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Post by Lady Gillianne Auvray on Oct 6, 2009 0:01:01 GMT
Gill really hadn't expected the boy to follow her back inside. But she let the corners of her mouth tug into a smile as she saw him walk in and grab a mop. As they worked in silence for a while, Gill kept trying to catch his eye, engage him in conversation, but he remained firmly engaged in his work. Depositing a large stack of plates into the sink, Gill turned and leaned back where she was, eyeing Henry.
"I don't need to break into the Orchard..." she decided to answer his earlier rhetorical question for want of something to talk about. "...I have free access as a maid. I picked those apples you we're munching on earlier this morning. They were meant for Arthur's cider."
As she spoke, she walked over to him, and took the mop from his hands. Leaning on it, she asked: "I have the rest of the afternoon off, we could go there now?"
She didn't know what made her say it... she didn't even know this boy's name! He was a thief. He'd almost made her lose her job! But he'd also saved her life. Gill couldn't tell whether it was the adrenaline from the earlier shock or not, but her heart was still hammering inside her chest.
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Post by Lady Gillianne Auvray on Oct 5, 2009 23:47:32 GMT
Helloo Anna did you want to RP with me somewhere in the castle as your maid? I thought that Uther could assign me to you for a while? As your lady in waiting I could be the classic nosy maid and keep asking questions about your past etc or we could get on well because secretly we're both peasant types? Or both? It's up to you, any ideas? lovelove Gill x
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Post by Lady Gillianne Auvray on Oct 5, 2009 18:59:57 GMT
Gill watched him leave with an open mouth, surprised at the boys sudden changes in mood. He was so confusing. So, different. She walked to the door, not quite leaving the kitchen, and leant her head on the door frame watching him...
"So you could have handled that situation on your own, really?" her words weren't spoken harshly, but she inteneded them to have effect. "And how's that?" she didn't give him a chance to answer before continuing in a matter of fact way: "You'd have fought your way through the kitchen staff? The palace guards? Me? Killing people? Just to escape with a handful of apples? They grow on trees for free y'know..."
She sighed, speaking softly now, "I could do with some help cleaning up in here." Her eyes finally left him as she turned back inside.
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Post by Lady Gillianne Auvray on Oct 3, 2009 23:05:19 GMT
I do love London as I live so close, but New York was A-mazing when i went there on holiday- so, NY Be a policeman or a fireman?
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Post by Lady Gillianne Auvray on Oct 3, 2009 23:01:19 GMT
Gill crouched down and picked up the plates as she received a harsh telling off by several kitchen hands. As she stacked the plates in the crook of her arm she couldn't help but throw a side glance to the storeroom; perhaps it was because she knew he was there, but she swore she could hear Henry breathing.
She rattled the plates as she carried them to the sink, and spoke unnecessarily loudly: "Again, I'm so so sorry, I'll have these cleared up in no time- no, no it's fine, I'll do it by myself. I just suddenly felt light headed and dropped the lot!"
The last kitchen hand left the room, and no sooner had they gone, Gill stormed into storeroom where Henry was hidden.
Standing above him she demanded angrily: "Just what do you think you're doing?"
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Post by Lady Gillianne Auvray on Oct 1, 2009 17:51:59 GMT
cat, although i do love both.
(And to answer anna's earlier one, even though i don't have too, ARTHUR: he's so pretty i could cry! Although merlin is very sweet.)
strawberry or chocolate?
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Post by Lady Gillianne Auvray on Sept 30, 2009 16:14:45 GMT
Gill stared dreamily out of the window watching the clouds drift by. She had been scraping the same plate for good few minutes now. Looking down, she pulled a face; the pewter dish had been scratched quite badly. Looking around in a comically shifty manner, she dropped the plate into the bin of rubbish, then leapt back to where she was standing, satisfied no one had seen her. Her first day and she was already destroying the King's best crockery!
As she walked towards the counter stacked high with dirty dishes, they suddenly all came toppling towards her with an almighty crashing sound. Gill had no time to move out of the way. As an impulsive reaction she yelped loudly, covering her face with her hands as the dishes and chalices smashed and clattered around her feet. Wincing, she peeked through a gap in her fingers. An apple rolled to a stop by her foot. Silence.
"What the...!" she spoke out loud as she walked around the other side of the counter to the storeroom. "You!?" She directed the surprised question to the figure standing in the doorway. It was the man from the inn. She noted the food in his clutches. Correction: the thief from the inn. She heard the voices of the other servants and guards hurrying to the kitchens, evidently roused by the racket and her scream.
Reacting quickly she ran over to Henry and grabbed him, pulling him behind several large sacks of flour. She still owed him. "Trust me." she mouthed, pressing him into a crouching position, then running back to her station at the sink just as the entourage of suspicious servants burst into the kitchen, demanding to know what was going on. Gill smiled feebly, "I am so sorry! Err, it's my first day?"
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Post by Lady Gillianne Auvray on Sept 30, 2009 13:27:27 GMT
Ah that's a tough one Dante!... well, if you let the guilty man go he could hurt lots more people (assuming that's what his crime was) whereas condeming an innocent would only hurt that one person... so condemning an innocent.
A classic: love or lust?
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Post by Lady Gillianne Auvray on Sept 28, 2009 18:06:57 GMT
HOT never cold
One of you legs fall off, or one of your arms fall off?
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Post by Lady Gillianne Auvray on Sept 28, 2009 18:05:04 GMT
It was Gillianne's first day as a maid in the Castle and she was already exhausted. After being given an extensive tour of the miriad of rooms, and the wide grounds, she had spent the morning cleaning beautiful rooms of the nobility, that were vacant. She rewashed clean sheets, polished unused silver and lifted the dust off all of the furniture to ensure it was in perfect condition should it need to be used at last minute. It all seemed very pointless. Now she had returned a few hours after midday to the kitchen, to assist in the clearing up of the King and his Courts' luncheon plates. Gill was set to work scraping the remains into the bins, that were later taken out to feed the castle swine.
It was a repetitive task, but Gill enjoyed it, she was situated by a window and found the clatter of plates somewhat therapeutic as she stared out across the grounds immersed in her own thoughts. I wonder where I'll stay tonight she mused, scraping a half eaten chicken carcass into the bin.
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Post by Lady Gillianne Auvray on Sept 25, 2009 13:59:20 GMT
Gillianne jumped as a hand touched her shoulder. Being in the slums for even a brief period had made her skittish. Her heart rate slowed when she saw it was the stranger from the inn. She had barely turned to face him when he roughly handed her the two coin purses. Before she had time to react in any way, the man had disappeared into the shadows of the dimly lit street. As his footfalls faded into silence, Gill was left standing beside Argus clutching both coin purses to her chest; a bemused look spread across her face.
She wanted to shout after the man, thank him again or... see him again, ask his name perhaps. At that moment someone opened a small wooden window one story above, and hurled the contents of a chamber pot out into the street below. Gill grimaced at the sight, then squeezed the full purses with glee, hurriedly stuffing them down the top of her corset. I'd like to see someone steal them now! she thought smirking to herself. Then quietly: "Come on boy." She walked close to Argus' side as she led him away from the inn, the opposite direction the man had left, and headed towards the brighter city lanterns in the distance.
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Post by Lady Gillianne Auvray on Sept 24, 2009 19:16:12 GMT
Gill watched from the sidelines as the scene unfolded, surprised with the sudden assistance.
Crack
She peered around the lean frame of the stranger to see the man with the dagger fall to the floor. The entire pub was silent. He didn't move. Somewhere in the shadows someone laughed, and as one, the pub resumed it's previous level of background noise; the customers seemingly unperturbed by the showdown.
Rather than immediately express thanks to her knight in not-so-shiny armour, Gill quickly stepped past him and dropped to her knees. Placing two fingers at the unconscious man's neck, she felt for a pulse. The slow insistant throbs assured her he was still alive. Her fingers moved to hover over his belt, deftly removing his coin purse. An eye for an eye, she reasoned. Still on the floor, she gathered her now dirty petticoats into a rough ball under her arm (leaving the one caught up on her assailant's foot) and standing upright, turned to face the mysterious man.
Their dark eyes met as she opened her mouth to thank him. She paused. Whilst this man had helped her, he could be no better than the rest of thieves in the inn. This was his world, the underworld, and all she wanted was to leave it. Still, a sense of gratitude rushed through her. "Here..." she began, handing him the pouch "For my life, I am indebted to you sir, and I hope this and a maid's thanks will be enough." She moved swiftly to peck him on the cheek, but was slightly too short. His chin felt rough, unshaven.
Gill pulled back, giving an odd, half courtsey to the stranger before her and hurried from the inn. As she emerged daggers of icy air stabbed at her skin. Soothing to her flushed cheeks; she embraced the feeling. Running a hand shakily through her hair, Gill's warm breath misted the cold night air, as she gave silent thanks to have left the inn with her life, if not the directions she went in for! Argus whinnied. Relief rushed through her when she realised he was still tethered outside. For comfort more than warmth she pressed her cheek against Argus' warm neck.
Through the slats of the inn window, she could still see the dim silhouette of the man that had saved her.
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Post by Lady Gillianne Auvray on Sept 24, 2009 9:41:27 GMT
Gill felt tears prick at her eyes when she realised what had happened. She should have expected no less in a place like this. You stupid, stupid girl she berated herself. Now she was lost in the slums, with no money, surrounded by thieves and worse. She had nothing to bribe the barman with for information anymore, well, nothing she wished to give up. A large man at the bar watched her; something in his eyes burned. Whether it was lust, greediness or simple curiosity, Gill couldn't tell. She hoped it was the latter. She ignored is penetrating stare.
Perhaps using her politest voice in a place like this was just looking for trouble. These were people who lived rough. They would have no time for her. Whilst her plain dress was no finer than any here, cleaner perhaps, that was all. And now she was penniless. The few coins her father had sent her to Camelot with, gone. But she did not allow the tears in her eyes to fall. She had never set much store by possessions, and she did not want to leave without the information she came in for. She'd lost enough for it already. She leant across the bar, "Please" she asked the barman again, "All I want is directions." Her eyes portraying the pleading that her collected tone did not.
At that moment a rough, calloused hand gripped her shoulder, turning her away from the bar. Shocked words were caught in her throat; her eyes widened.
"What do we'av 'ere" the deep voice drawled, pulling her away from the light, further into the shadows. Gill feared the worst, but the hands had already let go of her. It was not her he wanted. The large man then returned to where she stood. Picking up the saddlebags, he began rooting through them, a wide grin on his face. Without thinking, Gill lurched forwards and snatched them back; the adrenaline coursing through her veins caused her to address him in a much louder voice than she intended: "Will you let go?!" she cried, dark hair flying wildly around her shoulders. "Do you really want the contents of this bag? Do you?" In a rare moment of delirium, she grasped the leather upside down and shook it roughly, allowing her meagre possessions to fly out. A heap of off-white undergarments, petticoats and a worn green overdress formed on the floor in-between them. "I don't think these would fit you sir." she continued mockingly, "They're womens' clothes you see. Just because I've washed in the past year, does not mean that I am carrying jewels and petticoats sewn of gold!" her voice had reached a high, squeaky pitch. Inhaling to regain composure, she continued, her words softer. "You have taken enough from me today." she said, addressing the whole pub rather than the large man. As she bent down to pick up her clothes from the floor, she froze. the man in-front of her had drawn a worn knife from his belt.
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Post by Lady Gillianne Auvray on Sept 23, 2009 17:45:54 GMT
Gill had left her horse tethered outside the dingy building. She was unsure whether to leave him there as the streets were dark and close, and the people that shuffled past were questionable to say the least. I'll just stop to ask directions she thought, one hand on the dull brass door handle. Then she had a change of heart, she doubled back to Argus, and loosened the straps that held fast the saddle bags. They fell to the ground with a soft thump. She picked up both bags and slung them over her shoulders, fastening her cloak over the top, she would feel safer with her belognings on her. She suppressed a laugh as she caught sight of herself in the dirty pub windows. From a distance, she looked like a hunchback.
Even with a light touch, the door swung open easily, the hinges were loose. Somewhere in the dark room a bell rang out, causing the inhabitants of the room to swing around and look at the newcomer. Gill was glad for her cloak covering her body and obscuring her face.
The room was fairly warm, as Gill's eyes adjusted she noted partially melted candles that flickered with life, lighting the room with an ethereal orange glow. The grimy windows would allow little light to filter through, even in daylight. Gill walked up to the bar, removing her hood as she did so, she could feel that her cold nose was bright red.
"Excuse me," she directed her words toward the bartender to catch his attention. "...sir" she added, when she saw him scowl. "I...I was just wondering if you would...be so kind as to direct me to..." she faltered. "Na'more orders" he replied gruffly and turned away. She felt around her dress pockets for her coin purse, intending to buy the information from the man... but her hands grasped air.
"Wha.." she clutched the folds of her dress frantically. Her full coin purse, all her money, vanished. She scanned the unswept floors, hoping that it had simply fallen to the ground. No luck. She felt self conscious, and fervently wished she didn't have so many pairs of eyes on her...
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Post by Lady Gillianne Auvray on Dec 17, 2008 14:20:00 GMT
Gill's eyes were half closed and fixed on the road ahead in a trance-like state, put to sleep from the methodical motion and noise of her horse's hooves on the worn road. The horse, on which she sat side saddle, was the most valuable of all her possessions, with the rest of her meagre belongings strapped to his flanks in two leather saddlebags. She had owned Argus from several years; he had been a present for her sixteenth birthday. She wondered how many horses had travelled the same route she was taking now, and with what purpose.
An unfamiliar noise caused her eyes to widen, and she tilted her head up, listening. It was coming from behind her. She stopped Argus and twisted in her saddle. It sounded like thunder, and it was getting louder. She slid very ungracefully to the ground, pausing momentarily to untangle her hair from the reins, and then walked to the back of Argus. There seemed to be a strange smoke rising from the section of road she had just travelled. She pulled a face and shrugged. "Come on boy" she said, running a hand thoughtfully along his body then taking up the reins again. "I fancy stretching my legs for a bit anyway."
She had taken two steps when several large carriages thundered round a bend in the road and hurtled towards them. She scarcely had time to pull Argus off of the road and onto the thick grassy verge before the train of carriages flew past her, disappearing into a dusty haze. Dress, hair and mane where whipped to the left from the side draft. Argus whinnied; tail swishing through the settling dust. Gill ran a hand through her windswept hair and blinking through the dust, looked to the distant turrets of Camelot. “Welcome to the City!"
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