Darius Arteria's Story

(OoC: Might as well kickstart this one as well...)
Well, to think I've the honor of telling you my tale! Well, I was at work in the kitchens, preparing breakfast for my new mistress, Miss Felicia Haddon. Due to my not knowing her tastes, I decided upon a simple morning brunch of rabbit moco loco, which is diced rabbit served under brown rice, topped with two eggs and bacon gravy. Not exactly the healthiest thing for a meal, but it leaves one pleased beyond all recognition(Except vegans, but they don't count).

With the dish prepared, I took the plate, lowered it onto a tray to be covered, and brought it to my Mistress' room. I knocked, and stood outside, giving her what I figured to be a proper amount of time to hide anything unsightly, and walked in. However, what my peers call my being a "bloody ninja" had apparently kicked in, and Miss Felicia apparently had no idea I had even knocked, much less noticed me enter. I tried my best to gently notify her of my presence. With a simple cough. When that failed, I simply spoke, hoping she wouldn't be too disturbed by my presence.

"Miss Felicia, your breakfast is ready."

Felicia was sat in bed, reading, as she was often found to be doing wherever she might have been in the house. Lost as she was in her book, she didn't hear the knock at the door, simply turned another page. Nor did she hear whoever it was who had entered clear their throat.

"Miss Felicia, your breakfast is ready."

Felicia casually looked up from her book, taking in Darius's form. He'd only been here a few days and she was already getting used to the fact is was a distinct possibility that he was the child of a ninja clan. He had the disquieting habit of turning up seemingly out of thin air. She would have to get used to that if she wasn't going to have constant heart attacks whenever he appeared.

"Thank you Darius," Felicia said, her voice a little croaky given that she hadn't spoken to anyone in a while. She gave a small cough to clear her throat, placing the book on the bedside table. She indicated for Darius to bring the tray to her, wanting to eat breakfast in bed that morning. It smelled divine. "It tastes wonderful," Felicia commented after taking her first mouthful, " Do I have any important appointments to attend to today?"

(OoC: Yay for copy/paste!)
My chest swelled a bit with pride from her compliment, but she had a question to which I had an answer. I closed my eyes, recalling the list I had been given the evening prior that dropped to the floor of galas, fundraisers, soirees, and other fancy ways of saying you were giving away free food going on in the next few days that had asked for Miss Felicia's attendance.

"Absolutely nothing worth making a show of, really. Personally, I'd say sod the lot and stay in with a good book, but society dictates that we must make ourselves known on a regular basis. So I agreed for you to attend a ball tonight, and a fundraiser for some project tomorrow afternoon. I've prepared your dress for the ball, the car to get you there, and a quick little excuse saying you were feeling ill and could not attend, if that is your desire."

Felicia nodded as Darius reeled off her itinery for the next few days. A ball and a fundraiser. Yes, she could live with that. She neer understoid these social butterfly people who were never away from such events. No, that wasn't for her. Darius had only been here a few days and was already proving himself to be head and shoulders above her last valet. What was his name again? Nevermind. It wasn't important. Darius had everything under control.

"Excuses aren't necessary Darius, but thank you. I should probably show my face at some event or other before people start questioning my wellbeing," Felicia blew a lock of hair fom her face, "As appealing as a life of a hermit sounds, I doubt wider society would allow it."

Felicia finished her breakfast, thanking Darius once again for the meal. She found it paid to be polite to the staff, they stuck around longer. The incompetent staff were dealt with in the upmost discretion. She dismissed Darius and slid from the bed, beginning the daily ritual of getting washed and dressed. Felicia left her room, now fully dressed, fiddling with the cuffs of her shirt. She sighed in frustration. In reality, you probably needed four hands to be able to do your own cufflinks. God, the angle was so awkward.

"Darius?" Felicia called for her valet who, once again, managed to appear out of thin air, "Could you help me with these please?" She asked, holding the cufflinks in the palm of her hand.

---

I simply smiled as I took each cufflink in one hand and fed them through to their places in Miss Felicia's sleeves at the same time, a little trick I picked up while working for a tailor.
"Before I forget," I added, snapping the cufflinks into place, "Your father is curious as to if you plan on changing your mind on the thought of marriage, and has said he wishes an answer. Dare I inquire on the subject, or shall I keep mum about it from now on?" Bear mind that at this point I had no concern about my standing in my job, but merely the best interests of my Mistress at heart. As I awaited her answer, I took care of a few spots she had gotten loose on her outfit, and tucked a loose strand of hair over her ear while adding on a few light touches of powder to accentuate her already beautiful face without making it look like I was masking anything. By the time I was done thirty seconds later, she looked like a goddess, with one heavenly valet to match.

Felicia watched Darius intently as he snapped her cufflinks into place. She should probably start dressing more like a young woman, god knows her parents would be pleased if she did. "Before I forget, your father is curious as to if you plan on changing your mind on the thought of marriage, and has said he wishes an answer. Dare I enquire on the subject or shall I keep mum about it from now on?"

Felicia let her shoulders sag a little while Darius fussed over her. Marriage? Already? For crying out loud she was only eighteen. Darius pushed a lock of hair behind her ear and powdered her face. Felicia crinkled her nose slightly, the powderpuff tickling somewhat. Felicia had no idea how Darius knew all this stuff about makeup or what colours suited her and which ones didn't, but she was glad he did. "He's still going on about marriage?" She asked, a little disappointed her father hadn't let the subject drop, "Well, you can tell him that I'm in no hurry to settle down. In the highly unlikely event I find someone I wish to spend the rest of my life with, I will let him know. Until then, I have no desire to enter into an engagement." She knew she should probably tell him herself, but anytime Felicia and her father had a conversation, it almost always escalated into an argument, something Felicia found exhausting and a little saddening, "It's the twenty first century for crying out loud, hardly anyone gets married at eighteen anymore."

I merely shrugged as I made the final touches on Miss Felicia's appearance. She truly was a work of art, the way her eyes pierced the soul like they did. Still is, come to think of it.
"He is a great man, but of an era past, and while he has values, they conflict with those of the modern world. I tried explaining that to him when he asked me, but like all great men of eras past, he refused to budge. Said he didn't even care who you married, so long as it happened eventually. Now-" I stood back to admire my handiwork and smiled, "what do you plan to for the next nine hours? I refuse to let you sit in bed and read all day. At least sit outside and read, sunlight is a MUCH better thing for your skin." I had already procured the parasol I'd selected for her, a nice little number that I'd noticed whilst shopping for her groceries the Sunday previous. Cute, but still capable of blocking a fair amount of sunlight, and it came with a small dagger hidden in the handle, to ward off any ruffians. I've had one too many run-ins to NOT prepare for that sort of foolery.

Felicia looked at the parasol Darius held. Where on earth had he been hiding that? The parasol was undeniably feminine, cute would be a wonderfully accurate word to describe the appearance of the parasol. Felicia looked out the window. It seemed to be a pleasant enough day and Felicia doubted Darius would let the point drop until she went outside. She took the parasol from him and twirled it around like a baton before bringing it to rest on her shoulder.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say this was an attempt to get me to dress more like a girl," Felicia said, looking down at her shirt and trousers, the waistcoat could wait, she wasn't going anywhere, "But then I remember, you're not my father and I do know better, so I have nothing to worry about. Until tonight." She added under her breath, making her way to the library.

To describe her personal library as vast was something of an understatement. Over the years, Felicia had become something of a bibliophile. She'd read most of the books in her collection, but that was what happened when you had as much time on your hands as Felicia did. It also highlighted the beauty of books. She could walk into a bookstore and be guaranteed to find a book she had never seen before. Books were so good for the imagination. Felicia propped the parasol up on a bookcase, climbing a little way up the ladder, leaning over to find the book she was searching for. The faded gold font of a red leather book caught her attention and she pulled it from the shelf. She gave the cover a cursory glance before climbing back down to terra firma. Tucking the book under her arm she gathered the parasol and made her way to the garden.

Felicia wasn't much of a botanist, but he could admire the skill that went into creating and maintaining such a garden. Money had definitely been spent here, but not to the extent that it was horrendously ostentatious. Felicia crossed her legs, resting the book against them, holding the parasol up to block the sunlight. It wasn't that she didn't like the sunlight, she just liked the way she looked when she was pale. She didn't suit a tan. And a tan meant that you had to change whatever colour scheme it was that you had going just to suit your temporary complexion. Tans were more trouble than they were worth.

"You can sit down you know Darius," She said, not entirely sure if Darius was still around, but she was fairly certain he was, "You don't have to stand to attention all the time."

I bowed upon her permission, then sat down on a decorative rock, pulling out a small pocketbook with the words Tao Te Ching embossed in gold on the cover and opening it to read. However, halfway into the first sentence, a dumb idea burst into my head, and unlike other dumb ideas, which I tended to keep to myself, force back into my mind, and beat until they realize the error of their ways, this one felt, and I hate to use the old adage... JUST stupid enough to work.
"Miss Felicia," I said, putting my book down and standing up once again, "I believe I may have a solution to your problem about your father asking marriage." I waited until she gave permission to continue, then said, "Your father explicitly said he didn't care who you married, and I know for a fact you do not wish to have to put up with any potential suitors who would either show up on their own accord or through your father. So my solution is simple. You and I marry. I already look after you, know your likes and dislikes, and have no real desire to see any friction between you and your father because of a silly outdated worldview. The marriage would be purely for your benefit, life for us would continue on as normal, and if someone came along who you fancied, I could instantly step aside for them... And I must say, this idea is sounding sillier and sillier as I say it. Forget it, it was an idea made on a whim." I went back to my book, now actually curious as to whether or not something as silly as that would work. For God's sake, it sounded like something directly out of a bad romantic comedy.

Felicia looked up at the mention of her name. "I believe I may have a solution to your problem about your father asking marriage," Felicia gently folded her book closed, curious as to Darius's plan.

"Go on."

"Your father explicitly said he didn't care who you married, and I know for a fact you do not wish to have to put up with any potential suitors who would either show up on their own accord or through your father. So my solution is simple. You and I marry. I already look after you, know your likes and dislikes, and have no real desire to see any friction between you and your father because of a silly outdated worldview. The marriage would be purely for your benefit, life for us would continue on as normal, and if someone came along who you fancied, I could instantly step aside for them... And I must say, this idea is sounding sillier and sillier as I say it. Forget it, it was an idea made on a whim."

Felicia nodded trying to process what Darius had just proposed. She looked at Darius. His words were true enough, whether or not marriage would work between them was another matter entirely. The entire thing was utter madness, wasn't it? Darius himself had already dismissed the idea. Felicia returned to her book although she found she couldn't really concentrate on it, mulling the whole marriage thing over in her head, "I'll bear your proposal in mind Darius." She heard herself say. She thought about what she just said, "I didn't mean for it to sound like that, I meant I'll keep the idea in mind, not the idea that you would be proposing, which would be strange, like you said. And I'm just going to stop talking now," She said, feeling her cheeks heating up as she returned to her book.