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How Much is That Doggie in the Window? [M]

Started by Zero, November 13, 2015, 02:39:25 PM

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Zero

Tobias trailed behind Tessa rather like a lost puppy might, for lack of any other idea of what to actually do. Until he escaped all he really could do was do as he was told and apparently his main job was supposed to be to protect the young woman that had insisted on buying him.

The werewolf gave a gentle shrug of his shoulders at the notion that the master of the house wasn't angry at him. Honestly it probably didn't matter. Either way, he wasn't sure the man liked him, and was pretty sure that the girl's father didn't really trust him with Tessa. Too many people hearing stories of the big bad wolf, that's what that really was.

Not that there wasn't some risk. Tobias had been a mindless killing machine for five years, but since he'd been taught to control it there hadn't been a single incident of him truly losing control.

Sighing softly he ducked his head as they passed through the doors, trying very much to just blend as a shadow behind the young woman in front of him, doing his best not to draw a lot of attention to himself. So far he only knew he had one very irritated master, a somewhat naive girl pulling the strings, and a carriage driver that seemed to disapprove of the entire situation of bringing a slave along.

He really didn't need anymore people disliking his presence.

Though he had to suppress a chuckle as he heard the call for "womanly comfort". The werewolf settled for ducking his head down even more and grinning with amusement. That was one way to call for your wife.

Brown-gold eyes raised long enough to assess the woman that came gliding down the stairs, undoubtedly the lady of the house. She was a pretty woman, and definitely of Essyrni blood. That didn't surprise him, he could see some Essyrni in Tessa, and she was a pretty young woman as well. Not that it mattered to him.

They just seemed like a nice family. Pretty as a picture, the three of them.

Tobias grinned and shrugged his shoulder with a quiet chuckle when his mistress turned to him and "welcomed" him to the household. "At least they look happy."

DragonSong

Tessa found her own face breaking out into a bright smile in response to his. She hadn't expected him to do much more than stare, and she wouldn't have blamed him if he had. But he had a nice smile. Surely her father's worries were unfounded; he couldn't possibly be dangerous.

Well, he could certainly be dangerous, she amended mentally. But for some reason she couldn't bring herself to believe that he would hurt her, even by accident. "They certainly are, at that," she said, looking back to her parents and trying to imagine how they would look through his eyes.

"What, no hug for your old mother?"

Nateri's pout made her laugh and she crossed the foyer to step into her embrace. She smelled of lavender and Essyrni spices, a strange and comforting combination that instantly made Tessa relax. "Welcome home, dear heart," her mother murmured, kissing her forehead.

She laughed, returning the gesture with a kiss to the cheek. "We were only gone for a few hours, Mama."

"Yes." Her mother looked over her shoulder and quirked an eyebrow. The expression was so similar to the one Erik usually made that Tessa had decided as a child one must have taught it to the other. She just wasn't sure which was which. "And I see you found what you were looking for."

"Oh, yes." Tessa stepped away from her, back toward Tobias. "I'm being rude, forgive me. Mother, this is Tobias. Tobias, this is Nateri Varrys." She gestured back and forth between the two with a well practiced gesture. All those decorum lessons weren't for nothing.

Her mother nodded regally. "Welcome to our home," she said graciously.

Erik, suddenly sour, gripped his wife's arm. "Sweet, could I talk to you alone for a moment?" His eyes flickered meaningfully over his daughter and her new bodyguard.

Nateri gave both her husband and daughter a questioning look, then nodded. "Tessie dear, why don't you show Tobias where he'll be staying? Mia cleaned out the room next to yours." She followed her husband into the parlor.

Tessa let out a heavy breath, then faced Tobias. "I suppose I should show you where you'll be sleeping." She nodded toward the stairs. "Ah...follow me, then?"

Zero

Maybe the easy grin Tobias was able to slip into was a little surprising - it was certainly a rather large change from the sullen man huddled miserably in the slave cell that Tessa had initially spoken to. The wolf hated being caged, it was truly psychologically damaging for a wild animal to be kept locked up and isolated as he'd been.

Now that he was free - relatively speaking - and sensed no real threat, the beast was much more relaxed, which in turn made the man feel more relaxed. While the wolf wasn't about to settle into a life of domesticity, the animal was content to simply stretch his legs and regroup, so to speak.

The more rational man part of his brain was still feeling a little strange about how nice everyone was being to him. Especially as he was introduced and greeted rather unlike what he figured a slave should expect. The beautiful Nateri Varrys welcomed him into her home rather eloquently, as if he were a guest and not someone there because he didn't have any other choice.

Of course he wondered how long that welcoming attitude would last as he watched the master lead his wife away. That look wasn't lost on him either.

Though there was the matter of where he'd be staying. Did she say the room next to hers? That didn't seem right. If the room was next to Tessa's it was bound to be fairly nice, right? Even if the place was designed to have a small, simple room next to the major rooms for personal servants, that was still probably nicer than he was figuring a slave should be expecting.

"Uh...after you, lass." Now he felt wary and uneasy again. If he were a free man then he'd rather enjoy nice people, but being a slave just made him feel like it was a trap or trick.

DragonSong

He was on edge again. Tessa wished she knew how to make him feel more at ease, but she expected that it was just something they were both going to have to learn to live with. After all, had their positions been reversed she probably would have acted much the same way.

"Right. Ok then." She scaled the stairs two at a time with the ease of long practice; not even her cumbersome skirts proved to be too much of a problem. At the top of the staircase she turned left, leading him to the second door in this section of the hallway. Pushing it open she said, "This'll be your room. I'm afraid it's not much. It's meant to be used by a hand maiden or some such nonsense, but Mia prefers to room on the first floor with Della- that's her mother, she works as our cook- so it really doesn't have much in the way of furnishings..."

She glanced around the room. It was't entirely bare; there was a bed and a bureau, a window that took up half of the far wall, a few small area rugs. She bit her lip. "Well, if you need anything it shouldn't be too hard to track it down." Flitting across the room to the door set into the right hand wall she added, "I think the big reason this room was chosen is because it connects to mine- Mother and Father insisted that if I was going to have a bodyguard he should be able to actually guard me."

She pushed the smaller door open to show that it led to her- rather more lavish- bedchamber. Then she hovered awkwardly, not quite sure what to do with herself. "So, um...make yourself at home. Oh!" A thought suddenly struck her and she could have kicked herself for not thinking of it sooner. "Would you like something to eat? You must be hungry."

Zero

It was easy enough to keep up, and Tobias continued to try to be as unassuming as possible. He didn't want people staring at him. Especially his eyes. So far the werewolf had tried to avoid eye contact with everyone but Tessa, really. Not that it would probably help. The man and Tessa knew he was a werewolf, everyone in the house would know soon enough.

Hopefully he wouldn't they wouldn't all be afraid of him. All the slaves at market had been frightened by him even when he'd done nothing to incite fear.

Tobias couldn't help but whistle softly as his eyes roamed over what was supposed to be his bedroom. It might not have been considered "much" to someone like her, but to him it seemed pretty big. Especially considering there was a bed and he'd spent the weeks in his cell sleeping on a pile of straw on a stone floor.

Need anything? He didn't own anything but the clothes on his back, and not even those. Those belong to her too. The slavers had taken everything else he'd owned, including his bow and hunting knife. He paced the room slowly, getting a feel for it, then made his way over to the door that joined his room to hers to have a look and whistled again.

The werewolf was trying to work it all out in his head. The girl's father thought she needed protected. His idea of protecting her was to buy a male slave he knew nothing about and put him in a room not only right next to his daughters, but that had a door that led directly to where the lass slept?

Her father was right. She did need a guard.

What if he was a criminal delinquent? Those often got sold into slavery as punishment for their crimes. The whole thing was just asking for trouble. Not that he voiced any of those concerns, but his face was screwed up in a pensive frown as he looked back over his room before shutting the door that connected the rooms together.

"If you don't learn anything else about me, lass, you'll learn that I never turn down food." He cracked a lopsided smile at her and wondered how they would react when they realized just how much he could eat. Werewolves had large metabolisms. "Plus it'll be good to get a better idea of the layout so I don't get lost."

And so he could map escape routes in his head.

DragonSong

Tessa beamed. "Alright, I'll show you to the kitchens then," she said, slipping back out into the hallway. This time, instead of using the main stairway, she walked to the end of the hall and took the smaller set of stairs that led directly to the kitchens, pantry, and servants' quarters at the back of the manor.

They were at the door to the kitchen quickly enough, and Tessa knocked even as she pushed it open. "Della? Could you spare something?"

"TESSIE!!"

She blanched. "Oh gods." She'd forgotten Mia's siblings were at the manor today. She'd barely taken a step into the room when she was attacked from two directions at once by whirlwinds of small child. Jenny and Seth, the seven year old twins, hung onto her skirts with their little hands, giggling and tugging, pulling her further into the kitchen. Micheal, being twelve and far too mature for such nonsense, merely gave her an exuberant hug around the waist before skipping back, grinning.

The boy's eyes immediately snapped to her companion and he asked bluntly, "Who's that?"

"You could ask him yourself," Tessa said, trying to extricate herself from his younger siblings. "He's standing right there." She gave up with being gentle and simply scooped the twins up into her arms, balancing one on either hip. Seth immediately set about playing with her hair and she gave Tobias a slightly exasperated smile. "Come on in, it's only me they attack like that."

Micheal stuck his tongue out at her and she wrinkled her nose at him. Which was about the time Della came storming in from the door that led to the pantry, graying hair falling haphazardly around her face, growling, "You three get back here or I'll-" She stopped short. "Oh, Miss Tessa! And..." she trailed off, eyes wandering over Tobias's frame. "And you are?"

Zero

Knowing there was a back staircase was a good start to his recon. There would be multiple ways to get to the first floor in a hurry. Although Tobias could probably manage a drop from a window.

Probably.

The delighted squeals of children as they entered the kitchen had the werewolf both grinning and wincing. Having sensitive ears did have it's downfalls as well as its benefits. Tobias didn't know who the children really were, but thy didn't look like Tessa, so he was assuming they were related to the help.

Interesting how they practically mauled the girl the moment she'd stepped through the door.

Well, good to know his owner wasn't too good to mingle with the lowly common folk. Tobias almost snorted at his own inner thoughts, but somehow managed to restrain himself.

After a moment an older woman stormed into the kitchen, stopping short mid-yell when she saw his mistress, and then her eyes were moving over him and he felt a little like he was being appraised.

Tobias put on his most disarming grin and gave a little bow. "Tobias Slate, at your service, Ma'am."

DragonSong

"Oh." Della seemed slightly taken aback, then smiled. "Name's Della, and you don't have to be at nobody's service in my kitchen young man," she said with a wink, bustling over to the counter.

Tessa eyed the werewolf, unsure if he was being charming on purpose or if that was his natural personality finally starting to surface. Putting the thought from her mind, she managed to get the twins seated at stools by the island table in the center of the room and pulled up one herself, indicating with a hand that Tobias should do the same. "We came to beg some food, Dell," she said. Her eyes lit on a tray of biscuits that had been left on the table she she reached for it surreptitiously.

Della slapped her hand and she withdrew it quickly, mock pouting. "You'll spoil your supper," the older woman told her shortly. Then she looked to Tobias. "You, on the other hand, look like you haven't been properly fed in weeks. What would you like? I've got some bread and cheese lying around, and Micheal picked a bushel of apples this morning. Run and fetch that, Micheal." she hardly took a breath, only pausing to pull Seth and his sister off their stools when they started reaching for the biscuits and told them, "Run along and be useful, fetch me the cutting board."

She turned to Tobias and Tessa again, leaning against the table. "So I suppose you're Miss Tessa's new bodyguard, then?" Now she did pause, making it clear she actually expected an answer to this question.

Zero

Tobias positively beamed at Della when the older woman winked at him. It wasn't an act or ploy at all. The woman simply immediately reminded him of wholesome things, and his wolf felt at ease in her presence. Not to mention it was just good manners to be polite and kind to his elders.

He pulled up a stool when he was invited to and took a seat at the island, seemingly quite comfortable and at home in Della's kitchen. In fact, the werewolf even laughed softly when Tessa got her hand swatted for trying to sneak a biscuit. Not that he could blame her, they did look and smell pretty delicious.

A broad smile was on his face the entire time Della was talking as he gazed at her attentively, hoping his slightly golden eyes wouldn't bother her.

"I suppose I am, Ma'am. Not that I've ever been a bodyguard before, but there's a first time for everything, I guess. More than anything I think anyone wanting to hurt someone in this house might think twice if they get a look at me. I've been told I'm a little big." Tobias smiled innocently before glancing at the woman beside him. "Am I intimidating enough for you, lass?"

DragonSong

"Hmm..." Tessa tapped her chin, pretending to think about it. Then she shrugged. "Well, I suppose you'll do," she said airily, but she was unable to keep the teasing smile from her lips.

If she was being honest though, he was rather intimidating. She decided she'd much rather have him protecting her than sent after her.

The thought made her shudder slightly. As much as she tried not to think about it, she couldn't forget waking up to the silver glint on her pillow, the knowledge that someone who quite obviously meant her harm had come so close and she hadn't even realized it.

Suddenly Della was leaning between them, sliding a plate with freshly baked bread, cheese, and two apples in front of Tobias. "So long as you keep our girl safe, you'll be welcome here," she told him, patting Tessa's head.

For what felt like the umpteenth time that day, she muttered, "I'm not a child," but there was no bite to her words.

Zero

The werewolf laughed softly, still not sure what to make of his very unusual day. He'd gone from sitting in a cell, to owned by this kindly family in a matter of hours and Tobias honestly wasn't sure how to take it. The slaver hadn't been lying that he wasn't broken or trained, he had no idea how to be a slave, and so he was simply trying to react to how he was being treated - which was pretty nice, he'd admit that.

"Don't you worry about a thing, Ma'am. Your lass will be safe as a babe in a bassinet. Whoever's been giving her troubles will change their minds after bumping into me." Or more like after bumping into the wolf. Not many people wouldn't turn tail at the sight of a snarling wolf the size of a pony.

Although he didn't comment on how welcomed he might be. Tessa seemed sold on him sticking around, but Tobias still wasn't sure her parents weren't going to decide he was too dangerous to keep around.

Worries about if he would or wouldn't be allowed to stay vanished in an instant, because Tobias couldn't resist the smells coming from his plate. He torn a piece off his bread and popped it into his mouth with a happy hum. They said the way to a man's heart was through his stomach, and in the werewolf's case that was probably especially true since he loved to eat.

Wolves could be ravenous, after all.

DragonSong

Tessa smiled, looking from the woman who had helped raise her to this strange new member of their household. Who certainly was hungry, judging by how much food he was putting away. Although she guessed he probably hadn't been fed very well back at the markets.

Her smiled widened when Della brought another plate before he was quite done with the first. Typical. "You don't seem worried about spoiling his supper," she noted, pretending to be offended.

Della swatted the back of her head lightly, saying, "It ain't ladylike to be as sarcastic as you are." Before Tessa could protest- the slap or the claim- she added, "Speakin' of supper, why don't you tell your folks I'll have something ready soon. You lot should get yourselves seated."

"Alright, alright." She rose, rubbing her neck and yawning. She hadn't realized how late it was getting. Looking to Tobias, she asked, "Are you alright here, or would you like to come with me? I could show you more of the manor, but I understand if you're still hungry."

Zero

"I thought this was my supper." Tobias said with a low laugh between bites, though he didn't speak with his mouth full. He did have some manners. Which didn't at all stop him from happily helping himself to the second plate of food, though maybe he ate a little slower.

The werewolf wasn't sure how to feel about the invitation to go with her. He was still wary of Erik Varrys, because he was still convinced the man didn't want him around. After all, he'd turned away and was ready to go find another slave. Something not quite as dangerous as a werewolf could be. Of course by now the lady of the house could want him gone too. Undoubtedly her husband had told her the nonsense the slaver had cautioned him with.

"I'm good here. I like it in here." Not at all a lie, Tobias did like the kitchen, and not just because the delightful Della was feeding him. The kitchen was calm and quiet.

Sort of.

DragonSong

"I thought you might," Tessa said with a soft laugh. "Fair warning, those little urchins attach themselves to anything that holds still long enough," she said with a wink and a nod to the twins, who had just reentered the kitchen to give their mother the cutting board and were eyeing the werewolf curiously.

She laughed as Della pulled a face and slipped back out into the hallway. Making her way toward the parlor, she realized that she felt much lighter than she had upon entering the manor earlier. Something about Della could just put a body in a good mood. In fact, she was feeling so lighthearted she almost forgot why her parents were busy in secret conference.

Almost.

As she raised her hand to knock at the parlor door, she heard her father's voice: "It's not just the wolf I'm worried about, Nateri!"

Then her mother: "Calm down, Erik. You'll bring the house down. What are you worried about?"

A noise of frustration. "He's- you saw him! He's not subservient the way a slave should be, not "broken" as they said. And he'll be sleeping right next to her. What if he decides guarding her isn't enough? What if he decides to kill her and run off? What if he decides killing her isn't the best way to hurt her?!"

Tessa's throat went dry. His implication was clear, but she hadn't even considered that possibility before. Surely he wouldn't- what appeal could the woman who'd paid for him, like he was no more than a tool, possibly hold? Still, the thought sent an uneasy chill down her spine. She was relying on Tobias for protection now. If he became what she needed protection from...

Her mother's voice snapped her from her thoughts. "What do you propose we do then, Erik? Send him back? You are not a cruel man, love, you couldn't do that." A brief pause, then she added, "I think you should trust in your daughter's judgement."

Erik scoffed. "Believe me, dearest, there was no judgement used in that decision. It was all heart and no head."

"Perhaps it was simply not the "business sense" you are used to seeing," Nateri replied calmly. "Tessa is a better judge of character than you give her credit for. Perhaps she saw something in that young man that the years have made you blind to."

"So you want to just ignore the risks?"

"I'm not saying that-"

She couldn't listen to this anymore. Rapping sharply on the door she called, "Della says dinner will be ready soon," then turned and practically fled back in the direction of the kitchen. 

Zero

It was probably for the best that Tobias had stayed behind in the kitchen and missed that conversation. After all, Erik Varrys had offended him quite enough earlier at the market without him having to hear more assumptions about even more ways he could be dangerous.

Instead, the werewolf finished his second plate and immediately got caught up with the children, by asking them if they'd heard the story about the rainbow fish of Deep Water - which was a lake town just a couple days from the river town where he'd grown up. Which of course they hadn't, and of course that meant they needed to hear it.

"The rainbow fish is this huge fish that lives in the lake, whose scales sparkle all the colors when the sun hits them just right, and who can't be caught. According to local legend fishermen came from miles around trying to catch the rainbow fish, and in over a hundred years the thing still hasn't been caught. Now, this is just a rumor, but they say if you can actually catch it you'll have good luck for the rest of your life. Then again, other people say it will grant a wish if you catch it and agree to let it go."

DragonSong

Tessa paused in the doorway to the kitchen, a smile creeping across her face. Even Della was listening to Tobias's story, though she pretended she wasn't. Seth and Jenny stared up at him with wide eyes and opens mouths, drinking in the tale.

No matter what her father may think, she just couldn't believe this man had bad intentions.

"So what would you do?" she asked, stepping into the room and leaning against the table. "Catch it for the luck, or let it go for the wish?"

Zero

The looks on the children's faces as Tobias told them the story really made his brown-gold eyes light up. It was obvious he was genuinely enjoying the story-telling. Maybe even more than Della and her motherly food, the children made him feel relaxed. He liked children, had always liked them. The wolf liked them too. Children were innocent. They didn't have malice in them.

Of course the wolf liked puppies, but children were just human pups. So same difference.

"Neither. Either one would take all the magic out of the story." Tobias said looking up with a grin before turning back to the twins with a wink. "Stories are magic, don't ever let someone tell you otherwise."

The werewolf leaned back a little on his stool, stretching slightly before scratching lightly at the back of his neck. "So what now? You're going to have dinner with your parents, I'm guessing. Not really sure I want to be there to have your father glaring at me, lass."

Tobias frowned softly. "He really doesn't want me here."

DragonSong

"He..." Tessa trailed off, biting her lip. She couldn't deny it. "He worries too much," she finished lamely.

She shrugged, trying for a smile. "Well, I should be getting to the dining room. Most of the time the servants eat in there with us, if we don't have guests. There's a table closer to the back of the room, I'm sure Della wouldn't mind if you sat with them, if you'd be more comfortable that way," she said, looking at the woman questioningly as she did so.

"Course we don't mind. In fact the twins would be thrilled," Della chuckled, ruffling Seth's hair. "You go on and get settled, Miss. We'll take care of Tobias here and Micheal and Mia will be out with the first course in a few minutes."

Tessa nodded, giving the cook and the werewolf a quick smile before moving toward the door that led directly from the kitchen to the dining room instead of back into the hall. She paused, glancing back over her shoulder. "What is dinner, Dell?"

"Shepherd's pie," she replied. Tessa beamed- that had been her favorite dish since she was a little girl. Della caught her look and smiled kindly, lowering her voice to say, "After the shock you had this morning, I figured a good, comforting meal may be in order."

A sudden rush of affection for the older woman put a lump in her throat. She nodded and mouthed, Thank you, then slipped out of the warmth of the kitchen to face her parents.

Zero

Tobias didn't looked at all reassured or soothed. Not that he wanted to stay here for longer than strictly necessary. He wasn't a slave, and he wasn't some dangerous, uncontrollable monster either. It had taken two years of hard work, self-discipline, and pain for him to learn how to control the most primal and baser parts of his new self.

Knowing all the effort he'd put forth meant nothing really bothered him. No matter how hard he tried, people were going to look at him like some dangerous freak.

The werewolf sighed softly before smiling warmly at Della and the children. At least they seemed to like him. Of course they didn't know he was a werewolf, he was pretty sure. It made him sad to think how they might recoil once they found out.

He had to push the image of Della fearfully pulling her children away from him out of his mind.

"Can I help at all? I don't like feeling useless." Plus it would take his mind off of things. As long as he didn't think of this as him being a slave, Tobias really was able to enjoy the company he was in. Feeling a bit directionless he'd certainly follow Della's instruction.

DragonSong

"You could help the twins set the table," Della told him, busying herself with last minute preparations. "Seth, Jenny, get the plates out and then show him where we'll be sitting."

The children jumped to obey, anxious to be fed. Seth dumped a stack of plates into Tobias's arms and started chattering away as he led him out into the dining hall, toward the table situated against the back wall. "There's usually about a dozen of us, all told," he said. "Me, Mama, Jenny, Micheal, and Mia-" he pointed to where the places should be set as he talked- "then Isaac, Lionel, Jacobi, Anna, Marion, Selena, and Andrew. You can sit wherever you like..."

From across the room at the "main" table, Tessa watched, smiling slightly. She was distracted when her parents entered the room, her mother bending to kiss her cheek before she took her place beside her, her father simply giving her a curt nod as he sat at the head of the table.

"Don't look so forlorn," Nateri said softly, laying her napkin delicately on her lap. "I talked to him. I think-"

Before she could finish what she'd meant to say, Mia and Micheal came bursting out of the kitchen, arms laden with divinely scented plates. "Dinner, Sir, Madam, Miss Tessa," Mia, Tessa's personal maid, said with a bright smile as she slid the plates onto the table.

"Thanks, Mimi," Tessa replied with a smile of her own. She was suddenly starving.

"I see we've got the new muscle," the girl, three years Tessa's junior, said softly as Micheal came around with wine and water. She raised her eyebrows questioningly.

"I'll talk to you about it later," Tessa whispered, flicking her eyes toward her still sullen father. Mia nodded and skipped away, collecting her brother as she moved toward the servant's table.

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