Celeste was on her feet in the blink of an eye, her eyes sparking with anger. Not at Sue, but at this 'Duke'. "Sue. Hon, promise me somethin'. If he ever even looks like he's thinkin' of doin' somethin', if ya get the feelin' he's thinking about it, ya say my name." The accent came out of nowhere, like in her anger, she had issues pronouncing certain letter in the common tongue. "Tha's all it'll take, and I promise ya, he won' be able t' do anythin' after that, for sure." She wasn't sure where the assurance, or the power for a spell with just those few words came from, but she could feel the magic binding. If Sue said her name, with any trace of fear in her heart, she would hear it. Anything she could, to prevent someone else from feeling the same helplessness that she was all too familiar with. "Your King's boun' by laws I don' care abou', not when it comes t' this."
Sue bit her lip, looking at Celeste, wide eyed. "Okay." She said softly, then looked down at her toes again. "But…like I said, it don't matter. The Duke don't like to use a girl twice. He just takes us once, then never again." She said slowly. It had been this way for the servants for generations. King Soren had passed all the laws he could, but at the end of the day, he couldn't stop everything. Sue herself was the result of rape, her mother having been forcefully used by a noble.
Something dark sparked in Celeste's eyes as she turned to look at the door, wrapping her arms around herself to keep from doing something. All it would take was one spell, or the right plant…no. No no no. You promised no more killing. Don't let something break that. Sue had said it was a one time thing, which was at least better than a routine. But he does it to the new girls, too. And even Soren warned you… That thought sparked something, something almost like a plan if it came to it. She wouldn't act upon it, not yet, but… "Can I-can I give ya a hug? Would tha' be okay?"
Sue hesitated. "I-it's not proper, miss Celeste." She replied softly. "Givin' hugs to servant girls likes me." She bit her lower lip. "But if you wants to, you can." She said. She had her hands buried in her skirts to stop the slight shaking that always started when she spoke of the Duke, or was even near him. She hadn't reported him. Hadn't bothered, really. No one would or could do anything about it. Sure, the king would try, but…the Duke was distantly related, with the second closest claim to the throne, Soren having the closest claim. Any attack of Soren's on the Duke would only be seen as an attempt to get rid of a rival.
"D'I look like the kinda person who cares whether it's proper or not?" Celeste asked, already stepping across the room to pull Sue into a hug. The hug was warm, despite Celeste running colder than normal, and the witch kept her arms in the same place without moving them. Over Sue's arms and back, though loose enough that the girl could pull away if she wanted. Safe, the smell of herbs and the bath soaps she'd just used and the forest, all managing to pull off an incredibly comforting scent. "Are you-as alright as you can be?"
Sue leaned against her slightly. The small girl only came up to about Celeste's shoulder, despite the fact that Celeste herself was short. "I-I'm alright, miss Celeste." She replied softly. "I'm not…pregnant, if'n that's what you be worried of." She took a deep breath, biting her lip slightly.
"I hadn't even thought o' that, but tha's good t' know too. You're too young for children." Celeste said, sounding definitely sure of that. And she had every right to be, considering her medical knowledge. "Improper or not, I wantcha t' come t' me anytime, alrigh'? T' talk, for help, anythin'."
Sue hesitated, then nodded slightly. "Alright miss." She said softly, still biting her lip. "An' if…if'n you have any questions about the palace or people, you can ask me. I know a lot more'n most people think a servant would." She gave a small, hesitant smile.
"Thank you. I might jus' have t' take ya up on that, later." Celeste promised, pulling back just enough to look at Sue. "Now, uh, y'seem t' know more about all of this than I do. What exactly does your job pertain?" She asked, tilting her head slightly. Her earlier anger seemed to have faded somewhat, thought it hadn't quite left her eyes, seeming distant enough at least.
Sue nodded. "Alright." She looked at Celeste. "Well…i keeps your room and clothes clean, and the fire lit, along with anythin' else you might requires of me. I helps with anything that you need help with, including dressin' you and makeup and hair, if'n you wants or needs me too."
"So if I, say, needed help lookin' for a certain herb or plant, in the city or wherever I can get it…would ya be allowed to accompany me t' help?" Celeste asked, tilting her head just a bit further. The mention of possibly going somewhere had caught Pluto's attention, and his tail wagged once, then started for sure wagging.
Sue hesitated for a moment. "Well…yes, I could." She said. "Why?" She questioned. She brushed a wisp of dark hair back behind her ear, looking at Celeste curiously. "But I have to warn you, I don't knows what all different herbs an' plants looks like." She said.
"I'm low on a few things, and I don't know anything about this city." Celeste said, her face lighting up as she gave Sue a light squeeze, and then released the girl. "You don't really have to know what they look like, just where to get them. A specific shop that sells that kind of thing or something. Besides, I could teach you, if you really wanted."
Sue nodded. "Okay." She gave a small, shy smile. "That would be nice. If'n you could teach me, i mean." She said, fidgeting with her skirt slightly. "My ma says anythin' a girl knows is good, 'specially here in the palace." She shrugged slightly, and smoothed out the bedsheets.
"Knowledge of herbs is always important." Celeste said, making her way to the dresser to hunt for clothes. She continued to speak as she dug around, her peculiar hair forming a curtain around her face as she leaned forward. "Whether you're looking into the medical field, wanting to learn about poisons and antidotes, plenty of good and bad reasons there, or just generally curious. It could come in handy."
Sue nodded. "Okay." She walked over. "Shirts are here, underthings are here, pants and skirts are here." She said. She opened the closet. "Coats, dresses, and other items that needs hangin' are in here." She said, turning back to Celeste. "And if'n you needs anything else, let me know and I can finds it for you. The King gives each of his guests a budget for new clothing while they be here, should they need it."
Celeste blinked, looking up from the shirt in her hands. She hadn't packed all that many clothes, so each drawer was mostly empty. "A budget? I-no, I don't need to spend the King's money on clothing. But! I didn't pack a whole lot of clothing, so we might end up making an extra stop, if you're alright with that."
"Miss Celeste, the budget is mostly for any balls or such what happen to be hosted during your stay." Sue replied softly. Then she nodded. "Of course that's fine. I'm here to do whatever you be needin' me to do." She smoothed out her skirt, and looked at Celeste.
"Ball, event, whatever, I'll spend my own money." Celeste said, shaking her head as she looked back down, this time looking through another drawer. "You can tell me if you don't want to do something, you know. Or if you do want to do something. I know it's your job, but I really would rather you weren't unhappy."
Sue hesitated, then nodded again. "Alright, Miss Celeste." She replied with a soft smile. "Now, we can leave whenever you be ready. We just shouldn't be out at night, like. These streets ain't friendly after dark." Soren was doing his best to clean up the streets and tighten the rules that his father had allowed to become lax, but…with so much infighting among the nobility, it was difficult for the young king to get anything done.
"We'll get back before nightfall." Celeste promised, finishing gathering clothes. She started for the bathroom, flickering a glance to the main door and then back to Sue. "You're welcome to wait out in the hall, or in here with Pluto. I'll change in the bathroom." With that, she slipped into the bathroom, locking the door behind her as she changed quickly.
Sue nodded. "I'll wait here." She said softly. She rearranged some of the decorations on the mantel as she waited, smoothing out her dress again. It was a nervous habit more than anything. She bit her lip slightly.
Celeste got dressed quickly, throwing a long sleeved cloak on over a tighter shirt than she'd been wearing earlier. She hopped out of the bathroom on one foot, the other leg in the air as she tied off her boot. "Anything you need to do or grab before we head out?"
Sue shook her head. "No. If you're ready, we can head out." She said with a small smile. "Will the wolf be coming?" She asked, glancing at Pluto curiously, then back at Celeste.
"Pluto?" The answering boof was all Celeste needed, and she nodded, smiling. "Apparently. He likes exploring, so it was kind of a given. Shall we then?"
