The Common Room

The bird chirped lightly and hopped back out the door.

(Short exit post. Exit to dining hall)

Fantastic! Tonerre gripped the case in his left hand as he turned to follow the bird. He paused to get one last feel of the room. He hoped he would be back here another time, but next time as an employee napping though his break.

He then shook his head to clear it of thoughts about cozy couches and warm fires. He had to focus on hot stoves and soapy sinks.

With a shrug he walked out the door, following the little bird.

//Exit to Dining Hall//

Malniya aimlessly wandered into a room, which appeared to be a commons type area. A quick scan of the room showed it to be relatively empty, with a defeated sigh she fell back on a couch and blew her hair out of her eyes. She turned the pet carried to face her and opened it, pulling out Blaka. From her pocket she produced a small bag a treats and fed him a few, and looked around the very quiet room. Just a quick rest before she went off in search of her brother.

With a start, Malniya awoke, sun blinding her deep green eyes. She rubbed her face against her arm before standing a little to quickly. She fell back against the seat, her head spinning. From her pocket she dug out her phone, Malniya swiped her thumb over the screen, leaving a smudge, and marveled at the time. How was it possible she'd slept all night?! She rubber her neck and gingerly tried to stand again, this time succeeding in her quest. She looked around the room and spied Blaka snoozing daintily on a nearby couch, a patch of sunlight warming his coal black fur. She walked to him and kissed his head, no point in stuffing him back inside the carrying case. She pulled her luggage back against a wall, scribbled a note of ownership, and beside it, placed the pet carrier open, in case Blaka became overwhelmed. She peered from the doorway back into the front entrance, trying to decide which way to go to find her brother, hoping she wouldn't get lost.

//Exiting to the Hallways//

Blaka stretched and yawned, he was feeling a bit peckish. He jumped from his perch on a couch and prowled around the floor. He examined the room from top to bottom, sniffing the chairs and couches, catching the scent of Mother and many Not Mothers. He could hear voices faintly, though none of them sounded like Mother, he was decidedly hungry. He made his silent way towards the voices and the smell of food.

//Exiting the Common Room//

//Entering from Hallway//

Malniya came through the door and slumped against the edge. It felt like she'd been searching those halls forever. She turned and raised an eyebrow at Tonnerre, she wanted to be a maid, but this place is f***ing huge! How was she going to manage even a small portion of it?!? But being a chef is Tonnerre's dream and with no training, it's not likely he'd get accept anywhere else. Malniya straightened and looked around the room, hoping to spy Blaka, but knowing she'd left him alone too long. He could be anywhere by now. She just hoped they had a lenient pet policy.

//Entering from Hallway//

Tonnerre followed behind his sister. He was slowly getting accustomed to this place and its layout. He actually had been pretty certain of how to get here an hour ago, but preferred his sibling to be more focused on finding the room and less focused on being angry at him. He smiled to see her giant suitcase, the one that caused this mess to begin with.

He suddenly recalled that he needed to pick out a room to stay in and that he needed to report back to the chef. The guy seemed like he was in no rush, so Tonnerre mentally shrugged and waited for a sign from his sister.

"You said you got the job? Who did you speak to? Are you supposed to be doing something? Where are the kitchens? Are they even looking for maids? Do you know what their pet policy is? Blaka's around here somewhere and I'd rather he not get into trouble." All the questions came in rapid fire succession as she crawled around on the floor, looking for any sign of her kitten. She wasn't terribly worried about him getting in trouble but she was a little nervous that he might not know where it is okay to use the bathroom. Neither did she for that matter. . . She made a mental note to ask someone what you had to do to get a room after she found Blaka so she could set everything up for him. She mentally chastised herself for not putting more food in the pet carrier, or just bringing him along with her.

//Entering from Dining Hall//

Blaka spied Mother and Almost Mother looking around the room and decided not to bother them. He slipped into his carrier and ate the food that was left in there. Not exactly what he'd been wanting, but suitable fare. Once full, he turned and lay down, his head rested on his front paws, watching Mother and Almost Mother moving about the room. She was talking in a fast, high pitched voice almost incessantly.

Lark popped his head into the Common Room and grinned, "Why hello new residents! Im sorry that I did not greet you at the door, has everything been going well? Did you find a room?" He was a bit embarrassed that he hadn't been at the door and had missed them. That certainly didn't make him look like a responsible adult in any way.

Lark also had a sense that his parents were back from their trip.

Uh oh...

Malniya jumped, smacking her head on the table she was currently crawling under. She groaned and backed out, rubbing her head, "Hi, not a problem. Umm, I'm currently looking for a small black cat?" She held her hands about a foot and a half apart, indicating Blaka's length and glanced around the room.

Tonnerre smirked as he watched the little black cat saunter back into the room and into his carrier. He then continued to "assist" looking for him, growing increasingly amused with his sister's difficulty. He then saw soneone else walk in and he stood up straight.

"Hey there! My sister is looking for her cat before we pick out a room." He then held out his hand as he walked toward the man. "My name's Tonnerre, pleasure to meet you."

Lark grinned and shook Tonnerre's hand, "My name is Lark Saifforo, my parents lefty me in charge while they went away on business... though I have reason to believe that they are back now." He then glanced around the room, his eyes landing on the pet carrier and the black fuzzy ball that was curled up inside of it.

"Do you mean that cat?" He asked as he pointed at the carrier. He snickered. The cat must have been there the whole time.

Malniya whipped around and spied the small kitten sleeping in his carrier. Her face turned bright purple as she turned to face Lark, "Um. . . Yep, that would be the one." She grinned sheepishly, "Better go make sure he's got some food." She turned and walked to the carrier, mentally face palming, wondering how long the stupid thing had been in the room. She looked into the pet carrier and noticed the food had been eaten and Blaka was sleeping soundly, purring. She pinched his ears and straightened up, facing the new comer, "I'm Malniya Helhexahoi. My brother and I came here in search of employment." She bowed her head and smiled as brightly as she could.

"Well, this is a great place to work. My parents have fixed it up quite a bit... what kind of employment are you looking for? We always need cooks, maids, guards, and even a counselor to help the residents here. The only thing is, if you wan't to be a guard you will have to go through some changes first. You see, every guard here can shape-shift into a bird. It makes patrolling the mansion much easier," He smiled.

The previous night, after they all parted ways, Jordyn didn't sleep - he didn't need to after all, he was the Goddamnned Batma- Sand... Sandman. Or one of them, anyway. Were there other sandmen who were just as demented as he was? Maybe. And maybe they weren't demented either, what a beautiful world it would be to have one of them roaming the city instead of him.

But, an ever-boring world all the same.

Of course, his night was not complete without passing by Alice a few times where she rested on the windowsill. His steps were agile and made not a sound as he moved - part of his tricks of not waking up 'clients' as he did his service to them or collected 'debts owed'. The young man couldn't bear the thought then of peppering her eyes to ensure deep sleep and meaningful dreams but maybe he would do so another time - it was too soon at the present.

That day, he found himself on the verge of unconsciousness in the Common Room. He managed to stave off the sleep that attempted to penetrate his mind and he got up - Jordyn didn't look too hot, he looked tired and his clothes were all creased up and he hadn't actually /done/ his job in a few days. Damn. Maybe there was a dark side to the mansion as well.

Jordyn got up and stretched himself out, finding a note on the door - directing him, the lucky guest, to head to the Celebration Room.

What.

There was a Celebration Room now? He was pretty sure he would've heard of this when first arriving.
It was probably where Mr.Cheforro was planning the big cook-off. Main Course: Them.