Overboard

“Scuse me! Hi, hello, pardon me!”

The female was raising her hoof in the air to catch Georgette’s attention. A dog - she was learning that’s what those were called - was inside, seemingly trying to join! Or even if she wasn’t Bellwether would make damn sure that she did join. As Maleficent’s personal secretary she had a right, no, had the privilege of collecting members.She slid past Mozenrath, offering what could only sort of pass as a sneer at the eel.

“Don’t-DON’T don’t chase away new recruits, dark wizard,” she huffed, “Don’t mind him, he doesn’t know which way is up or down or when to keep his lips shut.” She offered a flick of an ear and a smile. “I’m Dawn Bellwether,” she said, holding out her hoof for a shake but pulling it back. She grasped her wrist awkwardly. “Sorry I forgot animals here don’t really do that, do they?”

“Welcome to the Cursed Thorns!” She said, to throw away the awkwardness, “I’m Da-oh mutton chops I said that already. Well this is Mozenrath and his pet….thing. How’s about we come in side and discuss you coming aboard, huh?”

"You're not wrong," Mozenrath agreed. "Xerxes, though I do... treasure him, is a bit of an ignoramus. With the proper training, though-"

And... there she was. Mozenrath resisted the urge to roll his eyes at Dawn's arrival on the scene, and instead focused on Georgette a moment longer. Her reason for being there was apparently obvious. At that, Mozenrath smiled a touch. She wanted to join their ranks. While she might not have looked like a threat, there was perhaps a glimmer of an inkling in Mozenrath's mind of what she could do. Dogs were essentially more tame jackals with just... a touch more flair to their appearance. If she could be a guard dog, then they might be going places.

"As the sheep said," Mozenrath said after a moment. "I am Mozenrath. You've already had the displeasure of meeting Xerxes. And she is Maleficent's personal assistant, Dawn." The eel hissed lightly at the remark about him, but rather than continuing to hang back Mozenrath saw him float forward a little. Now all they had to do was get her to sign on board with them. Thankfully, Dawn had already mentioned that.

"We could arrange for a private room. The Black Keep is quite spacious. If you would, Dawn..." He motioned to her. As the one technically in charge of this sort of thing, he left it to Dawn to do the leading. That was a secretary's job, was it not? To make sure things went smoothly with this sort of thing? Mozenrath was merely guessing, and frankly? He didn't want to irk the sheep too much. Oh, part of him did kind of want to see her face if he did pull some more demeaning remarks, but for the time being? It was safer to stay on the less... enraged side of things.

Inside the room at the end of the hall, Ella was just finishing making the bed. Due to the influx of new people daily, she was tasked with making sure that each bedroom was spotless upon arrival. It wasn't something out of the realm of her expertise, Anastasia and Drizella's room was really much worse than these, but it was something that Ella didn't think she'd have to do again. Not that she didn't like cleaning, but it's different cleaning by one's on accord and being forced to do it.

The Black Keep, really wasn't where she pictured herself. She disliked the darkness and the dankness and the general atmosphere of the place. But that was the point, wasn't it? To put her someplace where she clearly didn't like. However, that didn't stop her from finding some good about the place. She had already become friends with every rat and bird in the place. Sure they weren't like her old friends, but they were nice in their own way. She also was very friendly with the horses. Animals were easier than people and the people here treated her as if she didn't exist.

Being a ghost was fine in its own way. Ella knew that it was better than being the focus of every room she was in. Most Thorns just thought she came with the castle, some Thorns knew better but didn't say anything. That was fine for her, as long as they got out of her way she stayed out of theirs.

Ella hummed softly as she moved from the bed to start dusting a small desk in the corner. She stopped, straining to listen to voices in the hallway. It sounded like they were coming closer. Ella continued to dust, but with a sense of urgency now, trying to finish before they entered the room.

A dismissive wave of his hand was all he gave in response to Dawn's reaction. Honestly? Mozenrath lived for that sort of thing. She did seem to like Georgette, though, so that was something. She even was willing to follow through with giving her a private room for their chat. A brief quirk of his brow was given, then he nodded his head as his smile lingered a moment longer.

See? That wasn't so hard, was what he wanted to say, but he surprisingly thought better of it and instead decided to make sure Xerxes wasn't doing anything wrong right then. Thankfully, the eel was floating quietly at his side. Soon he was curling around Mozenrath's neck, and that action was not something that immediately gave the sorcerer cause for irritation. Soon he fell into step with Georgette and Dawn and walked toward the available room. Upon entering, he saw Ella doing what she would normally have been doing. That was, of course, making sure the room was prepared for whomever was going to use it. And immediately, when Georgette saw her, he saw the dog launch in to pampered pooch mode. He shared a surprised exchange of looks with Xerxes before giving in to a small laugh.

"A girl who knows what she wants," Mozenrath commented, surprisingly approving of the idea. "Then again, why should I be surprised? You do look like you're used to these sorts of finer things in life, Georgette." That included the maid. Of course, Mozenrath wasn't going to completely ignore her. He looked over her work with a sort of scrutinizing eye, almost as though he was looking for something for Xerxes to potentially mess up, but he came up with nothing. Instead, Mozenrath decided to just keep Ella aware of her place in their ranks. He knew as well as anyone else that she was just a maid among them. Nothing more.

"I can see why you're working with us." Ironic, of course. Mozenrath could guess that she wasn't with them by choice. "Oh, and by the by. You might want to stop by my quarters later. Oh, don't worry. I've made sure there's plenty for you to clean in there." Mozenrath punctuated the statements with a sort of cruel laugh. He'd purposefully been experimenting with his more devastating spells after he knew she'd been there to clean. Making her life harder wouldn't have been such a bad thing. It was her job.

With that said, he returned his attention to Georgette. Now that he knew how demanding and sort of intimidating in her own right she was, he knew he'd underestimated how much she belonged there. Mozenrath would not normally have conceded that he was wrong. As such, he just decided to leave only the slightest hint that he knew he'd been wrong linger in his gaze.

"I suppose we ought to cut to the real chase here, hm?" Mozenrath asked. "You want to join our ranks. Frankly, I don't see any reason why we shouldn't. But if Dawn has any reason..." Yes. Leave it to Dawn. That made sense.

There was almost - almost - the possibility that no member of the little group down below would have noticed a fifth presence. She certainly wasn't immediately making herself known; rather, dark eyes with no visible pupils watched the little gathering from above, their owner clinging lightly to the ceiling as if it were a normal thing to do.

In fairness, for her, it was normal.

Angel had, not long after arriving at the Black Keep, taken to traversing the ceilings and walls, rather than the floor. Like her successor, the famed Six-Two-Six, Angel found no difficulty at all in scuttling over such unlikely surfaces; and, while she might usually prefer to be on the ground, there were too many people around here who might step on a small thing like her without even noticing.

The ceiling, by contrast, was far more free of traffic.

She'd been on her way through the keep, heading only she knew where, when the sound of voices nearby had caught Angel's attention. Curious, the pink thing had followed her ears, which led her to a trio walking one of the hallways together. Nothing unusual about that in itself; but what was unusual was who the group was made up of. Maleficent's sheep secretary; the sorcerer from yesterday's training session; and a bedraggled canine. A soft snicker was uttered at the dog's unfortunate state, particularly when it contrasted so with the animal's otherwise obvious high-class look; and Angel wasn't much concerned whether that sound reached them or not.

The three moved with the appearance of a purpose in mind as they entered a room at the end of the hall; and, her curiosity piqued, Angel followed. Still suspending herself from the ceiling, the pink girl scuttled through the doorway just before it closed, her trailing antennae only just making it through in time. Undeterred, and certainly far too bold to care that she might be intruding on a meeting that was intended to be private, Angel moved further into the room, her claws only making the slightest of tapping sounds as they scrabbled across the stone arches that supported the floor above. Still, if one below was to look up, the eavesdropper's bright pink pelt would certainly not go unnoticed for much longer.

Again, Angel didn't much care. No-one had told her she couldn't go wherever she pleased within the keep - if they had, she wouldn't have listened anyway - and she held no fear of getting into trouble. So for now, all she did was observe.

The dog, apparently, was looking to join the army. The pink trog would bet she didn't have any idea what she was getting into; and, again, a slight sound of amusement issued from her throat as Angel watched the haughty animal.

"A girl who knows what she wants. Then again, why should I be surprised? You do look like you're used to these sorts of finer things in life, Georgette."

Her attention was momentarily distracted away from the girl by Mozenrath's comment. She batted her eyes a few times, a coy smile on her lips. "But of course! Luxury is a prize, after all. And when you've worked as hard as I have, it's practically my right!"

The amusement of those around her was not lost, per se, but she was choosing instead not to focus on it. Her boldness only made her feel stronger. Still, it was rather impressive that he could identify her expensive taste so quickly. Perhaps they knew I was arriving ahead of time? she thought. That would explain the maid... Her eyes drifted back over to Cinderella for one more moment. Yes, that would make sense. They were expecting her, and hired the maid to work the Keep in order to make her feel more at home. Suppose I should have sent that list in advance. Whoopsies!!

When Dawn began to address her, Georgette shifted her position, turning in a half-circle before padding closer to the bed and taking a seat across from her new acquaintance. She mentioned something about eagerness, which the poodle could not help but laugh internally at. If anyone was trying too hard to impress, it was certainly the sheep. But she was glad her ambition was being recognized, nonetheless. But the same questions were on both of their lips: her reasons for joining the ranks. Frankly, she was getting a little sick of it. It was all they seemed to want to know since she had arrived. Nosy lot, the two of them. But she would oblige. After all, she had to play nice... for now, anyway.

“There isn’t really a contract you have to sign or write your name in blood or anything, bleh. Soooo why do you want to join? It’s not part of the contract, I’m just curious.”

"Contract?" She wrinkled up her nose. The sheep was sending mixed signals, but hopefully she wouldn't have to sign anything. Not that she minded having to do it -- there was all sorts of paperwork attached to her line of work, after all. Occasionally she got to read through contracts and documents, but typically it was the Foxworths who took care of it. Perhaps if there really was a binding agreement, she'd make a phone call to her lawyer.

She was about to give a proper reply to Dawn's question, but she was momentarily distracted before the words could leave her mouth. Something flashed in the corner of her eye, and her gaze traveled towards the wall. Yet, when she looked, there was... nothing? Curious. Perhaps she was just imagining things. She had a long day, after all. 

She cleared her throat, attention fully back on Bellwether. "Well..." she began. Now how could she make this sound like it was not completely pathetic? "I don't know what you've been told. But back home, I was a star." She rose to her feet, walking in a circle before stopping to pose. "My name used to be known all over the country. I made television appearances. I was on magazine covers. I was a CHAMPION!" She threw her head up with a dramatic flourish.

"But then..." She brought it down, shoulders tensing and starting to hunch. She lightly scratched her nails against the stone, memories of Oliver bringing out a little genuine hurt. "He arrived. A little orange hairball. He stole my spotlight. He took my owners away. Cast me out of my own home!" She flopped dramatically on to her back, one paw on her forehead, another clutching at her chest fur. "I had NOWHERE ELSE to TURN!!" Her phrase was punctuated with a high tone, even a little bit of a whine.

"But I pressed forth. I decided if they didn't want me, I would start my life anew. I boarded this boat, and the next thing I knew, here I am in your company." She sat back up, smile plastered back on her face. Okay, so maybe her arrival hadn't been signaled ahead of time. But she liked to think someone on the wharf had some good sense to tell whoever this Maleficent person was that she was coming.

Another new sound caught her ear as soon as she finished telling her tale, prompting her to look around once more. Irritation was now more visible on her face. What was going on -- was she hearing things!? Her eyes scanned the perimeter, taking note of everyone she could see in front of her. Why there was the sheep, and the sorcerer, and the servant. Her gaze drifted upwards -- surely there was no-one else in here, except for...

A PINK MONSTER!?!

"AUUUUUUGGGGGHHHHH!!!"

She fell on her back once more, heart rate jumping up very quickly. This time, however, her posture was not for dramatics, but in a state of vulnerability. Had that been there the whole time? What in the world was it? It couldn't have been another dog. She pointed a slender paw up to the corner, making "jabbing" motions as she gestured towards it. Her expression was of complete and utter aghast.

"What-is-that-THING!?! How did it get in here!?" she demanded. She could wake up half the Keep with her shrieking, but she payed no heed to it. "Is it going to hurt me??"