Appointment (Finished!)

[Nako]

So in other words, no. He half wondered if he should offer to leave, but he had a distinct feeling that she would have told him to get the hell out if he needed to. Surgery? He'd not heard all the details from their fight. "Ah.... point taken, Your Majesty."

Well, that was awkward. A moment passed before he could manage to open his mouth again without saying something either sniping or generally awkward. "Well, like you said, it -is- your room. And if anyone didn't like it, she could always rip their throat out... Well, that thought was uncalled for. Then again a lot of things were running through the odd young man's head, one of them being the distinct feeling that he was treading a thin line, even with how patient she was being. Her response to his inquiry of her well being told him that much. "Do you like flowers, Your Majesty?

[The Jenn]

"Yes, it very much is." Donnie leaned back in her chair, resting her back carefully against the wooden surface. She'd only had to sit down hard once to realize what a bad idea it had been with her back the way it was. Damn it, she hated being sick or ill or in any way less than healthy. On drugs, the anger receded. After the drugs, she tended towards cranky. Her head told her that was a bad idea, though. She hoped the boy changed the subject, or took a safer route.

...and he did! Oh, did he ever. Her face brightened slightly at his question. It would have been more pronounced if she hadn't been so conscious of the bruise's reaction to her expressions. The wince had conveniently reminded her. "Flowers? Oh, yes. Very much so. I spent a part of every year in the Yarrow, for as long as I can remember, so I have a more than healthy appreciation for plant life. Just what are you thinking?'

[Nako]

There was a change in expression. It was hard to tell exactly what it meant with the grimace that soon followed it, but the tone in her voice and the way she spoke let him know he was on the right track.

"The real question is what are -you- wanting? Honestly, I'd say 'out' with the conformist colors! I mean, if you like them then it's all well and good, but if it was what you wanted, I'd paint a mural of flowers all around you! Now, you might want something more subtle. Flower detailing? I could look up some plans.. sketch a few things out. But oh yes.. a Yarrow landscape all about.. would look so lovely! Oh but yes.. -subtlety-. That's one thing I've been known to throw out the window when it comes to artwork." He smiled a bit. Oh, what an inside joke that was! But no.. not the time to bring naked murals up to the Queen of Spades. "But I can behave myself when it comes to your walls, I promise that."

When talking about such inspirational things, Mikael was actually able to find himself relaxing. Probably too relaxed. He'd need to stay on his guard with this woman.. but it was hard to keep such things in mind when talking about epic flower murals.

[The Jenn]

One eyebrow rose - carefully - as the boy completely switched mannerisms and slowly talked himself into excitement. There was a smile on his muzzle, at any rate. So he liked flowers and lots of color? Well, there was hope for him yet. His parents must have raised him right to have fostered that creativity.

"I'd need to see samples of your work and the quality before I agreed to anything, of course," she began in a mild tone, "but I would be very interested in incorporating flowers into the room. This Court doesn't have anything remarkable in the way of gardens. It has some decent topiary, from what I've seen, and its fair share of greenery, but the gardeners proved remarkably incompetent. They were akin to beggars hired off the street and told to water the plants." She grimaced at the thought. Druggies. They were all off the premises, something she'd made sure of.

But! Back to the discussion at hand - interior decorating. What strange things happened in an interview. She was assured enough that he would be fine as a secretary, so now it was her job - her duty, even - to find out how best to use him. Vessatha really was going to get a kick out of all of this. "I don't see flowers all over my room, but an accent wall might be nice. I could probably find you a few Yarrow examples that would match with green and cream and silver, maybe some purple or pink... it would be a good excuse to bring those colors into the room, if nothing else, having them on the wall like that."

[Nako]

"Oh of course, of course.." He agreed breathlessly to her request that she see examples. He'd be more than happy to prove his competence. Most people didn't believe his wacky fingers were good for anything.

He was a bit disappointed that he wouldn't be able to overflow the walls with flowers.. but every dog has his day. Potentially painting the trim of the Queen's personal study seemed a grand opportunity to show a more subtle side of his art.. if there was such a side. "It sounds like a great plan so far."

Then it occurred to him. "Would there be room for Villa influence as well? Just wanting to cover the bases." After all, she wasn't pure Yarrow. Perhaps she didn't want to focus on just one facet of her origins? He assumed from her mentioning that she'd spent time in the Yarrow, but obviously not all her time. Hopefully his assumptions weren't off the mark.

[The Jenn]

Donnie smirked and sat back in her chair, pushing at the wood under her desk to tilt it back slightly. "If there's purple, there will be Villa influence. Strong purple accents would satisfy both regions. Trust me when I say that I won't live in a room without a musical instrument. I'll probably have a corner of my bedroom space specifically set aside for my harp and music stand, once I get a chance to rearrange things."

They were getting really off track, though. However curious she may have been to continue this conversation, it could wait until she felt less crappy, physically. If she was going to be moving furniture - and there wouldn't be reorganization of her room without her having a hand in just about everything - she needed to ache a lot less. "However," she said, letting her chair tilt forward again and hit the floor with a loud noise, "I'm going to have to cut this particular conversation short on the grounds of time, both mine and Vessatha's. And yours, I suppose. My last request is this: write your name on a piece of paper. Then write mine. I want to see your handwriting. Then you can go find Vessatha again."

She grabbed a pen and piece of paper, scooting them across the desk and towards him.

[Nako]

Well, that certainly seemed an obvious assignment. No bells and whistles, but rather just a straight up test of penmanship by writing two names. No strange, awkward royal exam? If all of her assignments were as honest and straightforward as this, they'd probably get along nicely.

Situating the paper in front of him, he didn't speak as he settled himself into the chair to attain proper posture. One deep breath was all he needed, eyes fluttering closed for just a moment as he composed himself to pick up the pen. The jitters could be left behind then, focusing solely on putting pen within his long fingers, and getting to writing. His name was first, and it came to life on the paper with practiced swirls and arches, and the trail of ink thickening and thinning in particular ways to make for attractive penmanship.

Then he spaced down appropriately, and set to work. The next penmanship was a slightly stronger one, more to the point but no less elegant. "I could write either way. I can print for easy reading for notes as well." And with that, he set the pen down and waited to be formally dismissed.

[The Jenn]

Making people jump through hoops wasn't Donnie's style. She watched as he settled himself in front of the paper, slightly amused at the breathing and posture and formality of the whole thing. If he was going to be working for the Courts, it wasn't a bad air to give off, just an amusing one. He really was young, wasn't he?

She watched his practiced strokes and the way the ink blossomed on the paper as he sighed his name, obviously done with the hand of long practice. Her own signature was similarly stylized, though with a different feel to the letters. the rest of her handwriting... was legible, for the most part, though not particularly attractive unless she was practicing calligraphy. Then the letters flowed beautifully, if slowly.

"Very good," she murmured, nodding. "The fanciful script is good for names, or formal lists, or any sort of short, public document. The second will be better for formal pieces. Notes, of course, need to be fast and legible. I'm satisfied."

Standing, she nodded her head at him and gestured towards the door. "I'm going to lay down now, to be quite frank. You can probably find Vessatha in either the kitchens or the halls en route. Best of luck."

[Nako]

His chest inflated with pride at her words; they weren't overly praising, but abundant praise was something he wasn't expecting, and in fact looked upon it with some level of scrutiny when given; normally a person is being patronizing when they gave a good word too eagerly.

Satisfied. She was satisfied with his work! Hooboy, he'd never in a thousand years expected his interview to go this well! He was up on his feet swiftly when she dismissed him. "Yes m'am, thank you, Your Majesty!" She desired rest, and he knew that he should not dally, but he paused for just half a moment before exiting. "I hope you rest well." And on that note, he left her room and shut the door politely behind him.

He didn't walk, he -strutted- down the hall, in all that his damned fingers wouldn't let him dance for joy. She was -satisfied- with his work! He'd managed to gain at least some semblance of acceptance from the Queen of spades, and not only that, a part -Yarrow-! His abilities had to be able to hold some sort of water if a descendant of a man-hating culture didn't hate him outright. He was probably being a bit too.. regionist, but the fact that the queen had the potential to be biased had terrified him more than anything.

But now.. he had to find Vessatha, that evil, wonderful woman! Nose twitching, he went halfway through memory and partly through smell to make his way toward the kitchens. With the halls mostly empty, at least few people would see his fumblings to find his way. One might have thought to ask the Queen which was he was to go.. but one doesn't bother someone as prestigious as the -Queen- for directions! hah! Even -he- knew that! Oh yes, he knew a -lot- of things. Goodness! Mikael was surely feeling good about himself today!

((This is very.. rambly XD I apologize.))

[Kiki]

Greenie, Jenn and Nako receive 4 tokens each, to be redeemed in Ashwin's Shoppe. This will automatically be added to your recorded totals in the shoppe. Congratulations, and keep up the good RP!