Help Wanted

[Madeira Dusk]

80th of Fall, 518

It was a late Fall afternoon, and a small group of people had gathered shivering in their cloaks and coats around an erected board in the Shirya Plaza. The Gazette newspaper was spread under thin skyglass, the ink still fresh and shining, the pages splattered with gossip and interesting news between the wide, city impacting stories. The small group cycled quickly through, eyes scanning headlines and the brunt of the text before moving on to their homes and inns where warm food awaited. But some lingered, checking the small print along the edges of the huge board, their eyes flicking through wedding announcements and craftsmen seeking apprentices. But as their eyes
rolled down to the farthest right-hand corner, these people would all stop, and squint into the crystal-clear skyglass. After a moment they would re-read what they had just read, mouthing along like they couldn't quite figure out what was wrong.

Help Wanted

Residents of the Infinity Manor are seeking to employ a groundskeeper. Room and board will be provided, along with a wage of three kina a day. Pets welcome. Duties will include (but not be limited to) gardening, minor home repairs, small animal handling (chicken, dog, cat, ‘other') and cleaning. Good reflexes required. Spiritual fortitude recommended. A small amount of cooking skill ideal. Must be tolerant of children, magic, and non-physical sentience.

We welcome a new addition to our household, and invite any interested applicants to join us for tea and a tour of our home. Please contact Madeira Craven at the Infinity manor between the sixth and tenth bell for further information. If the front door is bricked up, covered in spiders or otherwise inaccessible, please use the back.

One by one, the curious would shake their heads in bewilderment and move on, mystery forgotten as more pressing concerns of warmth and comfort were brought up by their cold bitten fingers and sore feet.

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[Lua Petri]

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80 Fall 518 AV
@ Madeira

Fall was nearing its end. It had been quite an... eventful season, not necessarily for good reasons. Lua was lucky that for the most part she stayed out of the messes that went on. She heard news about the artifact and that whoever examined it went insane halfway through the season. There was a murder that sparked all of that, too. It wasn't all bad, luckily. There were celebrations marking the end of the strange fog that blanketed Lhavit since the end of summer, as well as the Moon Festival and other cheerful events that went on to keep spirits high. The Sunrise Nook had planned a picnic with Mhakula Tea House, and Lua had been a part of that.

Lua took the oppertunity when the city showed to be calming down with the end of the season to take a relaxing trip to the Surya Plaza. She enjoyed seeing the performances put on for the extra coin. She decided to bring Lynelle with her as well, letting her see more of Lhavit than just the area around her cottage in the Okomo Estates. She was glad she decided to; Lynelle was having a blast, smelling everything she could and wagging her tail at everyone who passed. She especially was excited when children neared her, wanting to rush over and knock them over as she kissed them. Lua made sure she didn't knock them over, but would let children pet who wanted to.

The two of them made their way across the plaza, and that's when Lua saw the wanted ad. There was a small group of people, but they didn't stay long once they read the ad. Lua walked up to read it, and her eyebrows rose. A groundskeeper? She had been thinking about maybe getting a new job; the Sunrise Nook was fun and all, but Lua just wanted something new. It was getting boring. The fact that animals were welcome was the most exciting, because she wouldn't have to give up Lynelle or her chickens... though the chickens weren't too big of a deal. She could easily give them up if need be. She looked for the contact information. Madeira Craven, of the Infinity manor. The time wasn't too bad; Lua could definitely make it before ten bells. She looked at Lynelle and grinned. "Want to go see Madeira, girl?"

Lynelle barked, and they headed for the manor. She had heard about the manor, and knew its general location; it was an old building, but had been neglected until now. She wondered how the new owner was going to take care of the place. As a groundskeeper Lua would be a big part in its upkeep, too.

When she got to the property, she couldn't help but feel amazed. The gate had been opened, probably for those wanting to apply as groundskeeper, so she walked in. She walked along the cobble pathway up to the house, and saw that the front door was... unkempt. Covered in spiderwebs and some stray vines. She saw the plaque that read "Don’t mind the ghosts; they live here too". It was a little startling to see. Ghosts? But after a moment, Lua realized it made sense. It was an old building. There was bound to be some extra residents wandering around. Then the other plaque, "Stop stepping on the flowers; you're upsetting the house". Lua looked back and made a mental note. The warning was a little eeire, but she did her best not to be too weirded out.

Because the door was unkempt but the wanted ad had explained what to do, Lua began heading around to the back. The back door wasn't as messy, and Lua approached it. Knocking on it hard enough to have it echo through the manor, she waited for an answer.

Boxcode by Allassanachassanya

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[Lua Petri]

whoa it reposted? sorry bout that!

[Madeira Dusk]

It was starting to get cumbersome to lower herself to her knees, but Madeira managed. One hand on the top of the stove and the other around her expanding belly she lowered herself with an undignified grunt. Even with weeks of furious cleaning the kitchen was harboring dust bunnies and an endless parade of spiders, she could see them scurry away as she threw logs from the kindle stack into the stove's belly.

She sparked a match and threw it in, wondering briefly if the house would get upset at the sudden cremation of the one or more spiders that had surely hunkered down in the cooled ashes. Well, if it threw a fit that would at least be a reaction, she huffed, getting laboriously to her feet again. She had awakened the house the moment they moved in four weeks ago. The Architectrix book was maddeningly vague on how long it took for a structure to 'mature' and gain sentience, especially since the process seemed to be directly tied to the size of the property and the skill of the witch. But she would think that after weeks she would be able to feel something.

At that moment a flutter of movement echoed from her belly. She smoothed a hand over the front of her green linen dress and set the brimming kettle on the warming stove.

"MADDY!"

The Spiritist didn't even flinch as her youngest ghost came barreling in through the solid wall. Barefoot and dressed in a simple nightgown, brown curls askew and hands flapping excitedly, Emma was a picture of childish nervous glee as she bounced in the middle of the kitchen. Though the charm was ruined somewhat by the weeping sores around her wide doe eyes and the cracked, leaking scabs of her lips. Madeira gathered a teacup and a tin of jasmine tea from the shelf above her head.

"Yes, kitten?"

"Somebody's here!"

Madeira paused, running a thread of consciousness first through her kelvic bond, and again through her spiritist's awareness. Neither Allister nor Jomi was nearby, so it couldn't be them.

"Who's here?"

"I don't know! It's a tall girl with a puppy. She just walked through the gate."

It took an embarrassingly long time for Madeira to puzzle through this unexpected visit, her mind flitting through first some sort of Dusk summon, to an inquery from law enforcement over what happened earlier that season, before she remembered...

"The ad!" Madeira exclaimed, eyes brightening. "Someone is responding to the ad!"

She had put the advertisement for a groundskeeper in ages ago, and as of yet nobody had applied. Looking back she should have read further into the funny looks the Gazette woman had given her when she asked her to run it. Madeira was beginning to think something was wrong with it.

The kettle began to whistle just as she was pulling down a second teacup.

"Okay, Em, listen to me. We have to be on our best behavior for her, okay? That means no blinking, staying out of the cat, and you and Raj being very quiet."

"But Raj wants to meet her too!" The girl's lower lip trembled dangerously.

"I know, kitten, but Raj is big and scary. We don't want to scare her away, do we?"

The gaze of both human and ghost flicked to the other side of the open floor, where an enormous tiger head was mounted in a place of honor over the sitting room mantelpiece. But it was clear the two were seeing very different things, as Madeira was looking at the stuffed head with a kind of weary concern, but Emma's brown eyes were full of nothing but love and self-delusion. Madeira was determined to make sure the new groundskeeper actually accepted the job before throwing the weird stuff at her.

"No", the ghost mumbled dejectedly, worrying a scab from between her fingers.

"Good girl. Now, where did I put the biscuits?"

Several chimes later, having set out a steaming cup of jasmine tea for two and a plate of biscuits on the low coffee table in the common room, Madeira was able to throw the door open as soon as the stranger knocked.

"Hello", she smiled her most charming smile, having made sure her hair was smoothed back and her rings properly aligned. Emma, her boisterousness deflating rapidly into shyness in the presence of a stranger, was nothing but a creepy flicker in a corner of the kitchen. "Come in, I've made us tea. Your dog is welcome too, as long as it's cat friendly."

Inside the lamps had all been lit, and the curtains opened to let in the last of the Fall sunshine. A stubborn layer of dust sat out of reach around the fixtures near the high ceiling, and enterprising spiders had taken up residence in the more out-of-the-way corners, but atmosphere was cozy and lived in, if not a little cold from the hauntings. A small black cat was lazing on the back of a couch, eyes crossed and mesmerized by a floating speck of dust. In a corner a bright blue pigeon gave a suspiciously welcoming coo from inside its golden cage. Madeira led Lua inside and bade her to sit in a comfy armchair under Raj's intimidating glassy gaze, and settled down opposite her with another awkward pregnant acrobatic.

"I'm Madeira, it's good to meet you. You're here about the groundskeeper position, yes? Why don't you tell me about yourself."

OOCThanks for being patient with me. I'm going to try and be quicker for all my threads.

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