Tale as Old As Time [Finished]

[yamikuronue]

There is another creak, this one further along the wall. Oddly, it seems to be moving toward the outer edge of the building, toward the window at the end of the hallway.

[accalia]

Echo follows the sound, walking carefully, his hand training along the wall as he walks, still idly looking for a door, or secret passage.

Is this the young master that i must avoid? why then do i not feel the darkness he carries? or it it not carried by the young master but resides elsewhere in the house?*

OOC: That's his thoughts.... best i could come up with for coloring them.

[yamikuronue]

As he approaches the window, he can sense the darkness: concentrated pain and anguish, mixed with a hint of something... else.

For a moment only, he gets a glimpse: a hooded figure under a cloak, hurrying into the garden, head down. As the figure recedes, the air lightens in his wake.

[accalia]

Hooded, even inside at night? and that darkness.... so concentrated. that's not how it should be... a darkness as deep as that should spread over this whole house....

As the figure disappears Echo stops.

This should not be pursued tonight. This one is not strong enough to take on that darkness, not this night.

[yamikuronue]

When he comes out for breakfast the next morning, Siegfried is sitting at the table going over a ledger, a newspaper folded neatly off to the side for when he finishes. He looks... less perky than yesterday morning, as though he hadn't slept well, but he's clearly been up a while if he's already digging into the books. Of course, when Echo enters, he looks up, closes the book over his pen, and stands.

"I purchased some local jams for your breakfast, and I have fruit frozen from last summer for a smoothie. Do you like peanut butter?"

[accalia]

Echo sits at the table and looks longingly at the newspaper.

"This one trusts you Siegfried, please prepare what you think is best and this one will be most grateful for the meal. Did you lot sleep well this last night?"

[yamikuronue]

"Yes, thank you," he lies. Damned Lance, always being inconvenient... He moves to the kitchen, beginning to prepare breakfast for Echo. "And yourself?"

[accalia]

"The night was less restful than it could have been. There was a disturbance that kept this one awake for some time... Thank you for asking."

Echo pauses for a moment before speaking again

"This one desires and item this one has in storage, if one were to dispatch a telegram to a courier might this one receive a small package at the front gate? The item desired is not dangerous and this one would willingly consent to it being searched upon receipt."

[yamikuronue]

"Of course. As long as it is not a recording item, I can see no harm in that. The Young Master has had problems with paparazzi in the past, you understand."

Siegfried brings out a fruit smoothie, complete with little paper umbrella, and two thick slices of good rye toast, along with a small jar of blackberry jam and knife.

[accalia]

"The item is innocuous enough, and completely incapable of recording anything. This one will have to ask a boon however, as this one does not have any money might there be a small advance on the agreed upon fee for this one's work so that the courier may be paid for their work?"

So speaking Echo begins to eat,slower than yesterday but still with gusto and every outward sign of enjoyment.

[yamikuronue]

Siegfried pauses to glance over the ledger he'd been working on. "I believe that can be arranged, assuming I finish filling out this ledger in a reasonable amount of time. I am dreadfully behind, you see." He gives a shy smile. "I never was much good with figures."

[accalia]

Echo has finished his breakfast and rinses out his dishes in the sink before returning to the table.

"This one would be willing to help. This one has kept ledgers for several families before and is comfortable with numbers. If you would like?"

[yamikuronue]

"By all means." Siegfried, with evident relief, hands over the ledger. "Oh, of course, this is confidential," he adds, as an afterthought. The ledger appears to be the household budget; Siegfried is having trouble with adding some of the columns, given that his handwriting, which is small and neat, didn't line up exactly into columns. It seems he's careful to record to the penny each expenditure, and it's not too hard to see why: the income lines are irregular and few, mostly dividends from stock holdings, rent from a few properties, and income from a trust fund's interest. From that he pays the three salaries, maintenance, bills, and so on for the great estate. Interesting fact: Echo is making more on this deal than Rosanna makes in a month. They must really want his good will...

[accalia]

"You can count on this one's discretion as have several other families in the past, and as yet may more in the days to come."

Echo completes the adding up in the ledger quickly and with great care. Just before he hands the ledger back to Siegfried to check for correctness he adds two final entries one is a debit line for the amount of 200$ with the note "Advance to Contractor" and the other a credit line for three quarters of his agreed upon salary with the note "Salary returned"

Echo then caps the pen and slides the ledger back to Siegfried to check the figures on.

[yamikuronue]

Siegfried looks over the sums, then glances up, astonished. "...Sir?"