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I didn't mean to break it, really!; Uh-oh...
Topic Started: Dec 27 2007, 10:19 AM (1,177 Views)
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"Kivean, please."

The young Maure offered the girl a sympathetic smile as she explained her plight, nodding along politely as she made her points. He'd known, of course, that it was extremely unlikely that her parents would have had the means to lend the girl the money but he felt it was the least he could do to run the paces for her.

"Please don't think you're the first person to find themselves unable to pay a debt to my family. It happens every day, all over Syumo. It's a risk of doing business, and we do a lot of business. Unfortunately it also means that we're unable to overlook any debt, because if we started giving people free passes then everyone we do business with would expect one."

He stared a silent moment across the table at the obviously overwhelmed Hava, and cursed himself for the empathy that the majority of his family either lacked or were able to suppress. He thought in that moment, but there was no option in regards to freeing the girl of her debt completely. Perhaps, however, there was a compromise that could benefit both parties.

"I think you underestimate yourself, Miss Crissi. I consider myself a fairly shrewd judge of character, and when I look at you I don't see 'stupid'. There are many kinds of 'smart'. I'd like to offer you a deal, Miss Crissi. Instead of sending this matter to collections, I'd like you to work for the Maure family. You can pay against your debt as you work, and nothing else will considerably change."
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Alexandra
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Hava eyed him warily, turning the thought over in her head. Work for them? Well...That is an easier way of payin' this thing, and probably my only way. She frowned slightly, thinking, before grinning again. "Alright then, M...um, Kivean. I guess I'll work for you." She shrugged, her grin turning into a wry smile. "Thanks, I think. If it's possible," And I think you owe me this much, Maure, she thought to herself, "Can I contact my family...somehow? Y'see, my parents are goin' to Henraku for business, so we-they're only in Shime for a short time, once they round up my sibs. They're probably wonderin' where I am."

She smiled inwardly, fingering the ends of her hair idly. He doesn't think I'm stupid? That's a new one. She thought, leaning forward on her arms and hunching her shoulders up slightly. Okay, Maure. I'll give you this much: You're certainly different.
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"Splendid." Kivean Maure smiled, a very genuine smile of relief and satisfaction. Very little pleased the young hier more then a successful negotiation, and this one ended quite well in his favor. The money meant almost nothing, as he very honesty did make nearly two million dollars every five minuites or so. No, it wasn't the money. Possibilities.

He nodded lightly in assent to her request. "Certainly. You'll come to find that there's very little we can't do, Miss Crissi. Who exactly would you like contacted, and what would you have them told? I'll see that it gets done promptly."

He paused a moment, before piping back up to add "Ah, Henraku you said? That's a rare bit of luck for you, it seems. The Helene has one more port of call after which I'll be disembarking. Henraku is my home town, you see."
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Hava's eyes widened considerably at the news. 'Rare bit of luck' indeed! She grinned even wider and propped her chin up with a fist. "That's great! And I need my parents contacted, of course. Yakira and Lavi Crissi. Just tell them that I ran into a...bit of trouble. They'll know that I'm alright, I'm always gettin' in trouble. And tell them that I'll just meet them in Henraku, I can contact them from there. We have relatives living there. Actually, I think we were plannin' on visiting them..." She paused, biting her lip. "Yeah...Just tell them that, I guess. Thanks!"

Hava tilted her head to the side slightly, glancing at her whitening wrist as more pressure was put on it before crossing her arms in front of her. As long as she got her parents contacted she wasn't really worried. Like she had said before to Maure, who she still refused to call by his first name in her mind, she was always in trouble. Of course, having the perfectionist Sarah and the genius Doron as her sister and brother didn't help. Luckily, little Eli was still young, and almost as clumsy as her, so it balenced things out a bit.
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"Your message will get to your parents, on my word. Certainly, no need for thanks. You have my sincere appologies for all the dramatics. I hope we didn't frighten you too badly. Sometimes my employees forget that we deal with people, and not walking bank accounts."

Kivean flipped his ledger closed, picking it up and tucking it under his arm. Pushing himself back he stood and offered his hand down to the young girl.

"Welcome aboard, Hava. Miss Marks will be along shortly to show you to your temporary quarters, and we'll worry about assigning you a uniform and some duties tomorrow. As for this evening... perhaps you'd join me for supper? Forgive me if it's inappropriate, but I'd rather like to get to know you better."
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Hava grinned, biting her tongue silently to keep from saying 'Thanks' again. "Aw, it's alright. I have siblings, I've dealt with stuff like this before," she said. Glancing around the room and wondering how he had contacted Marks while talking to her, she shook her head slightly and nodded. "Sure! I won't pass up food," she laughed, standing up as well and grabbing his hand, pumping it firmly. Her dad had always enforced that a 'good, strong grip makes a lasting impression'. He had taught her that, and she had the bruises to prove it.

She released his hand and put her hands on her hips, forest green shirt still wrinkling rapidly. Hava liked meeting new people, even if the circumstances were less than welcome. She was used to doing chores and the like, although she did usually skip out on them in favor of going outside, a habit that had gotten her an earfull from Sarah more than once. That being the case, she would probably have to work hard, if she wanted to get out of debt. Hava hated owing people anything, ever since she had owed that one kid the shiny pebble she had stolen from him when she was five.
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"Mm, I've several siblings myself actually." he replied, his tone almost slightly rueful. He offered no more about that, his smile returning along with a small nod as she accepted his invitation for dinner. "Ah, wonderful." he said simply, somewhat surprised by the handshake that had felt a bit like she had been trying to pull his shoulder clear out of it's socket. She'd already left a strong impression on the young Maure's opinion of her, and now she'd left a strong physical impression upon his hand. She was an odd little bird, to be sure, but he looked forward to seeing how she would fare with the arrangement they'd come to. "You won't regret it. I'll have Chef prepare something special."

As for Miss Marks, she actually hadn't gone anywhere. She and her large companion had been standing just outside the door the entire time. The pair had been listening through headsets connected to a small transmitter located in an 'M'-shaped pin on Kivean's vest. A security precaution. When you were as wealthy as the Maure's were, you learned quickly to be cautious.

Kivean offered Hava a short bow. "I've got some things to attend to, I'm afraid. Please try to feel at home as you can, and I'll see you later this evening."

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Hava raised her eyebrows, slightly surprised. For some reason, Maure struck her as an 'only child' type of person. She shrugged inwardly and withdrew her hand. Nodding, she replied. "Fine. You go...do whatever it is you do." Giving a small wave with one hand Hava shoved her hands into her slightly too-long jeans and turned around. Now what? She glanced around the room before shrugging- outwardly this time- and opening the door she had come from.

Hava resisted the temptation to scream when she saw the two servants lurking outside the room. Well that explained how Marks had heard him. She gave the both of them a wary grin and squeezed past, looking around the hallway before casting another glance over her shoulder at the two. Huh. Well, they're going on my list of 'People who freak me out' she told herself, looking back in front of her.

She only had time to look over the hall once before the ship rocked again and she leaned against the wall, biting her lip. Stupid boats. Stupid...me getting seasick. Hava hadn't felt her stomach revolting against her before, as apparently sitting down helped it somewhat. Now, however, she was beginning to fear for the safety of Maure's nice carpet. She grinned weakly, and inwardly scolded herself for making jokes about that stuff.
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The girl didn't get far down the hallway before the pair were behind her once again. The large blonde man with the odd handlebar mustache hovered behind her, and Miss Marks was to her side. Neither offered the girl aid, though it was unlikely she'd have accepted it anyways.

"This way, gutter rat." the young woman grumbled. She didn't look particularly pleased with her current task or Hava's continued presense aboard ship, but she obviously wasn't about to question a Maure's direct order either. "Get moving, this way. Servant quarters are on lower E deck, and god help you if you mess that carpet." She had obviously noticed the slight green twinge of seasickness that bothered young Hava.

Marks pointed down the hallway. "Move!"
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Hava jumped and pressed a hand to her heart when Marks spoke. My God... These people are gonna give me a heart attack! She calmed down slightly before what she had said registered in her nausous mind. "Will ya just quit calling me a gutter rat? I mean, geez, I know I'm not as filthy rich as Maure, but seriously! And I could have found it myself," she added, sniffing and trying to ignore her stomach as she stalked forward.

This really wasn't her thing. Taking orders, that is. Hava resisted the urge to glare back over her shoulder at the people, and shoved her hands in her pockets again. She muttered something to herself under her breath, and glanced up at the walls. If not for the insistant rocking of the ship, she would never have known that this wasn't in some building on the ground.
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"I don't trust you not to steal something."

It didn't appear that Hava would be escaping so easily. Miss Marks stepped up along side of her, brushing past and into a leading position. The uniformed young woman glanced over her shoulder to her partner, addressing him over Hava's head.

"I've got this, Zarovich. You stay with Master Kivean, and I'll see that our 'friend' makes it to her quarters without detour."

A grunt of acknowledgment came from behind, followed by heavy footsteps back in the opposite direction. One down, at least, although he certainly seemed to be the less abrasive one. Marks led Hava through a maze of corridors, and although there were directional placards on the wall every so often, it would likely have been somewhat disorienting to someone new to the ship. Eventually they came to a large bare-metal door with a turn-wheel lock on the front of it, jarringly out of place with the decor of the Helene. It bore over it a placard that red simply 'E'. Miss Marks spun the wheel, and pulled the heavy door open with a metallic squeak. She looked to Hava with a slight smirk. "After you."

A long metal ladder stretched downwards from inside the door. The passage down was warm and sticky, uniformly gray and dimly lit. The floor beneath wasn't much different, though it was made of a metal grating that clanked as it was stepped over.
This was E deck.
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Hava frowned but chose to ignore the stealing remark for now. She didn't want to be picking fights on her first day that badly. She settled for following Marks while glaring a hole through her back spitefully. When they reached the door that, Hava assumed, to the E deck she bowed mockingly back to Marks before grabbing onto the ladder.

She stepped carefully down, knuckles turning white as she gripped the cold metal. The ships constant rocking was doing nothing for her nerves. Hava descended and dropped onto the floor with a loud 'clang', and then grinned cheekily up at Marks. She turned back and eyed the passage warily. Gray certainly wasn't on her list of favorite colors, it did wonders the way it knawed on her patience.

Hava twisted her mouth to the side out of habit as she thought, crossing her arms in front of her chest. It doesn't look anything like the upper part of the boat. Guess Maure likes to keep a line between the servants and him. Typical. Hava had always been quick to judge things, and although what she knew about Kivean contradicted the thought, she never could be too sure.
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Miss Marks followed closely behind, most certainly not allowing Hava to escape her sight for even a moment. The girl was prodded from behind, a hand pushing on her shoulder.

"Keep moving. Straight ahead and to the right."

The atmosphere of E deck was certainly less pleasant then that of the rest of the ship, almost to the point of being oppressive. It was quite warm, increasingly so as the pair headed deeper into the bowls of the Helene. Several large pipelines ran along the walls, and there were fire extinguishers every so often. It wasn't exactly a fun place to be.

"Straight ahead and to your right."

Miss Marks continued to funnel directions. The Helene was a big ship, and apparently they'd stationed her somewhere near the bottom.
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Have stumbled slightly when Marks pushed her, shooting a glare over her shoulder as she regained her balence. She walked down the hall, eyes darting everywhere and taking in her surroundings. Real stuffy, ain't it? Great, I'm gonna forget what it's like to be outside after staying down here for too long. She scowled, twisting her mouth to the side in the motion as she turned a right, going around the corner in a lazy arc.

Continuing to follow the woman's directions, because she certainly knows this place better than I do, Hava raked a hand through her hair absent-mindedly. She allowed herself the liberty of reaching out to tap her fingernails on one of the pipes, listening vaguely to the distant hollow sound it made, before withdrawing her arm to clasp it behind her back. Eventually she found herself across from several doors, marked with small signs that she couldn't quite read. Casting a wary glance at her companion, Hava huffed and crossed her arms. "Well?"
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Miss Marks pointed to a door that was, upon closer inspection, labeled E-204.

"There, for now. It's better then you deserve. You're lucky master Kivean has a kinder heart then his sisters."

She brushed past young Hava once again, clipping the girl's shoulder as she strode to the door. It was dull grey metal like the rest of the surroundings, with a hook handle instead of a knob. Marks tugged it down, and with a rending metallic squeal pushed the door in. The room was completely dark as Miss Marks stepped inside, glancing back over her shoulder to ensure Hava hadn't slipped away while she had her back turned.

"The women's shower is on D deck, section three. You can find bathroom facilities down the hall we just passed through and to the left."

A click was heard, and a light flickered on from the room's ceiling. A small chain dangled from the dome-shaped cover for turning it on and off.

"Bed."

Miss Marks pointed to the single bed hidden in a small indentation in the wall.

"Desk."

Directly across from the desk, built into a similar alcove, was a simple metallic desk and chair. All that currently adorned the flat surface was a small lamp.

"Closet's behind the door. Measurements for your uniform will be collected tomorrow morning."

It was a tiny room. Besides the features described there was nothing, and barely room for the two women.

"That's it."

Her tour and thus current assignment complete, Marks simply turned and began to leave. After a few steps she stopped, turning back and stepping directly up into Hava's personal space. Her arms were folded as she stared the girl down.

"Do not, I repeat, DO NOT cause any trouble. I swear that if you give me half a reason, even half, I won't hesitate to crack my foot off in your ass."

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