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Emily Branford     It is evening after the rescue of Klaus from the Huntsman (and, sort of, his own Shadow besides). Upon returning home, Emily insisted on Janine getting cleaned up and changed; any objections would be met with both, 'I'll need time to prepare your dinner', and if further pressed, a surprisingly more candid, 'I'd like a bit of time to compose my thoughts'. And she did both those things, one would assume, as when next Janine sets foot out in the main room, the table is set with a simple, carefully-made sandwich. A sub, in fact, with a number of italian meats, slices of provolone cheese, lettuce, tomato, and a seasoning and dressing no doubt formulated specially by Emily herself. It's to her usual standards, naturally.

    And Emily herself is, for once, standing with her back to the room, arms folded behind herself, looking out over the city. She's also uncharacteristically silent; leaving it to Janine to speak first.
Janine Liberi     For once, Janine does not complain when dismissed so banally. It's been a long day, and she is soaked in sweat of all flavours, including terror and heat. She too, needs time to gather her thoughts, and a long soak will give her time for that. While soaking, she considers the voice in her head she heard after killing the hound...

    With everyone there with her to forge a mystical bond with, why did it have to be Kohler?!

    Eventually, she emerges, hair damp and gray dress swapped out for a slightly different grey dress. She sits and tears into the sandwich ravenously, barely taking the time to chew. She's been stuck in the Forest all day, and was certainly not about to eat glass.

    Once she's done, she considers the back of her butler. Her butler who exhibited superhuman physical capabilities, time and again. Eventually, she clears her throat. "You promised me some answers."
Emily Branford     "So I did," Emily replies. "But before that, first and foremost, an apology. I could hide behind the fact that my blunder led to success. I could petulantly insist that things turned out alright, so it wasn't that bad. But the fact of the matter is that I made a poor, hasty choice based on a bad assumption, and that choice led us into an exceedingly dangerous situation, unprepared. In my old line of work that would have been tantamount to suicide, and if anything the Forest is more dangerous on average than what I used to do. So I offer the only thing I can- my apologies, and my assurances that I won't do anything so utterly foolish again."

    She takes a breath.

    "For what it's worth, Emily Branford /is/ my real name. My initial combat training was with the British army, and then the Special Air Service. And as I've coyly hinted, I'm quite accustomed to hunting monsters wearing human faces, though the ones I used to fight also had fangs and a more openly predatory nature."
Janine Liberi     Janine snickers and nods to Emily. "I would expect that from most people. Thanks for not doing it I guess." As Emily starts to speak, the Italian runs a finger along her plate to gather up loose crumbs. "Well, even if it wasn't, I would still call you Emily. Too used to it now. Or Jeevette."

    Being former military would explain the crisp attitude and fastidious cleanliness, perfect for a butler. "So, former soldier-slash-monster hunter. How does that lead to being a butler exactly?"
Emily Branford     Emily turns her head slightly, giving Janine an appraising look through the reflection of the window. "That, is a question with a complex answer, and parts of it are very personal. But suffice it to say that my final mission with my former organization went poorly for me. It succeeded, but I very nearly died, and... well, let's just say I only survived by learning some things about myself and the world around me."

    Here, she finally turns, and holds up her left hand. Between each finger is a coin, four in total. She gives a fling of her hand, tossing them up into the air - and then her entire form blurs slightly, and her left hand all but disappears. Onetwothreefour, she snatches all of them out of the air; not in a single, well-aimed swipe, but with individual grabs, from the outside in. A perfect display of her speed.

    "I'm something my world calls a 'Sage'. Until I became one, I'd only heard of them once or twice in my life, and even I just thought they were rumors. From someone who hunted vampires for a living, that should tell you something. I draw power from a truth of the world, one I believe with utter conviction down to the very fibers of my being, and it grants me strength."
Janine Liberi     Janine rests her head on her good hand as Emily explains. She said the mission 'succeeded,' but not that no one died. That's the most likely thing... but she is still being very vague, so it might be any number of things she can't imagine. Her frustration mounts a little, causing her jaw to tense...

    At least until Emily produces four coins, tosses them and catches them faster than her eyes can even track. She blinks blearily a few times, shaking her head. "I thought I was fast..." she murmurs. "So, you've become some indescribably rare thing that makes you really strong through belief? What do you believe in then? God? Yourself? C'mon, throw me a bone here."
Emily Branford     At that, Emily finally allows herself a little smile. "It's a bit Zen, but at the same time not. There's a bit of chaos theory in it, but it's not really chaotic at all." She reaches up, and adjusts her glasses, and then her next words sound... odd. As if speaking the words were as basic and ingrained as walking or breathing. "'We are, all of us, connected.' There is nothing and no one in this world who does not affect the world around them. Push a single domino, no bigger than your thumb, and when it falls over, it can offbalance a slightly larger domino, which knocks over a slightly larger domino, and on and on until you topple a domino the size of a house. Handing a homeless man a single pound today, could set ripples that mean a revolution a hundred years from now. That is my truth, Janine."
Janine Liberi     Janine listens. She really listens. And to her credit, she does her best to not let it show on her face, but she can't hold it in. A small 'pft' slips from her lips. "Hahah, okay Emily, whatever you say," she says, shaking her head, sending wet locks swishing. "Don't really agree, but it's too late for a debate."

    She rocks back on her chair, making it tip onto two legs a little. "That still doesn't really answer my question. Why a butler? And why do I get the feeling that becoming my butler isn't just a coincidence?"
Emily Branford     "Because you're catching on," Emily replies, still smiling. She does turn herself back towards the window, however. "Being a Sage grants me three boons. A weapon - the whip you've already seen, Strands of Fate. An ability - my speed. What you saw of that earlier, by the way, that's about the furthest I've ever pushed it. It's like sprinting for me, and I can only do it in short bursts, though I can chain them quite neatly. But you saw how that tired me. Things to keep in mind for tactical planning. But that's a side track. The third thing it gave me, is... an odd sort of sense."

    Her expression turns a bit wry, reflected in the window. "Or perhaps it drove me a bit barking mad. I don't think it did, but then madmen never do, do they?"

    Then she shakes her head. "But no. Sometimes, I'll feel... something. Like I've just barely glimpsed a tug on the strings, so to speak. I'll get the faintest sense I need to be somewhere, do something. After I discovered my truth, I got the sense I should be serving people. Not just removing parasites from the world, but actively helping people, protecting them if need be. Butler seemed the best profession through which to do that. And I'd always thought they had a certain sort of image to them I liked, I suppose."
Janine Liberi     Janine drums her fingers, nodding along. So Emily can go super fast, but not for too long. That whip is magic, she guesses, but that third power... wait, for real? "Pffffffffffffffffffffffffffff. You think I'm destined to be some big player in things? Hahahahahahaha! Well, I can hope for some glorious sacrifice maybe, but I'm not going to live long enough for something more long-term."

    She's certainly very candid about her death, but the fact that she looks away for the first time says something about how genuine that may be. "But, fine. Maybe you are mad, we won't know, can't see the future. I suppose it doesn't really matter though, none of that changes things."

    She stands up and fixes Emily with a firm look. "You're the butler my family chose, even if you might have manipulated that somehow. If you let them down, you answer to me. Capiche?"
Emily Branford     "I don't have the faintest clue what you're destined for, ma'am," Emily replies with a shrug. "Only that I ought to be there for it." She does turn back around again, facing Janine again now that the truth is more or less on the table. And what she receives is... a firm, stern order. It's not quite what she expected, and yet...

    Emily dips into a deep, formal bow, one sweeping in front of her. "Of course, Janine. I will serve to the absolute, utmost of my ability for as long as you need me. And of course, if we have the sheer bad luck to run into vampires or something like them, well, now you've got an expert on hand."
Janine Liberi     "God, don't jinx us," Janine mutters, grumpily resting her hand through her hair. "And hey, listen... yeah, pointing out it worked out is shitty and I'm glad you didn't but... they did, and you were part of it. Without you to smash the cage, we might have died there. So... thanks for meddling, I guess."

    Boy, she is bad at this. But the intent is clear enough.
Emily Branford     "Of course, Janine," Emily replies, straightening herself up again. She's doing a good job of hiding how proud she is, but not a perfect one. For her, that's practically 'beaming'.