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.D8> notaustralian September 4 2010, 20:00:07 UTC
Today was definitely not his day. Roderich stared down at the woman and hoped that she would tell him it was all a terrible mistake, she was at the house, and she had not meant to come here to clean his house that was already nicely cleaned and tidied.

That she was not sent here by the order of that pesky campaign manager who did not know her place.

But it was not the fault of Miss Elizaveta Hedervary, and Roderich could not blame the poor woman. He stood his guard at the doorstep; he had no intention of letting her into his house.

"I'm sorry, Miss Hedervary, but there has been a terrible miscommunication. I don't need a---"

He, too, stared down at his Hugo Boss loafers (marketed at $195.00) and swallowed the scream that was threatening to slip out. If there was another thing that needed to go wrong, Roderich prayed for it to happen already.

"These are the only pair of shoes that match my shirt," he grumbled as calmly as he could muster.

He looked back at the housekeeper. Instead of seeing an intruder, he saw a golden opportunity. Pushing his glasses up, he relented and asked, "How good are you at cleaning ink off leather loafers? I need these shoes in half an hour."

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Oh you and your loafers lizzypan September 4 2010, 20:11:57 UTC
Elizaveta felt a sinking feeling in her chest as he spoke. No, she really needed this job. She was determined to get a better apartment one day and a healthier living style, and if that meant having to go down on her knees and beg then that was what she would do-

"Eh?" Had she heard right? "Clean your shoes? I think you're severely doubting my capabilities, sir."

A mischievious grin threatened to spill out over her face, "Please, Mr. Edelstein. I've cleaned toffee off a Prada handbag before. I think I can do this. Now, if you would be so kind, you could take off your shoe and lead me to the kitchen where I'll try to find what I need or make me stay out here on your front porch. It'll be done in less than half an hour if we attack it quickly."

Had she been too aggressive? Was she acting like a proper housekeeper? Oh God this was hard. Suppressing a blush, she looked up at him firmly. "I'm not letting a job opportunity as good as this pass me up, Mr. Edelstein. I can do anything you put me up to. Now, is there anything else you need me to do? Because you seem like you're in a rush."

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I AM THE DEVIL IN HUGO BOSS. notaustralian September 4 2010, 20:46:35 UTC
Roderich convinced himself that it would only be for today. It would only be a test drive and then he could come up with an excuse to relieve Miss Hedervary of her duty and apologize for any inconvenience he had caused.

"Then please follow me," he said in that young master voice he hadn't used since he moved out of Austria. It actually felt nice to be able to get someone else to do his bidding. He walked in front of her as he spilled out his orders.

"The kitchen is this way. I will leave my shoes with you and you can find the cleaning supplies in the second cabinet to the left. The coffee marker is broken, but I'd like a cup of coffee nonetheless if you have the time. The coffee beans are in the top left shelf. I like it with with a little half and half but no sugar. I need to you to bleach the shirts on top of the washer. If you can't fix them, then I'll need you to purchase me new ones."

He paused outside the kitchen and reached to take off his shoes. He left the shoes on the floor, feeling a bit odd to hand them to Miss Hedervary's hand.

"Is that clear? If you have any question, I'll be in the study."

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HOW DARE YOU USE THAT ICON WITH ME lizzypan September 6 2010, 22:56:48 UTC
She would not look surprised. She would not let this phase her. Fixing a smile onto her face quickly, Elizaveta bowed slightly and tilted her head to look at the pristine kitchen. "Yes, Mr. Edelstein. Half an hour, you say? Right away, sir."

As she watched him leave, she tightened the handkerchief around her head with a deep frown. She'd have to be serious about this first day. Setting her bag aside on the table, she picked up the dirty shoe from the floor and set it onto the countertop. Whilst rummaging around in the cleaning cabinet, she dialled Carrie on her phone.

"Okay, Carrie. This is Elizaveta, your dear dear friend whom you owe a lot of apologies. I'll talk to you later, but if you're not here in ten minutes with a coffee--half and half, no sugar--then I will call up Jamieson (yes, I do still have his number) and tell him about your crush on him in junior high. Yeah. And from a nice coffee shop, too, not anything like Starbucks. I don't think he'll like that. I mean, I don't think I'll like that. Just get it, okay?"

"Woah, geez. Okay okay fine, but it'll have to be a little later. I have to schedule a mani and pedi for the young master. Heaven knows all that dirt under his nails is not attractive. Alright then, bye."

Snapping the phone shut, Elizaveta set a few microfiber cloths on the table along with rubbing alcohol and soap. After she rolled up her sleeves, she started up the washing machine and inserted the offending clothes with the bleach. Okay.

She gave a determined look to the shoes. "You don't intimidate me," she muttered as she attacked them with the cloth and alcohol. "I'll get you out in no time at all, and then I'll never have to work night shifts until I can't move again." The thought made her smile.

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I'LL USE WHTAEVER ICON I WANT. notaustralian September 7 2010, 04:21:26 UTC
At exactly thirty minutes later, Roderich wandered out of his study and headed back to the kitchen. He was a punctual man, and he expected all around him to be as punctual as he was. So when he gave the time limit of thirty minutes, it did not mean thirty minutes and two seconds; it meant thirty minutes.

Before he reached the kitchen, he was already irritated. There was no sweet aroma of a nice cup of coffee waiting for him. And as previously mentioned, a Roderich without his morning cup was not human in the least. He was a well-mannered man, but when someone else made a mistake, he would not relent or refrain from letting anyone have it. And hell hath no wrath like an Austrian.

Ignoring the heavy stench of rubbing alcohol and ammonia in the air, he simply asked, "Where is the coffee?"

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lizzypan September 8 2010, 02:44:52 UTC
Well. It didn't go exactly as planned, but nothing ever did. The coffee and Carrie were nowhere to be seen, but as she smoothened out her skirt and stood up, she heard the beep of the drying machine. The first thing she did was to hold out his cleaned shoes. Belatedly, she fixed on a wary smile. Oh, Mr. Edelstein didn't look very happy.

"Since your coffee machine broke," she coughed here, remembering how the beans were literally spit back out onto her face, "I asked Miss Carrie to bring you one but she is quite obviously, not here. My apologies."

Biting her lip, she side-stepped her way to the dryer and patted it with the hand that wasn't holding the shoes. "The shirts are all done, Mr. Edelstein. Would you like me to iron one for you? I can do it quickly while you put on these shoes." She took her hand away to wipe at her forehead. Oh dear, she was really quite tired. Rushing around under that pressure wasn't too fun, and the look Mr. Edelstein was giving her was really not helping. Uselessly, she held out the shoes to him again. Well. I'm going to get fired now, aren't I?

Then the doorbell rang. Elizaveta prayed that there was coffee on the other side of the door. Oh Christ if it's someone else I will murder myself on the spot. "Sh-shall I get that for you?"

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notaustralian September 8 2010, 05:57:22 UTC
Mister Edelstein was definitely not happy. As he put on his shoes, he scanned the kitchen area. At least Elizaveta had managed not to make a mess of things. Though the smell of rubbing alcohol was honestly making him feel nervous. He wandered out of the kitchen, expecting Elizaveta to follow him.

"Yes, please, iron the shirts and put them on my bed. As for the coffee, I hope for your sake that she arrives within the next five minutes," Roderich said. His lips curled into a satisfied smile; there was always something so fulfilling about bossing another person around. He reminded himself, however, not to overdo it.

At the sound of the doorbell, he paused in the long and decorated hallway. He nodded to Elizaveta, silently telling her to answer the door. Without his coffee, he had no energy to walk all the way to the front of the house. Again.

"If it's Miss Carrie, tell her I'll be ready in a few moments. I'll be in the dressing room."

Unfortunately for both of all, it was not the dear campaign manager at the door. Rather, a sweet and innocent girl scout stood with an order form and a smile. Unless that girl had a cup of coffee with her, it would be wise for her to leave...

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lizzypan September 11 2010, 03:52:09 UTC
Following Roderich out of the kitchen, Elizaveta decided to invest in bringing a notepad next time. Trying to remember everything, she nodded. Obviously, Mr. Edelstein was not a morning person. Okay. She would order out for a new coffee machine right away. Committing everything to her memory, she kept silent, scared to irritate him further.

"Yes, Mr. Edelstein." With a small bow, Elizaveta whirled on her heel and made a dash for the door, giving one last prayer before fumbling with the locks. Please please please...

Swinging open the door, Elizaveta felt her heard fall. Oh. Oh dear. She had once been a girl scout too, and just seeing the eager kid's face made her want to buy three boxes. A thought lit up her mind.

"Hey, honey," she said softly, stepping outside a little. "Would you mind... doing a favour for me? Could you run down to the nearest coffee shop (any one will do, really, even Starbucks) and grab me a coffee? I really need one, and the machine's broken. Bring the receipt with you and I'll double it along with a box of ladyfingers. Do we have a deal?"

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notaustralian September 11 2010, 05:17:21 UTC
The girl scout stared up at Elizaveta. She might be young, but she was already a business-minded individual. Her lips widened into a full-blown grin. She stuck out her hand, smiling like an angel that she wasn't.

"Triple," the scout said in the sweetest voice imaginable. "And I want ten dollars for my service. Deal?"

From the depth of the mansion, Mister Edelstein's voice called out for Elizaveta and his coffee. Like the Beast, the Austrian was about to go berserk without his caffeine.

The girl scout's smile maintained. "From the looks of it, you really do need my help, don't you? So may I have my ten dollars please?"

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lizzypan September 18 2010, 00:44:05 UTC
"Triple?" Elizaveta echoed in disbelief. Really, the nerve of kids these days. "You'll have your money after you pay and bring me the receipt, sweetie." She said, smiling a little more forcefully. "And if you take more than ten minutes, it'll be seven."

Nodding once, she made a shoo-ing motion with her hand before slamming the door in the little girl's face. She tried to ignore how she didn't feel guilty at all. Business was business.

Smoothening out her skirt, she took a glance at her watch and breathed out a heavy sigh. Closing her eyes, she stomped her foot to get the jitters out of her body. When she opened her eyes, she smiled again and walked to where Mr. Edelstein had left.

Pausing outside the door, she called out softly, "Mr. Edelstein, who am I to contact if I want to buy a new coffee maker?"

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notaustralian September 18 2010, 02:49:22 UTC
The girl scout huffed and hurried off. If she was actually going to the coffee shop or not, it would be left to Fortune to decide.

While Elizaveta was busy buying off the little girl, Roderich was fixing his cravat in the dressing room. Today was a bad day as he found himself unable to make his cravat as aligned as possibly. His patience was running short when he heard Elizaveta's voice rang out on the other side of the door.

He raised an eyebrow at the question, shaking his head. He resumed straightening out his cravat, brows furrowing with frustration.

"Miss Elizaveta," he answered, "I would assume that one would be able to purchase a coffee maker in a local department store. Though please make sure it's an European brand. They are pricier usually, but it's worth the extra money."

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lizzypan September 18 2010, 20:51:05 UTC
Elizaveta tried not to roll her eyes. She had suspected that Mr. Edelstein would prefer to have one imported from some fancy-dancy place, but apparently she was wrong. She had a feeling she'd be wrong a lot in this new job.

"I'll make sure," she replied lightly though, trying to sound happy. Looking at the clock, she finally asked, "Is there somewhere you have to be, Mr. Edelstein? You're in a pretty big rush. I mean, of course there's somewhere you have to be." She shut her eyes and stomped on her own foot.

"Is there anything else I can do?"

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notaustralian September 19 2010, 19:46:40 UTC
At Elizavata's reminder, Roderich suddenly remembered that, well, he had an interview to attend to. And here he was, squandering time on making his cravat look absolutely perfect.

"I'll be there shortly," he said, though his hands did not speed up to finish tying his priced accessory. If anything, it looked as if he had in fact slowed down the process; anything to delay his inevitable doom.

Once his whole outfit was put on and adjusted to his liking, Roderich stepped out of the room and nodded to Elizaveta, still no coffee in hand, he noticed.

He hurried to the front door. By that, it meant he kept a steady stroll. It would seem Roderich Edelstein was the type not to panic even if there was a rolling boulder of fire behind him.

He opened the door just as a little girl scout reached up to ring the doorbell. He didn't much notice the girl, but rather, the cup of coffee in her hand. When the girl handed it to him and then expected payment, Roderich's eyebrow twitched.

"Miss Elizaveta, do you care to explain?"

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lizzypan September 22 2010, 01:27:20 UTC
After she heard his reply, Elizaveta quickly made sure to keep away from the door. She had a feeling he was annoyed already, and bumping into his new housekeeper wasn't going to improve things.

Walking behind him, Elizaveta felt her muscles sag down. She had spent what, almost an hour in this guy's house and she was already exhausted. This kind of work was definitely new to her. She sighed silently, rubbing her eyes. It wasn't time to give up. She had to get this job.

However, when Mr. Edelstein opened the door to see the girl scout again, she tried not to break out into a hysterical rage. She had to keep calm. She had to be friendly. Most importantly, she had to smile. She turned to face them both evenly and put on her biggest smile yet. It turned out looking a little sheepish.

"This little girl kindly accepted to bring you coffee for a um, small price." Elizaveta coughed, digging into her apron pocket for the money. Slapping the ten bucks into the girl's greedy hand, she bit her lip. "I thought that this would be better than nothing, so I got her to do a quick coffee run."

Remembering the other part of her deal, she tried not to shrink under his gaze. "Do you like ladyfingers, Mr. Edelstein?"

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notaustralian September 23 2010, 05:25:21 UTC
Roderich wasn't sure how he should feel. On one hand, the coffee was here and he was feeling much more content. On the other, bribing a young girl scout for a cup seemed morally wrong. Judging the look on the girl's face and her extended hand, however, Roderich realized that they hadn't instilled any idea in the young girl that she didn't really have.

Sighing, Roderich nodded and answered that he did like ladyfingers. He would give Elizaveta a lecture on why it was a horrible thing to do to bribe anyone and that the cookies would be coming out of her paycheck. Instead, he only strolled away, sipping his coffee as he did.

He was running late. His housekeeper seemed to have questionable morals. There was going to be boxes of girl scout cookies upon his return. Today wasn't an excellent day, but at least, it was turning around.

"Miss Hedervary," he called out as he neared the car. He eyed her and fully accepted her as a positive being in his life. "Good work this morning. Please vacuum the music room when you have a chance and clean up the yard. I'll see you when I get back."

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Shall we call this completed~? lizzypan September 24 2010, 04:18:23 UTC
Breathing out a sigh of relief at his liking ladyfingers, Elizaveta did a quick exchange with the girl scout before smiling and paying the small girl. "Bye," she mouthed as she shut the door slowly and quietly. She turned to watch Mr. Edelstein's retreating back.

Well, at least he seemed to be in a better mood once he had gotten his coffee. She held the box of ladyfingers in her hands carefully, as if they were an ancient relic.

Her eyes widened. This was... this was what she thought it was, right? This meant that she was welcome to stay and to come back and to get paid... right? Her heart beat quickly and a large smile blossomed on her face. "Yes, of course Mr. Edelstein! I will set out the ladyfingers for you." She clenched her fists behind her in victory. Mr. Edelstein really wasn't bad at all.

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