Even Ladies Eat at Some Point... | 1/14 | Nearing Midnight | Ariana, Devlin

[Ariana Castell]

What a terrible day. Ariana had finally told her Shadow that she needed to sleep and that - no - she would not need his help undressing, thank you very much. Highly embarrassed, the poor guard had taken his leave. (Not that he had wanted to of course) It had been a very eventful day, starting out with a talk with Aunt Blanche, a rather interesting conversation with Garrus Atherton and having to endure to intense disappointment from Jonathon afterwards. Her bruise was not quite so prominent now, thanks to her brother.

Now, she was just hungry and in no mood to be accompanied around the castle. Pulling a modest, blue nightgown over the nightclothes her parlour maids had forced her into, Ariana checked the corridor to find that it was deserted. She had no idea what time it was, only that it was late, seeing as most candles were gradually burning out and that the maids had retired to their quarters.

She slipped her feet into her slippers, only wanting to grab a quick snack from the kitchens and then high-tail it out of there again. She hastened down the corridor, wincing as she felt that she was making more noise than necessarily appropriate. She saw that there were guards by the main hall, exactly where she had to cross over to the stairs leading down to the kitchens. She sighed, leaning against the brick wall and thinking of a plan. Groaning inwardly, she returned to her room, annoyed that the guards were in her way.

Then she spotted Sully, her enormous tabby that was now glaring at her, as though he knew exactly what she had in mind. Grinning, she picked up the hefty cat, carrying him with her to the main hall. There, she deposited the cat, giving him a sharp shove towards the other side.

It had the desired effect. The guards were now watching the cat, in part with amusement and in part warily, and she had time to slip the other way and down the stone stairs. Ariana ran into the kitchen, throwing the door shut behind her and leaning against it on the inside, trying to catch her breath. That's when she noticed that she was not completely alone. "Oh..."

[Devlin Mallory]

He was up yet again. It seemed sleepless nights were his lot, so he put the time to good use. This time Saxon was not his reason, but the fact that money was missing from his coffer. These new servants, this new place... so many people with THEIR servants in the castle... He wasn't suspicious by nature, just observant, and he observed someone was getting bold and stealing from the host family, at least from him, and he didn't like it.

He moved through the kitchen with practiced ease, looking into the larder. He needed something more than just baking tarts this time. He grabbed some vegetables and the large metal curved pan. He would cook some meat and vegetables and grab some bread.

He looked up suddenly as he heard the door the kitchens slam behind someone. He moved from around the vegetable cabinet with items in hand and tilted his head. She was pretty... finely dressed, so obviously a lady. And young... and she seemed she had a shadow on her face, maybe a bruise, though it was hard to tell in the dim firelight of the cooking hearths.

"I'm sorry, are you lost?"

[Ariana Castell]

Ariana squeezed her eyes shut in embarrassment, hoping that maybe once she opened them again he would be gone. But when she did, he was still there. Great. Not only did she look indecent, in just her nightclothes, but this was a man from a different family, not even her own.

Her relatives would throw a fit if they knew. But she could not very well turn back around and leave again. He had already seen her and she did not go to all of this trouble, just to go to bed hungry. So she smiled, though her face was flushed and shook her head hastily.

"N - no. Not lost. Just... um... hiding," she said truthfully. The late hour caused her to speak the truth. He was handsome and young and she felt silly for not knowing who he was. She remembered vaguely having seen him before, at one of the endless parties. But his name - she could not remember it.

[Devlin Mallory]

He raised an eyebrow and his lips twitched into a smile. "Well, then at least let's make the hiding a little more palatable. I'm Devlin Mallory. My cousin is Lord Christopher Mallory. Are you hungry? I'm about to make something to eat. I'm sure there's leftover meats but I prefer making vegetables my way. Would you like some? Please take a seat." He gestured to the counter island that had stools attached to it. He then pulled out a knife and began to chop the potatoes, celery, carrots, and radishes with practiced ease. "Anything in particular you feel like eating... mistress...."

[Ariana Castell]

Oh, a Mallory. Ariana mentally smacked herself. If he had been just from a bannerhouse, it would not have mattered quite so much. "I am Ariana Castell, Lord Devlin." She smiled at the mention of food and crossed over to one of the counters, sitting down easily and watching him intently.

What in the name of the Gods was someone like him doing by himself down here? Cooking, of all things. Though technically, her own reasons for being down there were questionable. "My cousin's Lord Victor Castell, but I assume that you know him," she said, absentmindedly fixing her hair with one hand.

"I am quite hungry. It's why I am down here, after all." At his question she shook her head. "Nothing in particular." She glanced at him curiously. "Though I must wonder what a man like you is doing in the kitchens by yourself," she pondered aloud.

[Devlin Mallory]

"Please my lady. When it's in the kitchens it's just Devlin. And I'm here in the kitchens cooking, as you can see, Lady Ariana." He grinned, and continued to chop up vegetables. "I'm sure it is surprising to see me down here. Most nobles wouldn't be caught in the kitchens elbows deep in flour, but then I enjoy cooking. It relaxes me. I didn't eat much at dinner, and sometimes I make breakfast for my family if I've been up all night. I'm afraid the vapors of sleep missed me this evening. Now.. would you care to tell me who you are hiding from?" He tilted his head as he grabbed the butter and the oil from the cabinet, and poured it onto a metal pan, added some butter and put them on the cooking surface near the hearth.

[Ariana Castell]

Just Devlin? Ariana was not sure that she could get used to such informality, especially at such an early stage. She hardly knew anything of him and he expected her to call him by his first name? She tilted her head a little to the side, watching him with curiousity in her eyes. He was a strange one. "Well, I am afraid that I know exactly how you are feeling, Lor - I mean, Devlin," she said quickly.

It still felt strange. She only called people of her family by their first names, though she would never dare to call - say - Blanche by her first name. It was Aunt Blanche. At his question, she smiled. "I am not supposed to go anyplace without a chaperone of my brother, Lord Donovan's choosing.

"May I help you with anything, Lord - I mean, Devlin? I apologise, I still can not quite get used to this. I could cut some vegetables?" The forbidden feel of it all brought a blush to her cheeks. Surely, it was improper for a Lady to be in the kitchens at such a late hour with a young man that was not family, in nothing more than her nightclothes and a sheer gown that gave the semblance of modesty. "It is very nice of you to make food for your entire family."

[Devlin Mallory]

Devlin tried not to roll his eyes. She was one of those that were inbred to be formal wasn't she? "You can call me Lord Devlin if it makes you feel more comfortable." He shook his head at the offer of help and motioned instead toward where the leftover meats were. "How about you take the large plate to your left and head over to the meats and pick out some pieces for me to warm up." He smiled kindly to her and motioned with his cutting knife toward the left over meats. "So you evade your chaperone for some late night snack? Well, I suppose there are worse things. So tell me about yourself, my lady? Do you have any hobbies?"

[Ariana Castell]

"Thank you," Ariana said, truly grateful that she did not have to stumble over his name any longer. She smiled, sliding off of the chair she had occupied. While she looked at the ample selection of meat, she heard his comment and laughed.

"I suppose so, Lord Devlin, that evading chaperones can not be considered the worst of things. However, in terms of evading chaperones, my family appears to think differently," she said lightly, pointing toward her bruise.

It took only a second for the reality of what she had just said to settle in. Her eyes widened and she clapped a hand over her mouth. "Begging you pardon, that was uncalled for." The words came out a little muffled. She did not know where to look. Now she had just told a stranger, a Mallory how she had disgraced herself and her family.

She had been so careful, so very careful around Garrus Atherton and now she had not been able to curb her tongue in time. Ariana blamed the late hour. "I have no idea what came over me. I - I guess that I have hobbies," she stammered, blushing profusely.

[Devlin Mallory]

He frowned at the bruise. In House Mallory such things were not tolerated due to the Kaedorian beliefs of equality, though he knew that some men were rather heavy-handed with their siblings or those under their charge, including wives and such. He was not one of those men. Trying to not make her feel uncomfortable on his account he gave her a small smile. "Your secret is safe with me, Lady Ariana. I'm pretty sure my cousins have evaded their chaperones more than once. So.. your hobbies? Since you seem to have caught me at mine?"

[Ariana Castell]

Ariana smiled, genuinly relieved that he was not going to go running to his Lord. She did not wish for the entire land to know what she had done. "Thank you... Devlin," she said, smiling tentatively and tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "That's very nice of you."

She laughed, feeling a little lighter at heart now. She started picking the meat she wanted, while thinking of an answer to his question. She really did not know. She liked a lot of things... and then, what could be classified as a hobby? "I've played the violin. But I haven't done so in ages, there's been so little time. I have taken up drawing. Mainly to keep records of my family's travels. Like a journal." She shrugged. "I also love animals. I like to just... watch them. It must seem bizarre," she said. "Apart from cooking, do you have any other interests?"

[Devlin Mallory]

He moved around the cutting board to grab some ground pepper, salt, some pressed oil, and some wine to cook with. He brought it together and coated the vegetables, before taking them to the cooking fire to the pan he had set into the coals. He dumped them in, hearing them hiss as they hit the hot metal. With a small wooden paddle he moved the vegetables around the pan deftly, soon enough the smell of them floating around the kitchen. He smiled at her question. "Ah. I play the sitar, though not very often for others. And there is nothing bizarre about watching animals. I watch people." He said simply, then flushed at how that must sound. "I mean I like to observe. I find that people say so much more with their looks and with their bodies than with their words." He shrugged. "I also ride horses, read, practice hunting or the throwing knives."