Morningstar Manor

( Emily )

*

( Avery )

*

( Susan )

*

( Laura )

Guy wasn't a huge fan of the coffee shop. While he knew he was allowed to be there and nobody had ever made him feel unwelcome, he was well aware that he was the help and tended not to linger.

However he DID really enjoy the hazelnut mocha so got into the line to get a take out to take up to his apartment.

• Urquhart was doing the laundry, but one of the washing machines had gone weird on him. He could try and fix it on his own, but it would be much more interesting to find himself some handyman or maid and that way meet more of the staff. So he went up to the first floor to stick his head into the staff corridor and mildly bleat for help.
• Cindy was in the lobby, waiting for Andras to return with the dog. She was reading a cooking magazine, occasionally looking up from it to still not see the two loping shapes come in through the front door.
• Ricky was in the conservatory, wondering whether some seedlings of his mum's illicit crop might be grown here, hidden beneath and behind the regular plants.
• Chandika was sitting in the Mocha, having a Mocha mocha with whipped cream, syrup and sprinkles. She was texting on her phone, and giggling as she was doing so.
• Andras was outside, just around the corner, taking pictures of Axminster who was busy meeting a small pink female poodle.
• Sibyl was in the garden, walking around and looking up at the sky, while obviously deep in thought.

It hadn't been easy, but Susan had finally managed to get Riley Ames's usual maid transfered, and more importantly to get that opened up cleaning slot for herself. A few well placed hints at the maid being a little too obtrusive a fangirl while cleaning Mr. Ames's apartment had gotten the rumors started, and finally the apartment lists for the maids had been renewed.

It had been a long time coming, but Susan felt very accomplished for getting to knock on Riley's door on Tuesday afternoon, just at the time when his old maid had used to come in. She was dressed in her maid's outfit and had her cleaning trolley with her, and now she wondered if Riley knew about the change of maids himself. Perhaps he wasn't even at home... that would give her ample chances at digging through his things for whatever juicy story material she might find.

Laura, half-dressed, turned slowly around in her bedroom and stared at her tall dresser. She had checked it already once, but she could swear there was someone, or something, in there.

She walked with bare feet across the bedroom, carefully reached for the handles of the doors, and took a deep breath. It was just her dresser. She had already checked that it only held her clothes and a ridiculous assortment of shoes and boots, but she still felt strangely scared. After a moment of bracing herself, she pulled open the doors, ready to jump back from whatever she would find.

But no - it was just clothes, shoes and boots.

*

Susan was walking down a corridor with her cleaning trolley. She felt like someone had been following her for a while, but she still hadn't seen anyone. Unconciously she started walking faster with the trolley, glancing over her shoulder at the corridor behind her.

*

Emily felt strange - just like when you suddenly wake up from a terrible nightmare and you're still too scared to move or be alone in the dark, let alone go back to sleep. She was trying to load the washing machine with her laundry but she had to keep on looking around, feeling like something horrible was going to jump at her. Maybe it was just her imagination, or maybe Manny was playing pranks, or maybe Vincenzo was trying to be funny. In either case, it really wasn't funny.

Thomas, wearing a grey suit with a dark blue tie, sat in the Mocha with a coffee cup and the newest issue of the Forbes magazine.

Emily parked the bright red Vespa in the garage, in its own spot. She took a few steps back while she took off her helmet, and admired the sparkling clean paint finish, straight from a thorough wash.

Susan was plotting murder. She didn't know who she had to blame for getting the task of polishing every single brass decoration in the ball room and the staircases, but while she was hard at work, she entertained herself with the vivid, imaginative pictures in her head.

Nearing the end of her workday, Jazz was down on the sales floor, selecting a few pieces from the cases that she wanted to take with her to tomorrow's morning consultation and catching up with the staff as to how they're day had gone.

~.~

Adam was picking up the necessary ingredients for the spaghetti dinner he was hoping to make for Icene tonight. And also, on a whim as he for the headed for the checkouts, a bouquet of flowers.

Here was hoping it was one of her decent nights and not one of her work-all-night nights.

~.~

His sister's birthday coming up, Riley was wandering aimlessly. Where to start, what to look for? Really these sort of things should have gotten easier with age, but to Riley it only seemed to get harder and more confusing.

Thomas was enjoying his summer holiday - or rather suffering. He had started the month-long holiday with a wine tasting with some of his colleagues, friends and contacts, and had only come back home on Friday morning. Having slept for a while, he was now looking very pale in the Mocha, nursing a cup of coffee.

*

Emily was definitely enjoying her summer holiday. She had decided to do absolutely nothing, except perhaps eat well, drink well, read something, sun bathe and, if she had the chance, flirt shamelessly with Vincenzo. Now she was in the gardens, sitting near the Angel statue and eating strawberries. She had a novel with her, but she wasn't reading it but actually just lazily people watching.

*

Susan was in the laundry room, longing to have a holiday or at least some time off. It was Rosa's day off, so she was in the laundry shift, and bored out of her mind.

Susan enjoyed her day off by sitting on the terrace of the Mocha, drinking ice tea, mostly appearing to be reading women's magazines but actually she concentrated on something else. She had a small notepad with her where she made notes of observations and ideas and things she needed to investigate.

One of the few socialite tenants in the Manor walked past her table on her terrifyingly high heels and sat down on the table right behind Susan, in the company of a man she recognized but couldn't name at that moment for the life of her. When the couple started talking about vacation plans and that dreadful time in Florida in great detail, Susan took her cellphone out, looked like she was writing a short text message but actually turned on the voice recording, and then casually left the phone on her table. Juicy details from the mouth of a small celebrity? Too good to pass.

Leo had actually been into the office on a Sunday, not unheard of but not a regular occurrence, because Carnahan had called him to say that some papers from Pangolin had been misdirected to his office and that he had, shamefully, forgotten to mention it. He had offered Leo Sunday evening dinner in recompense and Leo had accepted cheerfully, then had put the phone down and cursed and got down there sharpish. Now he was back, envelope in pocket, considering options and ready for tea - possibly iced because it was a warm day.

#

Vincenzo greeted Lawyer Beck on his way through the lobby then settled back in his seat and eased his collar. It was hot. He might have to fetch the one of the fans from the security suite. They didn't need ALL of them in there.

#

Ruth had finished her laundry and paused to look in the mail room. She felt - restless - and couldn't work out why.

On impulse she spoke to the young man at the security desk and he smiled and agreed to keep her small package of laundry, neatly folded inside a pillow case, in his cupboard until she came back for it, and she hitched her purse under her arm and went for a walk. Maybe to the park - or the Square.

Though she would probably end up at the museum.

#

The lack of the pool house was being felt quite keenly by some of the residents so Charlie had obtained an extra large and extra tough paddling pool and obtained permission to put it on a sunny patch of ground not far from the gazebo. Overnight he and Nick and Phil had put it up and filled it and now the sun was busy warming it.

He sat on the grass laughing as Nia, in a very frilly swimsuit, dipped her hands in and squealed and ran about shaking them and going "brrrrrrrrrrr". The way the temperature was rising it would soon be milk warm and he might even have a paddle himself.

Susan stood on a tall step ladder in the Conservatory and cleaning the large windows, panel by panel. She was angrily grumbling with every swipe, getting water drops on the apron and skirt of her maid's outfit, and getting more and more convinced that she had not thought this maid-plan through as well as she should have. She had not realized that she wouldn't be only cleaning apartments all the time.

Only some laundry duty left for a couple of hours and Sunday's work shift would be dealt with - luckily. Susan hated the laundry duty and preferred to be cleaning apartments, so she was having a break with a latte and a cigarette before heading downstairs. It was a little chilly even though it was sunny, but with her arms folded over her chest she stood there in the gardens in her maid's work clothes near the doors, and enjoyed the smoke.

The farrago up at the pool house had driven all thought of Ms Reed out of his mind but once it was over it occurred to him to wonder if she had been involved and what she had made of it. Since she was still making herself pretty scarce he had a word with Frank, the big security guy.

"How's Mary-Ann's schedule these days?" he said. "Any chance of her fitting me in? No? Awww pity. Well, how about that new girl? What's her face? Pretty, long dark hair? Rachael? Edith? Susan! Yeah Susan, what about her? One morning a week would be fine. I don't make much mess."

Sometimes being vague got decent results as well.

Fin set the door ajar, made a fresh pot of coffee and waited.

[ooc: trying to catch up with plot but brain's still a bit slow, sorry]

Leo always checked the weather forecast before leaving for work in the morning. What he saw today made him grimace and get his furry Russian hat out of the wardrobe again and book a cab.

Standing in the lobby, he peered at the snowflakes beginning to filter from the dull sky and gave a sigh of discontent.

###

Fin had decided not to go out. Instead he sat in the Mocha with his laptop warming his knees and tapped away at an article on recipes designed to reduce cholesterol levels. They all sounded pretty dire to him but at least the paycheck was palatable.

###

Guy had just picked up a fare to deliver to the Manor, which was good because he was due to collect Mr Beck. He turned on his windscreen wipers to sweep the snow away and said, "I thought it was spring, didn't you?"

After a whole day of moving her things into her new small staff apartment on the tenth floor, Robin really started to feel the role of Susan. To actually move into the Manor and start the job as a maid helped to get into character. After a refreshing shower and a change of clothes, Susan - not Robin, she decided - left her apartment and descended down to see the coffeeshop by the lobby.

Dressed in gray jeans and a champagne top she walked through the door of the Mocha, looked around, and joined the queue with her wallet in hand.

She couldn't remember being more nervous in her life, but then again, she had not seriously pretended to be someone entirely else before. She had been thinking of herself as Susan Jukes, not Robin Reed, ever since sending the application for the job, and tried to fit into the character of someone who would want to work as a maid. She finished her cigarette outside the Manor's front doors, and finally pulled the door open to walk in.

It was incredible - to walk into the building with completely innocent air, only wanting a job and a flat to go with it, without having to try and avoid the security. Her black hair was free on her shoulders, she carried a black bag on her shoulder, and she was dressed casually but with great care. Her jeans were well-fitting, her shoes were feminine but not flashy, and her jacket was warm and practical.

"Hello?" she walked up to the security desk at the lobby, and for a moment she expected the men to stand up and throw her out. "I'm here for the maid's job, I'm supposed to meet a... Mr. Ruprecht?"

( The unfortunate Susan Jukes becomes the lucky break )