Tale as Old as Last Wednesday [Maid IC]

[Atreli]

Lune walked in slowly and curstyed in front of Prince Leon.

" As Princess Lunetessa of the Great Seven Seas, daughter to the Mighty Luminera, It's a pleasure to meet you, Your Highness."

She looked up and smiled at him. Oh...wow...She was taken aback for a moment. Never had she suspected human royalty to look quite like this.

[Deme]

There was a swift and silent exchange of eye contact between Terran and Leon. Roughly translated, it came out to:

Princess? You didn't say anything about that. Is she legit? I don't know a Luminera.
It's news to me. She just showed up; mayhaps she is mad, or the daughter of one of those tiny kingdoms that gets a new monarch every fortnight?
So, you just let in a random girl?
Thou art not concerned that she mayhaps is attempting to hitch her kingdom to Thine?
That would make today normal.

Leon attempted his most diplomatic bow. She was doing well enough at first glance, but he could see it sinking in.

"It is an honor, Princess. Though...I must ask: to what do I owe the privelege of such a noble lady's presence?"



----

The Kitchen

Yuki finds...A small pixie, sorting tea leaves in the back of the cupboard.

"Oh! Pay no attention to the pixie behind the Earl Grey! We don't exist!"

[Lycan 01]

Yuki casually goes about making her tea for a little bit before suddenly pausing. "Wait. What?"

She looks back down at the pixie. "State your business. The last interdimensional being I encountered had hostile intentions. What is a fae entity doing in this cabinet?" she asks, narrowing her eye.

[Atreli]

Lune stood back up straight and smiled at Leon. " I'm actually here in an unofficial capacity. If I am to rule the seas one day, I wish to know what the land is like... "

She spread her arms and did a little twirl. "... I saw this place and was instantly drawn here. Mr. Terran said I could work here and I will, I'll be the best maid ever!"

[Deme]

Kitchen
The faerie crossed her arms and pouted.
"I am gathering resources for the noble and proud army of the nation of Breadboxia!"

The pixie paused and looked shocked and horrified.

"You're not from the Cupboadian forces, are you?"

---
The Prince's Chambers

"...Rule the seas?" He blinked. Dealing with crazy people was not his forte. "What exactly do you mean?"

[Atreli]

He didn't believe her. The thought cut into her like a knife. Maybe leaving home had been a mistake. " I mean exactly that, where there is water there is my mother's kingdom. But it is a hidden place full of wonder and magic. "

She shrugged. " You can only get there if you already know how to get there and besides visitors aren't allowed."

Lune's confidence had wavered and she had taken to staring at the floor in a shyful way. " ...what i'm doing is strictly forbidden but I had to know what humans were like. I'm sorry if I caused you much trouble."

[Deme]

He could see he had wounded her a bit, and rushed to make amends as best he could.

"I think it's wonderful for a young woman to want to see the world...But...I'm afraid you have me at a disadvantage; perhaps it's best you start at the beginning...If you're not human, then...May I have the pleasure of knowing what you are? By my own eyes, you resemble a lovely human girl; you had me completely decieved."

He intermixed his questions with compliments, trying to get her to see he wasn't upset in his confusion.

[Atreli]

She looked up at him and smiled brightly. When her eyes fell on him she did not seem afraid of him at all but...intrigued.
She chuckled at his question. " What else graces the water's depths but mermaids, silly?" She composed herself a bit before speaking again. " As much as I would've loved to show off my fins earlier, there was not a right time to do so. "

[Lycan 01]

Yuki stares at the Pixie. "You do what now?" She then looks over at the tea. "Is this substance psychotropic? Have I inhaled mind-altering fumes? Am I 'tripping out' as they put it?" she asks no one in particular.

[Deme]

The Master's Quarters

He actually could think of a lot of beings that lived in the sea, but that aside...He also had to admit that he didn't know much in the name of oceanic races; they tended not to want anything to do with humans.

"I see; I apologize for any rudness, Lady Lune."

He said with a gracious nod.

"Though... I am curious; do the merpeople care about the affairs of Oshia? I could send you elsewhere, where there's more of a courtly life, if need be."

----

"I am a noble scout of the army that lives in the breadbox, and will not fall for your cupboard-dwelling tricks!"

The pixie dove at Yuki and began kicking her as she hovered in the air. It didn't really hurt at all, since the pixie was very small.

[Atreli]

Lune gave a light shrug. " It's alright, really."

Her gaze fell to window behind him when she spoke again. " My people keep an eye on land affairs to see if any threat arises towards us but other then that not really."

When she heard the last part of the sentence she jumped.

" Oh no Your Highness! I love it here, please don't even think of sending me away!"

[Lycan 01]

Yuki stares at the Pixie. "Please stop hitting me. It is rather inconveniencing. And I'd rather not add a pixie to the list of creatures I have terminated," she states with a deadpan.

She then raises an eyebrow. "So, tell me about your people, and your rivals. I wish to know more of the conflict between your kinds." And if she has to call an exterminator, she'd like to know which appliances need fumigation first.

[Deme]

"It was merely an offer for your sake; This is a pretty poor place to learn anything other than how a cursed prince-in-exile, his friend, and his cat spend their days. We're hardly indicative."

He was still trying to get a sense of Lune, trying to figure out... What she was thinking, largely.

"I'm not the sort of man who would make a woman do something she doesn't want."

---

"Well," Said the pixie, settling down, "We used to be a united kingdom of the kitchen, until you bigjobs showed up...Then, things got tense. We Breadboxians were the right and noble side of course... But the Cupboardians didn't listen to reason! And now we are at war!...Anyway, we live in the breadbox."

This was delivered with an uncommon passion and a total lack of sense.

[Lycan 01]

Yuki casually begins to examine her gloves. "Uh huh," he muses distantly. "And what were you arguing about, exactly?"

[Atreli]

Lune flashed a dazzling smile. " This place has more spirit then you give it credit for. I'm sure with lot of hard work we can make this place absolutely gorgeous again. "

She continued to look up at him with that absorbed happy expression as she spoke. " I hope you approve of the maids you have met so far. There really are some wonderful girls here as far as I've met."

[Deme]

"Resource allocation!...They wanted all the good cookies for themselves!"

The little pixie fumed.


----

He laughed.

"They're quite a varied bunch, that's so..."

He said with a laugh. Leon seemed to have hit his stride now, and spread out his arms to motion to the room around her.

"Aaaah, it would be a sight to see...To see this old ruin even half as lovely as you."

[Lycan 01]

Yuki narrows her eye. "What sort of cookies?"

The hamster wheel in the assassin's head is turning.

[Atreli]

She clapped her hands in delight. " Then as soon as I can I must rally the other maids to make our dream come true!"

[Deme]

"Oatmeal chocolate-chip, man!"
The little scout said.
"Though I like a scone, as a tea specialist."


---

He laughed at the joy put into that ambition. Though, of course...He really had no dreams that involved staying here for long. Except nightmares.

"Oh? I'd picture a much broader dream for someone as spirited and lively as you."

[Lycan 01]

Yuki nods thoughtfull. "I see. And aside from the breadboxians and the cupboardians... are there any other kitchen factions I should know about?"

[Trobby]

Ante watches this "diplomatic exchange" with..what she has to admit is just a bit of consternation.

It's not that she has anything against pixies. Good lord and master no! But...they do remind her of tiny little noisy rude lazy good for nothing imps from back home.

Oh how she loathed those little things...

[Benson]

Merry found herself in dull surprise at the antics with Yuki and the pixie in the cupboard, whateva man. Not suprising, after all, she did find a skeleton in a closet, this wasn't so much as wacky.

"...Right...we were just making drinks for lunch. Perhaps you could help us locate some lemons? And, preferably, also some sugar?"

"Right, seems Miss Yuki has lost her path and goal, I'll go look for some lemons."

[Trobby]

"Right, and Miss Yuki, as compelling as these kitchen politics are, we are on a bit of a schedule here." Ante says, trying not to be too pushy about it, but being firm.

[Lycan 01]

Yuki ponders. And ponders. And ponders.

Magic pixie is a master of tea. Yuki needs help to make tea. Pixie hates rival pixie faction. If rival pixie faction were dealt with.........


The assassin turns to Mozart, and with a deceptively innocent smile, casually asks: "Mozart, where might I find the pesticide spray?"

[Atreli]

" Oh do I have so many more dreams then that, Your highness. One of which is I hope if things go well here, I can inspire my people to trust the land and humans again but it is pipe dream."

Lune sighed.

" Their trust in human kindness died long ago."

[Deme]

"So I understand...It is a pity."

That did sound a bit like an ulterior motive to Leon, but he didn't let that on. After all, 'friendship between our people' in royalty parlance was 'marriage between our royalty.' But....

It wasn't like it was than unsubtle a gold-digging, and he could respect that well enough. After all, in the back of his heart, didn't he have a use for these girls now?...That bothered him.

Instead of being bothered, he clasped her hands urgently, his face lighting up.
"...I must ask, though; our people have a legend of mermaid singing voices. Do you sing, Lune?"

---

Kitchen

"...Best we have is me and a flyswatter. And Terran's sword, too."

Mozart asked, a smile crossing his face as she approached. He had been playing catscradle with some string.

"Good idea, though; it'll be fun for me to watch."

[Lycan 01]

Yuki frowns. "Too messy. I shall find a diplomatic solution, then, when I have the time. For now, I must focus on the tea."

An idea suddenly strikes her.

She looks down at the fairy-thing, and smiles. A sly, mischievous smile. "I have a proposition for you. Help me make this tea, and I will help resolve your conflict with the cupboardians. I am an excellent cook, and I could likely make enough cookies to supply both your people. How does that sound?"

Spoiler

Show

Cunning: (1d6x3)[9]

[Atreli]

Lune's eyes sparkled at his words. " Of course I do, best voice in the ocean."

She blushed a bit and looked away. " I can only sound the best while in my mermaid form, human bodies are only so-so for singing."

[Deme]

Leon smiled.

"Then perhaps sometime soon, we can go down to the beach and hear you sing. That would make me very happy indeed."

He nodded graciously. He seemed...Really quite excited by the idea.

---
Kitchen

"Welll...I can't speak for my people, but I'll help you for cookies!"

The pixie said brightly.

[Atreli]

" I would really like that. It'll give me a chance to stretch my fins."

She laughed and grabbed his hand. " Please let me know when you are up for it Your Highness. Until then I am afraid I must be getting back to the others, they may have further need of me in the kitchen."

She stepped back a bit and bowed. " Good day, Your Highness."