Vignette!
A five-turn-old, her cheeks slapped with a rosy hue and her curly hair set just so, sits cross-legged on the ancient and creaky chair at the front of the classroom. In front of her, a fresh-faced Harper is tapping the desk, waiting patiently for the young girl's attention.
"Lady Bailie. Please, Lady Bailie, if I might have your attention."
Even to the Harper, such an address seems inappropriate for the mere child, and yet he keeps his tone stiff and formal for his charge. The girl's dark sparkling eyes flicker from their current haunt, the old beam bared at the apex of the roof, to the awkwardly shifting Harper.
"L- Lady Bailie!"
The young man seems reluctant to draw any chagrin into his tone, and stammers what should be a confident reprimand. Five-turn-old Bailie blinks at him, and twists her cherry-red lips into a frown. Tiny eyebrows knit as she performs the gesture, and dimples appear in her cheeks.
"You can't speak to me like that, I'm a Lady! Who are you?"
"I'm afraid," the Harper manages not to stutter, though his large gulp of air mid-sentence shows his nervousness, "That I /can/ speak to you like that, m'Lady. I have been hired by your father to replace your nanny."
Replace...
Even to the bitsy girl, this word has significant meaning. Bailie takes a moment, her eyes drifting back up toward that comfortable beam holding the roof up, to decide if she's annoyed or delighted at the prospect.
"Do you nanny Balien, too? Is this because of Mother's new baby?"
The Harper is quiet for a long moment, watching his new charge with interest as her eyes flick from one end of the beam to the other, the cogs in her little brain obviously twirling at a rate of knots as she attempts to reason her new situation.
She's not slow, he thinks, still watching as the girl's attention moves to the window.
"Lady Bailie," he begins, a little unsure of how much truth to measure to the child. "It is partly because of your new brother, but mostly," the Harper flashes a warm smile, "Because you are a very special young girl. I will not be tutoring Balien; just yourself, m'Lady."
She's not listening anymore, a flicker in the sky having caught her attention. The Harper doens't yet know it, but this is a good sign; there will be no tantrum over his replacing her nanny. In time, he'll learn the subtleties of his student's personality, and develop a special bond with Lady Bailie...
"What is your name?" She's sharp, demanding.
"I am Harper Journeyman Sykarin, m'Lady."
Bailie narrows her eyes at the young Harper, then points out the window.
"Nanny said the searchriders would come soon. I think I saw one outside, Sykarin. Please take me to see it?"