Not everyone was able to say this and thoroughly mean it but Gemma enjoyed her job. She genuinely really loved it. Some people might find it very hard to believe the maid in that regard, especially when they see the sheer size of the mansion that she alone was in charge of keeping clean. But it wasn't as crazy as it seemed.
True, if she tried to clean all of it everyday then it would be impossible. But she cleaned it in sections. And her bosses were pretty clean people so for the most part her job was a lot of dusting and maintaining. There were only three people, including her, who lived there regularly anymore so most of the rooms weren't even in use. From her count, there were at least five bedrooms alone that no one had slept in for years. But short of her own, she wasn't supposed to be cleaning the bedrooms that were in use anyway, short of laundering the sheets.
Currently, Gemma was working on the dining room. Like most of the rooms in the mansion, it was much bigger than the three people it had been necessary for. It was almost humorous to think of it sometimes. But nonetheless, Gemma quickly went through the room with a perfectionist's eye. It was always a little more...tricky...to be thorough about the cleaning aspect of her job when the man of the house got home.
Gemma swayed her hips to the music that was playing in the distance while she dusted and wiped things down. The lady of the house's taste in music was of the more hip hop genre today and Gemma did like music she could dance to. It just made the day go by faster. It reminded Gemma that she needed to see her pretty soon as the maid looked at her watch. Finishing off the small figure of an eagle that she had been dusting, Gemma looked around the room, giving it a once over, following that up with an approving nod as she left the dining room into the main hall towards the source of the music.
Lyra Gunn, the woman of the house, was an up and coming artist so unlike her husband, she was at home most of the time, usually working on paintings and sculptures. The thing that made her popularity steadily grow was that her style was all over the place. Her signature was in the details and the emotions that her art brought out of people, but the subject matter was a little bit of everything.
The music Gemma had been dancing to in the other room was partially Lyra's muse. She always listened to music as she worked and the kind of music always went with the emotions she was trying to elicit. Usually hip hop meant sculptures. She said the beats helped her keep a rhythm as she worked. However, Lyra's passion for her art also meant that she tended to be very forgetful about the fact that time continued to go on around her, which was where Gemma came in.
Gemma entered the room, going no further than the doorway, waving to get Lyra's attention. This did work on occasion, but that was pretty rare and depended entirely on if Lyra was already facing the doorway. Unfortunately, with the work that Lyra did, getting her attention in any shocking ways could mess up what she was doing. But the two women had a system for these things. Gemma balled her hands into fists and rapped softly but erratically on the door.
Lyra paused after a few seconds of this, her body stopping entirely as if she were frozen, as her head suddenly darted to the source of the intrusion to the rhythm. Lyra was a very...peculiar woman. Not so much in her physical appearance. She was strikingly beautiful after all. Even covered in clay and dust, with most of her skin covered by her large apron and her long brown hair tied up in a hastily done bun, her strong features still had an innate sensuality to them. All make-up ever did for Lyra was to deage her ever so slightly so that she looked to be in her twenties as opposed to her thirties.
The peculiarities were more with her actions. Lyra's head cocked sharply to the side as she acknowledged Gemma, her only movement being her eyelids as they blinked. Gemma always thought that Lyra moved like an owl in times like these with her naturally stern face and sudden, jerky movements. Lyra suddenly looked up at the large clock on the wall and then back to Gemma before clapping her hands, causing the music to stop. "Thank you. Lost track of time." Lyra spoke, her Australian accent echoing through the large room.
Gemma immediately straightened her composure, with her hands behind her back and quickly nodded. "No problem, ma'am. It's what I'm here for."
"Yes it is." Lyra bluntly agreed, stepping down from the step ladder she was using and wiping off her hands after she'd put away her chiseling tools. "What do you think of the sculpture?"
Gemma gulped. Lyra was a creature of indifference in almost everything. Her steady expression was always there and rarely changed despite anything that was said or done to her. If someone called her an ugly bitch to her face, she would simply reply that it was their opinion and that she'd received more compliments than critiques on her appearance and she'd go on about her business as if nothing had been said. However, Lyra was
extremely
sensitive about her art. So whenever Lyra asked Gemma for the layman's opinion on her work, it always made the maid nervous that she'd say the wrong thing.
"Um...to be honest, ma'am...it's kind of scary." To make sure to err on the side of caution, Gemma usually went with the emotions of the piece more than any physical specifics of it. And considering Lyra continued to ask her on occasion, that was apparently acceptable.
Lyra cocked her head to the side again and looked back at the sculpture. "Scary? Explain."
Gemma bit her bottom lip, fidgeting slightly. "He just...looks so furious..." Gemma mumbled, looking over it. The sculpture in question was a life-size representation of a long haired muscular man on his knees, seemingly screaming at the sky. Upon closer inspection, you could see a damaged pair of wings on his back, partially hidden by the awkward stance which looked off-balance and just...painful.
"It's the fall of Lucifer." Lyra stated, causing Gemma to jump. Lyra had a bad habit of moving very quietly, especially when you were distracted by something, which her art had a habit of doing. Pairing this with her tendency of being somewhat oblivious to personal boundaries, if you weren't on your toes then your nerves would be shot to pieces.
Gemma took a deep breath and quickly recovered from the shock of Lyra being suddenly right next to her. "You're making him out to be very sympathetic. It's an interesting take..."
Lyra's eyes darted to Gemma's, an intense gaze on her face. "I find the story unfortunate. Some choices can be so definitive that once it's done there's no turning back. He loses a literal paradise for a literal Hell all because of a very bad choice. I'd assume the moment of realization would have been quite...intense."
Intense was the right word. Lyra got very passionate about her art. As her eyes bore into Gemma's, they didn't seem to be blinking nearly enough, but despite the closeness and intensity, Gemma stood her ground and calmly nodded. "Yes, ma'am. I think it will be a very powerful piece. It makes me a little uneasy, but I like it."
"Thank you." Lyra nodded, finally breaking eye contact. "The exhibition will start shortly. I am going to take a shower. Would you please pick an outfit for me?"
"Of course, ma'am." Gemma replied eagerly. "How would you like to look tonight?"
Lyra paused at the question, staring ahead as she contemplated the answer. Another jerky, owl-like movement later Lyra finally responded. "Something classy. Use your judgement. I suppose it should be somewhat sexy as well."
Gemma nodded again. "Yes, ma'am. It will be waiting for you when you get out. Should I make you something to eat before you go as well?"
"Yes, thank you." Lyra answered. "Nothing big. And do tell me when Reggie arrives, won't you? You know how he is and I would prefer not to be late."
"Yes ma'am. Right away." Gemma agreed before quickly making her way up the main stairs and into the Master bedroom. She had to fight the urge to linger. This bedroom was one of the rooms that she wasn't in for very long because she was only allowed when sent for a specific reason and she was to leave once that reason was done with. In the past it had always been to replace the sheets or to pick out an outfit for Lyra. Gemma took pride in the fact that her opinion on the matter was so highly valued. She might not be an art aficionado but fashion, she could do.
