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Post by Arai on Oct 21, 2007 22:07:20 GMT -5
Arai was satisfied that the woman was of higher class, especially since she obviously knew that she was a lycan. Few had the self poise to not be freaked out by that. Mr. Machnerum....he was probably a lycan as well, she deduced. Classy. All the lycans she had known so far were wanderers. Obviously, with enough money you could keep anything secret. Of course, it wasn't like this was a densely populated area where it was easy to find out secrets. "Of course I do not mind. I would not want to meet myself in this state," she said a bit dismally. Arai was in a rather bad state. She really did hate this wandering business. If only one day she could stay in one place, or at least have enough money to travel some way other than on foot. In the back of her mind, she wondered how the others were doing. Pete and Namir, especially Pete, did not strike her as especially cultured people.
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Post by Mikel on Oct 21, 2007 22:13:19 GMT -5
The lady laughed, but even her laugh was refined and quaint. It was not over explosive or obtrusive, but just a bit more than a giggle. She smiled again and nodded her head, “Very good, I am glad that you agree.” She said, still smiling. It was almost like this woman had a smile plastered on her face all day. Although, Mikel shouldn’t have any complaints because she did have a beautiful smile. Her teeth were perfect and white surrounded by her perfect lips. It was like someone had drawn this girl in a fantasy and she was now sitting before Arai, almost in complete contrast. “What size are you darling? You like a bit smaller in size in height, , and you are terribly skinny dear, when was the last time you ate a good meal? Nevermind, you shall have one tonight.” The woman said, “Either way, i might have something for you to wear.” She said and the car stopped. There was a pause and the door was opened and the woman moved her arm, beckoning, “After you of course, my guests are always before me.”
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Post by Arai on Oct 22, 2007 10:38:18 GMT -5
Whatever this lady did, she did it well and liked it. Which was rare nowadays. Her smile was not fake, but rather genuine. Arai decided she liked her. Arai was one of those rare people who could discern fakeness with relative ease. If she didn't like someone, she didn't like them from the start. Despite the fact that this woman was perfect, as if she had just stepped out of a fashion magazine, she was not pretentious about it. "I'm about a four, or maybe a two," Arai replied, "I'm about five two, which is small nowadays, so I really just look at what fits, not really sizes," she admitted. Last good meal.....Arai didn't rightly remember when that was. All the days sort of blurred together. It was hard to eat when you had too much integrity to steal, yet no money. After what seemed like seconds since she had entered the extravagant car, Arai was exiting again. Sliding out, she took a few steps out and to the right, allowing the woman room to exit without seeming too eager to enter the estate. It was even more magnificent up close. The sweeping lines of the architecture were astonishing in their loose perfection, and the whole house spoke of old money and rich tastes. Yes, Arai decided, she liked this Mr. Machnerum if his house reflected him.
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Post by Mikel on Oct 22, 2007 13:14:02 GMT -5
The woman smiled again in the same sweet fashion. She was not like most women that had become used to power and money. She was stuck up, snobbish and indignant of those around her. She was sophisticated and understanding of the situations that other people are exposed too. She followed Arai out of the limo and the chauffer closed the door behind them and bowed his head to the woman before returning to the passenger side of the vehicle, opening the door, stepping inside and closing it. Then the car drove off behind the side of the house and was out of sight. The sight that Arai and the woman were now exposed too was quite gorgeous actually. They had parked the car in one of the gardens of the estate. They were standing one of the thicker paths that led to a glass door, which was bordered by flowering vines on the doorframes. There were vines growing everywhere and all were flowering. Some had blue flowers, others pink and red, yellow and white. There were well-trimmed bushes and hedges along the path and if the path had not been there, Arai would have thought she was in some sort of a jungle.
“Yes dear, it is quite extraordinary. My lord Machnerum has quite good taste.” The woman said and then spoke again as she began to walk. She was in heels, and she was walking on gravel. However, she was having no trouble at all, her balance never swaying. “My name is Ms. Waters. I am an acquaintance of Mr. Machnerum you might say.” The woman said calmly and walked all the way to the door. She did not have to open it for a butler, dressed in a white tux opened the door. She stepped inside after Arai. “In any case, Mr. Machnerum would like to know how long you will be staying and he assures you that he is well equipped to house you for an extended period of time.” Ms. Waters said sweetly as she turned left out of the sunroom and down a well light hall. They walked on a rug that was hand embroidered from Germany. There were lights on the walls designed to look like candles and the walls themselves designed to look like stone, parts of them actually stone and no one could tell the difference. The ceiling was domed with a large painting stretched across. It depicted a massive garden, the Garden of Eden, a painting done by an artist in the 14th century.
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Post by Arai on Oct 22, 2007 13:48:05 GMT -5
Arai's light brown eyes were wide as they walked through the gardens and the house. It seemed as if this were a whole other world. The atmosphere almost made her forget her own sorrows in its splendor. Almost. The crunch of gravel underfoot, reflectant of the car tires earlier, was the only sound in the gardens aside from the rustling of the many insects and small animals that few could see. Arai could hear them, however, though she doubted Ms. Waters could. The butler opened the door as if that was his only job, and she was impressed. His white suit was immaculate, clean, and pressed. She would bet that he had multiples of that suit. One thing was for sure, this guy was rich if he dressed his staff that well. Rich and classy; a good combination. The inside was even more magnificent than than the outside, though in a more human way. She could tell from the thick richness of the rug underfoot that it was high quality, probably specially ordered and made. The detail spoke of careful hand embroidery - no machine was that intricate. The hall, though made of stone, was not gloomy, due to the curious lights. Arai figured they were not real candles; little heat came off them and they did not have the warm golden flicker of flames. Still, very classic look about the whole place. Walking behind the woman, Arai was glad she did not see her as she walked and gaped at the ceiling, taking in the magnificent colors of the garden. The outside looked almost like the Garden of Eden in the picture, minus the bountiful animal representation. But Arai was forgetting her manners, she realized. "I am Arai, and I am pleased to make your acquaintance, Ms. Waters," she said smoothly. "I would be happy to stay as long as Mr. Machnerum would like me to in order to answer his questions; I would not dream of infringing upon his hospitality for any length of time."
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Post by Mikel on Oct 22, 2007 21:48:04 GMT -5
Ms. Waters smiled and gave another small laugh before she looked back at Arai. “Don’t be silly darling, no one really lives here except Mr. Machnerum and besides that, he is hardly here half the time anyway. You wouldn’t be infringing at all. In fact, I am rather certain that he would be thrilled to have you in the estate.” She said as she continued to walk down the hall, stopping at a door on her left. It was a domed door made of hickory with an old fashion round knocker and doorknob, “And you may call me Elizabeth dear, punctuality and properness is not always called for.” She said, opening the door. Inside the room was more magnificent that the hallway and probably the most extraordinary thing that she had seen in the mansion thus far. The room was like something in a fairy tale or a palace. The floor was stone, but it was hard to see because of the bear rugs stretched on the floor. The dressers were made of oak and they were made of an ancient style with dragons and griffins and other mythological creatures hand carved into the wood. There was a step up from the normal floor and it led to a slightly higher, circular level of the room where the bed was located. There was a veil all the way around the bed made of a red silk. The bed itself was massive with red sheets and white pillows that were plumped with feathers. There was a chandelier above to provide light. Elizabeth turned and looked around, turning to Arai, “This would be where you would be staying.” She said kindly.
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Post by Arai on Oct 22, 2007 22:17:32 GMT -5
Arai followed still, amazed at the grandness of the whole place. Then they came to a door. It looked like something out of a castle, with a sweeping dome and a knocker. She wondered what this was for, but then it was opened and Arai forgot all else. The magnificent room was deep and red, rich in color and texture. It was huge, as big as her living room at home. Arai instantly wanted to run over and inspect the hand-carved dressers in detail, soaking in the detail of each creature and carving. A powerful urge swept over her to run and throw herself on the inviting bed, with its veils and cushy pillows. She was sure the comfortor was silk, or at least satin, and she longed to run her fingers over the rich smoothness of the fabric. The entire scene looked like something out of a book. It was almost unreal; she felt like Ms. Waters - Elizabeth - spoke from a far distance. "He allows people to be in here?" she asked incredulously. Just soaking in the sight was enough for her. It was truly amazing. Turning, the gold flecks in her light brown eyes flashing with excitement, she managed to compose herself and reply, "Well, I suppose I can stay for at least one night." The prospect was irristable. "So," she said, forcing herself to stop thinking about the soft, welcoming bed that beckoned her to lie on it, "what do I need to do before I am presentable enough to meet Mr. Machnerum?"
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Post by Mikel on Oct 22, 2007 22:46:26 GMT -5
Elizabeth smiled and walked over to Arai, placing her hands gently on her shoulders, surveying Arai calmly and silently, “Let me have a look at you.” She said as she began. It took several minutes to examine her. She had beautiful eyes, her hair was short, but it had a beautiful color to it, almost auburn red. Her figure was descent but she had not eaten a good meal in a while and therefore needed to add about four pounds. She was short for her age, but still, height didn’t matter in most things. After a few moments she smiled and said, “Well for one dear, you are going to need a bath, a shower and a good scrub.” She said in a playful tone. “And secondly, you are going to need a dress, a gown would be more fitting. You go and undress and get yourself a bath, get your hair clean, I suggest curling it at the bottom, and I will go and find a gown for you.” Elizabeth said and tapped Arai’s shoulders and then walked into the bathroom. The floor was stone but everything else was glass. Even the counters were glass, but a foggy glass so it could not be seen through too much. “Get a bath dear.” She said calmly and then left the room to let Arai prepare.
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Post by Arai on Oct 22, 2007 22:57:39 GMT -5
Arai was a bit uncomfortable at first. She was a bit self-conscious about her appearance, especially when surrounded by all this splendor. The scar on her face didn't help much. For some reason, it had never really healed properly, leaving her with a thing line that traced from her temple to her jaw in a sweeping crescent. Maybe a guy would think it would be a cool scar to have, but Arai begged to differ. She found herself in the bathroom before she could add anything to Ms. Elizabeth's comments. The door shut behind her, and Arai was afraid to touch anything. It all appeared to be glass: the counters, the huge bathtub, the shower, all of it. Cautiously, unconsciously holding her breath, she reached out a hand and gently touched the foggy counter, assuring herself that this was not a dream. Within seconds she was tapping it, hearing the musical clink of her uneven fingernails on the hard surface. It seemed sturdy enough. After a few minutes, she worked up the courage to test out the giant bathtub. It was more like a pool, actually, and she was certain two of her could fit in there. This room must have cost a fortune; you had to have glass stuff like this specially made. There was an assortment of shampoos and soaps on a nearby shelf; Arai perused these with interest, opening each and smelling it, relishing the clean feel of it all. Finally she decided on lotus blossom; it had an exotic, fresh scent about it that invigorated her. Carefully, she ran the water, filling up the bathtub about two-thirds of the way. That took quite a while, so she inspected herself in the huge mirror while the water ran. Yes, she was rather skinny. She could see the faint outlines of her ribs, though the scars covering her stomach effectively drew attention away from that. Her hands, she noted dismally, were dirty and a bit rough, the nails short and jagged. Maybe later she could find a nail file. Fortunately, beneath the travel grime her complexion seemed okay; she had been blessed with very clear skin. Finally, the tub filled and Arai got in, sighing as she sank into the warm depths. Yes, life was good right now.
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Post by Mikel on Oct 22, 2007 23:09:18 GMT -5
Arai had spent a considerable amount of time in the bathroom and by this time, Elizabeth had found two possible matches for Arai. Elizabeth was a wonderful shopper. She had great taste in clothing and could fit colors with people. She was spectacular at it and she had picked rather gorgeous gowns. She had laid them both on the bed. The first gown was a black color. It was a simple gown with silver sparkles and thin shoulder straps. It was made from satin so it was rather soft to the touch and it went all the way down to her ankles. It was cut up the right side, and it would reach just above Arai’s right knee. It flowed in the back and was relatively shallowly cut around the neck. The second dress red, a dark red color. There were no sparkles, but there were lines on the side in exotic swirls in a dark red so they were brought out more. There were still a thin shoulder but the back was exposed and the dress was held by a series of straps on the back. It was lower cut than the black dress but there was a smaller slit down the side of the dress. Either way, Elizabeth had decided that she had made a rather wonderful choice in clothing. If these didn’t work then she would be at a loss because there simply wasn’t anything else that this girl could wear. The only pair of heels was brought out and they did have sparkles and would raise Arai about three inches off the ground. Elizabeth went to the bathroom door and knocked gently, “Are you almost finished dear?” Elizabeth asked politely.
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Post by Arai on Oct 22, 2007 23:19:29 GMT -5
Arai had just finished rinsing off from a nice long scrub when she heard Elizabeth. "Almost," she replied. Arai smiled at the echos that bounced around the glass room, reverberating throughout the water. Submerging once more, she pulled the drain and waited until all the water was gone before getting out. Careful to step on the red rug and not the stone floor, Arai dried off with a lush red towel that hung nearby. It was soft and thick, definetely the nicest end to a bath she had experienced in a long time. Hmm, now here was a problem. She didn't want to put her old clothes back on; that would only get her dirtier. But she didn't feel quite comfortable just walking out in a towel. Rubbing her hair dry, she found a brush and combed it out, enjoying the clean squeakiness of it. For the first time in half a year, she felt completely clean again. This Mr. Machernum was lucky indeed to not have to roam the earth like all the other lycans she had known. Very lucky indeed. Finally, Arai opted to just wrap the large towel around herself and go out. They were both girls, after all, and Elizabeth did not seem like she would make her feel embarassed or anything. Still, Arai was a modest person. Walking into the main room wrapped in the soft crimson towel, she saw the two dresses laid out on the beds and couldn't help but widen her eyes in amazement. Even her extravagant prom dress had not been as amazing as these. Arai was instantly drawn to the black dress: she liked sparkles and red did not usually complement red heads that well. "Are these for me to wear?" she asked, almost not believing it to be true.
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Post by Mikel on Oct 23, 2007 6:53:03 GMT -5
Elizabeth loved to watch the surprised look on Arai’s face when she saw the dresses. This excited her and it let her know that she had done a good job with picking the outfit. “Well you won’t be wearing them both at once.” She said playfully, walking over to Arai and putting her hand on Arai’s back pushing her gently towards the bed and the gowns. “But yes, you are supposed to wear one of them, so I suggest you choose which one.” Elizabeth said as she walked over the black dress and picked it up and sported it on her body for a moment, “What do you think, you like?” She asked with a smile. Ahh, see, Elizabeth was a girl. There was nothing in the world to prove someone’s feminism than shopping and looking at dresses and gowns.
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Post by Arai on Oct 23, 2007 8:16:43 GMT -5
"I gathered as much," Arai said with a grin. At least this lady had a sense of humor. Still holding the towel protectively around herself, she couldn't help but move closer to the dresses, partly out of curiosity and partly because Elizabeth was pushing her that way. It was not a hard choice; Arai had instantly been predispositioned towards the black one. She watched as Elizabeth draped it over herself, modeling it. She shook her head. "I think that might be a mite bit small for you," she teased. And it was. Something that was clearly meant to be floor-length was hanging a few inches above the taller girl's ankles, and besides that her frame was not as small and petite as Arai's.
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Post by Mikel on Oct 23, 2007 10:35:34 GMT -5
Elizabeth would indeed fill out the dress more than Arai, but she had more to work with and so it was understandable. It wasn’t like Elizabeth was flaunting such attributes either. “Well I am not wearing it sweetheart.” She said and rolled her eyes playfully. “Well, if this is the one that you are going to wear, mine as well put it on. I will be outside. Come get me when you are down so I can curl your hair or do something with. Granted there isn’t much to work with but I trust that there is a better style that the wet rag look you are sporting.” She said and smiled again before she placed the dress back on the bed, “We do have to hurry, dinner is in one hour and Mr. Machnerum is never late and asks that his guests be so as well. He hates unpunctual people.” She said and then turned and walked to the door, opened it and closed it behind her.
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Post by Arai on Oct 23, 2007 14:19:33 GMT -5
When the lady had gone, Arai picked up the dress, mimicking her movement by holding it against herself. It was definitely silk, she decided, and fine quality too. Going back into the bathroom, she closed the door behind her. Even though no one was there, Arai still preferred to change in the privacy of the restroom. Carefully folding the towel and putting it back on the rack, Arai cleaned up the room to the best she could, restoring it to its original state. Folding her old clothes, she placed them in a neat pile on the counter. She would figure out what to do with them later. Cautious of ruining the lovely dress, Arai pulled it over her head, trying to keep it from getting wet by running against her hair. The silk whispered across her skin like a forgotten dream, fitting her perfectly and sleekening her figure. She almost didn't recognize herself in the mirror, but she knew it was herself. Combing her hair out to get rid of any tangles, she was amazed at how the black accentuated her eyes, making the gold flecks shimmer in tandem with the sparkles on the fabric. It was quite astonishing what good clothes could do to a soul. Finishing, Arai walked smoothly to the door, silently treading the thick fur rugs in bare feet. Opening the door, she announced quietly, "I'm done. What do you think we should do with my hair?"
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