Tale as Old As Last Wednesday II [Maid IC]

[Deme]

The first page looked like it was an ordinary book...But I'd assume that she'd flip to the next one while reading, or just automatically, and then...

She'd plop right into the scene already in progress.

[Atreli]

" Oh...okay. This is unexpected. "

She said as she appeared behind Yuki and the Grundle.

"I'm in a book, with a monster holding a flask and an an assassin." She shrugged. " Just another day at work I suppose." She said softly as the initial shock wore off.

"Yuki??" Lune asked quietly.

[Trobby]

Ante marched right past Terran.

She rolled up both of her sleeves.

She put a hand to her chin, and looked to the left, then to the right, tapping her foot as she surveyed the scene.

A small, wicked smile began to creep up her face.

"Alright! Terran, let's begin by clearing out that rubble blocking the gap leading outdoors. We can roll the larger chunks of rubble into the back field, and use a wagon to haul them off the grounds. Hani, Merri, Mozart, grab a broom and start sweeping out the far end of the bath. There's less damage there, so our clearing rubble will create less dust as we work. Once the exit to outside is clear, we'll use the stone steps to carry out the rubble at the top first, to avoid a catastrophic collapse, and the sweeping team can clear out any small rubble that falls out as we carry. Any questions?"

[Deme]

"...There is no way to quickly get to the outside from within this room...Except up, I suppose, up."

The only hole was where the ceiling was, after all. The walls lower down were actually intact, thus requiring less stone-masonry.

"However, I will begin shifting rubble if thou wouldst fetch a hand-cart from the coach house: it's by the stable, to the Eastern Side of the mansion. And second, where didst thou get the notion that Mo-"


Actually, Mozart had just then climbed up on to the top of the broken wall in the middle of her speech, just in time to be included, and now was watching from below.

He jumped down, landing smoothly on all-fours, which probably looked more graceful as a cat, but at least looked safe and painless.

"Wait, what, you want me to do *work*?"

[Trobby]

Ante will have none of that lazy cat attitude. Nor will she hear of any of Terran's objections to the impracticalities of her plan.

She points directly at Mozart.

"YES. And, if you try to weasel out of it, so help me, I will see to it that the only meal you'll be having are the talking not-french mice!"

And with that, she proceeds to storm away to find the stable house and cart.

...Probably getting lost along the way, knowing her luck.

[Lycan 01]

Yuki ignores the panicking Grundle, and instead looks back over her shoulder at Lune. "Oh, hello Lune," she says with a total lack of surprise. "I see you have been ensorcled into this fiasco as well. I don't suppose you brought any weapon with you?" she asks flatly. "Unlikely, I suppose. Did you see Prince Leon on your way in?"

[Atreli]

" No I haven't seen him. I was hoping he was here."

She looked away with concern. " Hopefully he'll turn up..."

Focusing back on Yuki and the Grundle, she shrugged. " No, no weapons I didn't think I would be needing them in a library. But does this help?"

She quickly summons a very tall, hideous creature in chains that roars at the sight of the Grundle.

[Deme]

Terran laughed as Mozart stood, staring into space with a hollowed-out expression.

"She's mean!" He wailed.

"'Tis no worse than thou deservest, cat. Fetch the brooms and rakes."

He shooed off Mozart, who did as he was told with a shudder, before coming back with the various tools at-hand.

----------

Grundle, who at first had been preparing to welcome the new friend, jumped back several feet, dropping the flask.

"Aaaaaah! What the heck?! The monster's supposed to be at the end of the book! That's cheating!"

[Lycan 01]

Yuki's brow raises slightly. "Hm."

She sticks her foot out, deftly catching the falling flask on the tip of her shoe and kicking it back airborne. She plucks it out of the air with her right hand, and takes a moment to look back and forth between the hideous monster and the small silver container of glorious booze. She finally gives a small shrug, and stuffs the flask down her cleavage and into her blouse. "I'll save you for later..." she mutters under her breath, before turning her attention and gaze back to Line.

"That is certainly an interesting trick you have there, Lune. Yes, I would wager your little friend here will certainly prove useful against whatever monster is waiting for us at the end of our journey." Yuki then tilts her head slightly to the left. "It is your friend, of course, I presume?"

Hopefully Lune didn't just summon a random monster she has no knowledge of.

That would be awkward.

[Benson]

The Bath

Terran shook his head.
"I didn't mean to imply you maids brought forth this...disaster. No, 'twas whatever caused the castle to fall into ruin, or perhaps the grinding of centuries upon it."

He raised his hands in a 'look, it's ok' sort of gesture and continued,

"I merely meant -- and in jest, Miss Hani, so pay it no mind -- There was clear mischief in His Highness's heart when he assigned us this work; He seeketh the restoration of this bath for there art ladies here to make use of it."

"Sooo....we gotta...clean up this..mess?" Merry wrinkled her nose and squinted her eyes as she surveyed the mess. "Dusting right?"

[Atreli]

" Thank you. I thought he would."

She glanced behind her with a soft smile.

" His name is Ariome and yes, we are quite good friends. He will listen to anything I tell him, compliment or order."

She said while narrowing her eyes at the Grundle.

[Deme]

"...Oh, so...He's not the monster at the end of the book? You're sure?"

Grundle looks uncomfortable with all of this business. Things were going off of...Not exactly his script, but there was a certain wrongness to the whole scenario.

-----

"Dusting, sweeping...Maybe raking some of the leaves or weeding out plants, as time and energy alloweth. I agree with Miss Ante -- The damage to the changing area is better suited to thine abilities."

As he explained this, Mozart trundled back in with some brooms and cleaning supplies. He deposited them in an unceremonious heap. The cat-man re-picked up a feather duster and batted at the end with his spare hand.

[Trobby]

And a short while after, Ante returned with a large wheelbarrow, setting the end down right next to Mozart's pile of cleaning supplies.

She looked briefly at the cat as he batted at the feathered cleaning instrument, and rolled her eyes.

"Honestly, Mister Mozart, how do you get anything done if you get distracted by your own cleaning supplies?"

[Lycan 01]

Yuki smirks. "Ah. A pleasure to make your acquaintance then, Ariome. I now feel much better about being limited to so few weapons in this endeavor."

She then titls her head a bit, looking back and forth between the others. "So, on the next page?"

[Atreli]

Ariome just growled in response, tossing his head back and forth.

Lune nodded, a determined look on her face.

" Whenever you're ready Yuki."

[Lycan 01]

Yuki nods resolutely. "Onward, then." She proceeds to step over towards the edge of the page, take a firm grip, and pull on it until they're in the next scene-page-thing.

[Deme]

At which point, the next page springs up...

Revealing that, around the corner that leads to the next page is a quickly-erected wooden barrier. Grundle, visibly upset, was holding a hammer and some nails.

"YOU DID IT AGAIN!! I told you not to, but you did it anyway!"

He shook his fist.

"Well, I won't let you! There's no way we'd survive the monster at the end of this book!
This barrier will keep us safe."

He nodded proudly.

----

The Bath

"Ha! You think I try to get things done!"


Mozart said, as if this was a triumph.
Terran shook his head, rolled up his sleeves, and found a piece of ceiling that was in straight line from the door. He began the effort of lifting and maneuvering around a large piece of stone. As he did, he commented,

"A fool assumption...That I once made myself. Completely unreliable for all but whimsy and mousing -- such be the nature of this beast."

"Flatterer."

[Trobby]

Ante's expression begins to curl into a frown...

And then quite suddenly, springs into a delighted smile.

"I see then, you choose to act as nothing more than a common house cat? So be it. You shan't be responsible for any more work..."

And then the grin turns quite delightfully wicked.

"And of course, you'll get the rations of a house cat as well. I'm afraid we haven't any cat food, but I hear we do have quite a rodent problem you could be taking care of, Mozart."

[Deme]

"Eh, fine by me."

Mozart shrugged dramatically as Terran groaned and covered his one good eye with his hand.

"But when this stupid body I'm saddled with gets sick again and the boss cries and cries... Well, you'll have to explain this line of thinking to him then."

Terran motioned for Ante to come closer for either help with him or some private conversation.

[Trobby]

Ante JUST barely managed to hold back scolding Mozart for his lax attitude again, and took leave of the buffoon to listen to Terran/help him with the work.

"That...man is insufferable, Terran! How do you put up with him?!"

[Deme]

"I mostly do not...But, as there is a limit ...Dost thou knowest why he really is here? 'Tis not for his work ethic, I assure."

Terran whispered back, moving down to have a go at lifting the rock again. With Ante's help, it's much more manageable, just in terms of size if not with the (very heavy) weight.

[Trobby]

Ante has surprising strength...well, if you don't know she's a demon she has surprising strength, and manages to help load the cart up without much trouble.

"I can only guess that, perhaps, he was in fact formerly a cat himself, and that the magic of this mansion perhaps transformed him?"

[Deme]

"Thou art merely half-true. Yea, he was once a cat purely....However, the spell that did enchant him was not of this land's making."

He paused and gave the matter some thought. How to word it delicately, and accurately...Eventually, as he brushed himself off and pointed to the next stone, lying further in a straight line, to try and make an easy path in and out of the room.

"His enchantment is that which afflicteth His Highness. He was, and in many ways remaineth still, Leon's own cat, his companion and friend...'tis in that function that he serveth here."

[Trobby]

"...So that's why he's so certain Leon will never betray him." Ante states, coming to the realization. "I did not realize he was so similarly afflicted..."

[Deme]

"Indeed...Because of that, there's something only they can share between them... Though I know not what to call it."

Terran smiled ruefully and added,

"Impossible as he is, I bear him some gratitude; I don't believe even I could have managed the task of endeavoring to keep Leon's heart whole alone."

[Trobby]

"...Perhaps...perhaps I should try a softer touch with him then...I admit I may have misjudged his character. The way you put it...he does not seem like such a bad man or cat at all..."

[Hawkflight]

The Bath

Terran shook his head.
"I didn't mean to imply you maids brought forth this...disaster. No, 'twas whatever caused the castle to fall into ruin, or perhaps the grinding of centuries upon it."

He raised his hands in a 'look, it's ok' sort of gesture and continued,

"I merely meant -- and in jest, Miss Hani, so pay it no mind -- There was clear mischief in His Highness's heart when he assigned us this work; He seeketh the restoration of this bath for there art ladies here to make use of it."

"Ohhh," Hani realized. "....It's nice of him to make sure we have a place to swim."

....Okay, so maybe she didn't realize. Still, she got to work sweeping, focusing on getting the work done. In passing, she noticed Mozart wasn't helping, which annoyed her slightly. How was he supposed to keep his den clean if he didn't actually clean it?

Spoiler

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Skill roll to sweep the floor: (1d6)[6]

[Deme]

"He's terrible and I hate him."

Terran said with a completely flat glower.


...Eventually, when they were already at the next rock, he added:


"However, there's none I'll not endure for Leon's sake; I'm sure thy feelings about Miss Hani art much the same...And for such purpose, I'll ask thee to not interfere with his diet in such a way; before we managed to get him to eat of human food beyond table scraps, he got quite ill, by troth."

-------

Seeing them moving on, Mozart begin to weed out some of the cracks; he didn't really like sweeping very much, but he had decided to help, so there he was.

[Trobby]

"At least he's making a show of helping out." Ante says, taking note of Mozart's small hand at work with a slight smile. "I've known...individuals who were far less prone to work, believe it or not."

When you've tried to force literal imps to work, the most lackadaisical, careless, rude and petulant creatures to ever exist, you can say that you've known worse than Mozart.

[Benson]

Merry half heartedly listened to the conversation going on as she picked up the broom, holding it like a spear and stabbing at the air for a moment, the chains on her uniform clanking. She imagined it the scythe from before and briefly smiled, caught up in her own little world. She was distracted right now.