He sat there until she was done. Properly, it took her another half an hour to shift through all of the purchase lists, meal plans, unexpected costs, bills and finances, both legal and illegal, that had been pushed through the manor's books. It was mostly for the fact that Vitruvion used the manor for a front of some of his darker projects that Stare needed to do it every week herself. Before she had been part of his retinue, apparently it had been Raevin, Vitruvion's military captain and martial steward, who had done it, alongside a private accountant who had needed to be bribed, constantly. But now she was here, things ran smoother, and her skills in financial matters had become somewhat expert.
When she finally closed the massive book and set it aside, Vitruvion moved. In the near instant that she had sighed inwardly, he sat up, placing the now empty wine carafe back onto the table. Leaving it for one of the three maids and single footman to clear up. As Stare neatly piled the papers on top of the others, and then wiped the end of the feather pen clean he stood, taking up his cane, and actually waited for her to be completely finished.
Omninous as a dead body appearing at your front door.
"... What is it?" Stare asked, knowing that his waiting for her was by any means not pretense. It was wholly and entirely deliberate, which meant he had something, likely drastic, for her to do.
"Well, firstly, I have papers for you," he said, keeping eye contact with her as she very cautiously picked up the book and other items into her arms. "Secondly, we need to talk about your new abilities."
Her beak opened slightly, "New ... what?"
He waved a hand regally at her, gesturing for her to follow. Lowering her single, massive brow, that was laden with feathers and was the real only obvious indicator of any emotion on her face, besides her eyes, Stare picked up her feet and angled her body out from the narrow corner. Vitruvion began sauntering forwards, his cane clacking on the ground as he did - a sound which had once filled her with crippling anxiety every time she heard it. Now ... now she just felt her heart either race, sink or boredly continue to thump, depending on the situation, but each expecting, each not as intense but simply reactionary. They moved into the grand main hall of the house, which was a light room, lit by the huge windows to the front door, and open, and four massively, and elaborately decorated marble pillars in the centre. It had a twisting, oppulent, main staircase from it, that led up to the second floor and rooms therein. Only a few tables and sculptures were in this room, all set aside and adorned with flowers as befitting a nobleman's home, and it acted not only as the entrance way, but also the crossroads between many of the main rooms. Across the hall Vitruvion went, straight to the library that dominated the entire stretch of the west side of the bottom floor - aside from one small area. Stare only caught a brief glimpse of the many shelves and the bay window to the south, before he led her through a futher door and into the tiny, private study at its head. A room that few were allowed in, including her.
He stopped, yet she continued further in, moving past him with her light, lithe body towards a floor to ceiling set of deep-coloured shelves on the right hand side. In it, many large tomes, similar to the one she held, were set and labelled. Easing the current one in her hands into the gaping obvious space where it lived Stare finished her work for the afternoon, letting out a sigh of relief as she did. The pen, ink and papers she set down on a lower shelf, for the moment forgetting about them.
Click, click.
Turning, she saw Vitruvion closing the door behind them, sealing them both inside. She paused, her brow creasing once more in concern and confusion, before he stood straight again and walked, heading to the left hand side of the room now, where a large, many drawered, dark-wood desk was, and behind it a heavy chair. This he sank into, and he took a moment to just smile at her, before nodding at her waist. Stare glanced down, and saw a new item of furniture in the room - a small, but suitable chair. She grunted, sank into it and looked right back.
