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Huh?
Jul 12, 2007 1:42:47 GMT -5
Post by Avalene on Jul 12, 2007 1:42:47 GMT -5
Kellan was wandering the city alone, for once. Usually he had with him a little girl, his cousin and only responsibility in life. But today... today, his mother had decided to play with the girl. Make her dress all frilly, have tea, go to the ballet. Ballet. Argh. The woman was insufferable. Kel had a distaste for her since he was a child - a rather pretty boy - she made him take ballet lessons. That ended with a broken leg, since he was an incredible klutz at times. And a sense of extreme embarrassment. Kel wasn't easily embarrassed; he was seemingly immune to it usually being clueless as he was. But that, it simply was too much for even him.
He blinked. Thinking about that? What for?! He was out to enjoy himself. He rarely managed to get out of the house, he couldn't waste it being lost in thought. He pushed his blond hair out of his eyes and looked around. There had to be something to do. This was the pleasure district after all. Being bored, here, was completely ridiculous. A man walked out of a building with an extraordinarily happy expression on his face. Hmm. There!
Decision made, he went inside. Kel hoped it wasn't an exclusive place, whatever it was, because then he'd have to figure somewhere else to go. That he didn't realize that it was a brothel - didn't even consider the possibility - at seventeen, just went to show how sheltered he'd been until recently. Actually, if he had known it was a brothel he still wouldn't have really known what it was, having only a vague understanding of what a brothel was...
Noticing a girl - strangely enough, scantily clad - he nodded to her, "Hello there. I'm Kellan. Um. I was just wondering. What is this place?" He smiled brightly. Clueless. He heard someone snickering nearby. Probably at him. He was used to it. Apparently he asked stupid questions sometimes. Not that anything could possibly deter him from finding out once he got... curious.
((Hehe, poor Kel what have I gotten you into *giggles evilly* Kellan: Um... what're you talking 'bout? I'm not in trouble this time, I haven't done anything! Not like the time when I wanted to ride the giraffe, and the gate was open, and... what? You're scaring me! Feel free to tease Kel to shreds! Hehe, I doubt anyone has the patience to explain...))
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Huh?
Jul 14, 2007 11:15:54 GMT -5
Post by Rogue Loreseeker on Jul 14, 2007 11:15:54 GMT -5
The girl raised her eyebrows at him, then smiled and languorously raised one arm to point one perfectly manicured hand to an office door on the left of the entrance. "You'll be wanting to talk to Serena, love. Right in there. Knock twice, then enter. Mind your manners, now." She walked gracefully back to the bar area, where she promptly slid into a chair a the table of an older gentleman.
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Huh?
Jul 14, 2007 13:00:14 GMT -5
Post by Avalene on Jul 14, 2007 13:00:14 GMT -5
"Er. Alright, thank you," Kellan nodded and followed the girl's directions. So is it complicated or something? he wondered, bemused. At least the girl was nice enough.. and kinda pretty. Despite her clothes. Or lack there-of. Knock, knock. Who was this Serena lady? Maybe she could tell him what this place was. It seemed kinda like a bar, in the front. But why couldn't the girl just say so if that was so? He shook his head and opened the door. "Hello? I'm Kellan Alther.." he smiled, and waited.
When in doubt, smile. If that fails, run and run and run and hide.
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Huh?
Jul 15, 2007 21:26:21 GMT -5
Post by Rogue Loreseeker on Jul 15, 2007 21:26:21 GMT -5
Serena happened to be in the middle of listening to Tess recite a short poem, but she held up one hand to quiet her young charge for the moment and stood smiling with one hand extended to greet Kellan. "Hello. I'm Serena, and this is my ward, Tess." Tess waved cheerfully. "We're pleased to meet you," Serena continued. "Let me guess. You wandered in here by mistake and you're not quite sure where you are, right?" She waited for his response, crossing her free arm across her abdomen and allowing a slight grin to curve her lips.
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Huh?
Jul 18, 2007 17:29:44 GMT -5
Post by Avalene on Jul 18, 2007 17:29:44 GMT -5
"Kind of?" Kelrian said cheerfully. "Actually, I'm not sure whether it was by mistake or not. Considering I actually meant to come in here, but I have no idea what this place is about. Which is why I came in. I wanted to find out." Since that was how he spent most of his time, finding out the hows, whats, wheres, and the all important whys. Whos rarely mattered, because whos tended to avoid him if he asked questions about them and then he'd have no one to explain everything.
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Huh?
Jul 30, 2007 13:24:53 GMT -5
Post by Rogue Loreseeker on Jul 30, 2007 13:24:53 GMT -5
Serena pleasantly asked Tess to go and retrieve some tea for their guest, and the little girl hurried off to the kitchen. Before she returned, Serena answered his question. "It's a whorehouse," she said shortly. "A brothel. People-men, mostly-come here to hire a girl to pleasure them for the evening. That's what it is." Looking closely at him, she added, "You look fairly bright. What's your name? Any experience with kids?"
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Huh?
Jul 30, 2007 13:47:13 GMT -5
Post by Avalene on Jul 30, 2007 13:47:13 GMT -5
"Ah. So that's it," Kellan blinked, not really fazed by his discovery although he had just barged into a whorehouse for no apparent reason and was chatting with its mistress. Kel's mind worked in a strange way. "That explains a few things."
Bright, him? That actually startled him. He was so clumsy, curious, and hyper that people tended to not see through to his intelligence and saw an airhead instead. "I'm Kel." He paused, and then told her his full name. "Kellan Demar. I do have some experience with kids, I'd say," he added with a smile. "I'm raising my youngest cousin, Kerra. She's a nice kid, though she's terrified of everything." A sigh. He was used to it, but it made it hard for him. If he didn't adore her so, he might've resented that he had to raise her while his parents lived so carefree. "My mum took her out today, though. Remembered she had an orphaned niece, I guess."
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Huh?
Aug 3, 2007 16:38:59 GMT -5
Post by Rogue Loreseeker on Aug 3, 2007 16:38:59 GMT -5
"I see." Serena paused delicately. "And how old is your niece?" She was hoping-really hoping-that this young man would accept the offer she intended to make. He looked like a semi-sensible person, so she thought that it probably was a sure thing, but just in case... Thinking fast, she tallied up her books in her head. She had plenty of bargaining chips..
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Huh?
Aug 3, 2007 17:45:19 GMT -5
Post by Avalene on Aug 3, 2007 17:45:19 GMT -5
"Kerra, she's six years old," Kellan replied without hesitation. Now, if he was asked that about anyone else, he would have paused and stared out into space and likely have mumbled something senseless. However, Kerra was the most important person to him in his life. That might be considered pathetic to most people his age, for his center of his life to be a little child, but to him it couldn't be any other way. Someone might ask him, why didn't you just say no when they pushed her off onto you. He would be horrified... how could someone possibly do that. He had no idea where this was leading, but -of course - he was curious.
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Huh?
Aug 3, 2007 18:50:21 GMT -5
Post by Rogue Loreseeker on Aug 3, 2007 18:50:21 GMT -5
"I see," murmured Serena again. Six..it was a bit of a gap, but perhaps everything would turn out right. "Wherever can Tess be with the tea? I must've sent her five minutes ago...and what sort of things do you do with your cousin?" This was, of course, very important. Children were never meant to sit still and behave themselves all of the time-it was difficult enough for them when they had to put on a show for company.
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Huh?
Aug 3, 2007 19:53:58 GMT -5
Post by Avalene on Aug 3, 2007 19:53:58 GMT -5
"I hope she's alright," Kellan said distractedly, thinking of how to describe what he and his cousin did together. It was difficult - it was rather varied. "Sometimes I read to her," he said thoughtfully. "We play -er-" he shook his head, admitting the kinds of games he played, he was supposed to be an adult, it was kind of strange talking about what he spent his time doing "adventure games, exploring, um... I pretend to fight the monsters she's insistant about existing, I take her out and try to convince her to play with other kids her age, ... I help her with school work if she needs it. I -ah- take her almost everywhere with me unless my parents want her. We've played at the beach but she's afraid of sea monsters so she refuses to go in the water without me. And that kind of thing," he finished lamely. He frowned. Perhaps he was doing something wrong? He hoped not. The young man stared at his hands, wondering what this was about.
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Huh?
Oct 7, 2007 16:58:59 GMT -5
Post by Rogue Loreseeker on Oct 7, 2007 16:58:59 GMT -5
"Kelrian." Serena set down her cup with an air of finality. "I'd like to ask you a favor, if I may. Tess is nine years old, and she really hasn't got any friends at all. Also, this isn't exactly the best environment for a young girl, wouldn't you agree? If you would pick her up every morning, and then drop her back off every night, and take her around the City with you...I would be more than willing to pay for everything you, she, and Kerra do during the day, of course, besides paying you a salary..."
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Huh?
Oct 7, 2007 17:25:04 GMT -5
Post by Avalene on Oct 7, 2007 17:25:04 GMT -5
Kellan pondered it for a few moments, even though he wanted to accept the offer instantly... he wasn't sure whether he was fit to care for the child he was in charge of, let alone two. Hesitantly, he nodded, "If you think I'll do alright... Ker and I shall be her friends. We don't have many friends either. She's too nervous, and I'm too annoying." He smiled, a really cheerful smile. "Kerra has morning classes, do you need me to take Tess to any classes too? Does she have any allergies... is she afraid of anything much?" The question in his friendly brown eyes, Anything else I should know? He didn't care much about how much he'd be paid as long as it was enough for him, Ker, and Tess to have fun and such. He just wanted to be sure he wouldn't make any stupid mistakes.
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Huh?
Oct 7, 2007 17:31:31 GMT -5
Post by Rogue Loreseeker on Oct 7, 2007 17:31:31 GMT -5
"She doesn't have any allergies, and if you'll pick her up after Kerra's classes, I'll take care of her classes in the morning as well. She's not afraid of anything, as far as we can tell, but she's very trusting, and she has a tendency to get confused and lost, so you really have to keep a close eye on her...and she loves strawberries more than anything else. If all else fails, give her a strawberry." Serena smiled. "She's not as difficult as she seems, really. She's very lonely."
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Huh?
Oct 7, 2007 17:42:25 GMT -5
Post by Avalene on Oct 7, 2007 17:42:25 GMT -5
"Okay," Kellan nodded. She seemed like a really good girl, like his cousin, and he had to keep the other close because of her fears... there'd be a different reason for Tess but it wouldn't be troublesome keeping an eye on her. And he could understand lonliness very well. Despite his crazy little childhood adventures, he had been very aware of how alone he was. Kerra ended that, having someone to take care of and love and be loved by made a wonderful difference. "I suppose I could start by taking them out to ice cream..." he said, half to himself. He would have chocolate, Kerra cherry, and Tess, he guessed, strawberry. Kel liked the ice cream place that served ice cream on brownies with melted chocolate on top, where you could sit outside in the back under a tree, on the grass, on the bench swing, 'n such. It was one of his favorite places to take Kerra.
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Huh?
Oct 7, 2007 19:10:35 GMT -5
Post by Rogue Loreseeker on Oct 7, 2007 19:10:35 GMT -5
"That sounds fine." A crash in the hallway and a small shriek announced Tess's return. She edged her way into the room nervously, holding a tray with three saucers and two teacups on it. Behind her, a maid carried the tray with tea and cookies on it. "One of the cups slid off the tray," Tess said apologetically, looking at Serena. "It broke...sorry..." The maid set down the tray she was carrying next to Tess' on the table and fished another teacup out of her pocket. Apparently, it was a common event in this household. Excusing herself to Serena, she went to clean up the mess while Tess sat down at the table and Serena poured tea. "Do you take any sugar or cream?" she asked Kelrian as Tess picked up the sugar pot and offered it to him.
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Huh?
Oct 7, 2007 20:04:52 GMT -5
Post by Avalene on Oct 7, 2007 20:04:52 GMT -5
"Sugar, thank you," Kellan smiled at the cute little girl, taking the sugar and getting his tea all sugary before giving everyone a look, as if to say, 'Who wants it next?' She was adorable, and he was almost certain that she'd get along fine with Kerra. And, well, she reminded him somewhat of himself when he was younger. That was strange, few people were anything like him. "Tess, is it? I was wondering... if you'd like to play with my cousin and me? Today, we're going to go to get some ice cream, 'n head to a park near the ice cream place I like 'cause there's a petting zoo there for a few days." He smiled brightly at the darling, and tilted his head to one side. "If that's okay with Serena, that is..."
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Huh?
Oct 23, 2007 20:11:00 GMT -5
Post by Rogue Loreseeker on Oct 23, 2007 20:11:00 GMT -5
"I don't have a problem with it. Tess, you can go, if you'd like." Serena sipped at her tea, watching Tess' face as she sorted through her thoughts. "Um...well...uh...yes! I'd love to go! I guess..."
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Huh?
Oct 23, 2007 22:48:58 GMT -5
Post by Avalene on Oct 23, 2007 22:48:58 GMT -5
Kellan's smile widened if that was even possible, "It's settled then. Ker'll love this. Lemme know what kind of ice cream you'll like... oh, Kerra's my cousin. She's a bit younger than you. Will you help me keep an eye on her? She's scared of strangers." And just about everything else. But it seemed he was trying to make Tess feel like she was going to be important, a big help. Ker seemed to like that, to help when he was cooking and stuff. He wasn't sure if that was universal for little kids but for guessing he probably wasn't doing too bad.
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Huh?
Oct 29, 2007 8:43:32 GMT -5
Post by Rogue Loreseeker on Oct 29, 2007 8:43:32 GMT -5
Tess nodded. "Okay!" She looked to Serena for confirmation, and her caretaker set down her cup of tea. "Tess, if you have fun today playing with Kellan and Kerra, you may go with them every day from now on. Does that sound good to you?" Tess thought it over, then nodded. If it sounded good to everyone else, it sounded good to her. Although she was unsure what exactly was going on, she wasn't going to pass up the opportunity to make real friends.
((You can have them leave any minute now.))
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Huh?
Oct 29, 2007 18:50:23 GMT -5
Post by Avalene on Oct 29, 2007 18:50:23 GMT -5
Kel smiled, as he and Tess left to get Kerra. He told her where they were going to get his little cousin from ballet, where she was with his mom. He told the cute little girl, he hoped they'd be friends. "I don't have many friends," Kellan told her, as they walked, as if it were a secret he was confiding. "Kerra either... I hope we get along. You seem nice."
((alrightie, this okay?))
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Huh?
Oct 30, 2007 13:29:19 GMT -5
Post by Rogue Loreseeker on Oct 30, 2007 13:29:19 GMT -5
((Yep. I'm gonna end it now, though, because it's sort of a ramble at this point.))
And they all became good friends and played together every day.
~*FIN*~
((Looks good to me. xD))
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