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 Posted: Tue Aug 18, 2009 11:27 pm
Nathaniel's scent mingled with the orangeseller's wares.
He was sitting, half hidden by a huge pile of produce as the noise of the crowded market washed over him. Taking a deep breath, he let out a sigh, which drew Fitzdaniel's attention. "Bored?" the guardian asked, half amused. Nathaniel frowned at the guardian. "Beg pardon. It's not exactly thrilling." he pointed out dryly before getting up to pace around the stand once more.
Fitzdaniel threw his hands into the air in defeat. "Fine, fine. What did you need?"
His son leapt on the opportunity. "Clothes. New clothes. I was obliged to leave mine at Miss Hargreaves's former residence."
Sighing the sigh of the resigned parent, Fitzdaniel reached into his wallet, pulling out some money and plopping it into Nathaniel's hand. "I'm trusting you. Don't talk to strangers or anything, okay? And come right back after. AND if there's any change, I want it back, you hear me?"
Nathaniel gave him a smirk. "Of course not, father. Why would I do anything like that?"
He left before Fitzdaniel could even have the satisfaction of calling him cheeky, and soon he was indistinguishable form the rest of the bustling shoppers in the marketplace.
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Posted: Wed Aug 19, 2009 9:34 pm
Keiko was bored. Why did she have to go find something to amuse herself with whenever Zen was busy? She liked that the man took her with him whenever he went to the market, so that she could browse through the wares, but there was only so much to see. And today she'd been here for longer than usual while Arizen conducted "business" she wasn't allowed to participate in.
It wasn't strange to her that her new guardian allowed her to roam free unattended - Keiko could take care of herself, courtesy of a few years on the street. Normally she enjoyed the freedom, too, as adjusting to life in a house with servants took a little time. Granted, she loved being served, but sometimes it was all too much.
Emerging from her thoughts, Keiko looked around and was surprised to see that she'd ended up in the male's clothing section of the market. Odd, she'd never been here before... A quick glance showed her nothing but adults, mostly in groups, as they moved slowly from stall to stall, fingering wares, chatting amongst themselves. The serious shoppers were busy haggling - some with voices raised, some with casual shrugs.
The market was always fascinating to watch, and Keiko found that there was a lot to be learned about the art of seducing and charming, even just in haggling. Quick movement caught her eye, and she turned her head just in time to catch a young figure as it darted into the crowd. Another child, alone like herself!
Following quickly, she dodged through legs and shopping sacks smoothly until finally reaching out a slender hand to tap the figure on the shoulder. "Hey! Looks like you're alone too! Where are you headed?"
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Posted: Mon Sep 14, 2009 4:51 am
Like an iceberg, Nathaniel turned around slowly to give the interlocutor his most calculating stare. To his relief, it wasn't an adult at least; Adults thought they were entitled to do all sorts of things they weren't.
Instead it was a girl, one with long black hair and some curious hint of the exotic about her that Nathaniel couldn't quite place. He paused for a moment, wondering whether to respond or ignore her and go on his way. She certainly had no right to know what his business was, and accosting him on the street was a little more than suspect. But something about her intrigued him, and going on his way without so much as acknowledging her would be crass. So he clutched Fitzdaniel's wallet a little tighter and offered her a faint frown. "I beg your pardon, but have we met?"
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Posted: Sun Sep 27, 2009 2:10 am
Noticing the wariness in the other's stance, Keiko took a coy step back, head tilting slightly to the left as she peered through her eyelashes at the boy. She saw the hands clutching the wallet, and secretly laughed - it would be so easy if she'd wanted to have a little extra spending money, but right now she wanted company, not new things.
"No... we haven't." Keiko kept her voice as quiet and unintimidating as possible. "I was just walking through the market when I saw you. Can I keep you company?" She studied the other as she spoke, only now taking note of the glasses and the slightly strange-colored hair. Holding out one hand, she smiled. "By the way, I'm Keiko!"
It would be nice, she decided, to have someone new to talk to. Ever since she'd duped her old gang and managed to get taken home by Arizen, there hadn't been anyone her age she could approach. It was all a bit tedious, having to follow Zen wherever he went.
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Posted: Tue Sep 29, 2009 7:49 pm
A shrug was the answer she received, whether she chose to follow him or not was up to her. As for company, the company Nathaniel chose to keep was select, but he couldn't help others choosing to keep his company instead. It was rude to turn them away. "As you wish." He paused, but it was polite to introduce himself to her after she had done the same, so he stiffly added, "I am Nathaniel Hargreaves. It is a pleasure to meet you, I am sure."
Heading over to a stand with some clothing on display, Nathaniel felt all the more awkward for having a hanger-on. The Scent was by no means shy, in fact he was quite blunt. But that didn't change the fact that the girl following him was, well, female, and shopping for clothes around someone who seemed to expect to derive some sort of amusement from him was a bit off-putting. He bore it tolerably well anyway, refusing to let signs of his discomfort show as he sorted through a pile of common-looking shirts for something that would hopefully be more presentable.
"Have you a parent around here?" he asked offhandedly as he discarded a garment into the pile. Considering the circumstances of his adoption by Fitzdaniel, he had spent some time on his own. He knew too well that some of the children around the marketplace were strays, sometimes alone and sometimes banding together in groups. Attempting to find out what Keiko's circumstances were like would tell him what to expect, or at least he might be able to discern her character if it ended up being apparent that she was lying to him.
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Posted: Fri Oct 09, 2009 8:39 pm
Keiko was not oblivious to the other's reluctance, but she decided to ignore it as she fell into step alongside the other. "Nathaniel Hargreaves," she repeated, before flashing a smile, "should I call you Nathaniel, then?"
She followed quietly as they headed to one of the stands, noting in passing that it contained nothing special. Suppressing her distaste of the common clothing, Keiko also reached out, flipping through the shirts absently as she watched the other out of the corner of her eye. Nathaniel was dressed quite well, and she couldn't imagine why he would be here looking through such.. boring.. shirts when there were better ones in the next stall.
The question diverted the girl from her thoughts, and Keiko blinked, green eyes turning questioningly to the other before the question registered fully. "Ah..." Did Arizen count as a parent? "Yes," she sounded surer than she actually was, years of practice in deceit giving her words weight, "he's busy right now, though, so I was just wandering around. You?" The answer to the question was obvious considering the way the boy was holding the purse out - no street rat would be so obvoius about having money - but the topic was a decent one, and speech was often a good way to get closer to someone.
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Posted: Fri Oct 09, 2009 9:03 pm
Nathaniel stiffened. "I have a family." he said passively, not failing to notice how she glanced at his wallet. Yes, he had a family. He was sure that he belonged to the House of Grey, and though they rather annoyingly refused to acknowledge it, Fitzdaniel did, and a b*****d son of the noble line taking him in was better than a total outsider. He would simply have to work his way up, just like he had worked his way up after Alice had departed. He was nobility, and she could stare at his wallet all she wanted, but he refused to hide what little money he had from a common girl. Surely he could fend off a little thief if she turned out to be one.
"You may call me whatever you want, so long as I can recognize it, I suppose." Pulling out a shirt and glancing at it, he then looked over at the stall next to them, annoyed at the gap in quality. He couldn't afford to be spending all Fitzdaniel's money, he supposed, not so soon after the man had taken him in, but the other shirts were much more suited to his tastes. But the fact was that he was living with a man who sold oranges for income. It was not ideal for dressing like a gentleman of substance. "Miss Keiko," he asked coldly, figuring that as long as she was going to pester him, he might as well get some use out of her, "What do you think of this one?" Compared to the other shirts in the stall, he supposed it was not bad, but it was certainly not ideal.
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Posted: Fri Oct 09, 2009 10:30 pm
"I'm sorry," Keiko's eyes were innocently wide as she turned to Nathaniel, stiff beside her. "Did I touch on a bad topic?" She couldn't fathom how her question had cause this reaction in Nathaniel, but it never hurt to know.
She nodded her understanding of the other's ambivalent response before adding, "Alright, I suppose Nathaniel it is, then." There was a small part of her that was beginning to regret approaching this other child, but she persisted, putting an expression of interest over her features as she leaned in closer to inspect the shirt. "It looks alright," Keiko barely restrained herself from crinkling her nose at the sheer commonness of the shirt. "It seems to be sturdy enough, if that is what you were looking for?"
Leaning back, she waved one small hand over to the next stall, diverting the other's attention there before speaking again. "That stall over there may have some better shirts, if you are looking for style and quality?" Keiko was careful not to put any preference in her voice, though she inwardly was rather tempted to go look. "By the way, Keiko is fine. 'Miss' seems so informal, don't you think?"
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Posted: Fri Oct 09, 2009 10:45 pm
Ignoring her permission to call her Keiko, he shook his head. "Family is not so much a bad topic as an irksome one, Miss Keiko, and in time I intend to fix this." Familiarity suggested equality, and he considered himself above her.
"Sturdy." He sneered, looking at the shirt and discarding it. His eyes went to the other stall and then to the wallet, and he made a snap decision. "Very well," he said casually, and went over to the far better stall. If Fitzdaniel was going to take him in, he had to be able to support his needs, after all. And he needed to dress the part if he was going to reclaim his lineage. He had an image to maintain, and one thing was already clear: He was going to have to ensure Fitzdaniel got a better job. Selling oranges was all well and good for the sort of sentimental rubbish the man seemed to enjoy, but he now had a family to raise, and thus he was just going to have to leave his little orange stall and get a job in the real world. Preferably one with an ample salary. It was just a shame that Earl Daniel Grey was dead, the scent mused. A noble father often managed to get a comfortable position for a b*****d son if applied to for one with a little persistence.
As he walked over to the stall, he paused to give Keiko time to catch up. Despite his chilly attitude towards her, it seemed that perhaps he didn't completely mind her company after all. "You will be joining me, I suppose?" he demanded briskly.
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Posted: Mon Oct 19, 2009 8:23 pm
"Fix it how?" Keiko's eyes were wide and innocent as she pried gently - it seemed like there was something to discuss, after all. She couldn't imagine what there would be to fix, in terms of family, though she supposed that she had, in her own way, done the same when she'd maneouvered herself into Arizen's care.
Nathaniel's reaction to her comment on the clothing said it all, in Keiko's opinion. This other child was just as unused to peasant quality as she was, but perhaps more obvious about it. She made no additional comment as the other considered her suggestion, green eyes watching for all body language as she began to understand the boy she'd just met a little bit better.
"Definitely." Keiko's answer was slightly delayed, as she had been so absorbed in her study of the other that it had taken her a few moments to register that Nathaniel had spoken. A small smile appeared on her lips for brief seconds before she continued, teasingly, "they say girls have better taste when it comes to clothing, anyway."
Reaching the stall, the girl began to flip through the piles of clothing, discarding most, but pulling out the occasional shirt that she found to be rather more tasteful than the rest. One in particular caught her eye, and she held it up for inspection. "What about this one?" It was made of fine dove grey linen, with embroidery of a slightly darker shade. It wasn't extravagant, but the shape would fit well with Nathaniel's young frame.
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Posted: Tue Mar 09, 2010 10:51 pm
Nathaniel regarded Keiko, eyes crackling with suspicion, then said "I belong to the Noble House of Grey. They simply don't realize it yet."
His tone implied that they'd realize it eventually whether they wanted to or not. Nathaniel had the kind of calculating expression on his face that was vaguely unsettling to see on someone who looked about ten. "So does the man I found to live with, but he doesn't realize what potential he has. He thinks that they'll never let him in, but he just doesn't think on a large enough scale."
He pressed a plum coloured vest up against himself to check the size and added, "Have you heard of the tale of Puss in Boots? I believe that they have it right: Any pauper may become a prince in this world with force and trickery applied in just the right places. With determination and cleverness, the right man can make any simpleton a noble."
Putting it aside, he glanced at her. "And yourself? What kind of girl latches onto strange boys during a busy market day, Miss Keiko?" He took the shirt she handed him and held it up to his chest as well, nodding and draping it over his arm.
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