The Brat at La Fay Manor (Private Rp with jsaw)

[KathyKane]

Tsukiko Ishimura sighed as the taxi she rented came to a stop in front of a tasteful gate at the edge of the La Fay Mansion grounds. The mansion looked expansive even from so far back, only two stories tall but wide and large with many windows set in handsome old fashioned panes. It was a dusky fall morning, just a hint of a chill in the air, and the kind of grey you couldn't be sure would clear by noon or go on the whole live-long day.

"Damn stupid weather, I wouldn't have overslept if it weren't so cloudy." Tsukiko muttered this justification to herself, ignoring the fact that she'd neglected to set her alarm or tell room service to wake her and the thick hotel curtains of the room she'd stayed at would have blocked out even bright mid-day sunlight. "Security needs your ID dear." The taxi driver was a pretty and professional looking lady in a checker-patterned top. Tsukiko couldn't remember ever having ridden with a female taxi driver before, and certainly not one so professional; the car was immaculate. Then again, it seemed to be quite the exclusive group in the area. The Manor was well spoken of, but everyone from the attendants at the airport, to the bellhops at the hotel to this taxi lady has seemed both professional and kind. Tsukiko shrugged the musing away and handed her newly laminated card over to the drive so she could show it to the security guard.
The security guard checked the ID closely and then eyed Tsukiko sharply, making sure the photo matched her profile. Tsukiko smiled goofily and waved to him now feeling very self-conscious, my but he was a handsome young security guard wasn't he? The security guard handed the ID back to the driver muttering something and then the gates opened and they were driving up to the manor itself. "What did he say? I missed it." The Taxi driver looked over her shoulder with a enigmatic smile on her face. "He said your very late, and the Mistress of the manor won't be happy."

A small vein began to throb in Tsukiko's forehead. "Hey! It's not like this place is easy to find! My parents are paying good money to send me here, the headmistress can make a tiny exception for such a important student. Damn that guard does he even know who I am?" The taxi driver chuckled but didn't say anything until they pulled up to the front of the manor.

Tsukiko was usually more polite, especially around strangers, but she was quite out of sorts. She knew she'd been careless, overslept, and was now arriving much later than the agreed upon time. The only reason he parents weren't on the phone chewing her out about it was because upon waking she'd texted them, saying she was heading into class and would talk to them again that night. Tsukiko knew she was in the wrong, but years of observing her father's business meetings had taught her that sometimes you could bluff your way out of trouble. Better she act the put-upon and vaguely disgusted newcomer than the prodigal, lazy student.

She drew her hands absently through her long silky black hair, she'd brushed it and tied back with a simple bow, and had slipped on the immaculate white uniform of the Manor, but she'd neglected to set out her stockings and nice underwear so she'd settled on ankle socks that left her long, pale legs bare and some mismatching underwear from her suitcase. Not technically a breach of uniform. She realized her heart was beating fast, she felt guilty, more then that, she felt foolish, how could she have screwed up something so important as the first day when she'd had four whole days in the country to rest and grow accustomed to the area?

Tsukiko Ishimura was the daughter of a famous software company executive and heir to a immense family fortune in Japan. Though raised in a traditional Japanese household, it was decided by her parents that she would finish her high-school and college learning in the United Kingdom as that was where the company did the bulk of the business that one day Tsukiko would run in her father's place.
A naturally brilliant programmer, if she did say so herself, Tsukiko consdiered herself book-smart, skilled at math, with a intensely curious mind. What she lacked however, according to her parents, was etiquette, the proper respect for authority, and the kind of social grace expected of a heiress, and it is for this purpose she found herself placed at the prestigious La Fay Manor, to learn how to become a proper lady, and become properly engrossed in the English language.

"Time to go dear." The Taxi had pulled up to the front of the manor, and the driver was popping the trunk so Tsukiko could retrieve her things. Two small suitcases, a duffel bag and a knapsack for her precious laptop. It was all she been allowed to bring, and it seemed a pitiful amount of things if she was to be there the rest of her high-school life. Sighing loudly, and letting loose an English curse or two, Tsukiko three the duffel and knapsack over her shoulders and lifted both suitcases one in each hand. "Thanks for getting me here so fast" she said in perfect Enlgish to the driver who smiled and waved as she turned the taxi around, in a few more seconds time Tsukiko was alone in front of the Mansion doors.

She waited a few seconds honestly expecting someone to open the doors and when nobody came she directed a frustrated pair of kicks to the door to alert whatever staff they had on the other side. She shuddered as she glanced at her watch and saw she was well over 2 hours past the agreed upon 8AM meeting. "Oh Tsuki, you've really screwed this up already haven't you...?"

[La Fay]

Inside the recesses of the manor’s many rooms, sat a young woman on a comfortable sofa in her private office, the fireplace of the room alight with flames as she sat relaxed reading one of her many first edition books from her private collection.

She had a slim figure with a modest bust hidden behind a light grey short sleeves blouse, and a loose darker grey ankle-length dress, she had long silky smooth silver hair with white highlights that flowed over her shoulder and down her back, which matched well with her smooth unblemished complexion. Around her neck sat a decretive neck collar separate from her blouse with a small set of three purple roses with a green ribbon behind them, which matched her violet eyes completing her appearance.

She was Duchess Christina La Fay, Lady of La Fay manor, headmistress and main instructor at her manor where she held classes for specially selected students that she chose to attend.

Her office was a wide room with two large open windows at the far end of the room that looked out over the open grounds of the La Fay estate. The walls had many plaques and pictures upon it many of which had Christina in them or mentioned on them, the pictures of her shaking hands with important individuals at gathering and events. There were also displays with locks on them holding some of her more restricted first edition books from her collection that were for her personal use only given the purchase price that Christina had paid for them at the auctions.

Christina had been somewhat stressed as of late mainly because of her newest student who was set to arrive that day. Through various connections, she had been reached by a famous software company executive whose business was based out of Japan, but had many connections and did business with many associates of hers, and it was through some of these associates that she was contacted and asked for her assistance.

It would seem that the daughter of the executive was in need of a firm hand to mould her into a respectable young lady, fit to be his heir, as she was his eldest and set to inherit the family name and fortune as well as the company, much like she had done so with her fathers businesses, though she had normally very little to do with their actual running and just had to check in and attend meetings when large decisions had to be made.

Normally she wouldn’t have batted an eye at such a request and accepted immediately, but she was concerned not only about what she had heard about the young woman’s personality and manner or lack of manner, but the biggest thing that made her hesitate before ultimately accepting the favour, her political mind knowing she could call multiple favours in for in return for this one in the future from these certain individuals that would be well worth it, was the girls age. She was seventeen. Normally Christina would not have hesitated but after a particularly bad older male student had passed through her doors not months before that had been the only student she had taken on and been left no other option but to expel him after his actions.

She had been reluctant to take on older students after that, preferring the younger ones as their personalities could be corrected and weren’t so inset in them as their older versions would be, but she had not wanted to be seen as refusing a promising student so she had accepted and resigned herself to the fact that she would have to be more stern than usual with this student in particular in order to break her from her ways.

It was to that effect that she had made a point to have the girl invited to the manor a day before her classes would start, for breakfast at eight that morning so as she could meet the staff and they her to help her to settle into the manor before she began classes the next day.

However, things had not gone as planned when said girl did not show up at the arranged time, after an hour she had given her staff permission to begin breakfast, not wanting them to miss out on a meal or for her chef’s work to go to waste. After which she had retired to where she was now giving instructions for her youngest maid, Helen, to keep an eye out for when her newest student finally arrived and to come and get her when she did so.

Hearing a knock at her door she looked to it, “Enter” she spoke as she did so.

The door opened to reveal her youngest maid, the sixteen-year-old Helen Carter, one of her two permanent charges after her adoption of her and her sister Violet some years ago. She stood with her arms crossed in front of her, wearing her regular shin length black maids dress and apron, her long light brown hair flowing softly down to the base of her back, her green ribbon in her hair and her hazel eyes looking at her with a respect and admiration that she got from most of her staff but received more so than most from her youngest member of staff, who she had taken to caring for like a little sister in private.

“Your grace, your new student has arrived, shall I see her in?” Helen asked politely.

Christina smiled and nodded, “Yes please do so, see her into the entrance hall and no further, I should wish to address her, to find out the reason she chooses to arrive now…” pausing for a moment to check her pocket watch and sighed, “two hours after the requested time for her to do so.” she said as she returned the watch to her pocket, “Inform her that I shall be along momentarily” she said before returning to her book wanting to finish the page she was on, if this girl would force them to wait two hours then she could certainly stand to wait a few minutes while she finished reading this last paragraph.

“Yes your grace,” Helen bowed before closing the door behind her as she left to carry out her assigned task as ordered.

Christina took her time to savor the last few sentences of the text that she enjoyed so much before she placed her thin place keeper in between the next pages and closed the book gently so as not to risk damaging it, before setting it to the side as she stood up.

Giving herself a quick check over before she went to meet with her extremely tardy new student to find out why she was so and to get a proper read on her personality, hoping that it wasn’t going to be as bad as she had been made out to be.

-.-.-

Helen hurried along the corridor leading to the entrance hall as she heard the kicks to the door for attention, frowning slightly she gave herself a quick check as Christina had taught her to do so before meeting anyone, she nodded seeing she was respectfully presented and reached for the door opening it to meet the older girl on the other side.

“Good morning, I assume you are Ms. Tsukiko Ishimura, her graces new student?” Helen enquired more as a greeting than a question before stepping to the side, “Her grace will be joining us pleasantly, if you would kindly wait for her in the entrance hall, she apologies for not meeting with you upon your arrival, but you are two hours past the time she and your parents agreed upon you arriving” she stated politely and in a completely neutral tone as per her lessons on how to greet guests and new students upon their arrival at the manor.

[KathyKane]

The term "her grace" gave Tsukiko pause, it was not a honorific she heard spoken in English often and it made the headmistress sound like royalty. Coming from a extremely traditional background, she understood how business could be managed like a royal court, but it all made her feel sillier and more foolish then before, like a peasant girl come knocking on some great woman's house. She refused to be intimidated, or at least to show that she was intimidated and stepped into the foyer in a blustery, somewhat pushy manner, as if she had much more important things to be about.

"Yes, I am Miss Ishimura, heir to the Ishimura estate and Ichi Electronics. My delay was unavoidable I'm afraid, the taxi driver seemed very confused." In point of fact the Taxi driver had known exactly where to go and had gotten her their in twenty minutes flat, but Tsukiko decided letting anyone and anything else take the blame for the incident was her best course of action. She eyed the young maid up and down authoritatively, but simply couldn't keep an honest reaction from bubbling to the surface. She was nearly the prettiest girl Tsukikko had ever seen, and she looked amazingly poised and refined in the maid's outfit that held multiple aspects of classic Victorian maid styles, but with a tasteful, modern flair.

Situation temporarily forgotten she blurted out: "Wow! That's amazing cosplay! Did you make it yourself?"

[La Fay]

Blinking at the sudden comment Helen looked down at herself confused for a moment as to what she meant, knowing full well what she meant by cosplay, as both she and her sister were both huge lovers of anime with a rather large collection on DVD and blue ray in their shared rooms, she politely bowed her head.

“My apologies but I forgot to introduce myself, my name is Helen Carter, I am one of the two maids that serve as Duchess La Fay’s personal assistants. This… cosplay is actually my uniform that I ware while working, though I thank you for the compliment, I do try my best to keep my appearance immaculate, as the Duchess had taught me to do so” she said politely.

[KathyKane]

Now Tsukiko was stuck, the girl was beautiful, cute, professional, and demure, all things Tsukiko secretly thought she could never be, and while her first reaction would be to be jealous about it and give the girl a hard time, she was caught completely off guard by the girls sincerity. Furthermore, Tsukiko didn't know if she'd just outed herself as dreadful nerd or not, so she felt her face taking on a deep blush. Straightening her posture she set down her suitcase and started fidgeting with her hands.

"Oh wow, I...I didn't expect personal maids...I mean. Nice to meet you Miss Carter. Look, I'm starting to get real hungry, and I don't see the point of waiting here for the headmistress. In fact, let's not bother her at all, just show me my room and I'll start unpacking...hmm maybe after breakfast?"

She looked about as she spoke too nervous to meet Helen's eyes directly. The foyer was large and expertly kept, Tsukiko was beginning to pick up on the solemnity and professionalism of the place, and was now quite sure she didn't want to meet the headmistress under these circumstances. Unbidden, her mother's warning that every overdue whipping Tsukiko had ever earned at home would be happily dealt out at The Manor, her mother had even said this with a satisfied smile on her face. Tsukiko had brushed the warning off at the time, who cared about corporal punishment that she'd probably never earned when she'd get to ride horses?

Now facing a real maid in a real Western Mansion, Tsukiko began to grasp the kind of trouble she might get into, or had even already gotten into. She felt like something heavy was hanging over her head.

[La Fay]

Bowing her head again with her hands at her front, Helen replied, “My apologies Ms. Ishimura, but my orders were to escort you inside of the main entrance hall, where we currently are and await her graces arrival.” She replied before standing straight again, “I believe her reasons for such stem from your late arrival and absence at breakfast this morning, which was served an hour later than usual after you didn’t arrive at the requested time, and her desire to inquire personally as to your reasons for being so.”

Moving to bring the rest of Tsukiko’s bags inside before closing the door she continued, “I do not make it a habit of disobeying or straying from her graces orders, as she has given specific instructions for a reason, and I do my best to never disappoint her by not carrying them out to the best of my abilities.”

Helen could see that the older girl was starting to worry as she looked around the entrance hall as her reality was becoming slightly more real to her as to where she was, and she felt for her but did her best not to show it straight away after her rather rude entrance declaring her titles as if they meant something here, and then her rather obvious lie about the taxi driver not knowing where the manor was, when the manor itself was the largest building for miles in every direction as well as being one of the most well-known given that Duchess La Fay lived here and hosted frequent events on the ground ranging from horse jumping and barbecues to open pool parties during the extremely warm summers, and the large public Disco’s, firework displays and the invitation-only Balls, many children young and old wanted to enroll them here, well at least until they found out how strict it was and they about ninety percent of them decided they liked their backsides too much, and those who were left didn’t have the grades to meet the Duchess’s high standards, so they tended to all settle for using the estate when it was open for their use.

[KathyKane]

Tsukiko could tell Helen was hiding it well, but she couldn't miss the reproach in the maid's words. Tsukiko was in trouble, she'd broken some big rule by making them wait, and delaying breakfast, and she was being given time to wait, reflect on her bad behavior and submit to Miss La Fay when she deigned to show up. Aloud she stuttered "D-don't take that kind of tone with me Miss Carter, I'm a student here and a very important one at that."

Her blush deepened because her father had always told her not to throw her name around like it carried weight, but she was becoming snappish as her mood worsened. "Damnit! I'm hear from another country there's bound to be a god-damn mix up in the schedule!" She hated how whiny her own voice sounded in her ears and she couldn't help stamping her foot in frustration. "So come of the high and mighty attitude of yours, I haven't done anything wrong...I mean, nobody's anything more than inconvenienced whats the big deal?"

It occurred to her even ash she said these things, they were not the kind of things you said to a potential employer or a upperclassmen, but she'd always been the sulking, pouty sort, and she simply couldn't stand being talked down to, even when it was justified.

[La Fay]

Helen didn’t even blink at the sudden stuttered outburst, she was actually used to it, given how her sister used to be before they were taken in and adopted by the Duchess and given the structure and discipline they needed, her sister more so than her. Before Violet was extremely loud, rude and full of herself thinking herself better than everyone, complete without a filter and a loudspeaker, that she did no wrong, that was until she went out one night with the wrong crowd and Helen went to try and bring her back only for them both to get arrested after several of Violets so-called friends thought it would be funny to go through and trash a local store, being orphans they would have gotten lost in the system and Helen was sure separated, it was only the duchess’s intervention that saved them from that fate.

Snapping back Helen kept her self-poised as she had been trained to be before replying, “Just saying it as such does not make it true, and saying it as such does not change the orders her grace gave me, I have been instructed to wait with you here and wait I shall.”

In truth Helen knew why the duchess wanted them to wait here, next to the sublet power play of it all, she knew the acoustics of the manor well, the entrance hall was the heart of the manor, with hard surfaces and nothing to absorbed the sound other than the carpet on the stairs, anything said here carried through the open doors, and the only currently open doors were that leading down the hall toward the duchess’s office, she could hear everything that was being said, and was likely waiting to judge the character of the new student after hearing her talk outside of her presence so as to truly get to know her character, and she couldn’t have been more right as that moment Christina was standing just behind the corner of the far corridor hearing every word and making mental notes of what was said for later.

-.-.-

Christina felt somewhat childish standing there at the corner listing into the conversation and such but pushed it to the side as a strategic move, she wanted to know what type of person that her new student really was, and as most tended to hide who they were and put on a mask in front of her to try and impress her or hide their faults, this was the perfect way to do so, she felt bad about using Helen for such a ploy but it was what all part of her job as her maid to carry out orders, and this was one, and a relatively simple one, just wait.

[KathyKane]

Tsukiko had a temper. She was quite a bit spoiled, and when she was denied the things she felt she had every right to receive, or else bested unexpectedly at a game or argument, she often let loose a sudden, unwarranted, and loud angry outburst. This usually involved frustrated yell and a string of curses, her voice rising in intensity while her hands stay clenched at her sides and tears of rage ran down her cheeks. She'd been warned, and when the outbursts were in public or in front of her parents guests, punished for that temper before, but the fact of the matter was, even at 17, Tsukiko had never really been made to curb her bratty outbursts. She was the leader of her social group at school, and everyone rushed to see her concerns met. She was spoiled by her doting parents and any controller, keyboard, or computer suddenly destroyed in a outburst of anger were readily replaced after a day or two and some sound scolding. In this manner, Tsukiko was constantly sheltered from disappointment, and never truly made to mature. It was one of the problems that had led her parents to decide La Fay Manor, despite its distance and fairly severe disciplinary policies, was the best location for Tsukiko to grow, and actually be met with resistance from the real world.

And there was the rub, now that she was here, faced with the need for humility and maturity in an environment that brooked no excuse and expected she acquit herself like a adult, Tsukiko felt great resentment and frustration both toward her parents, and hers situation. She also felt a great degree of anger both at herself for being so careless and frivolous with her time, and she had no proper idea on how to release that anger.

With all of this in mind, it perhaps isn't' surprising she did what she did, but it was particularly ill advised, and was a new low, even for a spoiled heiress like her. It was also the action that would forever change the tenor and expectations the Manor placed on her in the future.

As Helen chided her, reminding her that the authority of the situation lay with Miss La Fay, and that she was only doing as she was told, Tsukiko felt the rage build up in her, here was a girl younger than her, lecturing her on how things were supposed to be run in the house Tsukiko herself was expected to live in for the next two years! Before she knew quite what she was doing Tsukikko had taken three bold steps toward the pretty maid, Helen the very picture of poise and patience, and just as Helen finished her warning, Tsukiko's right hand came up at a threatening angle, drew back as far as she'd let it, and swung out with force.

The slap echoed throughout the entrance hall and down the annex thanks to the building acoustics as did Tsukiko's snarling command to "Just SHUT UP!" The only sound that followed the echo of her had slapping Helen across the cheek with a full open palm was deafening silence.

Tsukiko blinked in confusion at what had just happened, at the stinging in her own palm and the red mark marring the immaculate skin on Helen's face. Her rage and frustration wilted into regret and pity. "Oh! Oh no..." Remorse filled her as it always did on such occasions when she'd let her temper loose, but it came with a shame and embarrassment she'd not know since elementary school. Gulping back a lump in her throat she groaned. "I-I'm so...so sorry..."

[La Fay]

Helen who hadn’t been anticipating the slap was shocked by the action, as she felt her head snap to the side from the impact and force of the slap before the pain set in across her cheek and her eyes started to water as she raised her hand to her cheek her eyes wide in shock as she looked at the sudden change in Tsukiko’s personality going from anger to regret in a snap moment but before she could say anything in response, even if she could think of the appropriate one, she didn’t have a chance as the familiar voice of the Lady of the manor boomed into their ears making both girls look in the direction of the right hallway off the entrance hall to see Duchess Christina La Fay making her way towards them from down the hallway, and on her face was something no student nor staff ever wanted to see, a look of pure anger that only one student had seen before.

-.-.-

Let it be known to all that there are very few ways in which the Duchess La Fay can be annoyed, and even fewer way’s to get her angry, but only two, maybe three, ways for her to reach the level of anger she was sent to in less than five minutes of this student entering her manor.

She had just so happened to be peering around the corner of the wall at the time to get a view of what was happening at the time when she witnessed Tsukiko stride forward and draw her hand back, before the slap echoed out through the manor’s entrance hall, and because the doors were open to the corridor, to her as well.

And it was the second time in several months that the manor was filled with the sound of the Duchess’s voice going louder than what she rarely ever permitted it to, as she uttered the very same phrase as several months prior, rounding the corner of the hallway and striding forward with a vengeance as she did so.

“WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING!”