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[Ekaterina]

Ekaterina watched Micah as she prepared her food. In truth, she'd half expected the famished girl to scarf down as much as she could. But the reality was that the blue haired girl actually seemed to be quite skilled in the kitchen. Which honestly, that suited Ekaterina just fine. After all, she did have it mind for the girl to act as a maid around her household. After they'd sat down, Ekaterina held an amused grin after she had heard Micah's words. "Really? I watched and you looked like it was something you did all the time." She chuckled. "I'll show you to your room after we eat." With a smile she began to eat part of her salad before looking over to Verena.

"Say, how about a story while we eat? I'm quite interested in hearing some of your work." The witchy woman queried her bardic acquiantance.

[Micah]

Micah smiled and blushed at the compliment. "Well, when you're looking for part-time work in order to earn some coin, it's a shaky start. But you get better at it" she said. Then she nodded when Ekaterina said she would show Micah to her room after she ate. Micah really expected that Miss Ekaterina would not just let her stay here out of pure charity. After all, in a tough world like this, there usually wasn't such a thing as a free lunch. She was sure Verena thought similarly, that Micah would not be taken in simply out of good will. Regardless, Micah smiled; she was grateful for this blessing which gave her a new lease on life. Even if she would work as a servant for Ekaterina, working as a servant for her would most likely be better than living as a subhuman trash in the Mytrus family.

"Yes, indeed, Miss Verena, why don't you regale us with some stories of your performances? I'm so curious to hear about it, too." Micah asked in encouragement.

[Verena]

Verena frowned at Ekaterina's request. "You're probably going to be disappointed. Most of my work is instrumental, and most of that is improvised on the spot," she said. But no sooner had she said that but Micah joined in asking for a story. She sighed. "Alright, alright. This one isn't mine, but I know it pretty well. I hear it around taverns a lot, and it seems to keep getting bigger and wilder each time, so it most likely started as a true story, at least. That's how they usually go. And that...should also give you an idea of the kind of story it is." She cleared her throat, took a deep breath, and begin.

"It all begins with a barbarian. A strong and proud young lad, raised with an axe..." So the story began. The barbarian was brought up wielding an axe from an early age, to the point that it might have been an extension of himself, or even a sibling. His escapades began as a child, when he ran afoul of and killed a bear in the woods outside his town. The tale only grew taller from there, as he left to become a hero and embarked on a grand adventure. It was a story of perilous quests, of narrow escapes from the armies of both Solis and Lunae, of daring rescues and even more daring kidnappings, of deeds best left undone, and exploits that would have made the gods themselves blush. Lots of axes were involved as well, including a legendary axe that the barbarian may or may not have been physically attracted to. Then, at the end of it all, he returned home to save his tribe from the evils of a company of soldiers who committed the unforgivable act of stopping them from raiding nearby villages. He would succeed, but die from the wounds he incurred during the grand battle.

"He left home to be a hero. Came back home to be a hero. His tale ends here, right where it first began. But his journey will yet be remembered, in reeling minds of those whose paths he crossed." Verena closed her eyes and took another deep breath as she finished. "The end," she said.

[Ekaterina]

Ekaterina took her time eating her salad, her attention thoroughly grabbed by Verena's story. A grand quest of adventure was always fun to hear. She chuckled during amusing parts of the story, especially the bit about how the hero had been attracted to an axe of all things. By the time the redhaired troubador's story was finished, Ekaterina was done with her meal. But she remain enthralled until the end regardless. After Verena had punctuated her tale with a declaration of the ending, the sexy witch politely clapped.

"You're much too modest. That was a good telling!" The violet haired woman smiled as she spoke. "I definitely have to see one of your perfomances properly!"

[Micah]

Micah was far more refined this time; eating her food with less barbarism than she did when Ekaterina had given her the apple. She listened intently to the story told by Verena, it seemed vaguely familiar to her, but perhaps she was thinking something else, Micah had been to many pubs herself looking for work as a barmaid to earn some coin. So she had heard many stories. But this one was different; quite reaching, it was one of the kinds of stories that always changed depending on who told it. But this one had a more humorous take on things, something that Micah needed more of in her life. Humour. She smiled much more brightly than earlier, softly clapping too. "Yes, as Miss Ekaterina said. I enjoyed that story very much. You have a way with words," Micah said in compliment. She had managed to finish most of her meal by the time Verena had finished her story. But she was still eating.

"I'd love to see you perform sometime, for sure." Micah exclaimed albeit softly. Though something about Verena and Ekaterina made Micah seem... Small. She had been thrown away by her family because she wasn't like them. Nobody appreciated her ability to do anything. Sure, she could cook, but anybody could do good at it given the time and dedication. Rarely was someone ever actually inept at it. Micah smiled but behind those eyes you could tell something was up.

[Verena]

To Verena's surprise, her story was met with applause. It seemed that she'd made the right choice of tale, even for one that wasn't hers. Still, she'd worried that she'd mess it up, or that it would be too...crass at parts, for their liking. But she never got any sense of that. Both of them seemed to hang on to every word, laughing at the right parts and listening with rapt attention through the rest. Actually, it was a nice change. Even the best audiences in taverns were quite rowdy, so it wasn't always evident whether they were enjoying a performance or just liked having background noise while they drank and laughed away the day's troubles.

"Thank you both," she said. "I usually perform at taverns...actually, I only perform at taverns, other places won't have me, so it's not the calmest atmosphere, but I still put on the best show I can. So I'd be happy to have you in the audience sometime."

[Ekaterina]

"Ah, I see. Maybe a private performance sometime?" Ekaterina asked with a playful giggle. "Nonetheless, I'd be happy to see you perform regardless." After she spoke, the violet haired woman looked over at her new blue-haired tenant. The girl seemed a bit out of place, but given what she'd said before, it was perhaps expected. Micah had quite obviously been on the streets for a good time now and such a turn of events was probably something she'd long dreamed about with no expectation of actually achieving it. It was genuinely heartwrenching in a way that truly did bother Ekaterina.

"Would you like to see your room now, Micah?"

[Micah]

Micah blinked as Verena said that she only performed at taverns due to the fact other places wouldn't have her. Well that was a darned shame. "I say, people would do good to have you perform at more formals events. I think you've got a good talent for it, for what good my opinion's worth." Micah said, she believed Verena deserved better. She was good; Micah believed people were missing out if they didn't have Verena performed. Micah caught Ekaterina looking at her, but fortunately it seemed the witch wasn't angry. Micah blushed again and fidgeted in a rather demure manner. It seemed Micah had found herself being blessed, by this wonderful and beautiful woman. Who knows if Micah was being ensnared into a trap, but at this point, even the feeling of being rescued only to be thrown out was much better than lingering suffering. Soon Ekaterina asked Micah if she wanted to see her room.

"If you would be so kind to show me, yes, please, Miss Ekaterina!" Micah said, bowing. She looked like she was going to cry of happiness.

[Verena]

"A...private performance?" Verena asked. Despite the witch's giggle, any less savory implications flew over Verena's head. Not that she was naive or anything, but the idea that someone would want to see her perform outside of her usual haunts had lodged itself more deeply in my head. "You know, usually I'd still charge for that sort of thing. I can't just play for free or I'd be out of what little work I had," she said. "I'll consider it, though."

She started eating her own lunch, left mostly but not entirely forgotten during her story. As she did, she heard the witch offer to show Micah her room. Verena recognized that she probably wasn't going to be able to interfere with this, but since she wasn't being shooed out yet she'd at least be able to tell if there would be any problems before she left. "Go ahead," she said, nodding to Micah.

[Ekaterina]

Ekaterina was pleased by the redheaded troubador's consideration. But more than that at the moment, it was time to show Micah to one of the empty bedrooms within her home. She led the blue haired girl upstairs to another hallway filled with doors. Eventually she stopped at a door that was placed across from another. "This is the room. It's right across from my own bedroom as well." She opened the door and the bedroom that lay before the girls didn't exactly look like it was in the best shape. Though most of the concerns were simply that of dust and a few cobwebs in the corners of the room. "I'm afraid it does need some cleaning, but I assure you that everything's in good condition. I simply haven't used it since I bought the residence."

A dresser, a desk and chair, a nightstand, an armoire, and a canopy bed filled the room. A side door opened up to reveal a closet where Micah could store belongings or clothing. "Feel free to make yourself at home however you desire in here. Excuse me for a moment." The witchy woman went back downstairs for a few minutes, eventually returning with a couple of feather brushes. She handed one of the brushes to Micah and kept one for herself. "Allow me to help you clean. You are my lovely guest, after all." A smile and wink towards Micah followed.

[Micah]

Micah was led to the room after going upstairs and walking through a hallway filled with doors. Were these all bedrooms? Well, Micah figured she'd find out sooner or later. Ekaterina pointed her to a door across another, and she explained that it was right across from her own bedroom. Micah blushed. Mistress, as Micah had already imagined calling her, opened the door and showed the bedroom - most of the things inside seemed to be in decent condition but Micah already could tell that the room needed some cleaning. "That's alright. Thank you so very much, Miss Ekaterina. I am eternally in your debt." she said softly, smiling and wiping her eyes. Everything Micah needed was in this room. Even the closet was bigger than she had imagined. Ekaterina excused herself but returned with two feather dusters. Micah was going to clean the room herself but Ekaterina had offered to help. Smiling, Micah nodded and graciously accepted the help, bowing.

With a feather duster in hand, Micah began to get rid of the dust coating the various things in the room. She ended up swaying as she did so, it seemed that while she had a knack for cleaning (Micah had worked as a janitor of sorts in various stints for part time work), she seemed to move quite... colorfully as she did so. It may or may not be distracting. Regardless, Micah seemed to have little trouble. After dusting the desk clean, she put Lemegeton on it. She continued to clean the room, making sure not to get in Mistress Ekaterina's way, too.

[Ekaterina]

As Ekaterina had passed back upstairs she got word from the crimson troubador about departing for the time being. She said that she would be at the store tomorrow or performing at a tavern this evening. It saddened the witchy woman to see her go, but she was sure that she would see Verena again. Nonetheless, she was now alone with the blue-haired Micah. The adorable girl looked so cute as she wiped the tears of joy from her eyes. She briefly started to brush away some of the dust before looking over at Micah after she had started. And given the way that the girl took to doing the cleaning, it was definitely on the distracting side for Ekaterina. The voluptuous violet haired woman watched as Micah swayed her hips back and forth while cleaning, thoroughly entranced by the sight. It was only the thud of the book upon the table that broke Ekaterina's focus and enabled her to actually do part of the cleaning.

After a few minutes, the cleaning was done and Ekaterina decided to move up behind, the shorter girl. She wrapped her arms around Micah's shoulders, hugging her. "Welcome to your new home, Micah. I promise to take very good care of you." She lay the smaller girl's head against her ample bosom, resting her chin atop Micah's head. "Hmm~. You'll need some clothes, won't you? A nice maid outfit is a must for your new work. But what other pretty things might I dress you up in~?"

[Micah]

Micah continued to clean and it wasn't long thanks to the combined efforts of Ekaterina and herself that the cleaning was finished. Soon she felt Ekaterina's arms around her shoulders, and her ample bosom against her own head, which elicited a blush from the former mendicant. The blue-haired girl smiled as she felt Ekaterina's chin on top of her head. When Ekaterina told her, 'welcome to her new home,' the girl couldn't help but sniffle from how emotional she felt. To be given this opportunity was just too much for her to handle at how overwhelming it was. She even said she promised to take very good care of her. "O-oh, Miss Ekaterina. Thank you so much. I'd be happy to wear anything you give me proudly," she said, at the mention of the maid outfit, Micah recalled what the servants back at the Myrtus household wore, it figured it would be a bit similar to that. It was a bit provocative of a thought. Though, Micah blushed very darkly upon the thought that she would be wearing all sorts of things for her new Mistress.

"You are just so kind and generous. I'll do anything for you." Micah insisted.

[Ekaterina]

There was that word again. That sweet little word. Anything. Well, that just settled it. "There is one thing that I would absolutely love from you, Micah." Her tone changed to a very sultry one. "And that..." Her arms unfolded and her hands began to trace down from Micah's shoulders along her emaciated frame. "Is..." She re-wrapped her arms around Micah's waist. "You." Ekaterina removed her head from atop Micah's and she nibbled upon the blue-haired girl's earlobe. "Become my concubine, Micah. And I shall show you the love and affection you desire. Every day and every night..."

The sultry witch chuckled amusedly, her hot breath upon Micah's ear. "What do you say~?"

[Micah]

Micah smiled, though her innocent smile turned into one of slight awkwardness and nervousness as Ekaterina's tone seemed to change - though Micah was more nervous about what the witch was about to say than anything else, as her tone did become very sultry, almost seductive. Micah couldn't resist the tone of Ekaterina's voice - soft and sexy, enticing, such that Micah shook in place. She blushed darkly when Ekaterina proclaimed that she wanted her, Micah felt the lovely witch's arms around her waist, her teeth gently nibbling on Micah's earlobe. "Y-your concubine," Micah repeated, she seemed nervous, but at the same time, Ekaterina would tell that deep inside, Micah wanted it too; that she had been seduced by offers of having a new home, the opportunity to start anew. It didn't help that the blue-haired healer felt the sultry witch's hot breath fall upon her ears.

"Mmm, yes. May I call you my Mistress, then? I'll gladly be yours... After all... No one else will have me," Micah giggled softly, though her body still shook. It was from anticipation rather than fear, though, and Ekaterina could easily tell.