Roberta scanned the silver serving tray to make sure that everything was arranged properly. Lifting it with both hands, she turned toward the door and paused.
She had passed her thirty day evaluation and this would be the first time she met the guests as a pupil. It felt like a big step and Roberta was as nervous as she had been for that very first interview.
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It was the recommendation of a close friend that secured the interview. Roberta had been concerned that her lack of experience and training would be an issue, but it had, in fact, been an advantage.
"We've found that it is often easiest to simply train someone fresh. So long as that individual is willing to take the career seriously," Mister Colby had informed her. "Training is no small expense of effort on our part. We expect sincere effort, Miss Davis."
"I understand, Mister Colby, Sir," Roberta answered.
"Miss Jones has spoken for you," he continued after a pause. "Miss Jones has served superbly and she believes that you would also be a good fit with us. I understand that you are friends, so understand that it would not do for either of your careers to disappoint us."
"I understand, Mister Colby, Sir," Roberta replied. "I am grateful for this opportunity and will endeavor to meet your expectations."
"Very well, then" he had said rising from his seat. "Get dressed and return to Miss Giordano's office. She will collect the rest of your data and begin your initiation."
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Roberta looked at the tray one last time, took a deep breath and walked to the sliding panel. Taking a moment, she quickly checked her own appearance in the mirror.
The current uniform was a tastefully modified form of a late twenty first century maid's uniform. A simple short, long sleeved dress that fit her upper body snugly from throat to hip, but then flared out to hang loosely just above her knees. Her boots were elegantly seamless and fit snugly halfway up her thigh. They were designed to not only be visually appealing, but also to protect her knees.
The only skin exposed was that of her face and hands. The entire ensemble was black with a subtle pattern in dark red and cream. Roberta was thankful that the ensemble was made of a modern micro-weave instead of the more traditionally period latex.
She stepped forward and the panel shifted aside with an almost inaudible swish and glided down the short hallway to the common room, a solarium, that she had been assigned to for the morning. Most of the guests would just be pausing briefly to take coffee and a light breakfast on their way out, but a few may desire other services.
Roberta had observed all of the House's activities in the past month. At first she had found it distracting, but she had quickly acclimated. There were rules and expectations of decorum in Houses such as this one. Each had variations, or "House Rules", that guests knew to check about when they took up residency.
Until this morning Roberta's uniform had included a small white apron. She had learned during her orientation that the apron was a commonly recognized signal that a servant was for domestic services only. Not wearing a white apron indicated that the servant was available for any services offered by the House.
