The maid simply gave Amora a curt smile in reply, bowed, although it was apparent she had no real respect for the girl, and left her to it. No doubt sheâ€™d learn, in time sheâ€™d pick up the ebb and flow of the castle and get used to the running of the place. That was, of course IF she survived that long.<br/><br/>Deep suede blues were beginning to settle into the horizon, periodically punctuated by the odd spattering of stars, as though someone had hanged dark hessian across the glass face of a lamp. Night was encroaching and it breathed a crisp, chilling sigh into the atmosphere that made locals pull their jackets tighter around themselves by the time Naethaniel made it home.<br/>Tell-tale signs of wine were showing in his gait as he lopsidedly handed his mares reigns over to the stable boy, his shoulders slack, eyes heavy. He swallowed heavily, silently praying that the courtyards around him would stop their infernal dancing and shoed away some of his birds as they clamoured to greet him.<br/>Having said that, birds werenâ€™t loyal.<br/>No. Their motive was sheer carnality. Pea brained, mobile feather dusters simply wanted to know if heâ€™d brought them home anything to eat of pick at! Now there was love for you!<br/>â€œEesh!â€ he hissed and rolled a shoulder violently to prevent one heâ€™d named Bretta from landing and beaking his hair, sheâ€™d been with him since he was a boy, an unnatural span for a crow, but then his affinity for the little monsters had put them directly at the business end of many an experiment, and she had since grown quite comfortable with the habit of grooming him before bed time. Bells around her claw jingled musically as she took off.<br/><br/>The butler had seen him coming luckily enough or at least heard him and opened the door, saving him that age old drunkardâ€™s eternal battle with the locks. Mumbling his gracious thanks he slunk upstairs, more than ready for sleep. Bed take me now!<br/><br/>He knocked open the door with the blunt end of a hip lazily, then froze mid step in the doorway.<br/><br/>For a heartbeat his mind reeled trying to back track and make sense of thing, but then it hit him! The figure in his room; it was the new pet!<br/>He exhaled through his nose and grinned, â€œYou half frightened the life out of me girl!â€ he purred, suddenly that bit more cheery. It was like finding her afresh all over again! Like discovering money in a coat pocket that youâ€™d forgotten you stashed away!<br/><br/>She looked differentâ€¦ ah yes! The maids had worked their magic and there was no denying that this one scrubbed up well! Her hair could have been weaved from the gossamer threads of spiders, her petit frame perfectly shaped in a new kimono so that enough flesh showed to tease, but not enough that it oversold the whole damn package into disinterest.<br/><br/>â€œTheyâ€™ve done you up as a geisha!â€ he remarked, raising an eyebrow in half arsed amusement, arms folding across his chest, â€œPity youâ€™re human, youâ€™d have made such a stunning demoness!â€ she shook his head and strolled in, the musky scent of wine accompanying him on his skin. He shrugged off his travelling jacket and started unbutton his shirt, casually speaking as he did so, â€œDid they untie you yet, creature?â€