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Post by Kitty Pryde on Aug 3, 2007 10:17:16 GMT -4
Crossing her arms and tapping her foot impatiently, Katherine waited just outside of the ballroom until Kurt emerged, taking a little longer than she had expected. A fact that she made sure to make him aware of as a few guests slipped past them into the room. Then she was off again, having resumed her storming.
It was something that would make her sisters proud, a fact that made Katherine wish they could see her now… but also made her feel a little sick to her stomach. As much as she wanted to fit in and longed for them to like her, the idea of actually being like them… it wasn’t an idea that she favoured.
“Get in there,” she ordered once they had reached the study. Pausing to let him pass, she quickly followed Kurt into the room. Turning back toward the door, she closed and locked it behind them. Leaning her forehead against it, she let out a deep, shuddering breath.
Safe.
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Post by Kurt Wagner on Aug 4, 2007 13:35:14 GMT -4
He felt self-conscious and on edge as he first followed Katherine, then stepped first into the study. Once there, he turned and his eyes focused on the blonde young man as Katherine shut the door.
He had to wonder what kind of trouble he might have caused without meaning to.
But then it changed from the noise and the confusion of the party to a sudden, painful silence. He looked at her for only a moment, and he turned his eyes away. Kurt stared down at the disheveled tray he carried, the contents that had caused her embarrassment. Yet another bit of trouble he hadn't meant to have been a part of.
He was humiliated. He knew it didn't matter, but he had to say it...not because it made any difference to whatever came next, but because he meant it.
"I am....", he started tentatively, "...sorry..."
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Post by Kitty Pryde on Aug 4, 2007 13:44:53 GMT -4
Taking the moment of silence to calm her rapidly beating heart, Katherine took a few slow breaths. Maybe she was wrong. Being like her sisters had been easy, far too easy. Being herself was much more difficult, although not necessarily only for her.
At the servant’s apology, she turned to face him, a look of confusion on her face as if she had never considered the possibility that any of this was his fault. In fact, she hadn’t.
“Nothing to feel sorry for. I will not have you feeling guilty for the affects of my own gluttony any more than I will have you punished for it,” she said, sounding almost regal. It didn’t last long before her voice dropped into an anxious sounding whisper. “Alright, so here’s the plan. We hide out in here for a while and then I will leave looking all smug or satisfied or something and then soon after you will follow looking all downtrodden and that will be the end of that. Got it?”
She had unconsciously approached him while she had been talking, and now stood before him, looking at him expectantly.
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Post by Kurt Wagner on Aug 4, 2007 13:58:58 GMT -4
Kurt blinked.
His mind reeled as he tried to catch up to the meaning of her words, to reconcile what should have been a scolding with what seemed more like some kind of pre-planned conspiracy. He didn't move, but inwardly Kurt squirmed. Being as close to Katherine as he was...and being alone with her, the focus of those...amazing eyes...made him wish that he had some place he could just disappear to.
And it also made him wish that it would never end. His head spun and he blinked again.
"Got...it..?", he answered tentatively. The nod that he gave her didn't completely match the tone of what he said.
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Post by Kitty Pryde on Aug 4, 2007 13:59:47 GMT -4
He clearly didn’t get it. On one hand, that was great! If she had convinced him that she truly meant to let him have it, then hopefully she had convinced the party guests as well. On the other hand it really bothered her that he thought her not only capable of administering punishment, and for such a small mishap, but willing to do so. It kind of made her feel a little sick again.
“I’m not going to punish you. I’m sorry if I scared you, but I had to be convincing,” she explained, keeping her eyes on his face to search for comprehension as she spoke. “What happened in there was my fault, so I thought that if I appeared to deal with you then nobody else would do so later. Certainly nobody would attempt to undermine me.”
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Post by Kurt Wagner on Aug 4, 2007 14:00:22 GMT -4
Reluctantly, his eyes turned away from her toward the door. He had to wonder whether or not the blonde young man was convinced. Certainly, he had tried to undermine Katherine.
“Thank you”, he said, looking back at her. The words felt awkward when what he wanted to say was “Danke.” Even more awkward was the tray he was still carrying...but it offered the only sense of cover he could easily manage to mask his embarrassment.
“I am sorry to cause you this trouble”, he said as he looked down again at the tray. One way or another, he felt responsible even though he was grateful for her thoughtfulness. “I have made you miss your party.”
With that, he made a gesture at the door with his eyes and a nod of his head. He hoped that if she might turn for just a second he could look at her without feeling so....exposed by her gaze.
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Post by Kitty Pryde on Aug 4, 2007 14:01:51 GMT -4
Now maybe he got it, but he kept looking at the door. It was making Katherine feel really nervous, even though she had made sure to lock it. She was the only person she knew that could sneak through the locked door without making any noise, so she felt fairly safe.
“The party? Oh, pfft,” she replied, waving her hand to dismiss the thought as she turned back toward the door. “It’s not like I’ve never been to one. Besides, it’s still early. We won’t be staying in here all night, so there will be plenty of time to enjoy it later.”
What an inviting thought, though. She had already made a complete idiot of herself, so the thought of hiding out here the rest of the evening was tempting. The company wasn’t bad either, not that she could ever admit it. It was something she should never have even admitted to herself
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Post by Kurt Wagner on Aug 4, 2007 14:02:32 GMT -4
Kurt sighed and nodded feebly. That was something to look forward to...getting back out where he could make sure everyone else had a good time.
But even that would be less painful than trying to think of what to say. He wanted to look at her, wanted to talk...but this close he found he couldn't do either.
There was an awkward silence. Kurt stole a glance at her before pretending to have an interest in the corners of the room.
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Post by Kitty Pryde on Aug 4, 2007 14:03:42 GMT -4
Well, this was awkward. Fiddling with the large, jewelled necklace that she wore, Katherine’s own eyes began to travel about the room. If they were just going to stand here in silence, staring at the walls, then she was definitely the one being tortured here. This just wouldn’t do. Clearing her throat, she turned to him with a smile.
“Good. Now stop being so silly and set that tray down,” she said. It wasn’t an order, her good-natured tone making that obvious. Crossing the room, she set herself down in a large, leather armchair. “Now, it seems we’ve got a few choices of how to spend out time, but they all boil down to either we do something or I go crazy. I don’t think either of us want that.”
She was starting to babble. How pathetic. A princess should never be nervous in the presence of a mere servant
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Post by Kurt Wagner on Aug 4, 2007 14:04:17 GMT -4
“No, Mistress”, Kurt agreed as he set the tray on a polished side table. He caught her reflection in the glass that covered a photo that hung on the wall. It was a picture of Katherine's father in battle armor.
He watched her for a moment before he turned around, and when he did he avoided her gaze.
“I am at your service”, he said softly.
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Post by Kitty Pryde on Aug 4, 2007 14:05:52 GMT -4
Katherine put her head in her hands and groaned in frustration at the reply. She hated moments like these because these were the moments that her head would start to pound and she would realise she was never going to belong here because these were the moments when she absolutely hated the world and everything her father stood for.
And she hated that she hated it.
These poor people were brainwashed. They had no thoughts or ambitions of their own, not that those would do them any good anyway. They lived to serve.
It wasn’t fair.
Man, her head suddenly hurt.
“No, you’re not,” she said, dropping her hands back to her lap and giving him an almost pleading look. Not that he would even look at her. “Just for a few minutes, can’t we just pretend that you’re not?”
She was revealing too much. This wasn’t good. Damage control!
“Otherwise this is going to be a very dull conversation
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Post by Kurt Wagner on Aug 4, 2007 14:06:18 GMT -4
If thinking something privately that contradicted the law was difficult, then acting on it was somehow infinitely moreso. He furled his brow.
Not serving Katherine was easy...so long as he was serving Princess Wanda or Princess Lorna instead. It was more than a decision...it was a compulsion.
But if Katherine wanted him not to serve wasn't he obeying her by being disobedient? Man, his head suddenly hurt.
He swallowed hard and nodded but otherwise he stood where he was. And then he caught the plea in her expression. His eyes went wide and he gaped at her.
The buzzing pressure inside his brain suddenly ceased.
“Hello, Katherine”, he said softly, as though it was the first time he had noticed her there. The first time that they had ever met.
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Post by Kitty Pryde on Aug 4, 2007 14:06:43 GMT -4
Why was he looking at her like that? Was it really that odd a request? Okay, so it went against everything he knew and everything he was told, but… actually, that was a pretty good reason to gape at her. This really sucked. Quickly dropping her eyes to her lap, she busied herself with picking non-existent lint from the skirt of her gown.
Then she heard it. Katherine. Not ‘milady’ or ‘mistress’ or ‘princess’, but Katherine. She liked how it sounded in his soft tone. It made her very glad that she had made a point to learn the names of all the servants, even if she so rarely used them.
“Hello, Kurt,” she replied, positively beaming when she looked back up at him
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Post by Kurt Wagner on Aug 4, 2007 16:12:43 GMT -4
He blinked at her, a little afraid he might shatter this illusion if he moved. The look on her face.... Slowly, his lips turned upward into a smile.
Kurt couldn't remember the last time he had smiled. It made his eyes well.
“You look”, he said, trying to grant her wish for conversation not because she ordered him, but because he wanted to, “very pretty.” Somehow the courage to tell her the truth never made it fully into the words.
It was a long time before he blinked again.
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Post by Kitty Pryde on Aug 4, 2007 23:20:24 GMT -4
Seeing him struggle with his words was both adorable and sad. Only speak when spoken to; never speak freely your own opinions; never have your own opinions; tell those above you, which is pretty much everyone, only what they want to hear. It was a horrible way to live.
Was that what he was doing? Telling her what he thought she wanted to hear? Somehow she didn’t believe this was the case. If she did, she wouldn’t be blushing right now.
“Thank you,” she said, quietly. This was the point where, under normal circumstances, she was supposed to compliment him back, but in this case it didn’t seem right. He wasn’t some guest dressed to the nines; he was dressed in a uniform that he had been forced to wear.
“You don’t’ have to stand, you know,” she said instead. “There are plenty of places to sit.”
Did that sound like an order? She didn’t want him to feel he had to sit down just because she suggested it. “Unless you prefer to stand. That’s fine too. Whatever you choose. It's totally up to you.”
Now she was going overboard. Again with the pathetic-ness.
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