Raven aka Elena

Elena would've slept the night away if it wasn't for her stomach signaling it was her dinner time. She groaned as she slowly sat up. She rubbed her eyes groggily as why and where she was came flooding back. How she was able to fall asleep so peacefully was beyond her, especially in a strange new room. But she didn't have time to dwell on that because she had a mission to complete. Today's agenda - and basically for the next couple of days - was to get the king to trust her. How easy that would be had yet to be seen. Though if he was anything like his reputation, the spy would have to keep her guard up.

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If it had been a normal morning for Elena, she would've had to force herself out of bed. But since it was the time of day she loved most - evening - she slipped out of her guest bed with ease. After taking just a quick shower to freshen up(not to actually clean herself since she did that before she set out), brushing her hair and braiding it for the special occasion that was her first day of work, Elena put on the outfit reserved for the servants. She also ate an apple that she had stashed in her bag for whenever she might need it. She didn't feel like searching for the kitchen when she could just eat what she had and be done with it. Of course, the fruit wasn't much of a dinner, but the spy was used to skipping meals every once in a while, so this was no problem for her.

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After tidying up her room just a bit, the spy headed out. It wasn't dark yet, so she had some time to take a look around. She would need a more in depth knowledge of the castle and its grounds later, but she could only poke around for now. Because soon, it would be time for her to report in for her new job. After checking out all the hallways that connected to her room, Elena headed for the main entrance. It was almost time for her to officially meet Alexander, and she was hoping someone could actually show her where she was supposed to be this time.

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In Elena's eyes, it was nothing short of a miracle that she actually managed to flag down a fellow servant to point her in the direction of where to find Alexander. Still, this whole castle put her on edge. From the strange guard to the nervous servants, she didn't like the feel of this place. As she followed the servant's instructions, she forced herself to walk like the person she was pretending to be. No careful steps, just happy and carefree strides. No head held high, just an idle smile on her face. Even though Alexander wasn't around, she had to keep up her facade for the rest of his staff as well. If she didn't, they might report her to the king for being suspicious. And that wouldn't be fun for anyone.

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Just as the clock struck nine, Elena stepped up to Alexander's study. She gave her name to the guard that was posted beside the door before gently knocking. She waited until Alexander gave her permission to enter before doing just that - entering. The spy couldn't stop her eyes from scanning the room for any possible threats as she stepped inside. Threats that didn't consist of a huge guard named Zebediah and a supposedly ruthless king named Alexander. Those two, however unfortunate, were unavoidable.

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Elena dipped down into a bow after the quick look around the room. "Good mor-... I mean good... evening? Your majesty!" She greeted, making sure to put a little pep in her tone. She then straightened up so I could observe the king. Lena supposed he wasn't bad looking, but what caught her eye was the papers he had obviously been focusing on before her arrival. She was supposed to be innocently interested in his affairs, right? She happily walked over to his desk, innocently peeking at his papers. "What are you doing? I bet it's super important if your subordinates aren't handling it!" Elena really hoped she wasn't taking the role too far by looking at his stuff, but she was supposed to be naive and this is how she did that. Plus, she hoped it might give her something to look into later.

Do let me know if that works better. I just couldn't leave it in the state it was in. ^^'

Alexander

Rose red eyes glance up from the paperwork before them and hone in on the door to his office. A knock on their wooden expanse had sounded not a moment before, breaking the stale silence in the room between him and his most devoted annoying guard. A much needed interruption in his mind, one he had been hoping for since the first couple of detailed parchments. A bland subject was this paper. Something about the concerns held by members of the general human public he believed it was – the detailing of which failed to come to mind. It was one he would have to address eventually, he knew, but he could focus on more pressing matters beforehand. Not that his solution would make anything better, really. It would just be something to placate his subordinates for the time being.

A mere monotone “come in” is all that comes from the king to answer the rap at the door, granting whom he presumed to be his newest maid permission to step inside. It should be around her “assigned” time, anyway. His suspicions were soon proven true as she stepped in silently not a moment after – her sapphire eyes scanning over the room in what he could only guess to be curiosity.

He let her do so for a few more seconds, watching as her eyes slowly made their way over nook and cranny, book and door. As the girl’s gaze settles upon him and his guard, the king clears his throat to gather her attention. It was likely that she had already granted it to him, but he would rather ensure that to be the case. A bored expression rested upon his features as their gazes met, lacking a smile or any sort of positive emotion. Though, it had truthfully been there long before the girl had entered the room but had “grown” in his waiting. In his dominant hand he absentmindedly twirled a quill, its end being mostly dry by this point and in need of “refilling.”

The maid goes to bow to Alexander upon departing from her curious activities. No reaction came from the king at this, having grown used to it over the years. Though, he could not help but feel pleased that she enacted one. A slight case of amusement soon sparks within the vampire at the girl’s stumble (who’s name he really ought to learn), breaking his prior expression and turning it into a lop-sided grin. It was a mistake he had heard before – most of his hires being so accustomed to a day-time schedule that they fell into the trap of saying “good morning.” Still, it never failed to tickle him after all these years.

However, the expression drops a few seconds after she straightens herself out and goes to curiously peek at the paper(s) on his desk. It seemed to be a completely harmless action, one he would expect from a human naive herself – which was indeed made all the more evident by her following question. But as innocent as the action may have been he wasn’t about to let her see any of what was on his desk. Curving the paper he had previously been studying towards himself, the vampiric ruler attempts to hide what he could of the document.

“Paperwork, dear,” he answers her question with a calm yet upbeat tone, “Trading documents, treaties, the odd kingdom or civilians asking for something. Boring business, really, but confidential all the same.”

“I would have others do them for me,” he continued, not granting her any time for questions, “But I would rather not lose anything important that I’ve yet to see… One can never be too careful.”

He allows the words to settle for a little while, letting the maid mull over his rather underwhelming statement. Before she could go asking any questions, however, Alexander swiftly and suddenly stands up, the chair to his desk loudly scraping against the flood at the force applied. He claps his hands together with a smile dripping of charm and deceitful kindness.

“Now! I do believe you have some work to do,” he waves his hand towards the left most corner of the room towards piles upon piles of old papers, “Over there is some old, meaningless paperwork – nothing of terrible importance. I would like it to be organized, if you please. You may do so in any manner you like, so long as I and Zebadiah here are notified of your choice. If there be any questions, feel welcome to ask them.”

Elena internally sighed when Alexander curved the paper away from her. She should have known it wouldn't be that easy to get information. And he had oddly fast reflexes, so she didn't even get a glance at the paper in his hands. The one under it, however, still laying motionlessly on the desk, happened to be in her view. Little good did it do, though. It was just normal kingdom affairs, what with any kingdom would have to deal with. It ultimately would give her no benefit.

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When the king spoke, the spy's eyes traveled to his face, listening intently. If his words had any hint of deeper meaning, she was ready to take note so she could later check out what he trying to hide. But, like she expected, he just calmly answered her question. When he countinued, Elena found herself nodding along. His logic made sense. If only her own king took Alexander's advice and actually did some paperwork every once in a while. Instead of handing it off to his servants, that is.

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"Makes sense, though if someone was actually dumb enough to steal from a king, I would think he or she wouldn't last very long." Lena stated, further pushing her supposed naivety. Though in reality, she knew only the best of thieves could pull of stealing from royalty, and they survived quite nicely if they are able to cover their tracks. "But I apologize if I overstepped, your majesty. You and your work is just so interesting!" She countinued, giving him a big grin. She knew she should have been used to playing all kinds of different roles by now, but her stomach still twisted as she was forced to pretend to be someone she wasn't.

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The moment Elena finished speaking, Alexander suddenly stood up, making his chair screech against the floor. To her shame, the spy hadn't been expecting such a move, which made her jump and wince. She subconsciously took a step back, her eyes narrowing on Alexander unhappily. Geez, did he have to scare me like that? Despite her annoyance, she masked her expression a moment later, forcing herself to smile again. "Geez, you scared me." She says lightheartedly, putting a hand to her chest.

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Her eyes then followed the king's hand gesture to the left corner of the room as he spoke. She forced herself to keep a neutral expression, but in her mind, she was groaning. Ugh, why do I always get stuck organizing things? Part of the things her king pushed onto others was organization. And since Elena was the best one at such tasks, she usually got handed the extra work on top of her spying. But, it was her job to serve king Alexander for now, so she dare not complain.

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"Understood, your majesty! I will do it to the best of my abilities." Elena assured the king, giving him a quick bow. With that, she moved over to the papers, sitting down infront of them. Despite her displeasure, the spy truly did intend to make good on her word and organize the various documents to perfection. She hated people who only did the bare minimum of their work, just enough to get by. She wouldn't become what she didn't like unless she absolutely had to for a mission. But in this case, she could easily come up with an excuse as to why she was good at organizing things like this.

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Immediately getting to work, Elena set out a couple papers infront of her, intending to put them in piles of the same context first. After that was done, she planned to organize them even more thoroughly by making subcategories. She knew this would take a while, so she glanced up at the king while still having laser focus on her work. "So... I heard that you're last personal servant disappeared. That must be unnerving, huh?" She put out there casually. "You never know who might be next." She added, her tone light and playful. She knew the topic wasn't the best to bring up, but it was the only thing she could think of to start a conversation.

Alexander

The king smirks at the girl’s jolt, the barest tips of his right fang peeking out from underneath his upturned lips. His eyes shine in amusement and… something much darker. For a fleeting second it is there, the glimmering sign of glee – his darker side holding pleasure in causing this small bout of surprise. A side he usually dared not to show. It disappears the second it crops up, giving his company little time to catch the slip of his mask. But not none.

“My apologies, dear,” he places a hand over his heart in fake sincerity, his smirk altering into an amused smile, “I did not mean to spur such a fright.”

His eyes meet the maid’s own blue ones, his “mask” now properly in place once again. While a slight case of amusement was still present, a false but gentle sincerity did ring through them. Not that she could likely tell. An attempt to muddle any uncertainty or suspicion was his main intention, in the case that she did manage to snag the tail-end of that “nasty” emotion. If not, then it would at least come off as though he cared.

Following the girl’s assurance, he nods his head. “Good. I expect nothing less.”

Alexander watches as the new hire gives a bow before heading off towards the stack of papers he had gestured too not long ago. Content with the action he sits back down, adjusting his cloak along the way. Scooping up a new paper he begins to study it, his gaze running over it with both haste and scrutiny. Ah yes, yet another letter of concern – this one detailing the disappearances of his human subjects. The suspects: his own guards. A grave situation that ought to be looked into. Treason of the highest order! A matter that should be greatly considered and cared for by the rulers of any kingdom!...

He crumbles it into a ball with a roll of his eyes, its contents fit for the trash. Without a second thought, he tosses it towards the side of his room and goes to pick up another document. A matter that he saw as pointless given the… natural tendencies of his guards. He’d rather have their approval than that of a human’s any day of his life. The ball of paper lands somewhere on the floor with a soft “tap” as he goes to pick up another.

After going through around three more documents – two signed, another requiring a response rather than his “right of way” – the maid’s voice siphons through his ears once more. The vampire’s eyes flicker upwards to meet her face, his head retaining a downwards angle towards the next paper in hand. A brow is raised at her question. The reasoning behind it was simple enough to pin. Being the next maid, it was highly probable that she feared to meet the same fate. If it happened once, it can happen again, no? (No. Nothing of that magnitude will happen again.) But for her desire to know his own thoughts? Well, that was something of interest. Looking back to the paper on his desk, he answers.

“I do not believe ‘unnerving’ is the word I would personally use,” he lifts the parchment upwards to get a better angle on its sloppy writing, “Frustrating? Outrageous? Infuriating? All of those would be a more proper description of the whole… situation.”

His fist clenches around the paper, causing some wrinkles to sprout along its side. “I worry not for my own life, dear, if that is what you fret. For none wise enough would even begin to believe they could try my or my guards’ hands,” his eyes shift to look her head on, “No king from this kingdom has ever been slain over the course of centuries. And I certainly won’t be the first.”

Elena's eyes narrowed onto the paper Alexander had carelessly thrown to the side. It had missed the trash bin by a long shot, coming to a stop just a few feet from the spy. The king obviously didn't think it had any value, but that could just be his perspective. And at any rate, Lena wanted to get in and out of here as fast as she could. That meant investigating even the little things while she waited for something big to be discovered.

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Hearing Alexander speak, Elena turned her gaze onto him and studied him closely. His point of view on things seemed... unique, to the spy. He actually seemed mad, though the victim was just a maid. That was more of a reaction than she would've gotten from her own king, Jeremiah. With a wave of his hand, he would've ordered his right hand man to hire a new servant and then dismissed the matter completely. But perhaps, Alexander didn't care about the maid, rather, how the killer got in there in the first place. If that was true, Lena understood why her king was having trouble with Alexander. A king who looked to the future and saw the bigger picture was a powerful one.

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Despite keeping a calm demeanor, excitement rose in Lena's stomach at Alexander's bold declaration. Her eyes shined with exhilaration as the thrill of a challenge took her captive. Elena hadn't felt this stimulated in a while, having gotten used to the mundane daily jobs a spy had to endure. But this, this was an adventure fit for one of the best spies known to the world. At first, the spy had only seen the danger and inconvenience this mission held. But now that Alexander had all but challenged and tempted her, she was determined to bring the great king down.

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"Of course. I never meant to suggest otherwise, your highness." Elena managed to get out, her throat tight with emotion. She was determined to prove Alexander wrong; that someone wise enough could take him on. And more than that, that the wise person could win. Of course, the spy still didn't want to kill the king, but she was more than ready to see his face twisted in confusion and anger when she brought him and his kingdom to it's knees. Enjoy your freedom while you can, Alexander. By this time next month, you'll be a king no more. Your confidence will be your downfall.

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Elena realized how tight her voice had been and quickly coughed, covering up her previous mistake. She hoped Alexander would atleast be dumb enough to think she had a cold or something. "But, if I may... do you mean to suggest that all the past kings that served this land all died from old age? That's... amazing, to say the least." She murmurs, genuinely interested to some degree.

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As soon as Alexander looked down at his papers, Elena quickly glanced over at Zebediah. Once she confirmed he wasn't looking at her either, she quickly reached out and snatched the discarded paper off the floor. Wasting no time, she slipped it into her pocket with a quiet but satisfied sigh. Hoping it would bring some interesting information, the spy decided to look over it later so she wouldn't risk getting caught. But with that done, she went back to sorting the paperwork and waiting for Alexander's answer.

Apologies for the shorter posted. Wanted ta get something out for him.

Alexander

“Of course. I never meant to suggest otherwise, your highness.”

His eyes flicker towards the young maid as she speaks, hand lessening its clasp on the now wrinkled sheet of parchment. There was a slight “tinge” to her voice he picked up, impossible to notice if not for his centuries on this planet. Its meaning was surprisingly difficult to place, but as evident as the sand beneath crystal waters. Her cough only reinforced its presence, a weak wave rolling over the sediment of a pristine shore – doing little to hide what resided underneath. However, with no clear meaning, he could do little but file the small shift away for later.

“... I would expect nothing less,” the king’s face held a neutral expression as he spoke, void of the twitch or glimmer of emotion.

Another question follows the initial statement, words and tone of a much more “innocent” portrayal. However, its utterance brought forth a separate issue. He had made a slight error in his judgment, better yet his own wording. It appeared as though the girl took it as though the “previous kings” had died of old age. Not that there was anything wrong with the assumption, it was a logical one to make. It simply meant that it was too broad of a statement… one broad enough to make her pry. He made sure to salvage this quickly.

Placing down the paper in his hand, he scribbles the necessary component before setting it aside. “I merely said they were not slain, dear,” the ruler states, picking up the next document from the pile, “I never said they made it into their prime. The last king to be slain died nearly three centuries ago. A weak ruler, as far as anyone can tell. His meekness was his downfall.”

Such an answer would hopefully suffice, being reasonable enough for the human before him – in his eyes at least. Unbeknownst to him and his guard, the girl had managed to snag that discarded piece of paper during this time. Her sigh also fell on deaf ears as he continued to either sign or scrap various bits or parchment.

After a good while of repeating the same action – Sign a paper, put it down. Read a letter, set it to the side. – the ruling vampire finds himself out of ink. Going to dip his quill into its container, he finds it coming out relatively dry. His face scrunches up at this, irritation oozing from his pale face. His lips curled up slightly on the right side, giving him a slight snarl. He knew he should have replaced this ink yesterday.

Pushing his chair back as he stands, Alexander places the latest request back on his desk while his quill goes to rest on the disregarded documents so as to not stain the pristine wood. Walking around its side, he draws near to the door but stops in front of the girl before passing through its opening. He continues looking forward with a neutral expression as he speaks.

“Apologies, my dear, but it would appear that I’ve run out of ink. I shall be back momentarily. Zebadiah will remain here with you,” he casts a glance towards said guard to ensure he got the message. He was not going to let him disobey this time. Without another word he presses forth and moves to leave the room.

It was in Elena's nature to question everything, or rather, her job as a spy had taught her to do so. If someone's words had even just a tiny loose end, or if something just didn't quite feel right or match up, she was supposed to seek the meaning behind it. And so as she listened to Alexander speak, her stomach tightened warily. Okay, if they hadn't been killed, but didn't make it to their prime, how did they die? Sickness, maybe? That was a viable reason, but surely not all of them died from such? The spy was about to question further when she stopped herself before the words could even leave her lips. No, she had to be patient, cautious. Alexander was still a powerful king, even if the two were currently playing a dangerous game of life and death. He would get suspicious if she kept on asking, wanting every little detail she could get.

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"Wow, that is quite a long while ago." She replied before letting silence envelope them. Now that she was alone with her thoughts, her mind ran wild. Even though she had very little to go off of, her instincts told her something sinister was going on in the castle and with the king. Of course, she couldn't prove it when all she had was a gut feeling, freakishly tall and unusual gaurds, weirdly empty halls with nervous servants and weird work schedules. Yeah, that... that information wouldn't get anyone anywhere. But Elena was determined to prove her hunch was right, and, most of all, take down the very king who thinks he's unstoppable. Just thinking about it gave the woman shivers of excitement.

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Elena's enthusiastic plotting was interrupted by Alexander as he stood up, though this time he didn't scare her half to death. Her eyes followed his movements carefully as she wondered what he was doing. It was as if he could read her mind, because a moment later, he spoke up, explaining his actions. Which again, was more than her king would've done. He would've just left without saying a word, expecting everyone to just go along with it. However, she was more surprised to hear Alexander's explanation as to why he was leaving than the actual fact he had explained himself. Getting something themselves? That was unthinkable to most kings, atleast to the spy's knowledge.

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Standing up quickly, Elena shook her head. "Oh, no, your highness! Let me get it for you, I insist! And please, you shouldn't apologize to the likes of me. I'm just a servant girl, ready to serve you. If you ever need anything, all you have to do is say the word." While Elena couldn't care less whether she stayed or went, she knew 'Raven' would more than likely want to help. Besides, while she was away, the spy could drop off the discarded paper she had stolen. Though, since it was for the trash, was it really considered stealing? "Ah, and you needn't worry. I promise to finish my current task when I get back." She added, glancing at the mess of papers on the floor. She winced when she realized just how messy it looked.

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As Elena placed herself infront of the door and was about to open it, it finally dawned on her that she didn't know where the heck anything was. "Uhh... though I am gonna need directions." She said, turning to face the king, feeling genuinely embarrassed. She was used to being the top dog, knowing everything there was to know, even when she was on a job. But right now, she was the lowest of the low, and it seemed the universe wanted to remind her of that.

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Once Alexander had given her the direction to wherever the ink was, Elena went on her way. She got the new ink bottle before wandering around the castle until she got to her room. There, she dropped off the paper before making her way back to Alexander's study. Throughout her journey, she made sure to fill in the new route to her mental map. She silently took note of every possible place she could make an emergency exit or just hide.

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