[center][h1][b][color=DAF6C7]Riona[/color] [color=C4FDB2]&[/color] [color=9AF781]Leo[/color][/b][/h1] [color=C4FDB2]part 2[/color][/center] [color=C4FDB2]Time:[/color] [color=lightgray]Morning [color=C4FDB2]Location:[/color] Guest House [hr] Leo had stopped a few paces before the entrance to the servant’s hall, just close enough to listen in on a good chunk of the conversation. Just as he’d heard enough, Martin placed a hand on his shoulder. [color=696969]“I suggest a breath, Sir.”[/color] [color=9AF781]“My next breath will be to fire all of them. Did you hear them? They all hate me. Slanderous, disloyal, ungrateful, treacherous-”[/color] Leo hissed out a list of faults. Mockery was one thing, but to pick at every crack in the Smithwood house was a betrayal. [color=696969]“Frustrated, milord. And provoked into venting. You have shared similar thoughts.”[/color] Martin pointed out. [color=9AF781]“That’s different.”[/color] [color=696969]“Is it?”[/color] Leo thought about that brief time after he’d learned his father had gone missing but before that leach, Valerie, had started hanging around his mother. [i][color=9AF781]“We were all having dinner last night. Mom, Thea, me, and it was peaceful. No one was arguing, no weird tension, no one yelling. And I realized how quiet the house has been since I’ve been back. I liked it, it felt more like a home than it had in a while. Then I realized why. Now the quiet just makes me agitated.”[/color][/i] It hadn’t ever occurred to him that the servants had also weathered the tumultuous household. There was relief in the air once the Duke was gone, Leo was just the only one resentful of that feeling. But for the servants, much like his mother, it seems they only felt an oppressive weight being lifted. There were also his unadmitted thoughts, nights spent wondering if his mother was involved in his father’s disappearance. It was the simplest explanation, it lined up with how his mother behaved. Flaunted her happiness, when even the maid seemed to notice that both he and Thea still suffered. [color=9AF781]“I will not be surrounded by servants who hate me, Martin.”[/color] Leo said. [color=696969]“You want to hire new servants? Here? Now?”[/color] Martin asked, knowing the answer. [color=696969]“Waste your summer or boost the morale? What’s more efficient?[/color] He calmly pointed out. [color=9AF781]“Throw them a bone,”[/color] Leo said slowly. [color=9AF781]“Treat them more like my hounds and less like untrained mutts.”[/color] [color=696969]“Not exactly,”[/color] Martin said but Leo had already made up his mind on how to fix this issue. Riona nursed her coffee as she told the Smithwood servants about castle life. She painted broad strokes of her experiences, careful not to dip into the muck. Their sympathetic nods and encouraging words warmed her more than the drink in her hands. Glancing down at the steaming liquid in her hands, Riona said, [color=DAF6C7]“It sounds like a tough household to grow up in. Plenty of people turn to vices because of that.”[/color] Unbidden, images of Cal and Anastasia flickered across her mind. A lot of good that did them. She exhaled slowly, [color=DAF6C7]“Can’t outrun your demons forever, though. Here’s hoping Lady Thea finds someone to lean on before she hits that wall.”[/color] Her lips quirked into a wry grin. [color=DAF6C7]“Leo, needs a kick in the butt.”[/color] Ripple of snickers and muttered agreements swept through the group. Once it died down, she added, [color=DAF6C7]“I think there’s still hope for him yet.”[/color] Shocked expressions greeted this declaration. Riona snorted. [color=DAF6C7]“Yeah, I know, I know. Hear me out.”[/color] She traced the rim of her cup. [color=DAF6C7]“First time I gave him a piece of my mind, he could’ve done any number of nasty things. Have me arrested, beat me, whatever his fancy noble ass felt entitled to. But he didn’t. He... talked. Mind you, he didn’t give two sh*ts about what I was saying, but still... it’s more than what some highborns would do.”[/color] Riona met the gazes of the gathered servants. [color=DAF6C7]“If that numbskull ever learns how to listen—really listen, and see people as, well, people… he might just make a decent Duke someday.”[/color] She sighed, swirling the dregs of her coffee. [color=DAF6C7]“Getting him to pull his head out of his ass long enough to pay attention? That’s the real challenge.”[/color] “... Why do you care so much about some spoiled Varian lord?” Riona blinked. [color=DAF6C7]“I don’t—”[/color] The maid who had been walking ahead of Leo stepped into the room, silencing whatever half-formed protest Riona had been about to voice. [color=9AF781]"Attention Smithwood servants,"[/color] Leo entered the room, head aloft as if he'd heard none of their gossip. [color=9AF781]"I have no need for any of you today, graciously I offer you an extra day off to enjoy Sorian. Martin’s apprentice will provide a stipe for your leisure.”[/color] He announced before quickly turning to leave to find his new room. The best way to earn back favor was with gifts; he’d learn that from his father. That was how he’d gotten his first hound; the disappointment of a missed birthday swiftly replaced by the excitement of a puppy. The moment his father pulled a barking ball of wrinkles and fur from a carrier, Leo felt the sharp pangs of guilt for having scowled at his father for returning a few days late. [color=DAF6C7]“You don’t actually take the time to communicate with your servants, do you?”[/color] Riona stepped into the Lordling’s new room, casting away formalities. Leo didn’t answer at first, he only continued to flip through items in his closet, thinking over what he’d wear today. [color=9AF781]“I communicate my wishes, nothing else is required.”[/color] He said, after an extended silence. [color=9AF781]“I pay them to do things and then they do those things. That’s how this works, how it has always worked. Are you meeting with the Queen for tea? Having deep heart to hearts with His Majesty?”[/color] He posed a rhetorical question, the very idea of it absurd. But he recalled catching the strange Count Hendrix washing dishes with the Vikena servants. How the Vikenas were oddly close, overly personable, with their servants, The Vikenas also held a poor reputation, and their eccentricities seemed unwise to replicate. Riona’s brow furrowed as she watched Leo rifle through his closet, her lips pressed into a thin line. [color=DAF6C7]“I said communicate, not bark orders or hold one-sided conversations,”[/color] she said pointedly. Striding over to the shoe rack cabinet, she pulled out several pairs and laid them out for the lordling’s perusal. [color=DAF6C7]“Paying them doesn’t earn you loyalty. Giving them wages is the bare minimum you do as their employer.”[/color] She glanced up at Leo, gauging his reaction. [color=DAF6C7]“As their future Duke, you need to be more than just the one signing their checks.”[/color] Funny, he didn’t remember appointing a maid as his advisor. Leo only shrugged as a response. He selected a shirt and suit for the day, then silently looked over the shoes Riona had laid out. His silence only fueled her. [color=DAF6C7]“Or else you’ll end up surrounded by people who won’t mourn you when you’re gone. Who’ll be willing to betray you for a single copper more than what you pay them. Worse, they’ll stab you in the back for even less—and smile while doing it.”[/color] When Leo finally selected a pair, Riona scooped up the rejected options, returning them to their precise spots on the rack. [color=DAF6C7]“You can’t honestly believe that buying affection is more effective than earning it, can you?”[/color] She softened her voice. [color=DAF6C7]“Haven’t you ever wished for... I don’t know, actual time with someone? Something more meaningful than another shiny distraction?”[/color] Leo inspected the bottom of his shoes ensuring no slipper coating had been applied. It hadn’t. [color=9AF781]“I spend enough of my time doing things I don’t want to do. Is it so unreasonable to expect them to do as they were hired? Without betrayal? They are fed, housed, paid; that should earn gratitude.”[/color] He countered, frustrated with the fact that even though it made perfect sense his servants were clearly disloyal. Riona sighed as she unfolded the privacy screen, its ornate panels creaking softly. [color=DAF6C7]“With that attitude?”[/color] While Leo stepped behind it and she went to fetch the lint brush. [color=9AF781]“Do you know how exhausting it is? Conversing with people I don’t like? Laughing at Count Hansen’s jokes? Listening to Count Mäkinen drone on about wine pairings? Smile at the same people who whisper that my mother is some sort of secret murderer behind our backs?”[/color] He continued, ignoring her comment. [color=DAF6C7]“Sounds an awful lot like the average day of any servant working under someone they don’t particularly like.”[/color] She heard fabric rustling as Leo changed. [color=9AF781]“Now I should do the same with servants? You expect me to believe they want quality time with me?”[/color] He snorted, shook his head, and draped discarding clothing over the top of the screen [color=9AF781]“Let’s test that, you go ahead and say whatever else is on your mind, and then tell me if you’ve gained any loyalty towards me after this conversation.”[/color] After a pause, he heard her say, [color=DAF6C7]“Okay.”[/color] Then take a breath. [color=DAF6C7]“Loyalty is earned through mutual respect,”[/color] she explained as plain and simple as possible. Riona busied herself with smoothing out a wrinkle on her dress, giving her hands something to do as she waited for Leo to finish dressing. [color=DAF6C7]“You say they should be grateful for feeding, housing, and paying them. Then why aren’t you grateful to them for cooking your meals, maintaining your house, paying their taxes—which, mind you, come back as part of their wage?”[/color] She lifted her chin, staring at the folding screen. [color=DAF6C7]“Leo, I’m not suggesting you be their best friend. Just... treat them like people. With dignity. You might be surprised how far that goes.”[/color] Leo said nothing as Riona addressed him far too casually. He let the privacy screen become a barrier, not unlike a confessional booth, one that let him imagine he was not considering taking advice from some maid. He chuckled at her words as he buttoned up his shirt, not because he found it funny but because he saw an unwanted point there. People were more loyal to those they liked. [color=9AF781]“It’d be fake, just another thing I’d have to do for the results, to gain loyalty. I guess that is what everyone wants; royals, nobles, commoners, to watch everyone around them engaged in the same performance.”[/color] Maybe Riona had a point, there were no breaks from the performance, not on vacation and not even within one’s home. The last thing he needed was a house full of treacherous servants. Riona couldn’t help it. The laugh burst out of her, sharp and sudden. It should’ve been bitter, all thorns and vinegar, but instead it charged with disbelief. [color=DAF6C7]“Gods,”[/color] she muttered, dragging her fingers through her hair. The motion sent her carefully crafted bun unraveling, dark curls tumbling free. Screw it. She was off-duty, more or less. [color=DAF6C7]“How full of yourself are you that treating folks like people is actually a job for you?”[/color] Leo let out a heavy sigh at her laughter, it seemed foolish to expect a maid could understand how tiring the burden of nobility could get. [color=9AF781]“I will serve them one day, as their Duke. My whole life, my every action, every thought, dedicated to best serving Stravy. They are more than people, they are an obligation I am beholden to.”[/color] He admitted as he finished dressing. That… was not what Riona expected to hear. [color=9AF781]“Why do you care? About what I do, how I treat my servants? What’s your stake in this?”[/color] Leo asked, remaining behind the partition, inspecting his jacket for lint or loose threads. The answer burned in Riona’s throat. She wanted to matter. To prove that she could make a difference, regardless of her bloodline. That she wasn’t still that helpless kid watching her world burn. How, even knowing vengeance led to only death and destruction, she craved to leave one good mark behind before her time was up. She could’ve said all that and more but instead, she said, [color=DAF6C7]“Right, because you don’t treat people below your station, who aren’t your servants, with utter contempt?”[/color] The sarcasm dripped from her voice. [color=DAF6C7]“Please.”[/color] [color=9AF781]“You chose to introduce yourself to me by scraping muck onto my shoes and calling me an idiot, by your own standards you did not invite respect. I do not go around provoking commoners for fun.”[/color] He answered. [color=DAF6C7]“Nor do I expect you to,”[/color] Riona shot back, [color=DAF6C7]“I didn’t do that to gain your respect. I wanted to make damn sure you remembered what this ‘random commoner’ had to say.”[/color] She folded her arms over her chest. [color=DAF6C7]“That’s your problem. You provoke without even realizing it. You’re so sure you’re in the right, you can’t even see how much of a spoiled ass you can come across as.”[/color] Leo only rolled his eyes at that response, he had a different opinion on who was provoking whom. Not hearing much movement from behind the screen, Riona rapped her knuckles against the panel. [color=DAF6C7]“I’m coming in,”[/color] she warned, giving Leo a heartbeat to object before she rounded the corner. There he stood, neck craned at an awkward angle, trying to check out his backside. Riona stepped in, brandishing the lint brush. [color=DAF6C7]“Allow me,”[/color] she said and started at his back. As she worked, methodically brushing away lint and loose threads, she continued. [color=DAF6C7]“How one treats their servants often reflects how they treat everyone else. It’s a pretty good indicator of what kind of leader you’ll be.”[/color] Her hands moved efficiently, working their way around to his front. She just finished with his arms, a thought slipped out. [color=DAF6C7]“You know, the way you talk, it’s like you can’t stand a single person in Stravy.”[/color] The offhand remark sparked something in her mind. A ridiculous thought. Completely absurd, given how much value he placed on being the next Duke of Stravy. And yet... The way he described dealing with people, nobility or not, as an exhausting performance… Riona looked up at him, her brow furrowed. [color=DAF6C7]“Do you…”[/color] she hesitated, hardly believing she was asking this, [color=DAF6C7]“even want to be Duke?”[/color] [color=9AF781]“I will be the next Duke, there is no use in wondering if I want that or not, it will happen. I want to do right by my family and by Stravy.”[/color] Leo answered, and never once had he ever thought about not becoming a duke. He often avoided thinking about his future but not stepping up when his time came was never an option. [color=DAF6C7][i]That… wasn’t a yes.[/i][/color] Which surprised her. [color=DAF6C7]“Leo…”[/color] she began to say as her gaze dropped to the floor. [color=9AF781]“Riona,”[/color] He paused and offered a polite and hollow smile as he addressed her. [color=9AF781]“You have surprisingly good hair.”[/color] He added before circling back to the topic at hand. Her head snapped up so fast she nearly gave herself whiplash. [color=DAF6C7][i]What the hells? Where did that come from?[/i][/color] Riona’s fingers found their way to her hair, suddenly self-conscious. She took an involuntary step back, studying Leo’s face. That smile. She recognized that particular brand of polite emptiness; it was the kind of mask she’d seen a thousand times. Her lips pursed. [color=9AF781]“That’s how this all works, nobles get to live extravagant lives in exchange for caring for our land, and its people. Houses that fail to live up to that fall. Sometimes violently, sometimes they slowly crumble, but I will not allow my house to fall. I am required to see my people as a collective, not worry about the whims of individuals, but to meet the needs of the masses and keep Stravy progressing. It is not malicious, it is practical.”[/color] He kept still as he spoke, his posture impeccable, and his words coated in the smugness of someone who knew they were right. [color=DAF6C7]“When creating policies, sure, you’ve got to look at the big picture,”[/color] she conceded. [color=DAF6C7]“But you can’t just lump people all together when it’s one-on-one. You’re dealing with flesh and blood, not the collective.”[/color] She gave him a once-over, checking if she brushed every lint and stray hair off. [color=DAF6C7]“Look, if you insist on seeing everything as some grand machine, fine. But remember: even the tiniest gear can bring the whole thing crashing down.”[/color] She smoothed out a wrinkle in his lapel and adjusted his collar. [color=DAF6C7]“And like it or not, you, m’lord, are just as much a cog in the contraption as anyone else. Might want to oil those connections with your fellow parts before you break something you can’t fix.”[/color] [color=9AF781]“I am not a cog, Riona, I operate the machine, I replace the faulty gears.”[/color] He corrected the analogy, choosing to leave out that problems also arose when the masses thought they were equals with nobility. She shook her head. [color=DAF6C7]“You are. The machine is the dukedom. And you are just a cog.”[/color] A finger jabbed his chest with each word. [color=DAF6C7]“Just. Like. Us.”[/color] Riona smirked, [color=DAF6C7]“The collective.”[/color] He lightly swatted her hand away from him. [color=9AF781]“Agree to disagree.”[/color] He shrugged, some things weren’t worth the argument. [color=9AF781]“And now that we have conversed like people, I have even asked you about yourself, although you avoided my questions, and I have said something nice to you. Do feel more loyalty toward me now?”[/color] He asked, expecting a resolute no from the maid. [color=DAF6C7]“Compared to before?”[/color] She lifted her chin, held Leo’s gaze, almost defiantly and answered, [color=DAF6C7]“Yes.”[/color] [color=DAF6C7]“I felt heard. I felt seen. I got to know a little about you and I respect the effort. You’ll get better with practice.”[/color] The privacy screen creaked as she folded it. [color=DAF6C7]“Since we’re building trust here, I’ll give you the short answer to the [i]one question[/i] you asked: I care, because I’m selfish.”[/color] [color=9AF781]“Selfish?”[/color] He repeated what he considered a nonanswer with a snort. [color=9AF781]“Your answer is you have the same motivation as everyone else? What kind of selfish are you? Just interested in venting your frustrations out on a random nobleman? Or is your interest in extortion? Hoping I’ll try and grease the faulty gear to behave so I can look good in front of Lady Morrigan?”[/color] Leo admired himself in the mirror, considering that might be the easiest remedy. [color=DAF6C7]“... We could’ve ended on a high note too.”[/color] Riona sighed and put the lint brush away. [color=DAF6C7]“I don’t care about those things and I certainly don’t give a damn about Morrigan.”[/color] [color=9AF781]“So it’s not money that you want?”[/color] He asked for clarification, disappointment evident that he could not simply pay the problem, known as Riona, to simply go away. [color=DAF6C7]“No.”[/color] The maid answered flatly. [color=9AF781]“You’d rather I keep talking to you instead of a bribe?”[/color] He looked away from the mirror and watched for any sign that monetary gain might tempt her away from whatever game she played. [color=9AF781]“And in exchange you will stop trying to make me look incompetent?”[/color] An annoying agreement but if it kept Morrigan off his case it might be worth it. [color=DAF6C7]“I am not responsible for your competence.”[/color] Riona’s hand was inches from the doorknob when she stopped. She let out a long-suffering sigh and spun on her heel to face Leo. [color=DAF6C7]“But if [i]you[/i] want to work on not being a total asshat then let’s practice talking and we’ll see where that takes us. Deal?”[/color] Her hand thrusted out, daring him to take it. Leo looked at her hand as if he were being offered a dirty rag. He craned his neck to inspect it for cleanliness, remembering the dreadful horse muck incident. Ah, so predictable. [color=DAF6C7]“It’s too late now. I already touched your clothes.”[/color] [color=9AF781]“Fine, deal.”[/color] He said before stepping forward and shaking her hand. He could imagine Morrigan laughing at him for this, almost heard it in his head, but managed not to grimace as he pulled his hand back. [color=9AF781]“And name-calling is provoking, just so you know.”[/color] Leo added, unable to hold that one back, the beginning of a smile at the corners of his mouth. Riona smirked back, [color=DAF6C7]“Didn’t say I won’t call you out when you need it.”[/color] she said, her hand already on the doorknob. [color=DAF6C7]“Till tomorrow, Leo.”[/color] With that, she slipped out, the soft click of the latch punctuating her exit. In the corridor, Riona allowed herself a small, satisfied smile.[/color] [hider=TLDR]Riona and Leo attempt to have a conversation like reasonable humans. It could've gone worse. [img]https://31.media.tumblr.com/a8de0f183b007e54f56a24ca8193d40c/tumblr_mtlys5g9ZX1spq7vdo1_500.gif[/img] [/hider]