The servant creeped down the long hallway of House Andaris, careful not to drop a tray that held the first meal of the day. She was an old servant who had served the house for a very long time yet had never gotten any recognition from the lords and ladies that she served. But hopefully that would all change today. She's heard of a young lord, the Duke's grandson, who may have been one of the kindest lords of the house. The old servant had eavesdrop on a conversation a couple of other servants were having about this young lord and had become fascinated with him. "He truly shares the same blood of the first queen!". One exclaimed to another. "I was only suppose to clean his little piggy but after I was done, he asked me to have a cup of tea with him and a cup of tea turned into a trial of fun, I did not serve another lord the entire trial!"
When she was asked to deliver the tray to this lord, the old, silver haired servant was more than happy to. She had hope to experience the same thing as the servant she was eavesdropping on. Approaching the door of the lord's room, she soon came to a halt and luckily for her, the door was slightly opened. She was able to slip into the room and softly closed the door with her foot after entering. It took some time but the old woman soon reached the end of the bed made of gold fabric, placing the tray down on the bed. A toothless grin spread across her wrinkled face as she stared down at the sleeping lord and called for him to get up, "m'lord, itz toy'm feh ye tah wek'ep."
The old woman slowly moved toward one of the windows of the room, pulling back the pretty curtains and allowing some morning sunlight to enter the room. The sunlight shine directly on the boy's face, making him open his eyes just ever so slightly. "Morning, already?" He murmured. Daliane was curled up in his bed, holding his pet pig to his chest. The sunlight did not bother his pig, who softly snored as she was pressed against his chest. "Ugh." Daliane finally got up, leaving his pig behind on his pillow. He rubbed his eyes before looking at the old woman and smiling. "I do not like mornings but good morning to you anyway." He said in a sweet voice.
"Goot morneh to yeh too m'lord." The old woman continued to grin as she returned to the foot of the bed. "Me brought yeh sum breakfas'." She picked up the tray and moved to where Daliane was sitting on the bed, placing the tray down gently in front of him. "Oats 'n grapefruit, yeh like?"
"Oh yes! It is not my favorite meal but I like it very much." Daliane told the servant as he picked up the spoon and dipped it into the bowl of creamy oats. Pulling the spoon out, the oats only coated the it and instead of sticking the entire spoon in his mouth, he took his time licking it. "Do you know what I do not like-- uh, what is your name?" He stopped licking the spoon. He had never met this servant before.
"Mary, m'lord. Mary Boltone."
"Mary." He repeated the name before continuing . "Do you know what I do not like Mary?" The old woman shook her head. "I do not like oranges or anything with almonds for breakfast. Oranges give me hives, makes my skin look terrible! And almonds... those are not good, don't you agree?" He paused, waiting for a sincere answer from Mary. Despite not agreeing with him, Mary quietly nodded in agreement. She had disagreed with nobles before and never liked the outcome. "What do you like to eat?" Daliane pushed the tray back a bit and leaned forward.
"Whet'eva I con affort m'lord. Me got granbabes teh luke after... lots ef 'em. Sum'tims, me cannot affort anything." Mary put her head down.
"That is...that is very sad." Daliane frowned. "House Andaris has lots of food...good food...only the best for us!" He giggled, hoping Mary would join in; she didn't though and when he soon realized she would not join in, he stopped. "Servants...do not make enough?" He asked. Daliane did not know much about the people that served him. Matter a fact, he did not know too much about those who were socially beneath him. The lord was still young, very young and sheltered by his family. He has never even seen where the poor reside. How was he supposed to know about the life of a servant?
"Well not relay. But me not complay'in, sir! Me dun complay'in et all." Mary was almost too afraid to admit that she hated the wages she received.
"I wish I could do something." Daliane too put his head down. He felt bad for the servant -- compared to his own life, Mary's was beyond miserable. It was a tragedy.
"Wait, I can do something!" Daliane raised his head, giving Mary his best smile.
He jumped out of his bed, grabbing Mary's hand and leading her to his vanity. Daliane began rummaging through it until he found a small pouch embroidered with his house's symbol. "My mother gave me a sum of money, maybe I can give you some!" He pulled out twenty gold nels and held it all up. "Will this be enough, Mary? Can you buy a lot with this?"
It was enough to buy a few things she needed but it would not exactly solve all of her problems. "Yes, sir. 'Tis enough to buy food me leks." The old woman finally laughed and so did Daliane.
"Have it than." Daliane took the old woman's rough hands in his soft ones. He placed the money in the palm of her hand and then slowly closed her fingers over the money. Mary tried to object, she tried to give it back but Daliane would not allow her, continuously enclosing her fingers over the money. "No, no, no. You keep it, Mary. The Andaris has lots and lots of this stuff. You do not. Twenty is nothing to me. But for you, that's a lot right?"
Daliane's heart was in the right place but he was no different than the other nobles. "You come to me if you need anything, okay?"
Common-Xanthea
Last edited by Daliane Andaris on Mon May 30, 2016 3:27 pm, edited 2 times in total. word count: 1109
The money Daliane had given Mary was their little secret. The two made a promise to each other that they would not tell anyone about it or the deal the two made. Daliane continued to eat his breakfast that morning, keeping Mary around as he ate so that he had someone to talk to. Mary told Daliane a lot about herself but only after he talked about himself. Mary told him about her grandchildren and how their mother disappeared. She also told him about the small home she was staying in and how every day she walked to House Andaris, which was pretty far from where she lived. Daliane enjoyed her company and he wished to have around again one day.
Once he was finished, Mary took the tray and empty bowl and left but not without saying goodbye to Daliane. After Mary left, Daliane took a nice hot bath. He soaked for quite awhile, enjoying the feel of the hot soapy water. By the time he was done bathing, the afternoon was beginning to approach. He put on his best outfit and sat at his vanity, where he brushed his hair and admired his own appearance. Daliane was a bit obsessed with himself and the Venoras could be blamed for this. It was the house of beauty that made him aware of his own good looks and helped him embrace it. A woman by the name of Bianca Venora taught him how to properly groom himself too and take care of his skin. It was actually this particular woman that taught him everything he needed to know about pleasuring a man as well.
When he was done looking at himself, Daliane left his room and began roaming the halls. He hummed to himself as he aimlessly walked the quiet hallways, the echoes of his footsteps being the only thing heard at the moment. Most of the other nobles had been long gone by now. A lot of his family had important jobs dealing with the King. His father, for example, advised the King and helps him make important decisions. One of his cousins is a tax collector, which is not a job that involved the king but it was still very important. Daliane often wondered what he would do for his family. The boy did not know much about politics or anything else House Andaris thought to be important but he would still like to support his house like everyone else. What can I do? He thought.
He would not dwell on this thought for too long though, the voices of others soon interrupted.
"I will not cast neither of those fools as Skyard Rose! Daniel is already playing the Duke, Edward Berninghill anyway!" The person speaking was a woman and by the sound of it, very upset. "Skyard Rose is a boy, a gorgeous boy who, despite his struggles, is full of life and happiness. Skyard's struggles get to him from time to time but he is surrounded by those he loves and their love keeps him going. Can you imagine Daniel, that cocky son of a jackal, or Mason, simple Mason, play this sort of role? Both are great actors, there is no doubt, but even the audience will be able to see they are not cut out for this role."
Daliane followed the sound of the voice until he reached a chamber that belong to someone else. Peeping through a crack in the door, he could see two women talking. One had honey blond hair and was sitting with her legs crossed. The other had dark hair and was standing beside the blond. He knew the one with the honey blond hair, it was his cousin, Jane Andaris. He remembers seeing a lot of the plays she directed as a child and loving them. He was not the only one though; many of the nobles loved her plays and sometimes traveled to Andaris city to see them.
"We need to hold auditions, Valeria. Rynmere Theatre needs a new actor, a fresh face." Jane told the other woman. Daliane leaned in to get a better look of the two. He pressed himself against the door a bit, causing it to open a little wider. The sound of the door creaking open caught Jane's attention. "Who goes there?" She called out of frustration.
Daliane was a little embarrassed. He pushed the door, walking in and revealing himself. "Daliane." He nervously rubbed his shoulder. "Sorry...I was just a little curious."
"It is impolite to listen in on other people's conversation, you do know this?" Jane asked.
"Ye-yes." Daliane nodded.
Jane stared at him long and hard, so did the other woman, Valeria. The women exchanged looks for a moment before looking back at Daliane. "I guess I can forgive you, cousin." Jane's face expression softened. "You have a very pretty face." The compliment came out of nowhere but Daliane did not flinch. This was not the first time he was told this. "Have you ever thought about acting? People love a pretty face." Jane stood and in long strides, walked toward Daliane.
"No, I've never thought about acting." He paused. "Why do you ask?"
"You've listened to our conversation." Jane laughed. "Do I really need to explain why I asked? Was the question not obvious enough?"
Daliane thought about their conversation. They were talking about finding someone to play a role. It finally clicked for him. "Come with me." Jane gestured for both Daliane and the other woman to follow her.
"So if I am hearing this correctly, this story is about a personal servant of the Duke of a fictional region in Rynmere?" Daliane asked, tilting his head a bit to the left like always when he was trying to understand something. He sat across from his cousin in a carriage on its way to Rynmere theatre. The carriage moved a bit slow, giving Daliane and his cousin (as well as Valeria) time to discussed the play. Specifically, the role Jane wanted him to play. Daliane's cousin seemed excited to give him a part in the play, despite not knowing if he can act or not. He tried to converse with Jane about his inability to act, he tried to weave it into the very discussion but Jane just did not want to hear it.
"Yes, but that is not all it is about." Jane told him. "This story compares the life of Skyard Rose, a poor servant, with the life of the Duke of Berninghill. You see, Skyard Rose has absolutely nothing while Edward Berninghill has everything yet Skyard Rose lives a much happier life than the man he serves."
"Ah, okay." Daliane got what the story was about now. Roses in a Field of Weeds, the play, sounded like a beautiful story and he was happy that his cousin asked him to be apart of it. The role Jane was giving him was a big role in the play too; he would play Skyard Rose, a character he had began to like the more he was mentioned. In some ways, Daliane and Skyard were very much alike. Like the character he would play, Daliane liked to look at the bright side of everything and never linger on the bad stuff in his life. Maybe he would not have to act, Daliane could just be himself.
"We're here." Valeria told them as the carriage stopped, jolting forward a bit. The three stepped out of the carriage and headed in the direction of the theatre. Guarding the entrance was a large man, who seemed almost happy to see them.
The large man opened the door before saying, "It is lovely to see you, Jane and Valeria." Daliane's presence was completely ignored.
"Places people, places!" Jane called from one of the uncomfortable benches closest to the stage.
After entering the theatre, Daliane was given a script. Jane gave him a moment to read the script and become familiar with his character a little more. He skimmed the script until reaching the very last page, where he found something shocking. Skyard Rose would die at the end of the story, with the Duke he served too. He had forgotten that the play was a tragedy and like all tragic stories, someone had to die by the end of the story; the character almost always being the most beloved. I don't want Skyard to die. Daliane did not want to say what he was thinking, almost afraid of what Jane and the others might think. He should live on and those dreams he had should come true. The character had almost become real in his mind. Like an actor, he thought of Skyard Rose as someone alive and well.
"Alright, now I want start at the part where Skyard Rose is giving the Duke his dinner. He gives the Duke his food on the wrong side, which is not like Skyard and the Duke knows that is not like him. Now...go!" Jane pointed her finger at Daliane, who would begin the scene.
Daliane was standing on the left side of the stage, holding a tray with absolutely nothing on it. Once Jane said go, he walked toward a table in the middle of the stage and at this table was the most handsomest man Daliane had ever seen-- Daniel. Daliane tried so hard not to blush when Daniel looked at him. The young boy had just met Daniel and already, had developed a little crush on him. "Edward Berninghill, your meal." Daliane said as he approached the table. His voice was alluring and full of lust. He placed the tray down in front of Daniel but not without giving him a wink and brushing up against him, making Daniel smile. "I hope you enjoy it, your grace." Daliane gave a slight bow, his eyes never leaving Daniel, who almost seemed amused.
"Stop, stop." Jane raised her hand. "Daliane, what are you doing? Read your script, does it say, 'Skyard flirts with Edward Berninghill as he gives him his food'? No, I think not, I should know because I wrote the play!" Jane raised to her feet and made her way to the stage, stomping the entire way there. "Why do you think it is acceptable to be flirtatious during a performance?" Jane asked as she approached Daliane, making him wince. She didn't even give him a chance to answer, continuing on."You're supposed to be someone else, not yourself. We're going to try this again and you better not try pull that crap again." Jane's threat was pretty clear. She returned to her seat and crossed her arms. Jane scrunched her face up too and mouthed what she said to Daliane earlier before giving him the okay to try again.
He did what he was told, doing the scene all over again. He approached Daniel, this time making less eye contact with him and when he set the tray down, he avoided brushing up against him. Daliane's lines were pretty easy to remember, he said them with no problem whatsoever. Sadly, the words sounded plain and there was no emotion behind them at all. Daliane showed no emotion in his face too and his cousin noted that. He was stiff too on stage, hardly making a move. The entire time he spoke, he kept one arm behind him and looked at the ground the entire time.
"Stop, stop." Jane said again but this time she sounded less irritated. Again, she joined Daliane and Daniel on stage. Instead of yelling at Daliane like she previously did, Jane placed a hand on his shoulder and spoke softly, "that was terrible, Daliane. You showed no emotion and you did not move. You've seen plays here at the theatre, right?" Daliane slowly nodded. "So you know that was not applaudable." She spoke to him like he was a three arcs-old. Jane's words did not hurt his feeling though. He did not feel like his performance was any good either. He didn't feel like he would ever be able to act. Especially like a servant. Daliane has had a silver spoon in his mouth for some time now and regardless of the similarities he may share with the character, he felt like he could never play a servant.
"You have potential though, I just know it." It was like Jane read his mind. "I want you to try again but this time, I want you to pretend you are not Daliane Andaris, son of Gavin Andaris. You are Skyard Rose, son of a peasant. You are a servant and your life can be pretty bad sometimes." She paused for a moment. "Better yet, I want you to think of something extremely sad. I want you really think about something terrible, something that would make you cry as you say your lines."
Jane returned to her seat and Daliane took a shot at it one more time. "Edward Berninghill, your meal." He said again but this time, he kept his cousin's advice in mind and before saying his next line, he pretended that he was not Daliane Andaris and thought of something sad.
Mary Boltone.
The old woman was the first thing that came to mind. Not only was Mary a servant but her life was sad. When she first told him about it, he did not think about it too much. He did not think about how painful it must be to not know where your next meal will come from or if you can even afford it, matter a fact. Mary had so many grandchildren to look after...and they were all crammed into a home too small. She walks to House Andaris every single day. She was old, too old to be walking so far. Her bones most likely ached once she reached the estate. "I hope you enjoy it, your grace." He said but not as alluring as before. Daliane sounded like he was on the verge of tears. The boy's voice cracked a bit as he talked too.
"Skyard, is everything alright?" Daniel looked at Daliane as if he were truly concern.
"Everything is fine your grace, just-" He thought about Mary for too long and began to frown. "My sister is very sick and the money..." He started to cry. Mary doesn't even have enough money for food, what if one of those children are sick![/b] "I don't have the money to get her the medicine she needs, your grace. This illness could kill them! I cannot save them your grace, I cannot save them."[/b] He was not talking about another character thing time, he was talking about Mary and her family. "I cannot save them." He repeated but this time to himself.
Clap, clap, clap. Jane's hands ran into each other over and over again in a rhythmic pattern. "Still not moving but otherwise, that was a great start. If we continue to work on your acting ability, this play will be ready in no time."
OOC: I know there is not a lot going on in this job thread but this is more of an introduction to his job. Also, 20gn has been subtracted.
Basic Knowledge
Mary Boltone: A Servant
Jane: Cousin
Daniel: An Actor
Mason: An Actor
Valeria: Works with Jane
Acting: Harder than it Seems
Specific Knowledge
Mary Boltone: Has Many Grandchildren
Mary Boltone: Poor
Mary Boltone: Her Daughter Disappeared
Jane: A bit Cranky
Daniel: Cocky
Daniel: Smoking hot, Wow.
Mason: Simple?
Acting: Be the Character, Not Yourself
Acting: You need to Show Emotion
As always, any questions or concerns, if you think anything is missing or are wondering why something is there, send me a PM!
Spoiler
Good intro! You write Daliane quite well, I'm interested to see how he grows and progresses!
