EasilyAmused

Fighting all odds |SinfulSkills & Xion Demente|

The look on Holly’s face was a priceless one. When it comes to fighting, she was used to being in the ring with a woman who traditionally couldn’t outmatch her in strength. However, Cole wasn’t a woman and his quick movement on her was surprising. She found herself under him staring up and as he brought his fist back, she brought her foot up placing it against his ribs but not pushing. “Well,” She began, staring up at him in surprise. “This should be quiet interesting to say the least. Boss seemed to like you to some degree so you can’t be too bad.”

“So you’re quick, you have good balance but you can’t take too many hits.” She repeated in a blunt fashion before a smirk moved across her face. “How’s your dodging? Because if you can avoid getting hit that should be the route we take; I can’t throw punches enough to make you stronger and I really don’t feel like taking you to a school yard and have the kids beat you up but I can help you master your speed and balance.” Tilting her head, her dark brown eyes stared up at him. “Sound like a plan?”

Welcome to Louisville (Sinfulskills and Xion Demente)

Lily listened to Chris’s story as they went through the coop and collected the eggs together. That was like her pa, looking out for those who needed it and offering jobs to those who are willing to work. A smile crept across Lily’s full lips as she thought about how her pa use to donate food to local food drives and sold a good amount of his crops at the local market for much lower than he should. Her father would always complain that pa was ‘giving away the farm’ but he never said anything about it directly to his father. Instead he just laughed it off and let the man do as he pleased.

“I’m sure my pa is really happy you stayed.” She said with a nod as she collected a few more eggs and carefully put them into the basket. “I’m just here for a visit; I’ll be here for a week or two just to get away from it all.” Her voice was a little melancholy as she spoke. Half of her wanted to be here to relax and enjoy the countryside but the other half wasn’t too sure about actually being here, why did her parents insist she leave anyway? “Actually I love in New York City with my parents. You wouldn’t guess by talking to my dad that he grew up here but he did.” With that she placed the last bit of eggs into the basket and picked it up. “Thanks for your help Chris, it was a pleasure meeting you and I’m sure we’ll cross paths again.”

At that the two parted ways before Lily skipped back to her pa’s house and entered it. It wasn’t but long before the blonde shoved the front door open and walked in a shocked daze out onto the porch, down the steps and into the front yard. Her head hanging low, her steps little and her hands shaking she sat herself on the single swing hanging from an old tree and stared down at her hands in her lap. Was what she just heard… real?

Princess.... what? |CharmingDevil & EasilyAmused|

Name: Chosen Princess Melanie Ashland
Age: 25
Appearance:

Bio: Melanie was entered in by her friends into the opportunity to become princess of the country. Why? Well she lost her parents when she was younger and grew up in a coffee house with the owners who knew her parents. Melanie’s friends filled out the paperwork and turned it in. Next thing she knew she was being called in for an interview. Completely unfazed by the letter and nearly 100% sure that it was a joke, she went to the place and met with a good amount of people interviewing her. Including but not limited to speaking with the king’s adviser and a few bureaucrats. Before heading home. Yeah right… this isn’t going to happen… at least that’s what she thought until the royal carriage came to retrieve her because she was chosen.

Personality: She spent a lot of time hiding her emotionally feelings towards her parents unexpected death in a bad fire. She never knew much about her parents considering they passed away when she was 10 but she found that her parents were former high ranking bureaucrats. She loves to have fun, goof off and play around. Humor was her biggest weapon to hide her depression and now getting thrown into being a princess and ‘princess duties’ as she had been informed of, she now had more responsibility and while she wants to take his seriously; she finds herself goofing off much more than she had expected.

Princess.... what? |CharmingDevil & EasilyAmused|

Today was a day just like any other day. Melanie Ashland woke up in the small house she lived in with her grandparents before getting ready for the day. After washing her face the copper hair colored woman stared at her reflection in the mirror. Her friends had mailed in an application to become the new princess. The king, who lost his queen a while back, never had a child; so he placed the chance to the citizens to become the next prince or princess. Despite her ignoring her friends, they entered her into the contest.

The first interview went well --- she guessed. She enjoyed talking to the people because they recognized her name and knew her parents. While it was sad to hear about her parents, she enjoyed the bureaucrats sharing stories of their parents and some even had the time to share adventures they shared with either her mother or her father. The men and women she had the pleasure of talking to where enjoyable conversationalist and she left in a good mood. The following day she had another interview; this time with the king’s advisor and soon the king himself joined the interview! Melanie had never felt so nervous in her life then when the king walked in and joined them. However he was very kind and gentle with the way he spoke to her. Now she was at home, staring at her reflection in the mirror wondering what was going to happen today? More coffee and tea orders at the bistro but it was a job and she was earning money.

Sighing she dressed in a simple brown dress with a white lace around her middle and a bow tied in the back, she slipped on a simple pair of shoes, pulled her copper hair back into a pony tail with a ribbon and left the house to meet up with her grandparents.

“I’m here!” She announced as she walked into the little shop and shut the door behind her.

“Oh good morning Melly.” Her grandmother called out as she popped up from behind the counter giving the young maiden a fright. Her grandmother laughed lightheartedly at her granddaughter. “You’re always so jumpy.”

“When you pop out of nowhere it’s easy to be jumpy!”

“Hey kiddo.” A voice said behind her and Melanie let out a shriek and jumped away from the noise, only to have her grandfather laugh at her as he carried in a bag. “She’s right, you are jumpy.”

“Excuse me I’m not jumpy you two show up out of nowhere!” Melanie attempted to defend herself only to find herself laughing along. And that’s how her day began.

Half the day went by and Melanie was measuring out tea leafs making a new mixture for the store before the bell went off. “Welcome to…” She began before she made eye contact with the man who walked in. “Sir Alfred?” Melanie said in confusion as the King’s advisor walked in.

“Hello Miss Melanie, I’m here to escort you to the palace.” The well-dressed Victorian man with white hair said with a small bow and gestured towards the door, the king’s carriage waiting outside. Reaching into his jacket pocket he pulled out an envelope and presented it to her grandparents who showed up after hearing Melanie’s confusion. “You’ll find everything you need in these documents.” He said with a polite nod before holding the door open for Melanie.

“Well… if it’s from the King.” Her grandfather said and took the things Melanie was working on and gestured for her to go.

“Okay…” Melanie’s voice was filled with confusion and went out the door, the footman let her into the carriage and as the door shut she looked out the window to see her grandparent’s reaction, they looked shocked as they read through the documents and began to ask Sir Alfred questions. “Wait what’s going on?” She asked in shock.

“Don’t worry about it princess,” The footman said as he climbed onto the back of the carriage, “Sir Alfred will meet us at the palace when he’s finished explaining things.”

“Oh okay.” Melanie said settling back against the comfortable seat before everything finally registered. “WAIT WHAT!?” Melanie’s face and dark blue eyes were pressed against the glass watching the bistro disappear into the distance and this was the start of her new life.

Not Your Average Butler... [EasilyAmused x Knuxieh]

He was a bit surprised to hear that today was ‘great’. It didn’t seem that great a few hours ago when she left. He had said things to upset her and he didn’t mean to. But something must have happened that caused her to relax. Maybe she understood after thinking it over where he was coming from. He slide his watch back into his pocket and turned to leave… that was until she spoke her, what could best be taken as an invitation.

His sharp blue eyes shot to her and watched her move through the apartment finding her small karaoke machine and set it up. Alright, alright; he got the picture. A small smile moved across his fine lips especially when her song began and she had chosen You’ve got a friend in me. Waiting for a moment, he pulled off his white gloves and folded them elegantly before placing them into his pocket. Walking to the machine he picked up the additional microphone and joining in. Despite his quiet voice, James was quite a good singer and they finished the song together.

Three songs in and the laughter took over as they were being too silly for their own good. By the end of the forth song he turned his attention to her, “I have to know, why do you want to be friends?” His voice held a bit of disbelief as he spoke turning off the microphone. “Being friends with your employee isn’t common…” He placed the microphone back on the stand and offered his hand to take hers. Not to mention it was now one in the morning.

Not Your Average Butler... [EasilyAmused x Knuxieh]

When she thanked him for the food he gave her a small nod, the corners of his lips curled up into a small smile. Before giving her a nod, “You don’t need to thank me; it’s my job as a butler.” Though he said those words, his smile said that he did like being appreciated. As she enjoyed her bath James hummed to himself as cleaned the dishes by hand and put them away.

After that he met her in the living room and continued to straighten up the house as she enjoyed reading her book. He had refrained from humming again as he cleaned. Time seem to go by quickly despite their peaceful silence and James put away the cleaning supplies before reaching into his pocket and looked down at his watch. He turned his attention to Freya. “Miss, do you need anything else before I leave?” He had remade her bed and straightened up from putting away things and cooking, he felt like the house was in good shape for her to be comfortable.

Ding, ding, ding, ding The chimes of his pocket watch went off 12 times indicating midnight had arrived but he wasn’t going to leave if she needed something else.

Not Your Average Butler... [EasilyAmused x Knuxieh]

Once Freya chose the scent he picked up the basket and gave her a small nod of recognition that she could begin to eat. With that he disappeared into the bathroom and prepared her a bath. There was no doubt that she felt bad for the conversation they had before she left the room. Freya wore her emotions on her face and it was like watching a live TV show seeing her expressions change so much. Taking his time while she ate, he prepped a beautiful bath for her.

The bathroom was lit with candles, the lavender and vanilla oil and white rose pedals. Into her room he went, collecting a pair of pajama bottoms, a comfortable top and her fluffy robe. Going back into the bathroom, he laid out the things delicately on the counter and flicked on the radio to soft music. Exiting the prepared bathroom he let out a small sigh as he shot the door. She may have not feel like he did anything wrong but hopefully she’ll understand that he put in this extra work to her bath as an apology for making her feel so… off.

Walking back to the kitchen, he waited patiently until she finished her dinner and stood up from her seat. “Your bath is ready.” He said with a small bow and gesturing for her to leave the kitchen. Once she left, he took his place at the sink and began to watch her plate, silverware and cup by hand and finishing up the rest the utensils he had used to make her dinner. Hopefully she was enjoying her bath.

Not Your Average Butler... [EasilyAmused x Knuxieh]

“Good I’m glad you’re feeling better. Enjoy your awkward Cinderella story. Text me if you need anything.” Annie said with a giggle in her voice as she hung up the phone. Hopefully Freya didn’t mention anything about their conversation or she was going to get an earful from James about talking about his personal life. Shaking her head she fell back onto her bed and took a deep breath feeling relaxed after a long day’s work.

James was finishing up dinner by the time he heard a knock on the door. His eyebrows rose as he glanced towards the exit of the kitchen and into the hallway. He waited for another knock before he left his post but heard the door open. It had to be Freya and sure enough her voice echoed through the house as she entered. James’s whole body tensed as she walked back into the kitchen. When she apologized for running off he shook his head. “You went for a walk, and you came back. You have no reason to apologize.” He prepared the plate for her and poured her a cool glass of strawberry lemonade before placing the plate and drink on the table.

“Tonight is lemon orange grilled salmon over Italian seasoned linguini with strawberry lemonade to drink.” James said as he pulled out the chair for her in front of the beautiful plate he took pride in. Once she sat down he disappeared from the room and reappeared with a small basket full of little bottles. “Before you eat please tell me which one you like the most.” The basket had seven different bottles of oils in it. He stood aside patiently waiting for her to make her choice.

Not Your Average Butler... [EasilyAmused x Knuxieh]

Annie, hearing this let out a long sigh which matched her brothers with an uncanny resemblance. “Look, Freya… James and I have… been through a lot. If he’s even mentioned even the slightest about him not being a good person than I’m sure you’ve received a long lecture with information that didn’t quite make sense. James is not really good at sharing his feelings so bear with him please.” Crossing her legs on her bed she tapped her fingers against the fabric as she listened to Freya and took everything in that she had to say.

“Okay first off, James won’t be mad at you so I wouldn’t call it a ‘fight’, it’s more like a misunderstanding. And going there wasn’t a mistake; you’re not the only one benefiting from this but…” She bit her lower lip before continuing. “I’m not supposed to tell you this but your dad agreed to pay for James to study culinary while he’s working under you. So don’t be surprised if James starts putting more ingredients in your house; things you’ve never heard of or don’t even know what to do with. Because, if I know my brother…” She lets out a giggle, “He’ll be feeding you all the foods he’s learning how to make and your pallet will go insane with delight. Especially when he hits desserts! Honestly, kinda jealous right now.”

“Freya listen, take a couple deep breathes and listen to me. James can’t be your friend… while he’s working. However, he does take days off; when he’s not with you it will be me. So we can girl out and paint our toenails and blah blah blah. However, his job is done at Midnight, from midnight until the time he re-enters your apartment he is no longer a butler and more importantly he is no longer your butler.” A smile moved across Annie’s lips as she continued to speak. “When you get home just take a couple deep breathes before going inside. James will be back to his butler-self and will most likely have dinner ready and a bath drawn for you. Eat your food, take your bath and know that when his pocket watch goes off he’s officially off work. Then bring up the topic of a friendship and tell him you understand the separation between personal and professional life, word it like that and he will understand where you’re coming from. I know you Freya, you’ll think too hard on this, stress yourself out then blurt out things you don’t mean and feel horrible about it later. When you and I decided to become friends, it was important that we didn’t let the other staff members see how close we got. It’s the same thing except James feels like he has a lot more to lose. Respect his time when he’s being a butler but I feel confident in saying that you will be met with a positive response at Midnight.” She took a deep breath and spoke softly, “Freya… honey, do you feel better?”

Fighting all odds |SinfulSkills & Xion Demente|

Once in the ring she moved her neck to one side, her spine cracking in a rhythmic pattern before she cracked her knuckles as if prepping for a fight. The way he spoke was a bit surprising; it reminded her of boss and how he spoke. He practically raised her and showed her the most love and support she never thought she’d receive after her parents died. Staring down the man for a moment she observed him. He was larger than her by height and width but he seemed to have a good amount of balance despite his size. That’s a good thing to know.

Reaching out she took his hand but didn’t lift it in a shake. Instead she went under it, twisted his arm and kicked his legs out from under him. As soon as he hit the mat, she climbed on top of his back keeping his arm tightly behind his back. “Holly, Holly Roberts. My skills are pinning technics and submissions. I’d have to say my weaknesses are my swings and kicks, I could probably use some tips and practice on that but I’m a squirmy individual and I can get out of things fast. What about you?”