The Rain In Spain...Is A Massive Pain (Rai/GM)

[Rozalin Kendal]

This.  Was.  Ridiculous.  Not to mention a few dozen different phrases Rozalin could use, but would be considered "inappropriate" for high society...essentially the entire territory of 260.  The place she now called home.  Not that she wasn't grateful, or that her position required more than the rough high-seas life she'd left behind, but if she had to focus on her diction one more time that morning, she was going to scream.  Rolling strides sounded too loud in the halls and disrupted studying. 

But with the fact she wasn't even a mage stacked against her, she had to try.  This was a chance for a new life for her - her own life.  No living off of black market plots and stolen goods.  A chance to be the person she never got to be, someone her parents could be proud of.  Even if they were faded memories at best now, some part of her still wanted to be something they could appreciate...and yes, Preston. He had stuck his neck for her more than once, was her partner, was someone she trusted. She didn't want to spit in t

She wanted to prove the people who were already upset about her status wrong.  The condescending looks, the assumption she was uncultured or a simpleton.

But first she had to finish the current lesson in a satisfactory way.

"Damnit," she muttered as the stack of books fell from her head and clattered to the floor.  Keeping her head up was one thing, but moving just so that they didn't move made her want to throw one of said books.

[Sir Galahad]

"Ugh, what an Uncultured Simpleton."

A Man would say walking up to Roz in a very dignified way. As if the very air you breathed while in his presence was a gift from him to you.

"Is this what I have to work with. Le Sigh. I hope Preston knows that his money is going to waste trying to have a thing like you be tamed and taught to act proper."

He would shake his head.

[Rozalin Kendal]

Rozalin bristled at the familiar reprimand, barely resisting the urge to roll her eyes at the nearly familiar words.

Only, the man's words changed, causing her to pause and straighten, raising a brow at the arrogant lordling.

"I may not be your star pupil, sir, but even I find that phraising aboutthe high chancellor Lord Salabim, quite familiar."

[Sir Galahad]

The man would simply wave his hand as if removing a pestering fly that was buzzing around his head.

"I don't have time for your impetuous nature. I'm here to teach, not trade words with someone that isn't even worth acknowledgement. So if you're going to learn then close that hole in your head you call a mouth, and maybe you'll be able to learn something without anything leaking out."

The man would grip at his temples as if he already had a headache from this one. His work would be hard pressed in this case.

"Now lets get started."

He would walk over to Roz and using the wand in his hand move her body, forcefully if needed, to stand up straight and tall with her head facing forward, eyes front, and made sure she had a very stiff and uncomfortable posture.

"There. This is a start. Now. Walk."

[Rozalin Kendal]

Rozlyn's eyes narrowed as he waved her away, ready to speak further, but the lesson had begun...which was fine with her. She'd been around to know that sometimes the blatant way wasn't the best way to have dirt on someone.

"I'm ready and waiting for instruction," she snarked, again resisting the eye roll as she took a deep breath. She walked past this nonsense every day and didn't acknowledge it; it was harder when she had one higher ins tation above her and able to flaunt it in a way that was meant to better her. She wanted this - she just needed to prove to them that a sea-faring whore had what it took to make her way here. To prove them wrong.

There was a bit of force on his end at first to position her, but Rozalin fell in line, neck aching with teh arch and hold of her shoulders. Unable to see her feet for more reasons that one, she took a small breath and let it out, eyes ahead and head upright as she would start to step forward. The ground steady beneath her,

Heel-toe..or was it toe-heel? Time to find out the hard way, and hopefully not end up throwing a book at the man's face.

Roz walks, forcing her pace to be steady, but she's clearly not going to be gliding across a ballroom floor.

[Sir Galahad]

"Ugh!"

The man would make a rather loud disgusted sound.

"A beached whale moves with more grace than this! You need to do better!"

He would slap the side of her thigh with his wand. Her leg would sting!

"No drooping. Step lightly. Stay in form. Heel, Toe, Heel, Toe repeat!"

[Rozalin Kendal]

A beached whale had more social grace than he did, apparently. Rozalin stopped as she felt the books shift with the sudden motion, the words he spewed at her heard but not heeded. She’d been called worse - no man in this polite society could beat that.

She would trust Preston’s judgement in picking the man. Hopefully. Learning all this would be worth it. It had to be. She probably would have learned from her family’s tutor as a child, that it was just difficult with a late start.

And then he slapped her. The flesh stung, but she doubted there would be any form of bruising. The books dropped as she attempted to snatch the man’s wrist and hold it.

“If you wish to touch me like a whore, at least have the decency to pay with your own coin, first.” If she had succeeded in grabbing his wrist, she would let go and proceed to pick up the books herself. If she failed, she’d probably be dealing with the repercussions before she managed anything else.

[Sir Galahad]

The man would yank his arm away from her grasp rapping his wand against her hand this time.

"Oh honey, you aren't even close to my type. I wasn't slapping you like a whore, I was slappy you in the same manner a farmer would slap his cattle to get them moving. But it appears you're even more dull in your wits than a farm animal! Now get back into position and WALK!"

He would say spinning her around and putting her back into perfect posture. The books would float off the ground and stack perfectly on top of her head as he did so.

[Rozalin Kendal]

Roz pressed her tongue into her cheek to keep from commenting on what type her tutor had.

'Didn't know eunuchs had types.' Ari's voice rang in her head, tired and amused at the same time. The only person this could be worse for was none other than her symbiote. Thankfully, or sadly, she was the only one who could hear him.

The words rolled off of Roz's nerves as he switched from sea creatures to farmland. She hadn't even seen a farm until the last year. The pirate lifted her chin in defiance, waited until she felt the weight settle on her head and settled into the proper stance as instructed.

Heel to toe, then. Shoulders back, Roz would attempt to walk forward in a satisfactory manner! No swaying hips, no slouching, just focusing on the wall in front of her.

[Sir Galahad]

"Acceptable. Now, turn and walk back! No mistakes!"

He would say slapping his wand into his hand making a loud whip noise.

[Rozalin Kendal]

So his satisfaction wasn't an imaginary unicorn after all. Satisfaction and relief both washed through her as she shifted to pivot in what Rozalin assumed would be an acceptable turn, a more fluid motion than her step but probably too sharp for polite society. She blamed it on climbing rigging and dealing with a rolling ship and the shifting tides of battle, no matter the setting.

The sound that crackled in the air killed her inner snark for a moment as she winced, shoulders hunching in reflex at the sound. The books wobbled on her head, the shift in weight enough to pull her back to her senses and upright, the moment over as quick as it had started. He didn't need to see anything more than a potential failure. Assuming she lacked grace was a level of snobbery she could actually stand compared to the truth.

Exhaling slowly, she sould continue the turn and start towards her instructor.

[Sir Galahad]

The man would roll his eyes at her turn, but, technically, she didn't fuck it up... completely.

"That was... adequate."

He would run his temples again.

"Practice EXACTLY like I've shown for at least 2 hours every day until you can walk the entire island blindfolded and still be able to walk properly. Now, follow. AND DON'T BREAK POSTURE!"

The man would say as he began walking away. A magical eye would materialize behind her watching her every move. He would know the moment she broke her posture. He would then proceed to lead her, around the long way, to reach the main dining hall.

During their long walk they would encounter many different on lookers of varying stages of importance. But no matter who it was if they laughed, gawked, or any other negative comment or motion towards Roz the man would just as swiftly silence them with even more hostility than he had given Roz. And more than a couple servants got zapped by the floating eye for attempting to trip Roz. All in all the man made sure that Roz would not be interrupted or degraded while on his watch.

Once at their location he would instruct her to take a seat.

[Rozalin Kendal]

’There’s HOMEWORK?!’. Roz grit her teeth at the spike in volume and continued to walk. She could handle another eye or two on her.

What did he expect? Closing her eyes for a moment, Rozalin took a deep breath and continued, careful with her steps and feeling like a turtle without a shell - wrong, even if it was apparently right for this place.

Her route to the table felt like years instead of moments, posture correct at first but failing as she left the room and proceeded down the hall. She could feel the eyes and hear the remarks, but kept her eyes ahead with nothing more than a look of concentration that sometimes flickered to contempt. It would be so easy to throw barbs right back at them, and the first time she heard them, she turned her head sharply to put a face to a voice and sent the books toppling.

Regardless, she didn’t miss the way he cleared a path afterward. It was almost impressive. Apparently no one could disturb his time from other social circles, either. It was odd. The pirate eyed said dinner table like it was going to bite her. Or catch fire.

“Now what?” She asked as she slowly sat. Slowly. Walking was suddenly a cake walk.

[Sir Galahad]

"Now, I teach you how to eat like a person of interest, and not a pig eating slop."

The man would then snap his finger instructing the serving staff to bring in silverware it was them placed in a pile in front of Roz.

"Organize those correctly."

[Rozalin Kendal]

...

“Why are there four forks?” She hasn’t even started sorting them and she can already see them.