[fieldbox="Zachary Brighton, lightcyan, dashed, 10"]Louie immediately brightened as Mary spoke to him, and he offered her a grin - showing of one of his chipped choppers, from falling off one of the horses. It had been his own fault, and Louie often laughed about it. He liked it, because it made him feel tough - he'd always tell the village boys that it happened after he won a fight, or fought off a bear, or whatever crazy story he could come up with. "Yeah! We gots a lot of 'em." He looked down at his hand, studying his fingers with incredible intensity. "We gots..." He counted along the digits, freckled cheeks turning red as he realized his counting was really, really bad. "This many!" He held three fingers up to Mary, and Peter sighed. "Three, Louie. Oh dear..."
The boy had been the newest member of the household, and coming from his job as a chimney-sweep, of course the boy had no higher education. Peter had taken it upon himself to teach the boy how to count, but Louie hated counting, and always demanded to be taught to read. He was a slow learner, but incredibly eager. Zachary had found the boy utterly endearing, and made that know with a quiet chuckle. This drew the attention of the child, who smiled brightly at the vampire. "Master, can you sing for me again today?"
Zachary's pale cheeks would have turned pink pink if they could, as his eyes shifted between the servants, who stared at him with surprise. Gah, he had told Louie not to tell them about it... "Yes, of course." The boy threw his hands into the air with a loud, "Yaaay~" And Peter quickly shushed him for being too loud, with his eyes trained on Zachary's untouched food. That was strange... The master had failed to eat the sweet breakfast... How unusual. His worried gaze was disregarded by the vampire, who leaned back in his seat. [/fieldbox]
[fieldbox="Mary Courteney, green, dashed, 10"] The broken tooth became visible when the child smiled, making the brunette rather curious to know what happened. Perhaps that would be an interesting story to hear. Louie seemed like such a ball of energy that was always cheerful. "Three?" The brunette smiled lightly, though she assumed that they had more. With such a fancy place like this, she was sure there was room for more than three horses.
From the looks of it, the young lad hadn't gone to school. She had been fortunate enough to at least have been taught the basics, which was to read, write, and simple math. Her father had taught her and her other cousins.
Suddenly, Louie directed a question to their master. Sing? The male sung? If she wasn't so afraid of the vampire, then surely she would have started asking him questions about the subject. Instead, she looked down at her breakfast and picked up another scone.
[/fieldbox]
[fieldbox="Zachary Brighton, lightcyan, dashed, 10"]All of a sudden, Zachary was all business, the softness in his gaze gone. "Peter, if you are done, see to it that my letter to Countess Rosalie is sent. I am denying her marriage proposal to young Annie." Peter's brow furrowed. "But master, would your house not benefit from-"
"Peter. Not. Now." Zachary pouted, clearly not in the mood to be reprimanded. "Yes, master."
"The ball being hosted this afternoon - send them a brief letter that I politely decline the invitation due to sickness. The evening meeting with Earl Atterberry - reschedule it to this Thursday. I am not in the mood to hear about yet another one of his hobbyhorses. And the meeting with my business partner, monsieur Beauchamp, when is that?"
"This Friday, at ten o'clock sharp."
"Ah, good. That's fine, then... Peter, you didn't bring me my letters this morning."
"There are none, master." Suddenly, the blonde's eyes flashed with a peculiar sharpness. "-Because you ignore, reject, and reprimand every proposal that does not involve business. For your health, I have scheduled afternoon tea with Duchess Bellamy today."
"For my health? Oh, that will simply not do, Peter." There was anger in Zachary's voice. "I was going to visit my brother for tea."
"It is too late, master. She is likely already getting ready."
Frustrated, Zachary lowered his head onto his hands - knowing it was bad table manner, but... Ah, damn it, Peter...[/fieldbox]
[fieldbox="Mary Courteney, green, dashed, 10"] Peter and her master began to discuss matters that certainly did not concern her, however they were literally speaking right there for everyone to hear, herself included. He had a marriage proposal and he declined it so easily? Her master truly was strange.
Their conversation stretched on and she wasn't really interested until he mentioned going over to his brother's for tea. Peter immediately shot down that plan by mentioning that he had already arranged for him to have tea with some other individual. Did this mean that she wouldn't see her cousin? A small frown settled into her lips, but she just kept her head low and finished her scone.
What relationship did her master and Peter have? The blonde seemed to be controlling the majority of what her master did and she couldn't wrap her head around it. Shouldn't her master be the one deciding what should go and what not should happen? Tilting her head, she observed the butler, trying to figure things out.
[/fieldbox]
[fieldbox="Zachary Brighton, lightcyan, dashed, 10"]Matilda seemed to have the same concern as Mary, but fearlessly voiced it, "Won't young Annie be disappointed, master?"
The vampire shook his head. "I don't even know her... We've never met. It would be a marriage for power, and money. It is unusual for a woman to request marriage to a man - often it is the other way around, but her mother seeks to inherit my status, and my money... And I... Don't want to marry someone I don't know, or don't care for. You know, Matilda. Because of my illness." The vampire's eyes flicked to Louie - the only member of the household that was not aware of his vampirism.
Gerard spoke next, "Bah, it's for the better."
"But why can't the master have a wife?" Louie piped.
Matilda shook her head, "Love doesn't exist for those with that illness."
This had an effect on Zachary, who lowered his head and shrunk into himself, grey gaze sinking to the untouched scone on his plate as a frown found his lips. "I know." He had completely resigned himself to his fate.
Peter cleared his throat, trying to draw their attention. "Now, for your duties today... Gerard, I expect you to know this - but other than your daily gardening routine, the hedges must be trimmed, and the roses must be tidied up. Matilda, we have already agreed on what meals are to be had today. Expect a delivery of fresh meats and dairy at 2 o'clock. Louie, you know your routine already... And stop over-feeding Honey!"
"But she needs her strength! The foal's gonna be comin' any day now."
"Louie, that horse is heavier than the entire stable, with all the other horses included. Now, Mary, today you will help Louie, but I expect you back in the manor to bring the master and his guest afternoon tea, as well as to help prepare super. That is all."
Zachary had been listening intently, eyes trained on his butler. That was why the man was in charge - he had a remarkable memory, as well as the remarkable talent of being time-efficient. What's more, he had a certain aura about him... Peter was a natural-born leader, while Zachary... Was completely incapable of taking care of himself, or any of the other servants. Peter fulfilled his duties as a butler perfectly - along with the duty of being a caretaker to the vampire.[/fieldbox]
[fieldbox="Mary Courteney, green, dashed, 10"] Illness? Surely he meant...Glancing over to Louie, May recalled what Peter had told her the second she passed through the grand door. The child knew nothing of the existence of vampires. Was it easy to keep that hidden? Were they ever going to tell him?
"Yes, sir." Mary nodded as she looked over to Peter, before turning her attention to her breakfast. It wasn't long before she finished eating the delicious scones.
"The scones were delicious." The brunette spoke out as she glanced between Matilda and Peter. "May I be excused?" She wasn't sure whether leaving the table unannounced was good or not, so she preferred to just ask.
[/fieldbox]
[fieldbox="Zachary Brighton, lightcyan, dashed, 10"]Matilda smiled warmly to Mary, the gave Peter a glare. "At least someone's grateful." Peter sighed. "Of course, Mary."
Zachary had taken a few bites of his meal, and glanced at the maid longingly. If she was allowed to leave... Surely, he would be as well. The vampire turned to the cook with a gentle smile. "The meal was truly delicious. Forgive me for not finishing it, but... The illness gives me a weak stomach. I will be in the hall, practicing piano." The male stood, and departed from the table, briefly giving Mary a warm smile before exiting the room.
Peter only sighed again, staring down at his empty plate with longing. He wished for yet another scone, but... Louie had eaten half of his when he wasn't looking. That silly child. [/fieldbox]
[fieldbox="Mary Courteney, green, dashed, 10"] Mary had just been about to get up from her seat, when her master spoke out, excusing himself to go practice the piano. Peeking over at the vampire, she was stunned to see the warm smile on his lips as he rose from his seat before exiting the room. His kindness seemed genuine, yet she wasn't entirely convinced. Perhaps with time, she would learn to not fear him and accept the fact that he truly didn't want to harm anyone. Mary rose from her seat then pushed in her chair. "When will you like to go tend to the horses?" The brunette questioned as she directed her gaze to the young boy.
[/fieldbox]
[fieldbox="Louie Wells, olive, dashed, 10"]The child glanced over at Peter with an eager, but questioning gaze. When the blonde male nodded - allowing the boy to leave the table, he leapt up and dashed over to Mary, clutching onto her hand. "I wanna show you Honey! She's my favorite. The master let me name her, and he's gonna let me name her baby too!" The freckled, brow-haired boy began to pull May along towards the door, practically vibrating with excitement.
"Come on Mary~ I can show you my collection of bugs too!" The young boy stopped at the doorway as he spotted Zachary sitting at the piano, and he waited with a smile for what came next - falling oddly silent.[/fieldbox]
[fieldbox="Zachary Brighton, lightcyan, dashed, 10"]The vampire settled down on the chair, remembering to keep his posture as his fingers fanned out atop the keys - as pale as his skin, the ivory notes were wrought from the instrument by his wrists, fingers, arms, and slowly, a waltz was shaped into existence. Note fell into the air like feathers plucked from a crow, soft, and all too raw to mean nothing.
He stopped playing, and wondered if they would hear him... But the song was right on the tip of his tongue, and the vampire could scarcely hold it back anymore. His mouth fell open, exposing the fangs that failed to fit him to the air.
"Oh ma doux souffrance..." It came like a sigh, and felt like his soul was on display. It was odd, to sing where he knew the household could hear... But where else could he sing? French came as easily to him as if it had been his native tongue, and the song... Was sweet, and fitting. Oh my sweet torment, no point in fighting, you start again.
[/fieldbox]
[fieldbox="Mary Courteney, green, dashed, 10"] Children were so pure, so innocent. They always had so much energy and Louie was no exception to that. His enthusiasm brought excitement to her being as he clutched her hand. Never had she thought she would feel ease because of a child. Perhaps it was because he added life to the manor. She found herself wishing she was just as carefree and happy as the young boy, but not everything you want is given to you.
"Really? Do you have a name for it, yet?" Mary questioned while she hurried to follow the young lad. A small smile adorned her lips at the mention of his bug collection. However, they came to a halt at the doorway and she had just been about to voice out her confusion, when she spotted their master seated at the piano. She expected him to only play the piano, but he had begun to sing in a different language. She had never heard it before, so she could even guess what it was. It sounded lovely though as did his voice. He sang beautiful, yet...Mary couldn't help but to feel like they were intruding on something so personal. Leaning down, she whispered into Louie's ear,"We must go." What if he got angry? Then again, anyone within hearing range could hear him.
[/fieldbox]
[fieldbox="Louie Wells, olive, dashed, 10"]Louie shook his head quickly, refusing to go. The master surely knew his servants could hear him, and Louie figured that Zachary was singing for him. He looked up at Mary with a smile, and wide, understanding eyes. "That's French!" He was so proud of himself for recognizing the langue that it was almost silly. The young boy puffed his chest out and suddenly gave off an air of pride, "My name is a French name, so that's how I know."
Zachary's song hit a crescendo, and Louie still refused to move. There was something sad, but desperate in the fleeting notes - he couldn't quite understand what it was, being so young. But, whenever the master sang, the boy always though he sounded lonely - like the only songbird for miles around.
He looked up at Mary with a silly smile, and grabbed her hands to pull her into a dance - but only for a brief moment did he get to show off how well he knew how to waltz before the melody ended, and Zachary turned to face them. He had been so distracted by his singing that he hadn't even noticed the two standing there - dread welled up in his chest for a moment, but the vampire took a deep breath and played it off. He gestured to Louie, and the seven-year-old eagerly ran up to the vampire, all smiles. "That was a pretty song... Could you sing Scarborough Fair to me later?" The vampire smiled at the memory of the old, English lullaby, "Yes, perhaps before bed." The boy slid onto Zachary's lap, which delighted the vampire - Louie really trusted him. He felt an overwhelming feeling of adoration for the child, as feeling any kind of acceptance was a rare thing for the male. Seeing that the child was very interested in the piano, Zachary pointed at one of the keys. "This is center C. In starting position, your thumb should always be on this key." The boy tapped the note with a grin, then remembered Mary - the horses!
Louie shot up and dashed towards the brunette, bearing an apologetic smile. "Sorry, I forgot about the horses!" He reached out to the girl and took her hand, eagerly leading her towards the door once more.[/fieldbox]
[fieldbox="Mary Courteney, green, dashed, 10"] "French?" Mary was fairly surprised but then realized that must he have been alive for quite a while. Enough time for him to learn a new language and sing it so fluently. The brunette listened intently at her master's voice. It sounded so lovely, yet it held this sort of sadness to it.
Suddenly the young boy pulled her into a brief dance and her movements were a bit stiff, but she managed. Then suddenly Louie bounced up to their master and even went as far as to sit on his lap. She could never imagine being so close to the man without trembling in fear. He was a vampire...what if he just suddenly bit one of them? Taking a hesitant step forward, she watched the two interact quietly before Louie abruptly looked in her direction. In a second, he was gripping her hand, leading her in the direction of the door.
"Please excuse us, Master." The timid girl bowed her head before following after the child.
[/fieldbox]
[fieldbox="Louie Wells, olive, dashed, 10"]Louie pulled Mary along, all the way outside, and all the way outside to the stables, where the horses were already poking their heads out of their stalls as they noticed Louie's approach. One stall, notably, had no head peeking out of it. Entering the stable, Louie guided Mary over soft, straw-covered ground. "The grey one is master's favorite. His name is Vidus. The black one on the opposite side is named Sulfur." Louie then led Mary to the last stall, the largest of all, where a honey-colored mare was laying on her side, belly swollen to enormous proportions with pregnancy. The child smiled and chirped, "Hi, Honey!" And reached out to smooth his hands over the horse's face, running his fingers down from her brown forehead to her light, tawny muzzle, and the soft, pinkish tip of her nose. "This is Honey, she's gonna have a baby with Vidus. She's also master's favorite, and mine as well."
The young boy turned to Mary with a smile. "Alright, first, we gotta give 'em water..." And it was while carrying bucket-fulls of fresh spring water to the horses that Louie turned, and noticed Zachary strolling outside, heading to the garden just behind the manor. That was also where the water-pump was, and Louie didn't hesitate to ask, "Miss Mary, could you get a bucket for Honey? I'll give these to Vidus and Sulfur, ok?"[/fieldbox]
[fieldbox="Mary Courteney, green, dashed, 10"] Mary followed Louie to the stables, excitement bubbling in her stomach when she spotted the horses peeking out of their corresponding stalls. When they stepped in, Louie immediately introduced to their Master's favorite horse and the one in the stall in front of it. Then they made their way to the last stall where a pregnant horse was laying on her side.
"She's a beautiful color." Mary commented as she starred down at Honey with a small smile and reached out as well to gently run her fingers along her neck before pulling away.
"Of course. I won't be long." Mary picked up a bucket and quickly made her way to the water-pump, though paused halfway when she took notice of her master. Was he not practicing his piano? Perhaps he had finished? Her stomach churned as she hurried over to the pump and began to fill it up with the water.
[/fieldbox]
[fieldbox="Zachary Brighton, lightcyan, dashed, 10"]He had been studying a rose closely, bending at the waist to look at it closer, when a lovely scent, and the clear sound of feet crossing over grass and dirt caught his attention. He turned to see May pumping water into a metal bucket, and he deduced that she was already helping Louie out with the horses. On a backdrop of white roses, surrounding both her and him, she looked utterly lovely.
Meekly, Zachary took a few steps towards her, wearing a gentle smile. "Hello Mary," he uttered, anxiously shifting from one foot to another. He was afraid that if he spoke too loudly, got too close, or even moved too quickly, she would run away in fear. It was clear that whatever she had experienced at the hands of the auction houses's vampires had imprinted on her the idea that his kind was a cult of horrible monsters - which was true, aside for himself - the exception, he hoped. Zachary drew a bit closer to her before saying, "How do you like working with the horses?" [/fieldbox]
[fieldbox="Mary Courteney, green, dashed, 10"] Mary immediately stiffened at the sound of Zachary's voice that resounded from behind her. Turning her body, the brunette tightly gripped the handle of the bucket while she starred up at the pale man. He appeared to be around her age, yet she knew that he had lived far more years than she would ever get to see. "H-Hello Master." Mary greeted him while she averted her gaze to the stables and a small smile couldn't help but to appear on her lips. "I'm liking it so far. The horses are beautiful." May answered before gazing up at him.
He didn't appear intimidating like all the other vampires back at the auction house, however, that didn't mean she could let her guard down. If anything it just made her all the more cautious of his presence. "Louie sure knows how to care for them." Mary commented as she met his gaze.
[/fieldbox]
[fieldbox="Zachary Brighton, lightcyan, dashed, 10"]His smile brightened as she spoke, taking ears off his age. It felt nice - just talking to Mary without her being so terribly afraid of him. She smiled, and Zachary couldn't take his eyes off her lips - was she feeling better? He hoped that look would stay on her features for much longer. "I am glad. Yes, Louie does indeed."
There was a more pressing issue at hand. He had spent most of the night thinking, and had come to a decision. The vampire approached Mary slowly, trying to keep his movement even and slow, cautious, as if approaching a flighty bird. "I have something for you. It is... Something rather atypical to give as a gift." Zachary pulled open his coat, and reached inside of it to feel along the soft, inside material for a pocket. Withdrawing his hand, he revealed a small, ornate, silver dagger. The vampire held it out to Mary, still smiling - although his smile faltered when he began to speak. "I... I think you should have this with you. Just in case." The vampire frowned at the ground, eyes staring somberly at the grass beneath his feet. "Use it on me if anything happens, although I doubt it will. And treat me without mercy, in that case." He fidgeted, before glancing up at her again, once more wearing his gentle smile.
"And please,when we are alone, call me Zachary."[/fieldbox]
[fieldbox="Mary Courteney, green, dashed, 10"] The vampire began to approach her and he was getting far too close for Mary's comfort, yet she remained rooted to her spot. A gift? He had a gift for her? This was unusual. Mary watched Zachary slip his hand inside of his jacket before retracting it and revealing a dagger. "A dagger?" Confusion was clear in her expression while she stared up at him. He was actually willing to give her a weapon that could potentially injure him, just for her safety.
"Ah! Thank you, Zachary." Mary took the dagger into her hand and starred down at it, completely perplexed by his actions. "Why would you do this?" She blurted, her eyes searching his.
[/fieldbox]
[fieldbox="Zachary Brighton, lightcyan, dashed, 10"]He was glad that she didn't flinch away from him, and was even gladder to see that after receiving the weapon that was sure to both incapacitate him, and end his life, she hadn't immediately used it. Some part of him had expected her to lunge at him, and dig the sharp blade deep into the center of his chest, into his heart. It would have been a fitting way to go, given how his life had played out from what Killian had told him - he'd bear his trust, and bear a dagger in the back in return. "Because if I lose control, or something happens... I don't want to hurt you. So just kill me." The vampire uttered, still staring at the ground with an oddly pained expression. "Nothing would be lost, I would do the same to myself anyway."
Something was a bit off - he felt like he was being watched. Zachary glanced up to look around, but saw nothing unusual around him.[/fieldbox]
[fieldbox="Mary Courteney, green, dashed, 10"] Kill him? That had not been the answer May had been expecting. She had anticipated something more along the lines of: just stab me somewhere that isn't fatal to get me to stop. Even with his permission, she doubted that she could ever kill him. It just wasn't something she thought of herself ever doing.
"I don't think I can do that..." May admitted as her gaze moved down to stare at the dagger. What would the others say about this little gift? Would Peter take it away from her hands if he saw it? "I can't." She stated while looking back up at him.
[/fieldbox]
