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Post by macxcheese on Sept 13, 2014 3:03:07 GMT
The rain was falling hard and fast as Fred clambered through the door, an umbrella in one hand and a grocer's bag in the crook of her arm. She shook the umbrella out and placed it's stand, then proceeding to shake herself out. As she made her way across the room, she noticed a jacket on the coat hook. She knew whose it was and smiled. Her smile disappeared though as she swept through the small dining area into the kitchenette. She wasn't supposed to bother him, her mother had said. Fred hardly thought her company was a bother though! Her parents always seemed happy enough when she was around. She forcefully blew a strand of damp hair out of her face and set the bag on the counter. Placing the items in their rightful places, her mind drifted to the study. She wondered what he was doing. Maybe reading a new book, or even writing his own! She wished she could write her own book. But no, ladies weren't supposed to do those things. Ladies were supposed to knit and cook and socialize. How am I supposed to do that? Fred thought. None of these other "ladies" will even come near me! She felt something wet run down her hand and found that she'd crushed an apple while venting her gall. Her frown deepened as she thought of the money wasted on it. Opening a window, she tossed it out. Her mother couldn't know about it or she'd be upset. She pumped water over her hands, wiping the excess off on her skirts. Finishing her task was a quick thing and Fred was left with the question of what to do. She made her way to the sitting area, a small section of the apartment with a chair next to the door and a sofa against the left wall. A low wooden table stood in front of the couch, a tea set already in place. Fred gave a dramatic sigh as she flopped down onto the sectional and stared at the delicate design on the set. She wondered what would happen if she if she crushed a cup like she'd crushed the apple. She quickly shook her head, realizing that such an idea was crazy. She momentarily wondered if she was crazy. It would explain a lot, she supposed.
Her resolve broke and she lifted herself off the couch. The study was through the hallway on the left, all the way at the end. Fred raised her hand to knock, trying to come up with an excuse to do so. Her thoughts led her back to the tea cup and all hesitance disappeared. After a few quick raps, she called out, "Harvey, would you like some tea?" Say yes, she thought, clasping her hands in silent prayer. Please, pleaseee.
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Post by candyleptic on Sept 13, 2014 3:21:22 GMT
Harvey: He puffed at the mirror in the Loveless' study. This was absurd, you've tied this HOW many times before?? He fussed with the ribbon around his neck before taking a quick peek to the closed door, and tucked the ribbon between some books. It would make a fine bookmark! Besides, he supposed, the red ribbon was rather comely, anyway. He looked his appearance over a few times, if only to be sure his tow shirt was properly tucked or his shoes were shined- the last thing he wanted to be seen as by the Loveless family was as a ragamuffin. He dramatically feel into the study chair with a sigh and limply handled some papers. Making money certainty was not a hardship for himself, he had been doing it since he was a lad! It was just...how to do it in such a that wouldn't draw much attention that proved to be quite the scrape. He subconsciously ran a finger to his eye patch and lightly tapped it. A lowly street merchant would be ideal, but that would give him the reputation of a ragamuffin, and Mrs. Loveless-
His eye widened at the knocking of the door. He immediately turned to the ribbon. Would she be offended if he didn't don it? But ah- that wasn't the missus' voice! He felt a smile rise on his face. "Ah, yes, m'lady! I'd love some!" He leaned forward to get a better look of the door, but applied just enough pressure on his desk to knock an inkwell from the top--- with a gasp and the clasp of his hands, he managed to nab it before spilling into the carpet, but resulted in making quite a mess of his shirt. Ah!! "I'll join you in just-just a moment, m'lady!! I assure you, I don't mean to be dilatory in the least!" He fumbled with his clothing, and managed to knock himself clean off of his chair. Ahhh, you bloke! He slowly crept up and fumbled with drawers in his study. He kept a spare shirt, didn't he?? Still, in the pile of habiliments, he proved to be most unlucky. Oh dear, oh dear...
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Post by macxcheese on Sept 13, 2014 3:58:27 GMT
Fred: "Alright, I will just..." She leaned into the door, listening to ruckus occurring inside. Half of her said to ask if everything was well, but the other half said to eavesdrop a little longer. In the end the latter won out, and she leaned even more into the door. A large bang made her jump, causing her to knock her head on the door. She figured that was a sign to go prepare the tea. Rubbing her head, she returned to the parlor. She set up the kettle, letting the water boil. When it squealed, she grabbed a hold of the handle and added the tea leaves. She carefully set the pot back on the platter and took seat on the sofa. And waited. She scratched her chin thoughtfully as she did so, wondering what Harvey could possibly be doing.
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Post by candyleptic on Sept 13, 2014 4:21:05 GMT
Harvey: He looked down at his blackened hands. He couldn't greet m'lady like this! He awkwardly held his hands in front of him while he scattered around trying to find something to wipe them off of. He would just die if he ruined anything the Loveless family had grown attached to... finally, he sighed and just rubbed his hands off on his tow shirt. At least it absorbed fairly well! He paused for a moment-the whole thing was quite the exigency... Still, he owed Ms. Winnifred tea, didn't he! His mother would have wanted him to be as gentlemanly as possible. He huffed his chest and went back to the clothing drawer. He had to admit, he could be quite innovative when the situation called for it, aha! His shirt was thick enough to have absorbed all of the ink so far, so he carefully picked out a thick black vest (which he imagine was owned by Mr. Loveless)and a matching tophat. He did feel almost silly, but ah, he could make it work! He quickly snatched up the red ribbon from prior and tied it in one go. He stood in the mirror for a moment baffled. Memory was such a tricky thing!
He then took notice of his stained hands. That wouldn't do! In more quick searching, he found a pair of black gloves. At length, he was ready! Well...almost! On his way out, he smiled at his reflection and picked Mr. Loveless' walking stick from near the door. He had half a mind to take the matching coat however...it felt so wrong! He opened the door and carefully closed it behind him, and made his way down the hallway, using the stick, as elegant as ever.
Approaching the sofa, he gave Fred a warm smile and bowed to the floor, careful to remove the hat first! "M'lady! Excuse the wait time, if you will! Perchance I will eventually make it up to you!" Harvey mocked the overly obvious gestures of higher classmen as he spoke. He took a seat next to her, careful to leave enough space between them as it was the gentlemanly thing to do! In a much less serious tone, he playfully whispered to her, "Your father owns quite a covert of clothing, doesn't he?"
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Post by macxcheese on Sept 13, 2014 5:05:28 GMT
Fred: While Harvey's act had made her laugh, his comment about her father's wardrobe forced out a snort. Her hand flew up over her mouth as she let out a few more giggles before commenting. "You should see the variety in his other home. It's quite the collection!" Regaining her composure, she sat up as straight as possible. "Milk or sugar, M'Lord?" she asked in her stuffiest voice. "We have the finest variety of liquid cattle." She picked up the cream pitcher, ready to pour (or not).
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Post by candyleptic on Sept 14, 2014 1:40:38 GMT
Harvey: "M'lady, goodness! Do I offend?" He let out a laugh and folded his hands in his lap. The Loveless residence was so homely. He could feel nostalgia creep up, and shook his head free of it. Not now! Later, yes, but not now. "Neither, miss! I'll take it pure, thank you, hold the liquid cow!" He laughed again, and his eye caught sight of her old man's beautiful walking stick. He hadn't noticed how well crafted it was before. On the very top was a skillfully crafted bat, and the stick itself was carved with beautiful trimmings. He thoughtfully took his tea and leaned an arm over the armrest. "Where does your father usually reside, m'lady?"
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Post by macxcheese on Sept 14, 2014 2:38:47 GMT
Fred: "My pleasure good sir!" She poured a splash of milk in her cup and set the pitcher down. While filling the tea cups, she glanced over at the walking stick's top. "Not here, not in this world. He says it's a place of magic," she recalled, her eyes glittering. "If you ask me, it sounds quite a bit better than this place." She held out the tea cup on the saucer and placed a few cubes of sugar in hers. "Why do ask?"
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Post by candyleptic on Sept 14, 2014 3:14:27 GMT
Harvey: He took the teacup and inspected the designs on the side. He wouldn't have expected pink and orange flowers to go along so well together! It really added to the charming atmosphere on the sitting room. He took a sip and looked curiously at Fred, smile on face and eye widened. "Magic, m'lady? Do you jest? How intriguing!" His head lazily tilted to the side.
"I wonder if it's much different there. I don't know if I would expect a magical place to be better than this one or not, really." He supposed that was something he really wouldn't have to worry about, especially not now! "Speaking of which! Please be sure to tell your father that I am extremely grateful for the book he has lent me! I haven't had much time to look it over, of course, but it shows a lot of promise!" The spellbook was so beautifully bound that he...kind of got distracted! He leaned over and whispered, "Winnifred! If we tire of this soon..." He eyed his tea and then back at her, "I'd be more than happy to show you spell!!"
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Post by macxcheese on Sept 14, 2014 4:08:55 GMT
Fred: "Me? Jesting?!" she snickered, dramatically placing a hand on her chest. "Such accusations!" Her smiled faded as she listened to Harvey's notions. He could be such a killjoy sometimes. Any place would be better than here, she thought. It's so dull. The sudden mention of spells peaked her interest and she nodded happily. "Of course, though you could always tell him yourself! He should be visiting in a few days." She leaned back as he leaned forward, heat crawling up her neck. She quickly played it off and took a sip of her tea. "Harvey, for goodness' sake! I told you to call me Fred. Only my mother uses Winifred," she pouted. Putting on a smirk, she set down her tea cup. "And I've been tired of tea time since the day I was born!"
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Post by candyleptic on Sept 14, 2014 4:26:32 GMT
Harvey: He weakly smiled at the thought of her father and leaned back to his prior position. Harvey was sure to stick to his sleeping room and the study when Mr. Loveless was home- he kind of gave him the creeps!! His stuff was quite amazing, but the man himself...! He leaned and set his tea on the table, and put his hands on his knees. "M'lady! T'would be improper to call you that!!" That and...something about nicknames always made him so uneasy. His mother had been...overly fond of them, in his own opinion!
"Tired of teatime? Tea time's grand-if you do it right!" He laughed and stood up grandly-like he had seen the 'noble' richmen do- and placed Mr. Loveless' tophat back on his head. He ran a hand over the rim an picked up and cane in a swift movement. He was about to offer Fred his arm in the most gentlemanly of manners until it occurred to him-the shabby state of the study!! He had left it a mess!! He froze for a moment and his face turned pale. "M-m'lady excuse me for a moment!" He took a quick awkward bow and turned to leave, stopping for a second in his tracks and looking back, "A-ah, p-please make your way to the study, just allow me one moment...!" He bounded down the hallway and into the study, closing the door behind him quickly. Outside, several bangs and thuds and curses could be heard!
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Post by macxcheese on Sept 14, 2014 5:32:09 GMT
Fred: "I think not, though I suppose you'll never budge on the point," she retorted. "And I guess tea time could be lovely, but I prefer not to try that hard." She was taken aback by his sudden outburst. "O-of course," she stammered. What could he possibly need to get to before she did? Her curiosity ran wild, imagining gruesome creatures and magical portals. She couldn't quite imagine Harvey being behind such chaos. Still, the thought of him concealing something grand made her chuckle. After a minute or two she journeyed down the hall to the study. Knocking on the door, she inquired if he'd finished his business or not.
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Post by candyleptic on Sept 14, 2014 5:44:04 GMT
Harvey: It was worse than he had thought!! FAR, FAR WORSE. Clothing everywhere! Her father's clothing, at that!! Oh, what would Fred think? What would her MOTHER think?? He looked up at the ceiling. What would his mother think...? But no! He has to clean this up! He quickly bound to the clothing and knocked down the study chair in the process. He flinched at the sound, but ignored the chair and got on his knees to pick up stocks off of the floor. His elbow hit the leg of the study's desk, and he could hear another inkwell slide. Not again! He hardly caught it, and let out a deep sigh. He stood up and placed it on a much more (or so he hoped...) secure place and looked around quickly. The clothing, at this point, had been all shoved in numerous drawers. Would have to do! He flinched again-this time at Fred's knocking. He opened the door for her and motioned inwards, "Right this way, M'lady! Forgive me for that!!" Still, he hoped she didn't hear too much...
He blinked at her twice and then gazed over the desk until he remembered---The study had been a mess when you DIDN'T consider the clothing spewn from earlier. He nervously rubbed his cheeks and, while he was hoping she was looking away, attempted to close loose papers into books and shove ink pens back in their respective slots. "I-is there anything in particular you wanted to see, M'lady? Perhaps I could try my hand at-" He shoved books into the already full drawers, "-making ghosts appear out of thin air? Or maybe something-" He dusted off a nearby shelf, "-Pertaining to parlor tricks?"
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Post by macxcheese on Sept 14, 2014 5:58:06 GMT
Fred: She strolled into the room, waving away Harvey's apology. "I'm very well used to it by now, sir. Though if the mess is what you were trying to hide, I'm a bit disappointed!" She looked around the room that had once belonged to her father. It had grown messier and messier since Harvey started staying with them. She had to admit that the mess was a bit charming, if anything. She tapped her chin, considering her options. "No parlor tricks, let's have something... well, great!"
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Post by candyleptic on Sept 14, 2014 6:10:47 GMT
Harvey: He deflated. "You have quite an eye, M'lady, nothing gets past you!" Still, he considered this kinda...clean...ish... "In my defense, I only have one!" He tapped on his eyepatch jokingly. If he didn't make ONE eye joke a day he would get kind of sad, and it was rude to be sad in front of a lady! (Or so his mother used to tell him!) He pulled the thick black book off from the highest shelf and carefully laid it out on the desk. He storm outside didn't offer very much light, but thankfully the candles he had been using earlier fixed the problem! He brushed his fingers over the cover of it-the small details were absolutely stunning! "Mr. Loveless has excellent taste, I'd say!" He eventually opened the book over to the table of contents, and started to skim. "No parlor tricks...I suppose we shouldn't try any potions either, they'll attract too much...attention! Let's see..." He flipped through a few pages, starting to bore, until he saw one that caught his eye. He threw his hands on the table and looked to at her, "Winnifred! Try something for me, if you will!" He pulled out the study chair from the desk and motioned for her to sit. "Pretty please!"
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Post by macxcheese on Sept 14, 2014 6:25:35 GMT
Fred: His disappointment made her feel pretty bad for pointing out the mess. Trying to make up for it she added, "Although I have seen worse, haha!" She awkwardly shifted from one foot to another while he studied the book and made a small sound of agreement at his comment. She would have loved to take a look with him, but her reading skills were not up to par. Her head snapped up when he called her name and she nodded vigorously at his request. She smoothed out her skirts as she sat down, and a sudden thought made her smile. "You're not going to set me on fire, are you Harvey?" she quipped.
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