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#Post#: 931--------------------------------------------------
Duty and Disobedience (Y1057)
By: Kimcora Date: June 10, 2020, 12:31 pm
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There is a line between duty and disobedience...
The training school headmaster's words rang in Dimitri's mind
like a mantra. Of course the end to that statement was always
followed by "And you stomp along that line like an ogre trying
to waltz." While at the time, Dimitri was a rebellious youth
trying to challenge the circumstances that wound him up a
servant. Toeing the line of the rules or blatantly disregarding
them seemed worth the lashes and admonishing from his
self-proclaimed superiors. After all, the Elviyenne of the are
fought ruthlessly against the oppression brought down on them by
Phonax. Why shouldn't a young Humana boy that had been abandoned
and sold off by his family not do the same? While his sister was
content to roll over like a dog and let these people take away
her free-will, Dimitri had made it his mission to oppose
it...That was until time and circumstance weakened the young
man's resolve. Not only had he almost lost his sister to almost
being sold to a separate family, but he also found the work kept
him alive and provided for. He had no other skills, no other
training, and would always be nothing more than a servant in the
eyes of the Alessandrian people...While normally he didn't give
a hell what people thought, his mind began to think of this
position in the Whitheres home as a transitionary stage and not
a permanent state of being. If he saved enough of his funds and
played his cards right, perhaps he could find himself on a ship,
sailing with the Goldsails or perhaps a trading ship? Or maybe
he could find work in the ports somewhere. Anything but tending
to the frivolous needs of the wealthy...Well, for now he stuck
around to tend to the not so frivolous needs of one member of
the house. Lady Luna du Whitheres.
Dimitri had found himself drawn to the odd girl the moment he
met her. Not because of any ideal of lust or attraction, even if
they were close in age. No it was more of a fascination of how
she was able to march to the beat of her own drum. It was
strangely like a rebellion against the social norms, something
he could get behind. Her strange artistry of being unique made
him willing to serve her, while his sister gravitated to the
bossy mother. It caused Dimitri to be protective and caring of
the young woman. So needless to say, news that a new face would
be joining her service was an odd thought for the man who didn't
trust many. He was highly suspicious of this stranger meant to
serve as Luna's guard. Surely they got some burly moron that
didn't know how to carry a decent conversation...Imagine his
surprise when the Housekeeper paraded in an Elviyenne woman that
looked not a day older than himself. Well, looks were always
deceiving with Elvi, but there was nothing deceiving about her
looks. Dimitri found himself a bit bewildered by the young
woman's beauty, especially when her large blue eyes scanned the
room with a reserved intelligence that spoke volumes on her
awareness. Her dark hair was pulled away from her delicately
pale features and gave him the opportunity to try and read her
body language and expression. Her expression was tight, not from
strain or discomfort, but pride and confidence in her ability.
She carried herself with grace still and he noted how even her
steps didn't seem to make much sound against the marble floors.
She feared no man or woman it seemed...
"This, everyone, is to be Lady Luna's new guard Miss Nesryn
Zoya." Yvonne, the Housekeeper, stated in a dismissive otne, her
wrinkled hand gesturing to the enrapturing woman next to her.
Dimitri stood at attention with the other servants, his eyes not
leaving this Nesryn as he eyed her curiously. She was difficult
to read...like a puzzle. He liked puzzles... "Now, she needs to
be introduced to the routines and locations around the home that
Lady Luna frequents. Dimitri," Yvonne's summons drew his
attention away from the woman and to the Housekeeper, "As Lady
Luna's Head Butler you will be in-charge of showing her the home
and familiarizing her with the routine. Understood?" He stepped
forward and gave a nod, turning his eyes back to the Elviyenne
woman.
"It would be my pleasure. Miss Zoya, if I may call you such, I'm
Dimitri Valcrow. Most just refer to me as Dimitri. I'll leave
that up to your discretion however." He said before giving her a
polite smile, a trained one that hardly reached his eyes. "Have
you been here long or is this your first day? I take it you've
had the opportunity to meet Lady Luna?" He asked, just to get
the silent woman talking. He was curious to hear her voice.
#Post#: 965--------------------------------------------------
Re: Chapter 0.9: Duty and Disobedience
By: DolittleMax Date: June 12, 2020, 12:41 am
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Nesryn had remained her quiet self during her brief tour of the
house. She was instructed to change her clothing before meeting
the rest of the household servants; her guild-like garbs were to
be put away as she was instructed that she needed to blend in an
assimilate with the courtly aesthetic. No dark clothing that
seemed to exude the trappings of her inner woe. She was
Elvienne, not a race treated well historically and she always
felt as though she needed to prove herself. So it was a surprise
when she was sought and offered a position to be the Lady Luna's
guard; a good one however.
Nesryn had been granted one afternoon with the woman, allowing
her to become acquainted and decide if she felt up to the task.
Honestly, she'd been expecting some brat that Nesryn would have
to pull off men or limit her drink intake but instead found a
curious flower, delicate and often confused. In the first
encounter, Luna had charmed Nesryn in her quiet and humble
manner, the woman's ease of nature settling something within
Nesryn herself.
Nesryn accepted the job.
Now, as she was led in by a housekeeper to meet the rest of the
staff, she took this chance to eye them all- wanting to gain a
first assessment. The cook was over-weight but by the look of
his hands (and the size of his stomach), she suspected he made
excellent baked goods.
'Look beyond the obvious Nesryn- anyone can describe how someone
dresses. Where are their eyes looking?'
Nesryn heard her mentor, Farren's words echo in her mind and her
gaze sharpened as she refocused. Her eyes searched the cook once
more and found he had a wandering gaze, eyeing the housekeeper's
hips as she introduced Nesryn. A pervert... Her eyes moved to a
maid, whose eyes wandered aimlessly as she daydreamed of
something else. One by one she went through them before her eyes
landed on a male who was staring directly at her. Something in
his look made her throat tighten as she remained placid. His
gaze was intent- as if staring into her, not at her. She kept
her gaze moving as to not make it obvious he had unnerved her a
little, but eventually her eyes returned to him when she was
assigned him as a guardian.
Her steps were measured and calm, making barely any noise though
she wore the typical heel of a woman. The plethora of weapons
beneath her skirt made not even a clink as she moved to him
effortlessly. He seemed handsome enough for a humana boy-
Then he started talking...
Nesryn observed how he seemed to want to fill the silence with
questioning and felt herself withdraw a little. Either he was
nosy like most household staff or he simply found it hard to
shut up. Nesyrn had almost no chance to answer one question
before another spilled from his mouth.
When he had quite run out of air and Nesryn gave him a placid
look, she shrugged as she answered.
"Nice to meet you Mister Valcrow, you may call me Miss Zoya- and
yes this is my first day spent in the household, though I was
given the pleasure of meeting our mistress"
She walked alongside him, being careful to match his stride
although she wished to walk faster and shorten this encounter as
much as possible.
"Do you happen to know how many windows there are in Lady Luna's
room? I'm in charge of her quarters so I was curious as to how
much water I'd have to carry to clean to windows."
Clean them? Pah. She would have Luna's room rearranged subtly so
that her bed was not visible- or shootable -to any outside
enemy. But he didn't need to know that...
#Post#: 973--------------------------------------------------
Re: Chapter 0.9: Duty and Disobedience
By: Kimcora Date: June 12, 2020, 2:57 pm
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((Oh lawd Farren was her mentor. The king of cold attitudes and
sass :P ))
Dimitri notes the woman was formal, if not a bit stiff. Despite
her voice sounding so clear and precise. She thought about her
words, was practiced in using them, and he was sure there was
emotion there in her. He rather liked that she didn’t fake
friendliness or even care for what he had to say. Some might
find it distant and rude. He found it real and appreciated it.
He spent every day of his life learning to put up with the fake
faces and practiced pleasantries. It seemed Miss Zoya was going
to be less inclined to them as well. However, a part of him
wondered just what she was thinking about this whole situation.
Surely being in a new place, serving as a guard was perhaps a
new transition for her? Or maybe she genuinely didn’t care nor
mind? He couldn’t tell. She was very good at keeping her deck
close to her chest. He could tell the moment she blatantly lied
to him.
Dimitri liked to think he was an intelligent man. Sure, he had
his areas of weakness and more that were perhaps yet to be
discovered. He knew he wasn’t the smartest man alive. Some might
argue his intelligence only extended to the proper ways to
prepare tea the way Luna preferred or how to appear
disinterested in gossip and information that was traded in these
halls. But Nesryn must have seen him as an absolute moron if she
believed she wanted this information for washing windows. Sure,
he knew guards could sometimes perform tasks in the nobilities
quarters as they spent quite a bit of time with them and had to
be sure they were cared for. But he knew how much Freida had
paid for Miss Zoya to join them. Money told excellence in
Marieve and he knew at her price this was not some run of the
mill sword swinger. Also, he knew Lady Luna’s impressions of the
woman. He knew no one had her demeanor that was keen to doing
menial chores. And he knew that such a task, if she was serious,
was beneath someone who had her skills.
He gave a nod, more to ready his response to sound less humored
at her assumptions. “6 in fact. As for cleaning, Marcella and I
can tend to the windows just fine. With all due respect, that’s
a servants job, not worth your skill level nor time, clearly.
And your skill and time is more valuable than washing a window.”
He told her with genuine assessment, even if he took the
opportunity to turn his attention towards the hall ahead of
them. He couldn’t get distracted by staring at her after all.
“I won’t bore you with a large tour of her wing of the home, so
let make this easy by heading to her sleeping quarters. She’s
out in the garden currently playing her harp so she won’t mind.
Not that Lady Luna minds company. As you probably could tell.
I’m assuming you want to observe lay out since you will be in
the space often?” He asked, but fell into silence as they walked
with each other. Soon they entered a sunnier wing of the home
that looked warm and inviting with the views of the gardens and
even fresh flowers in the decor. Lady Freida loved flowers and
so did Luna, which allowed her designated staff to keep both
sunlight and flowers close at hand. They came to a large ornate
door that he pushed open and bowed to Nesryn as to let her in
before himself. She was a lady after all.
#Post#: 992--------------------------------------------------
Re: Chapter 0.9: Duty and Disobedience
By: DolittleMax Date: June 14, 2020, 2:44 am
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Nesryn's gaze pierced Dimitri once more as he so clearly found
his way to the core of her issue. He was indeed intelligent and
not your run of the mill servant who just prodded too much into
anyone's business. Though, his reference to her skills struck a
chord of annoyance inside of her. It seemed Frieda was the one
with a loose tongue. It was never good to reveal the true power
you have on your side, it reduced the element of surprise and
gave the enemy insight to prepare themselves.
"You seem to hold my ability in a high regard, but I would warn
you against relying on skills you've never seen or worse yet-
flattery."
With that warning intended to warn him off staring so much or
giving silly compliments to her. She didn't need anyone's
approval and if anyone formed attachment to her- no matter how
one sided -it could complicated her one role. She was glad when
he refrained from giving her a tour of the building- she had
seen a map afterall, a map which she would gradually update with
her stay here.
"It would be of benefit to see her quarters myself" she agreed,
following him. Nesryn walked behind him through the room, her
eyes missing nothing and everything seeming all the more clear
in the warm sunlight. She allowed herself to enjoy the feel of
the suns on her skin as she moved about the wing. When Dimitri
offered for her to enter the room before him, she accepted but
couldn't help the way her Elvi senses kept tabs on him,
swivelling slightly so she can ensure to be able to hear his
movements. Once she was far enough away, she began to observe
the room. She moved to the windows, one by one, and she made her
routine checks. There were a few things she would have to
arrange, and she moved about to see how fixed furniture was.
"How often do you and this other servant see to Lady Luna in a
day?" she asked, being straight forward with him. As she awaited
an answer, she shifted a reading chair from directly in view of
the window to just beside it where the sunlight could still
reach but the person sitting there would not be exposed.
#Post#: 1000--------------------------------------------------
Re: Chapter 0.9: Duty and Disobedience
By: Kimcora Date: June 14, 2020, 6:43 pm
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Dimitri found that his compliment to her didn’t land and instead
she seemed to set the boundary very clearly that she didn’t care
for compliments. That was fine, even if he felt she deserved
them he would respect her thoughts on the matter. He would
endeavor to be less complimentary. Or at least less
complimentary of things he couldn’t readily prove or support
with fact. She seemed like a person that appreciated logic.
“Fair enough. Hopefully nothing happens that your skills would
be needed.” He said since he truly did want the oldest daughter
of the house to be well protected. Hence when he heard Frieda
discussing numbers and pay with her contacts, he was a bit less
apprehensive to have a skilled fighter in the home. Luna just
trusted too easily and had a good heart. She could easily be
taken advantage of, as her mother believed she was by the priest
that was here a few months ago. When really, Dimitri wished the
heartless woman would worry more over her lecherous fiancé that
didn’t give a flying he’ll about the young woman...
Dimitri remained quietly at attention as Nesryn surveyed the
room. It was interesting to see the way her eyes flitted from
windows to furniture as she paced the space. She even moved a
chair for some reason, a reason his eyes weren’t trained to see.
Either way, he was entertained seeing her work and trying to
ascertain exactly what she was up to.
Her question wasn’t all that unexpected since she had to know
who she was dealing with daily. “Marcella will be with Luna at
least 3 times a day. She handles her dressing, bathing, and
laundry. I am with her more often because I handle the rest of
her care. Minimally I expect to see her 5 times a day for her
tea, to retrieve things for her, to attend to her on outings, or
attend to the cleaning. Meals are a family affair in the house
so none of the staff will really be attending solely to her.” He
stated before he offered her a curious look. “I assume you will
have a space in the servants quarters made up, but will you be
staying nearby instead? There is a guest room on this wing.” He
offered since no one ever used the guest wing anyways. Luna has
few friends that understood her or tried to get to know her.
#Post#: 1009--------------------------------------------------
Re: Chapter 0.9: Duty and Disobedience
By: DolittleMax Date: June 15, 2020, 6:55 pm
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Nesryn listened to Dimitri as she continued about her subtle
furniture moving. Everything he said was locked down in her mind
and already a timetable of her lady's whereabouts was already
forming and she was already beginning to make a list of things
she would need to check or adjust. It seemed she would be in the
presence of Mister Valcrow more often than she had anticipated,
and already she was trying to think of ways she could reduce his
need to be in her lady's quarters so often. When he brought up
where she was staying herself, Nesryn took a moment to think
before adjusting a few of the ornaments arranged on the Lady's
bedside table.
"I am not one for sleep, which may sound odd- but I dare say I
will be more often awake than asleep. However, it is necessary
that I remain close to Lady Luna's aid so I will indeed impose
myself upon the guest room" she shot Dimitri a sidways look
"though I will make those arrangements myself. I'm very...
particular about how things are"
She looked at the bed, a hand coming to her chin in thought for
a moment as she examined it. It was a poster bed, with soft
drapes that seemed made of a kind of silk; very light and
transparent. This was not a bad thing, it allowed Nesryn to have
sights on her more easily. However, with the way the window
looked onto the bed and the hilly area not too far from the
estate, Nesryn wanted to shift the bed so it were more in the
centre of the wall and away from the windows.
With a sense of determination she put her hands on her hips and
prepared herself for what she needed to do. Gathering herself
she looked at Dmitri.
"May I-" she nearly choked on the words "have help moving this
bed a little- Just to the left slightly."
Nesryn made it habit to never ask for help, but she felt there
was no harm in this simple help.
'Needing help means needing someone. If you need anyone, you're
in dangerous territory.' Farren's voice once more rippled
through her psyche.
#Post#: 1011--------------------------------------------------
Re: Chapter 0.9: Duty and Disobedience
By: Kimcora Date: June 15, 2020, 9:25 pm
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Dimitri noted her moving all of the furniture and even checking
the windows occasionally. Was she moving the furniture out of
sight line of the windows? That concept humored Dimitri slightly
since he wondered exactly what Nesryn thought Luna had after
her. The girl was quiet, isolated, and spacey. She had more
likelihood of being assassinated as he did of having a chance
with Nesryn, clearly. However, this action did reveal he wasn't
wrong about her skill set being high, even if she scolded him
for assuming such. At least this meant Luna was in good hands,
even if the biggest threat to her was a lover. He let his mind
drift from her skills to her comment about not sleeping. How did
that work? Didn't she need sleep to function? Was that perhaps
part of her training? He caught that she was stating he
shouldn't prepare the space for her and he gave a simple nod
since he would respect that statement. The comment on
particularity about spaces made him smirk however. "I can see
that." He said before falling back into quiet. When she started
looking at the bed, he figured she might try to move it on her
own. That worried him slightly and he wanted to go in and help
her. But he would wait to be asked first. And eventually she
did, even politely. "Alright, we can do that." He went to where
she directed and helped her shift the bed over. However, when he
was ushered to step away he gave her a curious look. "You do
know that Luna isn't a troubled child? Between you and I, I
don't think she has made any enemies except her mother and
sisters." He said to reassure her a lot of this wouldn't be
fruitful. Perhaps that was a bit too much information, but if
she didn't realize that relationship was strained by now then
she deserved to know it before things got...messy. "Not to tell
you how to do your job. Is there anything else large you need
moving?"
#Post#: 1012--------------------------------------------------
Re: Chapter 0.9: Duty and Disobedience
By: DolittleMax Date: June 15, 2020, 9:56 pm
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Nesryn almost let herself be amused when Dimitri pointed out
that her particularity was obvious through her actions.
Preemptive moves were key to being prepared for anything and
Nesryn almost tutted in disappointment when Dimitri suggested
she needn't worry so much; after all, Luna was an angel. As she
put the blankets and things back in order, using a sweep of a
hand to determine if there was space under her bed- which there
wasn't; the box for the mattress went all the way to the floor
-she took a small moment to prepare what she was going to say,
trying to be tactful. Eventually, she gave up on trying to find
a suitable metaphor and stood straight, smoothing her skirts.
"You see, it's not Luna who places herself in danger. In the
moments I was acquainted with our Lady I was able to see she was
hardly a threat to anyone. However, I assume you know of one
male Sir Malachi Galanthias? Now this man is a threat. Many
people see him as a threat and he doesn't help his likeability
by engaging in sordid affairs, drinking and gambling his
inheritance away" she let her distaste for the man simmer. She
had escaped the Galanthius underground slave trade with barely
her life in tact.
"My point being... Now that Luna is going to be married to such
a man, the target is on her back. She is weak, defenceless and
not always the most observant or suspicious. If anyone wanted to
attack Sir Malachi, Luna would be one of the most obvious
choices..."
The Elvi's hands moved to calmly tuck into her sleeves as she
held them in front of her like the 'lady' she was portraying
"Trust me as someone with 'my skills.' I'd know. I take these
extra precautions because the man she is attached to is so
reckless, not for any mistrust I have in Lady Luna."
She glanced about the room, satisfied for now. Her eyes settled
on him again and once more she noted, like one would note the
sky is blue, that Dimitri was attractive in a neat and refined
way. Perhaps his obvious concern for Luna brought his positives
to the forefront.
"You mentioned family meal times? Perhaps you could fill me in
on how that works."
#Post#: 1014--------------------------------------------------
Re: Chapter 0.9: Duty and Disobedience
By: Kimcora Date: June 15, 2020, 11:49 pm
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Dimitri hadn't expected her to be so quiet suddenly, but he
really hadn't expected the lecturing that came next. He paused
to listen to her speak on why she felt she needed to make the
room defensible. She brought up valid points, that her sh*tty
match was the culprit for all of her issues now. Of course he
was. Dimitri heard enough through the grape vine of servants on
the man's acts and how he behaved. Honestly, he wasn't sure what
Lady Whitheres was thinking except how to punish Luna more for
the accidental death of her brother. And now Luna would have to
be in a loveless marriage to a man that would be more into
himself than her safety. Of course, Dimitri would defend Luna to
the best of his ability, but that was Nesryn's job.
"I stand corrected. You're right. That dolt will bring her his
share of problems. Sadly at my lady's expense. But that's why
you're here with your 'skills'. I'm glad we're on the same page
however about Malachi." He said before his brow raised at her
next question. Ah, so she was curious about the family meals.
"Well, Lady Whitheres insists the family eat together as her
late husband did. So that time is spent in the main dining room.
It is attended by monsieur Hydrus and mademoiselles Dawna,
Duska, and Luna. The kitchen servants are serving the food and
that is the the personal staff's time to eat and spend time away
from the family. I'm sure Lady Luna enjoys seeing new faces when
she sees mine quite often. It is, of course, a four course meals
with tasters who ensure the food is safe and to their liking."
He then leaned on the dresser nearby him. Perhaps she would
indulge him with a question or two. If not, at least he tried
right?
"Well since you know quite a bit now about Luna's routine,
perhaps I can learn a bit about you as a fellow colleague? So
these skills you have but warn me not to trust until I've seen
them for myself, did you pick them up on your own or learn them
somewhere? I'm always curious why someone chooses to be a guard
to the wealthy." He asked since he was genuinely curious about
her, but was sure she would turn down answering his questions.
#Post#: 1023--------------------------------------------------
Re: Chapter 0.9: Duty and Disobedience
By: DolittleMax Date: June 16, 2020, 8:01 pm
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Nesryn listened with interest as Dimitri detailed the family
duties surrounding meal time and was pleased to hear that all
food was tasted before put before the family. Otherwise she
would have had to suggest to Frieda a similar measure. After
all, while Luna may not be powerful in a physical sense, her
birthright and name put her above a great deal of people. She
watched Dimitri as he so casually leant on the dresser, her back
stiffening a little as he inquired after her and her skills. She
would answer him, as to not be too cold, but did not want to
reveal much. It was not well looked upon to tell people when you
first meet them that you're part of an assassin's guild and are
practically bound to them...
"Get up. That was pathetic; silly mistakes you should have
already addressed" Farren snapped.
The room was cold and sparring on the stone floor of the
Training Den in the pouring rain was no walk in the park. Nesryn
stood to her feet, pushing her hair out of her face and smearing
the blood from her nose across her cheek. Her teeth were bared
as her whole body burned in anger.
"Faster Zoya. I could have killed you twice over by now, your
attackers don't wait for you to get up"
Nesry gave a snarl and raced forward, her blades swiping toward
his throat and abdomen. The attacks didn't connect as Farren
simply used the backs of his hands to hit the blades on their
flat edge, pushing them away from his body and sending Nesryn
sprawling once more in the mud. She leant up and spat dirt from
her mouth, the tang of blood in her teeth making her grimace-
but a foot smashed down onto her back and forced her into the
cobbles again as she cried out.
Farren snarled as he leaned down, foot in the centre of her back
and keeping her there.
"Pathetic- You were a slave not too long ago Zoya. I know you
didn't escape with your skills- they're sorely lacking. So what
did you escape with, mmm? Did you sell your body?"
Nesryn flinched as he spat the words in her face, "Did you sell
secrets? Did you use your Magis? Whatever you did it's not
enough to just be scrappy. You need to be calculated. Your
emotion rules you too much."
Nesryn felt tears sting at her eyes as she tried to shove him
off her, his foot stayed there.
"Pathetic Elvi- Disgusting breed of hellspawn-" Farren began to
sneer, face coming closer to hers. She felt fire ignite within
her "You sl*t, whench, pathetic inbreed-"
Nesryn gave a shout and turned, her knives spiralling, most
attacks deflected but only one coming close, nicking the leather
on his forearm. With a swift knee to her stomach and a punch
under her jaw, Nesryn saw sparks fly as she fell to her knees.
Her hair was roughly tugged and she was practically nose-to-nose
with Farren, his look of victory and disgust searing into her.
"Control your anger. You belong to the Guild now and if you are
reckless we will end you. At least in the slaves the only thing
they owned was your body. Here in the guild? We own your soul."
He let go of her and wiped his hand on his trousers.
"Go clean up. I expect you here first thing tomorrow..."
Nesryn blinked out of her rememberance and looked at Dimitri
once more, "I acquired the. Where? It does not concern you. As
for my employment, there are many more factors which drove me to
this contract, not just some Lady's request."
With that, Nesryn left him there and she moved to get her
quarters set up before the evening meal.
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