressed." Smiling she walked back over slipping the uniform on. It stopped a bit past her knee, it wasn't to short and actually was very nice. "Will you tie my dress?" She asked the other maid as she tried to hold it up on her body.


(Wrote this during my work break, sorry it's short)

 

[Quiet One]

Eseldor struggled to keep his eyes on Serena's face as she revealed her corset-sinched figure. Changelings were drawn to bountiful chests, the source of the milk they needed to survive. But the lizard woman he was pretending to be wasn't so interested in other women's chests.

Unfortunately, she looked so good in her uniform. He stepped up behind her and tied the strings.

"You know ya don' 'af to wear the uniform, right?" he asked in that Cockney accent. "I'm not."

He sinched up the last string and stepped back. "There ya go. I'm Cavilli, by the way. In case it ain't clear, I'm a Fae, and not one of those lucky ones."

She drew a finger along the scar on her cheek and pulled her dress aside, revealing the bigger one that traveled down beneath the fabric. "Sorry for showin' you that, just thought I'd get it out o' the way."

 

[Suga]

Smiling Serena waited for the other maid to string her into the uniform. Once she was done she went to the mirror to look at herself. Giving a little twirl she fixed her hair so it fell right over her shoulders just caressing the small cleavage the dress gave her. Turning back she looked at the woman who actually came in. She was not human that was apparent but Serena found it more weird that she was a maid most non humans worked better jobs than this. "No its fine there's a uniform for a reason." Serena just smiled lightly not wanting to admit that in reality she had nothing that was nice enough to wear here. The uniform itself was so nice it most likely cost more than her whole wardrob.

"Well I'm ready, show me the way." Serena was hoping that she could learn a bit more about the master of the house from her. It seemed this girl would know a lot about the house.

 

[Quiet One]

"Right this way," Eseldor said, leading Serena out of her room. He kept his eyes forward so he wouldn't be distracted by her body.

"The master's not sure 'bout your cookin' skills, so your place in the kitchen'll be confined to the mop," the fake maid said. He brushed the banister as he led the way back downstairs. "We're to dust the halls, the stairs, and the rooms. The master gives us a whole week to do it, though. It's a big place."

He continued down the stairs and pointed at the candle holders. "They don't get the polish more'n a couple times a month. You'll probably be mostly cleanin' floors. That's where most started. 'Cept the cook. He got his spot once he showed 'is stuff. Any questions so far?"

 

[Suga]

As they walked Serena did her best to make sure she payed attention to everything she was saying. Moping, dusting, one week, polish every so often. It wasn't to much to have a handle on at this point she figured her biggest thing was going to be finding her way around the area.

Even just following her it was hard to keep track of everywhere they went. The place was a lot bigger than she expected. Doors were everywhere, and it was only every so often she saw someone else coming down the stairs. Sighing she tried to keep up hoping she wouldn't miss anything when she stopped suddenly.

"I think at this point all I can ask is can you draw me a map?" Chuckling at her own joke she looked away from a second at what looked like a pretty new painting. She wondered who it was, which made her realize she still hasn't met her employer. Turning back to the maid she smiled. "May I ask you a question? What's it like working here? Is our master" stopping she tried to find a way to finish her thoughts. "Nice?" Was all Serena managed to say.

 

[Quiet One]

((I'm sorry. I've been referring to your character as Selena. Edited all my posts to fix that earlier today.))

"You'll get used to the place, don't you worry," he replied. As she stopped and looked at the painting he did as well. It wasn't him, but he'd modeled his form off of it, and there were plenty of resemblances.

Eseldor turned as Serena once more asked about him. Was he nice? He wasn't sure...He suddenly didn't feel right telling her Cavilli's story. It wasn't entirely true. After all, she died in the real version.

"I...knew the master before he became lord of this estate," he began carefully. "In that time he and I lived in the squalor o' London. Sittin' in the refuse, snatchin' fruit and pies from the garbage.

"Humans weren't good to us when you ruled," he went on, turning a bit bitter. "Ca - I ran into some one day. They gave me me scars to 'member 'em by."

He showed Cavilli's scars again. It was as if they sunk to the bone.

"I weren't high enough to get a ritzy mansion, but when Eseldor got his, he took me off them rough streets," he finished. "I been here ever since."

 

[Suga]

Serena felt the mood change when she asked about the master of the house. A part of her felt that she asked the wrong question. Listening to the story she knew she dipped into someone they probably shouldn't have. A part of her felt guilty dragging her into something she felt was to heavy.

"I'm really sorry, I didn't know asking such a question would be up some really tough memories." She smiled wide not sure how to turn the situation around. "At least you have someone you can really care about and from your story seems the master really loves you."

Her words weren't the deepest but she hoped it was enough to get her to cheer up. "Plus, even with the scares your one of the most beautiful woman I have seen in a long time." That was the honest truth in her heart, just the few moments she was with her she knew that she was a kind person beautiful in and out.

 

[Quiet One]

Tears descended from his blue and brown eyes. He pressed a manicured hand into the banister, gripping it so hard that it started to creak. Yes. She was beautiful. And yes, he had loved her.

Eseldor started to shake. This was a bad idea. Taking Cavilli's form...it hadn't been a problem ever before. It had felt like seeing an old friend again. But talking about her with Serena, telling stories as if they had a happy ending; it felt like he was disgracing her.

"It's...it's alright, love," he said, the Cockney beginning to slip out of his voice. "I just...I need a minute...please..."

He ran for the room he had left his clothes in and clutched his chest, breathing heavily. "Have to get out of this form...have to get out of it..."

He hurriedly stripped out of the borrowed dress. He ran his fingers over the scars. He remembered the day he found her in the streets with those, her body spilling green Fae blood, her last breath having left before he even found her...

With a shudder he changed back to his standard form. He didn't realize he'd neglected to close the door.

 

[Suga]

As she saw the tears start in her eyes Serena had felt she truly had said something wrong. Reaching over to try and comfort the pour girl she walked away before he had a chance. Serena's heart felt heavy as she watched her walk away in tears, tears that were here fault. Biting her lip she went to follow just to make sure she was okay. Her job could come second what was important at this moment was making sure Cavli was okay.

Walking down the halls it took a awhile before she was able to find the room everywhere she looked Cavli was not there. Finally she found an open door walking toward it slowly not wanting to inturupt her private time whatever happened between her and the master it must have been hard. Maybe Cavli is his girlfriend or wife? She wasn't sure but she did know it was not her her heart to leave someone alone in tears.

Knocking on the Fram of the door she called for her. "Cavli, Cavli dear I'm coming in." Stepping in the last thing she planed to find was a man on the floor. What was worse was he was bare from clothing turning bright red she turned around quickly embaressed. "I..I am so sorry! I should not have entered without someone saying it was okay. I...I'm looking for someone Cavli? Have you seen her?" The sight of a bare ma was so new to her she didn't have the courage to look back to even see who it was. "I..I'm sorry to bother you!" She practically shouted as she headed toward the door.