An Ever More Common Bother

[Shoden Moz]

Mischief.

The order of the day never really changed for the young girl, chuckling to herself as she walked through the Commenor Royal Palace, her one hand running up through her scarlet hair as she considered what to do. She'd been growing comfortable with life here, her father was quite doting when he wasn't busy with paperwork in his office. Not that she minded the lengthy breaks from him, and the caretakers she would inevitably slip from to explore on her own. Unlike dad, the caretakers always treated her like she was in danger at all times, on account of the aforementioned single hand issue, which was stupid. She could probably do better on her own than they could, after all she knew how to throw a solid punch!

She pressed herself against a wall as the ever frantic growing caretaker passed her for like, the eight time in less than an hour, struggling to contain her laughter. She'd return before Darlyn was out of work, of course, but there were other things she wanted to do today before she went out with her adoptive father. Namely she really wanted to sit in [member="Lady Kay"]'s chair. The problem? Well... who would trust her with the keys to Auntie Kay's office? No only one person would have that...

So she went quickly to the desk of one Miss Olivia, finding an empty spot on the edge and hopping up, holding herself still with her hand and giving the woman seated there an innocent smile. "Hello Miss Olivia! Is Auntie in her office? She promised to show me how to make tea today." A blatant, complete fabrication. But an innocent, harmless one.

 

[Kay-Larr]

Olivia wasn't always at her desk. More often than not she spent her time seeing to the rest of the Royal Palace. She was head of the House afterall. Yet right at this moment she was at her desk. And it was a good thing too, for the mischievous [member="Shoden Moz"] had appeared. Oh yes, she had at times observed the little girl sneaking around and avoiding her caretakers. It was a surprise that the girl hadn't found the secret passageways yet. No doubt that won't take long from now for her to do.

"I'm afraid not, Miss Shoden. She's in a meeting at the Senate Hall. Though I don't anticipate it in being too much longer. Why don't you run off and play and check again later, hmm?" Olivia was more comfortable around adults than children. She had never married, never had kids of her own. Never had the desire to. Work was far more important and way too time consuming.

 

[Shoden Moz]

So she wasn't! That could make things a bit easier, assuming she could convince Olivia to let her in. [member="Lady Kay"] had a well respectable woman working for her, but Shoden understood adults better than some.. well some adults did themselves. She could tell the woman wasn't quite at ease with her, just a bit off put perhaps, so she'd play every last card in her book. That chair would be hers. "Awww, I was really looking forward to it though! Maybe you could let me wait in her office? I promise to be a good girl and wait patiently! She has such nice chairs inside is all, and they're comfy for me rest in since I can keep myself steady so easily..." A slight tilt of her body, the obvious showing of her arm with the hand missing at the wrist, the girl knew her stuff. Pity was an easily used tool in a (former) orphan's repertoire, and usually it worked well enough.

That or she could lean over and snag the keys from the older woman's pocket while she talked. One or the other!

 

[Kay-Larr]

Olivia just gave [member="Shoden Moz"] a look that basically said that she didn't believe her. She knew that Kay had a soft spot for, well everyone. And what harm could the one handed girl do? It isn't as though she'd blame Olivia for anything that was broken. And anything sensitive or valuable wasn't in that office for good reason. The risk of break-ins was low, but still possible. So precautions were made.

She cleared her throat and got to her feet. "I'm going to hold you to your word now, Miss Shoden. Lady Kay should be back soon and I'll let her know that you're waiting for her. Any trouble and you'll get this privilege revoked. Is that understood?" Olivia stared her down for a bit to assert herauthority in her words before heading over to Kay's office door and unlocking it with her ring of keys that was always attached to her belt by a chain. She then stepped aside and waited for Shoden to go inside.

 

[Shoden Moz]

Well the harm the troublemaker could do was actually quite severe, considering she had a habit of getting into things she really wasn't supposed to. But the innocent smile on her face, and the happy nod at Olivia's words would mask this, as she got off the desk. "Oh it's very understood Miss Olivia! I promise to behave!" She giggled and walked past the older woman when she stepped aside, gleefully giggling at how easy it was to get around the palace these days. Then, as was her goal this entire time, she ran over to Kay's seat, and almost jumped into it with a bit of laughter. Just as comfy as she imagined! Though surprisingly less ornate than she had expected, Auntie was such a strange queen.

The girl made sure part of the desk was cleared off, and her boots were clean (of course they were, but she ought to check first!) before leaning back in Auntie Kay's chair and setting her feet up on the corner of the desk. This way the boots weren't resting on top of the desk, it was just the backs of her legs on the corner. But still, a very Darlyn-like move to make. She folded her hand behind her head, resting the other arm over her belly as she waited for [member="Lady Kay"] to return. Olivia was usually good with guessing time, so she didn't expect it to take very long at all.

 

[Kay-Larr]

[member="Shoden Moz"] didn't have to wait for long. Kay had arrived about fifteen minutes later. Of course to a kid that probably felt like FOREVER.

Kay smirked as she spotted the girl at her desk, feet propped up in Darlyn-style. "Well you look comfortable. And I hear that you came here to learn to make tea? It's always good to learn from the best." And she certainly was one of the best. Decades of practice helped her to hone her craft. In some ways, tea-making was an artform in and of itself.

"Or was there something else on your mind?"

 

[Shoden Moz]

"Took you long enough Auntie! I've been waiting years... and uh... Sorta. I kinda lied to Olivia to get in here, I just really wanted to sit in your chair and escape what's her face my caretaker while Dad works. I don't like her." Though that was less a judgement of character and more of their coddling. The self sufficient girl hated to be so.. protectively coddled.

"I'd much rather learn to make tea with you than sit quietly for several hours with them. You're much more fun. And have excellent chairs."

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Another smirk as [member="Shoden Moz"] almost berated her for her timing. "And you lied to Olivia? Tsk tsk tsk. That's not very befitting of a young Lady." Of course her own children were known for that as well. It was just too bad that they weren't on Commenor anymore. So having Shoden around was nice. Kay's hidden Estate was far too empty, far too quiet. Everyone was gone but her. So for now she lived in her chambers in the Palace again, until one of her family would come home for a visit.

Kay gestured to her to get up. "Well come on. You can't learn to make tea whilesitting there. Let's go to the side table." On it was the usual assortment of items, her little metal box of tea leaves, cups, saucers, and of course a kettle for water. Her special Monarch tea set was tucked away in the cupboard. Those were saved for guests that she didn't know. And those that she had to be wary of.

 

[Shoden Moz]

"Dad says knowing when and how to tell white lies is good for me, as long as I never do it to do something wrong." She smiled and got up from the chair, oblivious that she sort of ratted out her own dad in less than ideal parenting. Then again, considering the intent, could anyone blame him, or her for that matter? Such things would be lost on her though, as she sat down at the side table picked out by [member="Lady Kay"], settling herself down happily. "Dad doesn't make tea nearly as good as you do, and not as much as you either. I think he drinks it more when he's working and I'm with a caretaker."

 

[Kay-Larr]

Well Darlyn wasn't wrong there. Yet Kay couldn't say it. The telling of little white lies was common practice for some. However, even for a politician, she was quite bad at it. Which waswhy she sought to avoid it as much as possible. Sometimes it was best to give no answer, than to try to lie.

She approached the side table, listening to [member="Shoden Moz"] explain her dad's tea drinking habit. Nobody drank more than Kay, probably. Before Darlyn and her had met, he didn't really drink tea at all. It sort of grew on him later on. Now she had to make sure her stocks were plentiful for the both of them.

Kay opened up the little box and handed Shoden a few leaves. "That's possible. I guess that it depends on what he's doing. Now crumple those up really good into a cup." She took her own leaves and followed her own instructions, letting Shoden see her example.

 

[Shoden Moz]

"I don't suppose you have any tips for doing this one handed?" She giggled a little bit, before getting to work slowly anyways. She decided to use her fingers (and thumb) to hold onto one edge of the cup, and the stump to brace the other end of the cup while she worked to crumple the leaves. Considering the difficulty, she thought she was doing rather well, following [member="Lady Kay"]'s example as best she could. Times with Auntie were a lot quieter, she only played little jokes on the Queen (in part because it was harder to not cause any bad misfortune while pranking her). Not that she didn't have fun, how many kids could say they spent time with the freaking Queen?? So she liked these little moments with her.

Not to mention she would talk about difficult things with her that her Dad never approached. Such as the frequent question... "Auntie, do you think Dad's happy? I mean, happy without someone like you have Uncle Veiereereer." Kids asked about the darndest things, especially when they were at an age that they could begin understanding such things.

 

[Kay-Larr]

"My tip is simple. Put the cup on the table. I'm not holding it. And the leaves are nice and dry so they crumple easily." To show [member="Shoden Moz"] her point, Kay demonstrated it herself, using just one hand to crumple the leaves and put them into the cup. It wasn't often that she used one hand to do it, but she has done so before.

As she poured the hot water into the cups, she gave some further instruction. "Now you can stir it a bit, but let it steep. When you can't see the leaves anymore, then it's ready."

Kay raised a brow at the young girl's question. In truth she hadn't really thought about Darlyn being lonely. Maybe his job kept him too busy, just like hers did. With Veiere and their children spread throughout the Galaxy, she was alone again. Instead of going to an empty house, she lived at the Palace again. The hustle and bustle of people around her gave her comfort. "He cpuld be. He hasn't really said otherwise. Why? Has he said anything?"

 

[Shoden Moz]

Shoden quickly corrected herself and continued to follow the instructions. She did start to stir the water shortly after, and hummed quietly to herself while waiting. When [member="Lady Kay"] asked, though, she looked up at her, a bit confused. "No... but would he really? It's just.. a feeling. He reminds me of kids back at the orphanage, the ones who got turned down. I might be wrong.. but Dad looks like them when he doesn't see me." She shrugged a little bit before looking down at the cups of tea, absentmindedly stirring them. Did she speak too much? She bit the inside of her lip, before looking up at Kay again. "F-Forget I said anything Auntie. I'm sure Dad is fine."

Smooth.

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay furrowed her brows. Was Darlyn lonely? Or was something else bothering him? She could only guess. [member="Shoden Moz"] had already made her guess. Maybe Kay needed to spend more time with him to see what was what.

She picked up her tea and had a sip. "No, no, it's important that I know these things. I'm his friend. He's been through a lot with me. I'll have a chat with him and will do my best to keep it subtle." Kay offered her an encouraging smile. "He'll be alright."

 

[Shoden Moz]

Shoden nodded, and slowly picked up the tea. She took half a sip, because it was still just a bit to hot for her, but was more than satisfied she did better than usual making the tea for herself. She wasn't swallowing parts of leaves for one thing.. "Dad does a lot of work. He usually takes me out for ice cream after work and does whatever I want to do for the rest of the day. I know he'll be fine, he can handle anything. 'S just, y'know..." She shifted a bit, uncomfortable with the subject she herself had decided to bring up without thinking. It felt like she was talking bad about Darlyn behind his back, and she didn't want to do that. Though he was 'Dad' and such, he treated her much better than some people would, so it felt wrong to gossip, or whatever. "Mmm... Dad says he might start teaching me how to protect myself sometime soon, like more than just punching creepy people." There that was a better topic, right?

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay gestured for [member="Shoden Moz"] to walk back over to the comfy chairs. She headed over to them herself and sat herself down. Was Darlyn lonely in that regard? She supposed that that was a possibility. Loneliness could've prompted him to adopt. Yet he always had a soft spot for children.

Shoden changed the subject though. Kay wasn't quite sure if she should prod into it further. Perhaps a little later. "Oh? Well that'll be fun. Then you can watch your Dad's back and look out for him. What is it that you want to be when you grow up?"

 

[Shoden Moz]

Shoden moved over with her cup and sat cross legged on the chair. She was happy to be comfortable again, and Auntie Kay seemed to be giving her the reprieve from sensitive topics. [member="Lady Kay"] was always kind like that, she supposed. When she replied, she gave a small smile and nodded, taking another sip. Still too hot. "It will be, I hope. And ah, I don't know? I haven't thought much about it honestly, growing up is soo far away." She hummed and tilted her head, thinking. "Maybe a cop like Dad sortta is?"

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay sipped her tea. It was the perfect temperature for her. But then again, nearly every temperature was perfect for her. She nodded as [member="Shoden Moz"] told her about what she's thinking of becoming. To follow in the footsteps of a parent was admirable. "That could be fun. And with your Dad giving you some training, it'll certainly help. Maybe you could tag along some of the patrols here when you get a little older. That could be fun. Then you can see if you really like it. Who kniws? You might want to be something else and that's perfectly fine too."

 

[Shoden Moz]

She gave a small nod of understanding and shifted a bit in place. She did really like the idea of following Darlyn's footsteps, especially since he was so kind to her since adopting her. But she was also somewhat convinced her mischief would have to end, and that sounded dull. Though she'd probably look great in the uniform. She took a sip of the tea, which had finally cooled to a better temperature, before looking back up at Kay and smiling. "Dad probably would worry though. I'm tough he says but I also can't do magic like he can. But he's having a set of robes custom made for me... I think he said they're really old Jedi robes? I just liked the look. Hated the color though, so he has to have a tailor make them special." She giggled and took another sip of her tea, before ending the thought on a joke. "Maybe I can talk Dad into making me one of his swords too."

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

"Well not everyone on my staff can do magic. My personal bodyguard whose also my Head of Security can't do magic either. Yet he's tall and great with axes. Everyone has something that they're good at." Kay sipped her tea, studying [member="Shoden Moz"] for a moment. "What kinds of things are you good at? What sort of games are you really good at?"

All of these questions served a purpose of course. They weren't just small talk. "I'm good at talking, looking after people and making tea. That helps for my job. My favourite game is solving labyrinths. That's helpful with the canyons here, as well as all of the secret passageways and tunnels throughout the Palace as well as the city."