Soulchess: Revival » Places

         

ALAYSIA DUNOIR

G A R D E N I A

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Two wine colored eyes opened slowly, gazing blankly at the ceiling above them. The Homunculus had not had any sort of dream, for an artificial being such as herself did not experience such phenomena save when her soul encountered a message or a piece of information sent it by the Will of Magic, with which she was connected. As no such thing had occurred, Alaysia could determine that nothing urgent related to her new role had yet come up, which was fortunate. In fact, she could safely say that nothing of much import had occurred within her recollection, save for her encounter with her king, the enemy she had sensed tracking them, and her subsequent pledge of servitude.

Upon awakening, she supposed then that the first order of business would be to go and tend to her new duties. She had sworn to serve in whatever means she was required to, which meant that naturally, she would now have to go and discover what it was her king needed from her. Reasoning thus, she sat up, glancing around her as she did so.

The Homunculus' quarters were rather simple in their design. Situated just a room away from those of her master, and connected to the King's own apartment by a door between the two - albeit one with a lock on Alexander's side, to ensure his privacy should he desire it - it was positioned to allow her to respond immediately should she be needed. And, just as its positioning was focused solely on utility rather than aesthetics, its features were largely focused towards practicality and the Homunculus' personal tastes rather than fanciful decorations. A simple bed with featureless white sheets of soft silk, situated in the corner of the room, and upon which she now sat, was one of the few unique furnishings in the apartment. The only other real pieces of furniture within the queen's room were a small wardrobe containing several different sets of garments fitted to her, an equally sparse desk facing away from the back wall, set just below the window in that same edifice, and a small bedside table. What space was not occupied by these items was instead taken up by another type of furniture: bookshelves. From wall to wall, floor to ceiling, books were stacked neatly all around the apartment. Largely, these were alchemical texts - a few of which she recognized - but there were several novels mixed in as well. The young queen was, after all, an avid reader, and, should she have spare time when she was not needed to serve her king, she should very much have liked to spend it in quietude, either studying or enjoying herself in the world of fiction.

In any case, now was not the time for such things. Rising up from her bed and carefully disentangling herself from the sheets, Alaysia strode over to the wardrobe and swiftly selected a simple, plain outfit. Untying the strings fastening the back of the sleeveless nightgown of delicate silver silk in which she had slept, she stepped dextrously out of this outfit, folded it, and placed it within the cupboard, then set about donning her chosen garments - a white blouse, light brown vest, black blazer and skirt, as well as featureless thigh-high black stockings and matching, equally nondescript black shoes. Taking her gun from the bedside table, she slipped this into the bag from the night before, then covered this up with several small, randomly chosen books just in case somebody got a glance inside her bag. Zipping the purse up, she hung it casually over her shoulder, slinging the bag itself under her arm as, checking herself over one last time, she made her way out the door.

---Plenoran Castle - Main Hall---

A short while later, after wandering through the empty hallways for a short time, Alaysia found herself wandering into the entrance hall of the castle just in time to see one of the other pieces - the white haired one she recalled being the rook - leaving, while another, more familiar piece stood near the door, as though waiting for someone. As it was her duty to fulfill any requests the king might have, the Homunculus decided that it would be best if she reported to him and asked if he wanted or needed anything. And so, making her way across the hallway purposefully yet humbly - she kept her head bent ever so slightly downward, wanting to ensure that she maintained a proper level of decorum just in case her master was expecting such behavior from her - she stopped a few feet away, taking a deep bow much like the one she had offered on the previous night. Dropping to one knee as she had then, she crossed her right arm over her heart in respect, her own personal form of deference and salute.

"Good morning, your majesty. Is there anything you require from me?" She asked politely, wanting to offer her service without delay. Above all else, the Homunculus wanted to be as useful as possible, so as not to become a burden. Hers was a very important role, and she desired to fulfill it as close to perfectly as she could. Such was the directive of a servant.