[center][h1][b][color=DAF6C7]Ríoghnach "Riona"[/color][/b][/h1][color=DAF6C7]Location:[/color] Outside the Castle [color=DAF6C7]Time:[/color] 09:30 [color=DAF6C7]Interaction:[/color] Leo[@Helo]; Sadie[@Potter]; Verrick[@Aerandir][/center] When she reached for the arrogant lord, Riona deliberately moved slowly, expecting him to recoil from her. Instead, Lord Smithwood’s grip on her wrist took Riona aback. She wondered if she had crossed the line. The pressure building on her wrist certainly suggested she did. Triumph and amusement masked the silver of fear coursing through her. She won. A small victory over a Varian noble, sure, but an “insignificant nobody” getting under his skin was still a victory. This type of victory was not without a cost—a steep price for commoners—but a broken wrist felt cheaper than the usual exchange rate. Riona braced herself for the pain that never came. [color=9AF781]“Enjoy this.”[/color] Lord Smithwood spat out after he released her. [color=9AF781]“Let it bring you comfort when you return to whatever hovel you crawled out of, and I continue to enjoy every comfort –”[/color] [color=lightcoral]“Princess SAADDIIEE has arrived!”[/color] The two turned their attention to Sadie, the cyclone of cheeriness herself. Riona relaxed as the Varian princess approached and returned the warm smile Sadie gave her. The smile would’ve remained there if the princess hadn’t moved in to touch the filthy maidservant. Riona tried to take a step back, even raising her hands to show Sadie why it’d be a terrible idea to touch her right now. [color=DAF6C7]“Miss Sadie, wai—”[/color] But Sadie, being Sadie, didn’t care about Riona’s unhygienic state. It was also possible she didn’t notice at all, too excited by seeing familiar faces. Or both. Both were just as likely. The servant flinched on contact, and she tried again to draw attention to her dirty hand. [color=lightcoral]“You also smell like horses and manure.”[/color] [color=DAF6C7]“I—”[/color] [color=lightcoral]“Do you need to take a shower?”[/color] [color=DAF6C7]“Ye—”[/color] [color=lightcoral]“You could use the one in my room!”[/color] [color=DAF6C7]“Tha—”[/color] [color=lightcoral]“A pretty lady like you deserves it!”[/color] Riona’s cheeks turned a tinge rosy. She wasn’t used to being called pretty. Rarely did anyone say that to her, especially without a hidden agenda. Something which Sadie lacked. Her casual compliment only made Riona more self-conscious. Pretty was a word to describe other people and things, not her. Riona cleared her throat. [color=DAF6C7]“Thank you, Miss Sadie. For the compliment and offer, but—Oof!”[/color] The force of being pulled into a group hug made Riona lose her balance. To avoid toppling everyone over, Riona’s hand landed on Lord Smithwood’s back to steady herself. Not how she envisioned greeting a friend, but she reciprocated the princess’s hug and stealthily wiped the rest of the mess off her hand on the lord’s back. The ruined outfit might as well be useful for something. [color=lightcoral]“I heard there are pancakes in the park! How exciting! And the Alidasht kingdom is here too? And they have the taste of Alidasht? So cool! Who wants to go with me? Oh, and isn’t there an archery competition? Amazing!”[/color] Despite herself, Riona caught Sadie’s contagious excitement about the day’s events—even though she doubted she’d be able to participate in any of them. The lord’s voice instantly put a damper on that feeling. [color=9AF781]“I’d say I am looking forward to seeing the horse race, Princess. A beautiful thing, the symbiotic relationship between master and animal, to see the horse run as it was built to do, and its master lead it towards success in their shared discipline.”[/color] The grin directed at her didn’t go unnoticed. Riona smiled graciously at the lord. [color=DAF6C7]“And what separates the winners from the losers is how well they take care of the steed’s overall well-being. I mean… it’d not be a proper race if the horse flings its master off and he’s forced to run all the way to the goal on his own feet, now, would it?”[/color] The maid glanced down at his shoes. [color=DAF6C7]“At least you don’t have to worry about ruining your shoes.”[/color] They held onto their respective smiles during the brief but heavy silence. [color=9AF781]“Perhaps we’ll continue this conversation on horses, though I wouldn’t want to keep you from your duties, I’m sure there are better uses for your time.”[/color] Just as Lord Smithwood attempted to excuse himself, another man appeared out of thin air. He looked familiar. Riona knew she saw him during the ball. She just couldn’t match the face with a name. She was halfway through the guest list when the silver-haired man spoke to her. [color=2B822F]“Perhaps there is a water trough the Lord can wash up in? I’m sure he would appreciate it.”[/color] Riona crossed her arms and looked at Lord Smithwood, [color=DAF6C7]“[i]Will he?[/i] I’d imagine that’d be a first.”[/color] As tempting as it was to stand there until he said the magic word, she knew she’d be wasting more than just her and Lord Smithwood’s time, so she relented. The maid said to Sadie that she’d be [i]back in a jiffy[/i] and left. A short while later, Riona returned with a hand washing cup in one hand and a lavender-scented hot towel in the other. She shoved the cup in Lord Smithwood’s hands, not caring if water spilled all over him or if he dropped it, then spun around to face Sadia with a genuine smile. She offered her now clean hand to the princess, [color=DAF6C7]“hand please.”[/color] As she cleaned Sadia’s hands with the greatest of care, Riona said, [color=DAF6C7]“It’s good to see you, Miss Sadia. You had me worried when you didn’t show up yesterday.”[/color] Riona double-checked her work. Her keen sense of spotting a mess, honed through the years of housecleaning, hunted for any remaining filth. [color=DAF6C7]“I’m still technically working my shift, so I won’t be able to join you, but maybe we can meet later?”[/color] Satisfied with the results, Riona clasped her hands around Sadia’s, [color=DAF6C7]“I’d love to catch up with you.”[/color] She stepped away once, then quickly removed a rogue blotch from the fine dress with the towel, before completely stepping away. [color=DAF6C7]“You know where to find me.”[/color] When Riona faced the Woodsman with a nobleman’s title, her posture straightened. [color=DAF6C7]“Good day to you, Lord O’hare.”[/color] She bowed with such grace that the head housekeeper and the Vos would’ve been proud of her. Which only highlighted the fact that the maid offered none of these to Lord Smithwood. She didn’t address him—not verbally, at least—and her bearings didn’t reflect a shred of respect for the heir of Stravy. She even considered not acknowledging the highborn, just as he likely often ignored everyone below his station. Riona placed her hand on her hip and looked at him with utter contempt instead. The maid’s farewell to this particular lord was a short huff through the nose—nothing more, nothing less. The maidservant left the three Varian nobles behind, head held high.