The Stark Agreement IC

[Lights]

OOC

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The Stark Agreement

6:30am

Beep, beep. Beep, beep. Beep, be- Thump.

Victoria moaned dramatically, after accidently swiping the miniature alarm clock onto the ground in attempt of shutting it off. Mornings were always a drag for Victoria, she could never understand those so called “morning people,” but there was one thing she did understand, and that was, she wasn’t one. Shoving all of the blue-tinted sheets to the end of the too-short couch, Victoria slid into a standing position, stretching her arms straight above her head, in hopes of erasing the results of what sleeping on a rock-hard couch gave you. She quickly pulled her unzipped sweater tightly over her shoulders, and then walked over to the double bed to nudge both of her sisters awake. Though the hotel clerk stated it was a double, Victoria thought that the bed seemed a few inches too short.

“Wakey, wakey...” She said in a very unenthusiastic, sing-song voice before walking into the bathroom. Today the girl’s would meet Vincent Stark, their new employer, for the second time; but this time they wouldn't be leaving.

Housemaids: That’s what they were now, and for who knew how long. Cleaning, or any housework for that matter, was such a tedious chore, Victoria had always thought, and now they would have to do it almost every day.

10 minutes later, Victoria exited the bathroom, showered, dressed, and still rather sleepy. She wore simple black leggings with a white, polyester blouse that reached just below the tops of her thighs, and a long pearl necklace that she kept of their Mother’s. Overall, Victoria was dressed comfortably without looking too comfortable, and that was all that mattered so early in the morning. When Victoria finally returned her gaze to the clock, she realized that it was already 10 after 7.

“We’re late!” she shouted quietly, as she gathered up two of her bags and then one of her sisters'. “I’ll be downstairs getting us a cab.” The door shut behind her and she quickly rushed down the stairs and requested a taxi at the front desk before checking out. Victoria waited outside of the front lobby for the car to arrive, and when it did, luckily her sister’s made it down before so, she helped packed all the bags into the trunk.

"Phew," she breathed out as the car took off; and eventually, not much later, Victoria drifted off into a light sleep.

[KuiKarasu]

Alessa was usually a morning person... Usually... Unfortunately she had been so nervous the previous
night she didn't end up falling asleep until very late which led her to her current predicament of being woken up by her sister.
Determined to not let her lack of sleep stand in the way, she hastily dressed, flitting around Victoria and keeping from running into her.

Finishing buttoning the last button of her black blouse, the 3/4 sleeves flared nicely around her elbows in a similar fashion to how the
bottom hem flared around the waist of her gray slacks. Running hurried fingers through her hair, she brushed her teeth and washed
her face. Nervous still wracked her belly like a dozen butterflies. She'd met Vincent Stark once before, but she couldn't quite recall
the event. Brought back to reality when Victoria called out, she stashed her toothbrush into the little toiletry bag, grabbed her own
luggage, and hurried after her older sibling.

Stashing away the luggage into the trunk of the cab, they squeezed into the backseat. The nervousness doubled as they left, the
future had never before seemed so unknown to her. From this point of she would be a Housemaid, and while she didn't mind it all
that much, she worried about how long they would be there. Determined to push such thoughts out of her mind, she pulled out the
bookmarked novel she had started reading and began to pour through it, diving into a world where men bestowed lovely gifts of
flowers and doting adoration upon women who were beautiful in both mind and body.

[Garinovitch]

“When I bestride him, I soar, I am a hawk: he trots the air; the earth sings when he touches it; the basest horn of his hoof is more musical than the pipe of Hermes.”

― William Shakespeare, Henry V

6:00 AM

The tranquil northbound winds along with the elegant clack of Kerriduen's hooves against the delicate grass pasture of the Stark estate was a soothing, melodious tempo that elated Jayce's every morning. Today was of little difference for the young rider, his hands softly fastened around the reins and horn of Kerri's saddle. The eldest Stark boy was a man of habit, and began his every morning tending to the needs of his prized stallion, and in return, the stallion made every morning a pleasant one, for the stallion was his most prized and cherished friend. Though not usually up this early, the Stark boy had a fair bit of trouble sleeping the night prior, and decided to begin his morning in an earlier fashion than normal. Jayce Stark looked up towards the rising sun, yawning happily as he sat atop the saddle of his horse, Kerriduen.

Jayce rubbed his eyes, "Beautiful sun, too bad I'm not usually awake to see it come up." Jayce shrugged, "Well, I suppose good things are best taken in small doses, right Kerri?"

Kerriduen neighed, the stallion's head cocking slightly backwards. "Right, and you just want me to get up earlier more often so you can have your breakfast earlier." Jayce grinned. "You're lucky if you get me out of bed before eight, there's no way that this is becoming a common trend."

Kerriduen neighed once more, her head drooping down to the grass pasture below. Jayce cackled, amused at the reaction of his horse. Jayce yawned once more as he felt the northbound winds come to an abrupt halt. The Stark boy softly picked up the gray, wool, gatsby cap that he was wearing over his hair, brushing his auburn red hair from his face backwards. Jayce could feel that there was something different about today, though he couldn't quite place his finger on it. He sat there with Kerriduen for a few moments, until he noticed a single, lone cloud stretching across the sky.

"Kerri, you see that cloud? All by itself out in the distance there?" Jayce grinned, "Alone but always moving forward, that's us right there." Jayce smiled as he pat the golden flanks of his cherished friend.

[guster746]

6:15 AM

Zack’s arm hung over the side of his bed as he lay on his satin sheets. His body was loosely wrapped by the blankets, naked above the waist. His body was positioned in such a way that it must have appeared to an outside observer that he had fallen from a great height before landing on his bed, his limbs scattered in whatever direction they wished. As the sun rose it peeked through his shades and cast brilliant bars of gold across his room. Of course… He was far too unconscious to ever notice.

The night before was a blur, like every other night for the young heir. The alcohol was only just being cleansed from his system in the early morning light. He let out a loud snore before rolling over, pulling all the sheets with him. In a crumpled mess of satin and silk he lay. The only real proof that he was alive were the labored breath that occasionally escaped his lips.

He would lie like this for several more hours, no one ever expected him up before lunch. By now most of his family had grown so tired of his antics that they simply left him alone. This was fine really; he never really cared much for family anyways. The distant clop-clop of his brother's riding drifted into his room as he slept…

[InkedWolf]

6:30 AM

Sasha grumbled as she heard her sister's voice. "Tired!" She muttered as she pulled the covers over her head. Her sleep afforded her the luxury of being the last to get ready to meet Vincent Stark. She ran a hand through her frizzy red hair, realizing that the effort to properly comb it was a lesson in futility. She stumbled over to her canvas backpack, she pulled out her outfit for the day.

She wasn't sure what to think about the Stark deal. She went from setting up her paintings at the gallery, to Victoria telling her she needed to pack up her apartment and be ready to move. Thankfully she had paid up her studio for a year, beyond that she didn't know what to do. She always believed in being an artist, now she was a houseworker. Thankfully she had gathered as much art supplies as possible from her studio before the trip. She looked at her coveted denim sketchbook. The bright red ribbon wrapped around the faded grey denim. She got the cover as a gift when she was seven years old. She just kept placing new books in as the year passed by.

Resigned to her fate, she began to get dressed. An emerald green sweater alongside a black dress. A decent enough outfit, should hopefully pass their demands. She picked up her backpack as she looked towards the room. It was the end of Sasha the talented local artist and beginning of Sasha the girl indebted to the Stark's. "Thanks Dad." She muttered as she walked towards the cab. Sitting inside with her sisters. She tried to remain optimistic, maybe it could inspire some new works?

"Here goes nothing..." She cheerfully quipped.

[BigBullCrocker]

5:00AM

Clint woke up. No alarm woke him, he awoke to his own accord. He slid out of his bed and started walking towards the bathroom. After quick shower he got dressed, he wore a black shirt along with black suit trousers and ya' know....black suit shoes. But don't get the wrong idea, he wasn't a goth or anything he just liked the colour black. He walked down the stairs, the place was lonely. He strolled out the front door and entered his car. Then he started driving for his brothers home. He had waken up early for the 3 hour drive down to England.

[Pykuaa]

0:30
The youngest of the Stark boys was awake. Ryan didn't sleep, at least not in any sort of normal fashion. He was looking at the moon and the stars go by on the roof. He had access through his window of his attic room. He liked the room but if it was up to him he would like to have been closer to the rest of the family. Ryan stood up and stretched. He had been laying there of at least thirty minutes and had to do something else. He was getting restless. He climbed down the roof and swung back into his room. It was a small thing, but it was a mess. Papers where spewed about from the desk with seemingly random ones stuck to the walls with tacks. Clothes where on the floor and the bed. He had forbade the help from entering his room and to touch this mess. Sure it was a mess, but it was his mess and it was more organized then one thought. He went over to his bed and looked at the clothes he laid out for today. A green cardigan with navy blue polo and some straight jeans. Till this point he was in his dressing gown and quickly shrugged that off and threw it on the pile of clothes on his bed. Ryan got on his outfit and waded to his desk and sat down and started to write. He need to get at least a little more done today, and he might not have the chance to latter.

5:00
Ryan's hand started to cramp and he needed a break anyways. He stood up and went out his door. Getting outside was tricky from the 'top' floor. Going all the way down the main hall way he then went down a half flight of stairs then snaked his way to an auxiliary hall way went down another half flight or stairs to the third floor. Then he had to walk into main hall and go down spiral stairs case to get to the large stairway there and take that all the way down to the first floor then he could get out of the house. Ryan went to the back garden and sat down on one of the benches there. It was nice out today, and he was in the perfect place to watch the sun more across the sky. He closed his eyes.

6:00
Ryan opened up his eyes with a frown. That was all the sleep he was going to get for today, maybe even tomorrow. He had medication to help him sleep, but the nurse lumped all his pills into one cup and he tried to avoid taking the others. He stood up a stretched again. Too long on the bench. He heard the clop of hooves on grass and for a second wondered who it could be. Then Ryan knew, there could be only one person that would wake up to ride at this hour but, Ryan was surprised he was up at this hour. He made his way over the the sounds and found his brother Jacye. He was a great brother something to be proud of and Ryan was happy to have him as a brother.

"Hey, what are you doing up so early?" He asked staying out of range of the horse. Don't get it wrong. Ryan like horses but, that doesn't mean he wasn't scared of them. When Jayce was just getting into horses Ryan was kicked in the ribs by one and he hasn't been steady by them since. "Couldn't sleep? Today is like that, a change in air. The wind is blowing new things our way. Since you are up, let us get some coffee eh."

[Lights]

Victoria eventually awoke about three-quarters through the car ride and planned on staring out the window for the remaining thirty minutes. Alessa was reading, in which Victoria was curious as to how she did that without feeling nauseous, and Sasha seemed to be doing the same as herself, leaving the trip to the manor as quiet as can be. Twenty minutes later, the pavement turned to dirt, and any site of buildings or houses, seemed to become nonexistent. Victoria was nervous, to say the least, but she took the passing scenery out of the window to advantage, letting the beauty of it soothe her nerves. Sadly, It wasn’t often she was surrounded by nature, but now that she would be, she would enjoy it.

“Look at all that property,” she said, noting that it was quite a bit larger than their old home, while also taking note of all the other luxuries it held; a stables, a pond, a garden, and multiple walking paths...

8:30am

“Ready?” Victoria said, looking to her sisters as the car slowly came to a halt in front of a large, slightly aged, home. Stepping out of the car, Victoria took no time before popping the bags out of the trunk, practically beating the cab driver there. It wasn’t usual that Victoria would rush, but today she knew it was necessary. When the girl’s finally got to ringing the doorbell, it took only seconds before they were greeted by who they recognized as Vincent Stark.

“Ah, the Benassi daughters have finally made it!” Vincent said, as he stepped to the side to allow the girls’ entry. “Just place your bags next to the stairs, and I will have my sons bring them up for you,” he smiled kindly.

“Mr. Stark,” Victoria nodded her head politely with a smile, before dragging her medium red suitcase and matching duffle bag through the door and next to the stairs.

“Please, it’s Vincent!” Opening up a small lid on the wall, Vincent pushed a tiny red button that would send a signal to all the rooms, calling whoever was in them, down. A lazy feature, but it came in handy for such a large house. “Now, right this way. Any questions you have, I will answer, and I will give you your daily schedules, as well. Afterwards, I will formally introduce you to my sons, and you may find your ways around the house; with a map, of course!”

Victoria tried to hide her puzzled expression, which seemed to be peeking out a little too much. No tour? Did he really expect them to find their own ways, with a map? Mentally shaking her head, Victoria followed Vincent down a hallway that went in between the two staircases, which stared directly at the front doors.

“Alright, now here is each of your schedules, including a map and your own personal uniforms. We wouldn’t want to wreck your own clothes, now would we?” Vincent said cheerfully as he handed each of the girl’s a folder placed on top of a neatly folded costume.

[BigBullCrocker]

8:40AM

Clint pulled into the drive way and got out of his car. He held his walking stick in his hand, he didn't need it, he could walk fine but it added a sort of style to him. Also it could be used to whack people across the head if the need arised. He walked along to the front door before stepping back and looking at the architecture of the place. He wasn't exactly impressed, he had been here before for family Christmas dinner and the such and had seen it all before. He looked back to see a car driving off, must have been the new help. He had heard about their story and felt some sympathy for them, still if they didn't do their job right then he would be able to use his walking stick. He rapped on the door three times and waited for someone to answer.

[guster746]

8:35 am

Zack groaned as he heard the haunting buzz! of his father's call. Fortunately no one actually expected him to respond, one of the benefits of being the black sheep of the family. He sat up in bed, rubbing his eyes. His head hurt only a little, a reminder of the vodka he had consumed the night prior. He threw on some pants and wandered over to his bathroom.

Something is supposed to happen today... What was it? He wrecked his mind trying to remember what his father had been talking about the day before. Oh! Today's the day those girls are coming over. He looked in the mirror, practicing his sly smile, before brushing his teeth and giving his hair one nice little shake to turn it into his typical organised mess.

Without even putting on a shirt, he left to go heed his father's call. Now this was a rarity, but today there were girls involved. Walking down the stairs to the front door he saw the three girls. They were all stunningly beautiful, at first Zack was a little taken aback.

"Oh hello Father," He said insincerely, "I suppose these are our guests?"