Work for someone else

bedazzle

Excuse me. I have to go make a scene.

Maybel’s eyes were as big as saucers. She almost never crossed the gates into the middle ring. But she and her cousin were feeling rebellious today. Ah well, it sounded more fun when you said it like that. She was just curious how the world looked outside her lovely hometown. Well, technically this was still her hometown. And at first it hadn’t looked that different, but the father they strolled down the streets, the more differences she started to notice.

For instance, she should have worn different shoes. Her narrow heels were a death-trap in this place. She had her arm intertwined with Charlotte’s and she looked into the windows of shops and taverns alike. But they were not filled with pretty dresses and shiny jewels. They sold the most ordinary things. The bakeries pastries didn’t look as tasteful as she knew them. The clothes were just plain ugly. The people also looked so gloomy. When she smiled politely at them, they just looked back at her with that weird look in their eyes. She almost felt inclined to stick their tongue out at them. And.. ‘‘Look at that!’’ she stopped at a windowsill, a big question mark clouded her expression. ‘‘What are those?’’ The shop was filled to the brim with big contraptions with threads and looms. She just never had been bothered to learn how carpets were made. They just showed up at her house.

@Charlotte Winter

C. Duran

She is passion embodied,
a flower of melodrama in eternal bloom

It had certainly not been Charlotte's idea to venture to the Middle Ring of Alderrath. That place was just so... unexceptional. It certainly wasn't as filthy and disgusting as the Lower Ring —not that the prissy Winter girl had ever been there— so it had at least that going for it. Still, she didn't exactly understand the appeal of going to a place where people actually had to work for their bread, when the bread they ate didn't even taste anything but bland to begin with.

Unfortunately for Charlotte, cousin Maybel could be quite convincing. So today they had headed for the Middle Ring regardless of what the younger girl had wanted. Perhaps they could visit the library, that actually sounded quite pleasant. With her arm firmly hooked in that of her cousin she tried walking on the street without getting her heels dirty. A frown was placed on her face, one that grew increasingly larger as she looked at all the people staring at them. Ugh, as if. Suddenly the duo came to an abrupt stop. When Lottie wanted to scold Maybel for stopping so promptly, she was soon overtaken by confusion. As she stared at the looms and threads she wondered what this shop could possibly be. "By Renestrae, I have no clue." She said. "Perhaps they sell threads?" She questioned as she looked down at her both little and older cousin. Was selling threads even a thing? "These people are so peculiar Maybel." She then remarked out loud. Not that she noticed or cared, but the comment earned some headturns.

Gown

bedazzle

Excuse me. I have to go make a scene.

Lottie was not happy at all. But this was exciting, was it not? Didn't she smell the adventure out there? Well, she had to be honest, adventure smelled a little bit shitty in this place. She could not put her finger on it what exactly it was, but some vaguely pungent smell lingering in the air. Like.. okay these people worked with their hands, but they at least could take a bath after that?

Her interest was called by a interesting shop and both of them just looked at looms that were completely alien to them. She tried to answer her question - of course adressing her holy obsession - and Maybel just cocked her head to the side a bit. Wasn't she the least bit interested? She offered that they might be selling threads and that sounded like a plausible explanation. ‘‘Fascinating,’’ she said happily. ‘‘I never knew they like.. had to make them.’’ But then Lottie made a remark that made some heads turn with very displeased looks. Maybel had to smother a laugh behind her hand, but her eyes betrayed her amusement. ‘‘You can't say things like that!’’ she said with a big smile, while she politely waved to a man that looked at them with a bit of a disgusted look on his face. Her happy wave made him only walk past them faster. She giggled again and pulled Lottie further down the road again. ‘‘They just wish they could be like us,’’ she said with a shrug. Because that was the world how she knew it. They were at the top of the food chain, everybody else were just dispensable.

Then a wonderful idea popped up in Maybel's head. She turned to her younger cousin and looked up at her with a look in her eyes that did not predict much good. ‘‘You know what we should do?’’ A mischievous look popped on her face. ‘‘We should go to a pub!’’

tag / notes

C. Duran

She is passion embodied,
a flower of melodrama in eternal bloom

This place had a very peculiar odor to it. Charlotte couldn't quite place her finger on what that odor exactly was, but it wasn't anything pleasant. She missed the smell of fresh baked goods and flowers in the Winter garden. Her sensitive nose wasn't very happy with the scent of the Middle Ring. It was as if no one had ever heard of perfume, or even a simple bath, here. In other words: it stank.

Thankfully for her, the attention was soon placed on a bizarre-looking shop. The window was filled with threads, but the blonde had absolutely no idea what they were for. Maybel mused that it was 'fascinating' that they actually had to make the threads. "Do people actually do this for a living?" She asked with a pensive look on her face. That sounded like a very dull existance. When she voiced just how peculiar these middle class citizens were, her cousin was adamant on telling her that she couldn't say that here. "Why not?" She asked. These people didn't matter anyway, why couldn't she point out the obvious? A giggle left her lips at Maybel's next comment. "Everyone wants to be us." She agreed with a somewhat triumphant smile. Even the upper class wanted to be them. Oh what a life.

While Charlotte was still basking in the fact that they truly were the top of the food pyramid, cousin Maybel decided to suggest an absolutely ludicrous idea. With a baffled look on her face Lottie stared at the little blonde next to her. "A pub?" She asked. Was Maybel insane? "Aren't those dangerous in these parts?" She continued. She always heard about pub-fighting and all those kinds of horrid things. "Have you ever been to one here?" She required curiously. Maybe Maybel had been to one here that was.. not awful. That would mean it was okay, right?

Gown

bedazzle

Excuse me. I have to go make a scene.

Maybel shrug when Lottie asked if people did this for a living. ‘‘I suppose,’’ she responded. What did they do for a living opposed to that? They lived of their father's achievements, never having to work a day in their lives. Lottie maybe did some studying, but she did not make money of her own. But everything was better than sitting in a miserable shop, seeing miserable people just to sell threads. But Maybel's attention was shifted when her cousin started to ask why not and she giggled again. ‘‘Because it's rude,’’ she said, trying desperately to hide her grin. ‘‘We could at least pretend to be nice.’’ Like, these people did not matter. They were just workers in service of the duke at the end of the day. But they could still be fun, maybe. Maybel agreed with a smug smile that everybody wanted to be them. ‘‘And we should be responsible with that privilege.’’ Well, as if.

Lottie did not seem to like her marvelous idea to hang out with these people. ‘‘Or a bar, tavern, inn-’’ She was soon interrupted because what she was suggesting was dangerous. Maybel rolled her eyes. She had almost forgotten Lottie always followed the rules. ‘‘That's what makes it fun!’’ she said with a broad smile. Maybel was terribly naive that nothing could ever happen to her, because just by being fathered by Matthew Winter was a shield around her. ‘‘Or are you scared?’’ she started to tease her cousin. She pouted to her, after which she chuckled cheekily. Then Lottie asked if she had ever been before. ‘‘Well.. no,’’ she admitted. ‘‘But it can't be that bad. Just a quick look! If it's terrible, I'll take all the blame.’’

tag / notes

C. Duran

She is passion embodied,
a flower of melodrama in eternal bloom

Working for a living sounded incredibly hard. Having to earn money in order to live must make for a very dull life, no wonder these middle class people were so grumpy all the time. But Lottie couldn't say that out loud, according to Maybel. A giggle left her lips when her cousin suggested they should at least try to be nice. "Oh all right, I'll try." she vowed with a grin on her face. As if she would. It wasn't her fault she was born into her family and others weren't. "I never knew you to be so 'principled' about these matters." She said as she raised her brows. Perhaps some of her good behaviour had rubbed off on Maybel.

Or maybe not. Because it could only be Maybel Winter to suggest that the two of them should go to a pub. A dirty, smelly and loud pub. Not at all like the fine establishments they had in the Upper Ring. Lottie looked at her cousin with a perplexed look on her face. Apparently, the fun part was the danger. But then the little blonde started to tease her, which wasn't exactly something Charlotte enjoyed. It worked, albeit only a little. When Maybel offered to take the blame however, a smug smile appeared on her face. "Fine, but if anything goes wrong you'll take the blame." She warned her. That way, her pristine reputation wouldn't get ruined. "Lead the way." She said with a sigh. It wouldn't be too bad, she convinced herself. Besides, there were far worse places to visit, such as the filthy Lower Ring. That place was straight nightmare-fuel.

Gown