Sweetheart Escalade
Truth be told...
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"I want her moved BACK to the family estate."
"No mother. Luvoli chose to come with me. Deal with it."
The argument continued on, becoming nothing more than noise to blend in with the soft music flowing from the phonograph. The two women, one elder and one young, continued to fuss back and forth. Both women belonged to a high class society, and it showed in their clothing and mannerisms.
Another woman entered the room, her footfalls light and near silent. "Teatime ma' ladies!" she called out sweetly. The arguing stopped, and all eyes fell on her. In all honesty, the woman was rather plain. A maid styled dress, colored in dark burgundy and a faded purple rather than the traditional black and white, matching headband, and bracelets. A odd, green necklace hung from her neck, complimented her eyes. Three, rather large, fluffy tails completed the look. Nothing extraordinary about her, yet both of the other women smiled brightly at her arrival.
"Luvoli dear. Right on time as usual. You just never miss a beat do you?" the younger of the ladies cooed. Luvoli smiled brightly, "Oh no, Lady Beatrice! Lady Melinda made sure I understood how important teatime was!" she answered, pouring the tea into the cups with practiced ease.
The older woman, Lady Melinda herself, smiled smugly to the younger woman when she was mentioned. "You always did pay attention to my teachings! Unlike a certain daughter of mine..." she stated, her glare never leaving her daughter's face. "Mummy always said respect yer elders, ma lady. They have lots to teach you!" the maid answered instantly. This argument was old. Happening everyday since she followed a Mrs. Beatrice into her new home and marriage.
As she served the tea, Luvoli glanced up at the clock perched on the wall. The time was 12 o' clock exactly and that meant she needed to excuse herself to her room.
"Ma ladies...the time is currently high noon. May I...." she spoke up sweetly, hoping her mistress caught on.
Lady Beatrice jumped slightly, "OH! Of course dear, of course!" she said shooing her away gently. The maid excused herself with a bow, and made her way to her room.
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Her room was silent, a comfortable one at least. It was lovely, and had a homey feel to it. The thing that stuck out most about the space however, was the many stuffed toys that littered the otherwise clean room. Toys that looked as if they could come to life at any moment stared at her, watching as she made her way into the room.
If asked about them, Luvoli would smile proudly and answer, "I made them! Hand made is the best way! Just a stitch here, a knot there, and a bit of lovely magic!"
She explained that "lovely magic" was something her mother taught her. A dash of love, a little belief, and one of Luvoli's smiles. A story everyone bought without a second thought, and honestly, she preferred it that way.
"Good afternoon everyone." Luvoli said bluntly, "How have you slept?"
The silence was shattered instantly, as what seemed like dozens of voices exploded into her head.
"I slept well Luvoli!"
"We missed you! Where were you?!"
"Luvi! Luvi! Pick me up!"
The chants continued, picking up volume. A dark gleam entered the woman's eyes. Her lips curling up into a sinister grin as the compliments continued. The necklace began to glow, drawing power from the praise of the toys. Then, a loud voice broke through the compliments.
"DEMON!"
Everything went still. The necklace stopped glowing abruptly, and Luvoli's eyes trailed over to the lone stuffie on her bed. This one didn't fit in with the others, but it was too dear to be rid of.
"What?" came a sharp response from the maid. She crossed her arms, trailing across the short distance to pick up the toy. She almost swore the toy was glaring at her.
"YOU'RE A DEMON! You are the EMBODIMENT OF EVIL! The others may have fallen for your spell, but I know the REAL you! I know what you really are!" it hissed. Luvoli blinked innocently, indifference shining in her eyes.
"I'm a sweet lil common girl who grew up in Sacred Lands, of course. I lived with my mum and pop til they both died of sickness, and then took up a job as a maid to support myself." she recited, the words sounding painfully scripted. The puppet hissed.
"You lying WITCH! You were born in Darkside! You have never even BEEN to Sacred Lands! And your father didn't die of sickness! YOU KILLED HIM." The puppet screamed in her mind. Luvoli sighed and shook her head, dropping the puppet haphazardly onto the bed.
"Oh. What do you know. You're a doll. A stuffed toy. All of you are. Furthermore, I'm the only one who can hear your insane screeches. Sooo...." Luvoli cooed, turning her back to the bed.
"You ruined us! Just like you'll ruin these women and any other fool who hires you! Shinwa help us all if you ever DO manage to get employed by Saggitarius!" The doll cried out. The maid shot her an unimpressed glare.
"I don't have time for this. I need to get back to work." she said, walking to the door. The doll's screams of anger followed her, but she paid no heed to them. After fixing her dress and adjusting her headband, she opened the door and stepped into the hallway. Peeking her head back inside, she shot another sinister look at the doll on the bed.
"We'll speak more tonight, mother." she cooed, shutting the door behind her. Mask back in place, she scurried back to the sitting room her mistress was waiting in, right on time. Greeted by smiles as always.
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No. They really didn't know her that well.
credits
Art by
nuclearstarlightProfile by User not found: rune
Story by
Vixien
