#elsewhere

Flo shows up at the home address that Miss Tanya gave her, carefully parks her sputtering sedan on the street, not in the driveway. She's dressed in plain, sensible clothing that is suitable for cleaning in, and has a small bag over one arm. Even with her hair pulled back out of her face and without any makeup, the kinain girl in her late teens is lovely, and one might suspect sidhe heritage with her looks and the very slight point on her ears.

She knocks...

After a few moments, a tall girl answers the door, dressed casually but with precisely done hair and make up. "Ah, hello?" she says to the stranger on the step. ((Is Flo enchanted?))

Flo is, indeed, enchanted, though only a sparkle of glamour about her it seems, at a casual glance.

"Hello - is Miss Tanya home? My name is Flo, and I'm supposed to start working for her this week. I know I'm early, but I figured if I could take a look around and see what was expected, it would help me jump onboard better when I start, and make sure I have any supplies I need. I'm sorry... is this a bad time?"

"Oh!" says the troll wilder, smiling now. "You're Flo? I'm Sylvi. Sylvia if we're out There," she indicates the world at large, then gestures her to come in. "I don't think it's a bad time, I just wasn't expecting you yet."

Her cheeks color a bit as she comes in. "Thank you, Miss Sylvi. Or is it Knight, or Lady?" She bows, to be sure. "I wasn't scheduled until later in the week, but I wanted to make sure I didn't disappoint the Lady. This job... it will mean a lot to me, and I really want it to work out."

"Na-- ah, Tanya told me you'd be here at some point," she edits herself, unsure how much info Flo has.

"Oh, I don't have a title like that," Sylvi says. "But I have a role at the local barony, and my title there is Bridge."

"And...uh...if you ever run into a situation where the Lady is disappointed...come talk to me. I can't fix everything, but I can try to sort a lot of stuff out. Want something to drink? We've got some soda and juice and such."

"How should I address you, Lady, uh, Bridge?"

"Oh, wow. Um...just Sylvi is best, really. Seriously, I don't do the nobility thing. If you've really gotta have a title for me, Bridge Sylvi is okay. And I can call you Flo?"

A polite shake of her head, declining the drink. "You may not be nobility, but I must respect your station, all the same. And... just Flo is fine. It's short for Florence, but no one calls me that." A small smile.

"If it's not an imposition, would I be able to take a look at the house and grounds? If you could please let me know if there are places that are forbidden or should not be touched... I can clean, do laundry, and run errands. If you need groceries, I just need a list, and I can also pick up and drop off dry cleaning. I'm not much of a cook, but I can make lunch if you're busy, or follow simple recipes, and I'll learn if you need more from me."

"Wellll..." Sylvi considers. "There are some spots that Tanya's got warded, so you won't be able to go in there even if you tried. But if you're working for her, she might want you to. I should really let her know you're here." She takes her phone out of a pocket and starts to text Nadeen.

She nods, and waits until the text is done to ask, hesitantly, "Have you served the lady for a long time?"

BLINK.

Sylvi stares at her, quite speechless, for a moment. Then she clears her throat. "I don't serve her. We went to school together. We're housemates."

Flo startles, and her cheeks redden. "My apologies, La- Sylvi. I didn't mean to offend! Lady Nadeen did tell me that you were housemates, but I thought... that was just for mortal purposes..." She sinks to her knees and lowers her head. "Please forgive my indiscretion."

"I simply assumed, as she was a Baroness.... but I should not have assumed." She murmurs, eyes down.

"Whoa-whoa-whoa...." Sylvi catches her by the arms as she starts to sink down. "Please don't do that, that makes me really uncomfortable," she adds with a grin while making sure Flo's standing again. "And it's okay, I just...you surprised me."

Her phone buzzes, and she looks at it, then texts back.

"And I totally get the, uh, misunderstanding. No harm, no foul."

Her phone buzzes again, and she checks it quickly before nodding to herself and slipping it back in her pocket. "Tanya's going to be here in a bit. Come on, let me give you the penny tour of the main floor, at least."

She nods, murmuring a thanks, and follows.

While giving her an overview of the kitchen, Sylvi asks, "So, have you worked for nobility before?" The question sounds casual, but she's really interested in where Flo picked up this need to grovel.

She nods slowly. "I have. I served as a handmaiden at the previous court that saw fit to grant me a position, until I was gifted to one of their knights. He no longer had need of me, so I am now free to seek my own employment." She pauses, then adds, "I hadn't intended to return to a courtly position, but... I do need the job, and my understanding is that I will be serving staff, which suits me just fine..."

"You were...gifted?" The casual tone is cracking a bit.

She nods. "He completed a quest and was awarded a boon." She says, as though this is the most natural thing in the world. After giving a glance to Sylvi to ensure that she doesn't object, Flo carefully checks inside the kitchen cabinets, noting what food and supplies are present, and the same for cleaning materials (or lack thereof) in the pantry or under the sink.

The foodstuffs and supplies available are adequate, but not luxurious. There's a definite sense that at least one of the occupants of this house is familiar with how to shop and mop.

Maybe a few bits of luxury food items, in among the staples.

And some mildly indulgent breakfast cereals.

Sylvi sighs and shakes her head slightly. "I just don't understand that kind of court life. Anyway...if you think there are some supplies that you need that we don't have, I'm sure we can get them." Nadeen can, at least.

A small smile. "It is no longer my life. I can only hope that the Lady does not tire of me so quickly. I will be useful to her." A nod, determined.

A car pulling in from outside as if on que

"I, uh...yes. Yes, I'm sure you will." She hears the car. "There she is," she says with some slight tone of relief. "Wait here a moment, okay?"

Nadeen is getting out, and with her a large dog who takes up most of the backseat by now

She leaves Flo in the kitchen and goes to intercept Nadeen before she gets in the house.

"Nadeen..." Sylvi almost hisses at her in an effort not to be overheard as she approaches from the house. She looks upset.

"Why are you barin fangs at me?"

Flo remains in the kitchen, which lets the two speak freely...

"I'm not, but...wow. This girl's been treated bad, Nadeen. She keeps groveling. Are you going to be all uber-noble with her when she's here?" Tense discomfort.

"Well, one must play to the crowd" Blink blink then "Look to I enjoy a bit of supplication? Obviously. But I certainly don't intend to treat her as subhuman"

"Okay. Because someone sure has." Sylvi definitely looks like she'd like to have words with that someone.

"that bad?" Alarm

"Seems like it to me. Apparently she was gifted to some knight as a reward for a quest, and then he didn't have need of her afterwards and she got dropped." A deep breath. "I gave her the first-floor tour. She's in the kitchen right now." She turns to head in.

"I .. gifted?"

Nadeen had not heard this.

Sylvi turns to look back at her and nods with slow emphasis. Then she goes back in and to the kitchen. "Flo? Sorry 'bout that."

And into the house Nadeen and Pyska go, after wiping feet

Inside, Flo has found a kettle and turned it on, and brought out two mugs from the cabinet. She is considering between the instant coffee and a box of teabags. "Yes, Miss Sylvi? Do you know if the Lady prefers coffee, or tea?"

((Oh, there's no instant coffee. A perfectly adequate coffee maker, but nothing fancy, and a tin of ground coffee.))

"Definitely tea for her. Right, Na...uh, Tanya?"