Clandestine Ch. 2 [Kid/Crona]
May. 6th, 2013 06:38 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
tenshi_makenshiTitle: Clandestine
Summary: Late Victorian Era, there exists two. Two sets of secrets, two fates, intertwined. Hir lies, his lies, no end nigh. Dapper and prim, lacking poise and grace, they spiral toward an unwitting calamity. Can you keep my secret? Can you speak a lie? She seeks salvation in the light of deception. How will this tainted tale of love unravel? We begin in time...and end the same.
Author's Note: When in speech the reason why it’s her instead of hir is because that’s based on what the character speaking believes/assumes about Crona. Female is usually assumed because of the clothes.
Disclaimer: The owner of Soul Eater is Atsushi Ōkubo. This work of fiction is composed entirely by me. I gain nothing material by writing this and do it solely for fun.It didn't take long before it was apparent their guest had left. Finding that hir cloak had remained untouched from where it'd been placed in plain sight on a nearby chair, suspicion grew inside Kid that she'd been taken. The 'who' and 'why' befuddled him. In fact, much about this stranger intrigued as well as confused him. Tempted to look for hir, he immediately called upon Sid, one of his father's close associates, when the older man was spotted about to leave the residence.
"Pardon me, but have you seen a girl with oddly colored hair tonight?"
"Sorry, but I have seen only a few handmaidens this late."
"Never mind, then… Thank you for your time." There was honest disappointment in his voice; not so much caused by concern for Crona's well-being, but more by unrequited interest. He hadn't the chance to ask about hir odd hair color (or have it properly cut) or anything more before she'd disappeared. He nodded curtly to his elder in respect before departing down a lengthy hall where a handmaiden killed the lantern lights. Passing by this woman on the way to his room, he ordered that if she or anyone else spotted a person with abnormal hair to inform him. Afterwards he continued to his bedchamber; he sat there for quite a while in contemplation rather than sleep.
'Tomorrow, or, make that this day, I shall ask Father when I meet with him what his thoughts on searching for this girl are. I know that it would be right to do so…but I also know that is not the only reason I desire to. Then there is the Christmas gala to consider that I volunteered to host in place of my father this year… Is it really worth taking out the time for a single stranger? This is ridiculous of me, isn't it?' Kid released an irritated breath as he sat on an edge of his large bed that was decorated with a canopy of burgundy draping. He rubbed his temples as he thought, wondering what his next move would be. "Father should know." he concluded before departing from the bed to change into his night shirt.
He awoke in sync with his internal clock a few hours later quite groggily, but forced himself to his feet. Cold water lightly splashing his face awakened him from the stupor as he washed with water from the porcelain basin residing in his chamber. He paused his washing, staring into the mirror.
So the day began.
-x-x-x-x-
"A shame it would be to miss your hosting of this year's Christmas festivities." Lord Death spoke to his only child within his spacious study.
"With the sudden scare going about town, I would be surprised if you did nothing to soothe the common man's mind. I understand you leaving, well. Furthermore, you yourself said that I am of the age to take on this sort of responsibility. I promise not to disappoint." A light smirk tugged at Kid's lips brought on by confidence.
Being the eccentric fellow that he was, Lord Death was never seen by anyone but his son (and even that was considered rare) without some sort of mask and robe. Regardless, Kid could tell when his father was smiling and knew that Lord Death was reassured. Then suddenly Kid's smirk dissipated, causing Lord Death's smile to leave as well. "There is one more important- or, rather, bothersome question I have for you." the young Death began as his father listened patiently.
"The girl I mentioned to you before, I am not sure if I should even bother with her. Though as your son it's my duty to care for the residents of Death City, I know with this particular person it is not care as it is…curiosity. I worry that focusing on this Miss. would distract from all other duties, and that it might be selfish to begin with."
Kid flicked his head up, caught off-guard by the snicker Lord Death emitted. "Ah, son, I remember having such worries at your age. Let it be what it will. It sounds simple enough to me; help her. You accomplish both your goals that way!" the older man waved a gloved hand dismissively.
A bit reluctantly Kid nodded in agreement. 'Of course that would be his solution. So simple and yet…' "I should be going then?"
"If you wish; I have no further business with you, Kid."
"Very well, thank you Father." Kid bowed respectfully before taking his leave.
Clothed with a coat for the morning chill mere minutes later, he set out for his usual morning walk on the worn path between woods and river. Once outside, he glanced at the grayish blue sky admiringly, feeling a strange sense of déjà vu. Crona's eyes were nearly the same color.
Wondering why he would remember such a thing, Kid shook his head to clear it and returned his focus to the trees that shadowed his way. With their deep evergreens that wilted into pumpkin oranges and dried browns it was as eerie as it was soothing. Ironically, he'd never explored the nature he so admired and here he found himself wondering why that was.
The faintest streak of silver caught his eye. No, this was not a trick of light; the color was swift and had disappeared quicker than he'd moved. Not one for charades, he demanded the owner of the mysterious silver to reveal itself before he did. Unexpectedly quick, a lithe young woman with luminescent hair emerged from the forest. A strong scowl remained on her round face, though her body betrayed the expression with its subtle trembling. "Death's son." she hissed with her mouth twitching upward in disgust.
"Who are you?" The unlikeliness of meeting two suspicious people within the span of two days was a thought not unnoticed by Kid.
Chewing her lower lip, the stranger replied, "My sisters call me Eruka. L-listen here, you have no business with me and I none with you."
"Then why, Eruka, were you stalking me and apparently know who I am?"
He watched her expression morph as she considered lying, but she knew it would be no use as she'd already said too much with such few words. "I was not stalking you," she spat, "-but simply huckleberrying when I took notice of your presence." Her onyx eyes darted to one side nervously despite her annoyed tone. "Everyone knows Death and his son around here."
"Though you don't live in the city, you know the name Death."
"I live nearby, and word travels fast with open ears." Eruka's expression was just as snide as her retort.
Kid's golden eyes drifted to her hair. "Have you seen a girl with rosy hair?"
"What?" she asked, indignant (and a bit surprised) at the fact he had no reply to what she'd just said. "Rosy hair? Were you not listening to me?"
"I was. Have you seen anyone like that?"
'Might as well be a bastard with behavior such as that! Oh, his kind are nothing but trouble!' the forest dweller fumed internally. "No, I cannot say that I have." she ground out. 'Rosy hair? Is he serious? How ridiculous, there's only one person li- Wait.' "Crona…" Eruka whispered, struck by a mediocre epiphany.
"What was that? Did you just say Crona?" Now he was getting somewhere.
'Of all the vile things to befall me today, I was in no way prepared to speak with this twit.' "Why, you know of her?"
"Actually, I met her just yesterday. Who might you be in relation to Crona?"
Haughtily placing hands on hips, Eruka spoke with a glare, "She comes to the forest often, typically for my collected herbs. She always comes from over the bridge, so she mustn't live but a mile away."
"You have my gratitude then, Miss." He began to leave, headed down the path at a quicker pace to reach the bridge.
"Wait, what-!" she started after him, but then ceased. "What am I doing? What do I care what he wants with that shrew's child? Completely pointless." The silver haired young woman grumbled her way back into the woods.
-x-x-x-x-
It took roughly 20 minutes until he spotted a meek shack of a house and considerably less time than that to wait for an answer after knocking. The door creaked open, leisurely taking its time to reveal the woman shielded behind.
So quick it was that Kid almost missed the way her sharp eyes analyzed him from head to toe. "May I help you?"
"Pardon me Miss., but I have reason to believe a person I am searching for takes residence here. Do you live alone?" The strangest and most unexpected sensation of unease crept into the young man despite how harmless the woman appeared.
"Whoever directed you here knows nothing, because yes, I do live alone. I’m terribly sorry, but your search is to continue." A fair amount of sympathy covered her tone, but she still didn't sit right with him. He wondered why that was, and yet never really considered how the brains of humans work against their masters, always questioning but barely acting on the advice of intuition. His mind was no exception.
"Once again, my apologies." Kid politely replied, and then turned away as he decided to return home.
Seeing his back at a few feet away, the woman known as Medusa shut her door. Anger burned through her, knowing Crona had been the cause of the unwanted visit. Then, just as quickly, the negative emotion started to fade as she contemplated how to treat the situation. She smirked so slightly as she strode through the shelter to her child's room.
"Come out now, Crona. I bring news." Though Crona knew not how much time had passed as every second in the chamber lasted dreadfully long, it could not have been a full day yet. What news could Lady Medusa have that would prove more important than hir punishment? Truthfully, she didn't care so long as she could leave the chamber.
"We had a visitor who came for you." The sickening worry within hir renewed. "I suppose I should be displeased with you. However, there is fortune in this. Now this is not nearly as simple as collecting herbs, but such an opportunity should be taken. I shall see how you fare." The vague smirk grew on the woman's face as reluctant wonder filled her child.
-x-x-x-x-
The bitter wind whipped at Crona's skin and thin brown dress as she stood clutching the edge of the infamous bridge almost desperately. What she needed to do was simple enough. Actually proceeding with the plan was turning into an ordeal for hir.
'Return to Gallows Manor. Do not look at me with such surprise that I know more than you.'
However...she'd fled in such a hurry that she had no clue where she'd come from. Moreover, it had been pitch night. Hir darkened eyes glanced around in contemplation, and then she realized there was only one path to follow. Only two turns to make; she chose right with the knowledge the left led to a field she could see from where she stood.
She avoided any eye-contact with the woods the best she could. It was hir only sanctuary yet screamed every ounce of the pain and guilt she'd experienced. Of course, anytime she was truly alone with hir thoughts, she felt the weight of penitence. Not to forget the woods were also where the Pagans came for sanctuary, the awkwardness of bothering them was not lost on hir. She knew how uneasy she made them and how Eruka despised hir mother.
It wasn't long until she arrived at the intimidating gothic gates of what she assumed correctly as Gallows Manor. Finding the gates unlocked, she pushed them open...only to be startled by the way it screeched. She ran toward the mansion thoughtlessly and didn't stop until safely inside.
"Hey, hey, hey, a girl just ran in! Her hair is the color of pink roses! Or maybe lavender..." an excited feminine voice shouted off, before she tilted her head in thought. It alarmed Crona worse than the gates, so she fell back against the great doors. Looking like a frightened doe, she slid down to the marble floor. The energetic female continued to stare and hum in wonder at hir until a vaguely familiar face joined their presence.
"Oh, you again." the lithe lady commented with some surprise evident in her deep blue eyes. She spoke to the girl by her side, "Stay here while I- Better yet, you go retrieve Kid." Crona's eyes followed in uncertainty as the first girl skipped off, so she didn't notice the darker blonde move until she was an impersonal few inches away. Nervously, the pinkette waited to see what the slightly older woman planned to do. "We met before, if you remember. You nearly knocked me right off my feet." Crona remained speechless and doe-eyed. It unsettled the woman.
Crouched down to eye-level, she attempted a smile. "Call me Liz. What should I call you?" Liz's introduction was greeted by silence. She frowned. "I would bet Kid knows your name." she muttered. Crona glanced at her more curiously than upset. "Oooh, so you remember him? Then I'll ask you, why is he so enamored with you?" Liz knew she'd bewildered the mysterious guest by how the curiosity showed even more prominent on hir face. Facing an awkward pause in speech, Liz thought of what else to say.
-x-x-x-x-
"Kiiid~!" the jubilant girl sung out, catching the attention of the dining room's occupants. "The one you were searching for is here! She burst right in!"
Kid's head whipped in the direction of the happy voice and replied, "Patty, speaking so loudly is unnecessary inside. I can hear you just- Wait, she's here?" Not pausing for a reply, he passed the maids arranging tableware and Patty, who followed a little indignantly. The two entered the corridor in time to see Liz having a one-sided conversation with the ever silent Crona.
"Welcome back." Kid's voice interrupted, drawing their attention.
"She refuses to talk." Liz informed with an uninterested tone.
"Then leave her be." An incredulous look was sent his way, but Liz left to speak with Patty behind him. "If you need it, a bed will be readied." His eyes roved over Crona's unwashed and frail body, unnerving hir with the fear he could somehow see every little bruise and scar. "Come now. Liz and Patty will help you clean up." He offered a hand.
"Wait, what?" Liz questioned in disbelief.
"Hey, hey, Big Sis! We can dress her in those old clothes we found!" Patty exclaimed.
"...were you rummaging the attic again?" Kid asked.
The entire situation unsettled Crona, but it had to be done. There was no returning to Medusa without reprimands waiting for hir, and the sickly youth knew Medusa could conjure punishments far more horrid than starving in a hole. Hesitantly, she touched his hand. He grasped it to help hir up, and then led hir down a hall reminiscent of the one she'd escaped by. She found hirself in a spacious, dim room where hir false-button shoes clapped against the tile. Observing the furniture and fixtures inside, she could grasp an idea of what the room was. It was a bathing room. But that didn't seem right. It was far grander than any she'd ever witnessed. Unlike the typically rusted aluminum bin in Lady Medusa's basement, there was a pristine clawfoot tub of white cast iron.
She was so mesmerized by the extravagance of it that she didn't notice Kid so close beside hir until he spoke. "It will take some time for the water to heat, so go ahead and turn the knobs. When the water is to your liking, just use the drain stopper like this. After you wash, ring this bell and a maid will bring you clean clothes." The trio left the bathroom to Crona, and once outside Liz immediately stopped.
"Explain to me why myself and Patty should do the job of a maid?"
"Does it physically pain you to help someone other than yourselves?" Kid asked tiredly.
"Smart aleck, the problem isn't that. Understand that I am not like you; I cannot deal with any stranger who comes along."
Patty decided to add, "Sis hates being ordered around." Liz scowled while Kid remained calm.
"I assumed you would help someone you could sympathize with."
"And what do you mean by that?"
"All three of you come from the streets." Embarrassment and anger warmed her face.
"How ironic since it would seem I have better manners than you!"
Patty watched, unsure what to do or say.
"You are the one yelling, Liz." Kid lightly glared.
With an aggravated huff, she stormed off and grumbled, "Come along, Patty."
"Are you angry?" the younger sister asked, offsetting her ecstatic demeanor.
Soon the two were out of sight, and Kid began to leave before a brief shout altered his motive. "Crona, are you alright?" There was no sound excluding the rush of water from the faucet inside the lavatory. "Crona?" The reply was silence. Tentatively, he turned the brass knob and entered the narrow hallway leading into the room. "I am coming in, are you decent?" When once again met by the lone sound of water, he went ahead and saw, to his relief as well as bewilderment, Crona standing fully clothed. She stood in front of the bathing basin staring at hir reddened hand. "Why did you not answer me?" She jolted, but didn't look up.
"I-it is...really hot. At first, I felt nothing but wetness, so I kept my hand still...but suddenly it stung." Kid fixed the knobs to the correct positions for a warm bath in place of Crona's boiling setting.
"Strange. It heated faster than expected. Someone could easily assist y-"
"No! I-I would not know how to handle someone seeing me...u-u-unrobed."
"...that's alright, understandable. Remember to turn the handles like so," He gave an example. "to close the water off. Now excuse me." She kept quiet as he departed and stood alone for several minutes before undressing.
Cautiously, she dipped into the steamy, warm water, and gasped at the foreign sensation. It was new and appreciated, so she gradually sunk into the bath. A content moan slipped out of hir lips as even the sting of water cleansing small wounds felt soothing. For a moment, she felt like never leaving... The thought mangled hir sweet dream, and the nearly relaxed youth jerked forward in reaction to realization. What she wanted meant nothing. Lady Medusa's desires, those meant everything. In no way could she forget hir purpose.
Crona washed in solemn silence, and when it came time to call for a maid, she lay in the draining tub with no will to leave. Time left hir cold after the water ran out, but still she stayed unmoving as useless thoughts whirred inside hir introspective mind. 'Such a bright, clean, large place... So warm... Different... It is the opposite of home. I do not belong.' At the sound of a voice accompanied by knocking on the door, she looked at it wildly, as if fearful the noisy person would barge in.
"Are you alright in there? We brought some clothes for you." She recognized the voice of Liz and left the tub for the linens closet. Covered by a towel, she crossed the room from the closet to the door and creaked it open barely an inch to peek at the two sisters. "Kid isn't here at the moment, so no use fretting. Move aside, we're coming in." Before Crona could retort, Liz pushed the door open, knocking the lone inhabitant of the bathroom back against the wallpaper. Patty followed her sister's prompt entrance with a bundle of clothing in hand. The door slammed shut, and the girls stared at Crona cowering with hir towel. 'She frightens so easily.' Liz noted. 'Then again, she is bare.' "Here are the clothes," She nodded at Patty who gave Crona the pile before stepping back next to Liz. "See if any fit and once again no worries. Patty and I won't be looking."
Though relieved that the girls had turned away from hir person, Crona remained uncomfortable as she replaced the towel with a frilled gown. That was much too luxuriant for hir liking, so she dropped it hastily and searched the small pile until finding the simplest of the dresses. Plain, dark, and an almost faded gray, it would do.
Still, black lace traced its dark edges daintily. The thought of wearing it unsettled the pinkette as she was certain it would draw unwanted attention. Now donning the flowing frock that refused to hug the frail frame she called a body, Crona gathered a considerable amount in hir hands nervously and waited for judgment.
No longer hearing the rustle of clothes, Liz asked, "Finished?" Patty squirmed even more than Crona, only Patty's reason was one of impatience.
"I'm turning around!" Patty warned, and then did so before anyone could halt her. "Aw, you look cute! That can work, right Sis? She reminds me of those little dolls we always wanted." Like a China doll, Crona was dressed fancifully and was pale with a breakable air.
Liz didn't reply immediately as she busied herself with judging. “A loose fit, but that will do. Not half bad. Now, to find Kid.” A begrudged look replaced her observant one, and she mumbled under her breath, "That spoilt boy, he should keep his opinions to himself.”
“He can be nice!” Patty smiled with a skip and grabbed Crona's hand as she left the bathroom.
'Only when he wants to be. Oh well, I can at least give Patty a well-off living thanks to this family. Just oh how he grates my nerves sometimes!' "Yeah… Don't let my words scare you.” Liz spoke in Crona’s direction. “He's pleasant once you surpass the annoyances.”
-x-x-x-x-
The group of three patiently stood in wait outside of Lord Death's study for Kid to motion them in. "What could be keeping him?" Liz spoke her thoughts. She sighed before silencing herself, Patty hummed a pleasant tune, and Crona resembled a statue of stone. Fortunately the doors then opened, and Kid ushered them in.
"May I present Miss. Crona." Kid offered with a glance at the frozen lavender pink-haired person, then to his father.
"Hello there, Crona. It’s a pleasure to meet our rumored guest. Consider me odd, but I simply go by my surname. Hello to you as well, Elizabeth, Patricia." The masked man nodded at them, and they curtsied in return. Crona stared blankly in uncertainty. Noticing she wouldn't return the greeting, he continued, "From what I’ve heard, you have no shelter? If I might interest you, I offer then that you could stay here until further notice."
Crona knew what to reply with; it was going as Medusa had planned. Still, she struggled to sound. The room's occupants nearly thought she had gone mute until she mumbled, "Yes... I-I appreciate your hospitality." Hir eyes would meet nothing but the ever forgiving floor, and a new depressed air weighed down on hir. With any fortune (though fortune was a thing she believed either did not exist or very much disliked hir), no one would comment on hir behavior. Despite the tension, no one did.
"Grand! There are guests' rooms a plenty, so pick any you fancy and we will fix you up right." Crona made a cautious and slightly disturbed face at Lord Death, a bit overcome by his enthusiasm.
Kid stifled a groan at his father's inappropriate behavior. After all, Lord Mayors never conducted themselves in such a personal manner. "I'll show you the rooms myself. Pardon me." Kid bowed before his father before patiently leading Crona out.
'Suppose we're no longer needed.' Liz thought, almost annoyed. "Pardon my sister and I, as well." She curtsied, and Patty mimicked.
"Very well, good evening." Lord Death light-heartedly replied. The two followed Crona and Kid out of the study into the corridor, and Patty took this time to excitedly say, "We have a new playmate!"
"Playmate? Must you put it that way when you are already in your 19th year?" her sister replied a bit absently as her gaze trailed the couple in front of them.
Patty laughed good-naturedly in return. "A new friend for us~!" Liz smiled. Before coming to Gallows Manor nearly a year ago, they had no one to lean on or speak to excluding themselves. Now they even had the opportunity to make friends.
"We wait to see what sort of person this Crona is before any befriending."
Neither Kid nor Crona paid attention to the girls who took a separate hall. Kid focused on his informative words while Crona couldn't think of much more than hir own discomfort. "Are you listening?" the young man spoke up, finally noticing hir lack of interest.
"A-ah, I- My apologies..." she stuttered softly, not facing him and clutching hir arm for comfort. He grimaced at hir pitiful mannerism.
"Quite alright, though it'd do good to listen as I brief you on the manor's layout." Crona sedately nodded. "Here, this room is where you spent your visit. Your shroud still remains." He directed hir into the neatly made room; though smaller than the study, it was much larger than hir room under Lady Medusa's roof. Every detail of this place contrasted what she knew and could handle. "Would this room suit your stay?"
Kid watched Crona adjust to hir new surroundings, shroud in hand. There was something graceful about hir frailty as she stood alone, loosely hugging the cloth with hir back toward him. With a familiar morbid interest renewed, he realized she was wearing a dress meant for burial.
-x-x-x-x-
The following days the manor stirred in a flurry of final preparations for the Christmas gala. Each day Crona was either completely shoved aside, giving hir reason to hide away in hir room, or escorted by some inhabitant. Not many words left hir lips during the time period, but she managed to learn enough to find a way around, courtesy of the Thompson sisters. They were also the ones to inform hir of what exactly the Christmas gala was and aided in preparing an outfit. Saturday that week, the festivities officially commenced.
In the ballroom of the manor, townspeople joked and politely conversed, celebrating the ending of the year and the newfound tradition. Kid attentively hosted the seasonal event, overseeing the partygoers and kindly greeting newcomers. As the night went on and dancing ensued, he noticed one guest hiding away. He made his way casually to the wallflower. "Good evening, Miss. Crona.”
Crona looked up at the familiar voice, with a lock of hair falling from underneath the bonnet she adorned. The bonnet was without a high rim as the most popular bonnets of recent had. It covered most of hir head and concealed hir hair well, but seemed a bit out of place for this gathering. It would be put to better use on an outing. Nonetheless it was lovely with its frills and plum-colored silk that matched hir dress.
"Mind if I stay here with you for a moment?" Kid offered with a questioning hand, palm facing upward.
She shook hir head. "N-no, not really..."
He moved beside hir, looking out at the dancers. "You don't particularly appear to be enjoying yourself." Even he knew that was an understatement.
"Never before have I been around so many..."
"You have never been to a music hall, then?"
"No..."
"Hm." Crona peered curiously at Kid who had begun to form an idea. He then extended his gloved hand to hir. "Mind a dance with me?"
"D-dance? Oh I couldn't!"
"Then we'll continue to talk here." Holding hir arms tightly up to hir torso, she grimaced.
"A dance...would be fine..." A smile lit up Kid’s pale face that set off hir unease.
"Lovely! This way if you please." The young gentleman led hir a few feet away from the wall she had lingered by.
After a gentlemanly bow, Kid gingerly raised hir hand and placed his other on hir side. She burned with blush at the contact and refused to see if he was doing the same. "Put your hand on my shoulder." he calmly instructed. She did so nervously.
Clumsily, she swayed with him, following his words and movements. Their dancing, she noticed, was much slower than those around them who kept in time to the waltz melody. "It's alright," She looked at him, making eye contact for the first time in days. "focus only on our dance." Hir breathing strained. Those eyes... They were too similar to hers. She could find no comfort in his actions or words and felt so out of place having someone practically hold hir.
"Now," he began, "let me admit how curious I am of where you are from. You came to us rather sick. Your hair and disposition are the most curious." So he really wasn't to be trusted. Lady Medusa had warned hir. She backed away a step, stopped only by Kid's hand slipping from hir waist to hir back.
"S-sir..." Crona spoke up apprehensively.
"Oh, my apologies. Thank you for this dance." He withdrew himself, ultimately releasing hir, and she scurried back to the safety of isolation. 'Blast it, I was too forward. Now she might avoid me even more than she has.'
While the Death heir cursed himself, Crona calmed hir heart-rate. 'How can I gain his trust if he terrifies me with simple questions? Lady Medusa-... No, there is no sense is even wanting to go back… I must complete this task…'
"Do not return to me until I come for you. Be a good child for your Mother, and do not make me regret sending you. You will regret much more than that." Though she yearned to return to Mother, the only person who understood hir, Crona knew that there would be no more chances for a failure child after so many had been given before.
End Note:
Kid could have gone up to Crona at the party considering 1) he is hosting the ball, 2) he is acquainted with Crona, 3) she is technically apart of his company since she lives at Gallows Manor. It is improper etiquette for this time for a person to introduce themselves on most occasions.
If a person wanted to speak with someone they weren’t acquainted with, they could pretend it was coincidence and feign surprise. I also fumbled on Kid’s behavior as a host, because I could not find for the life of me information on this. I have edited the chapter based on Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen.
Though I do my best to keep things accurate and make little (though important) edits over already posted work, I am no expert, so please do not use my words as your only resource.
Please review so I know what you like, dislike, and all that jazz.
