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| Barnaby Hales; Steward | |
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| Topic Started: 30 Sep 2007, 07:03 AM (309 Views) | |
| Aztec Gold | 30 Sep 2007, 07:03 AM Post #1 |
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Username: Barnaby Hales How did you find out about AG: I was told by a friend. First Name: Barnaby Last Name: Hales Nickname: Barny Age: Twenty-four Sex: Male Ethnicity: English Country of Birth: Falmouth, Cornwall Current Whereabouts: Port Royal Occupation: Steward Former Occupation(s): Shoeshine boy, footman Parents: Gavin, aged forty-seven; Bethan, aged forty-four Siblings: Jermyn, aged twenty-two; Gabrielle, aged twenty-five Children: None Avatar: Aaron Lazar Description: There's little truly remarkable about young Barnaby. Born of a Welsh mother and an English father, he gained little in the way of handsome or well-defined features from either. His slim, light-skinned face seldom changes expression, the result of hard experience and great effort. His pale blue eyes behold the world with studied disinterest, and any inkling of his hidden feelings can be seen in his eyes, if one looks carefully enough. A slightly hooked nose, thin lips, and a narrow chin give him a mildly hawkish appearance. This is perhaps the most memorable aspect of his countenance. He keeps his curly hair short, barely long enough to comb his fingers through. Short hair makes wearing a powdered wig more bearable, particularly in the Caribbean heat. The wig is the crowning piece of his typical attire, which also consists of breeches, waistcoat, and coat - the last two are blue in colour, whilst the breeches are grey. His shirt, cravat, and stockings are white, whilst his shoes are black. Barnaby owns only three sets of clothing, two of them being his livery. His third outfit is much simpler than his typical wear, being patched brown breeches, grey shirt, and a many-times-stitched grey waistcoat. Barnaby is neither a particularly tall man, nor a large one. He stands barely to his master's shoulder and is lean in the way of a fellow who barely eats what is given to him. In truth, he consumes more than his fair share of food, but his metabolism is such that he is scarcely able to gain more than a few pounds. His master feeds the staff well, and other servants continuously comment on Barnaby's lack of size. Such remarks unfailingly bring a blush to his thin cheeks, though he takes great care to conceal his embarrassment unless he is safely enconced in the servants' quarters. When about in his master's home, he is always clean-shaven and in a well-scrubbed suit. Sloppiness, he learned at a young age, was completely unacceptable in a good servant. Barnaby carries himself upright and walks with a sense of purpose. He's rarely found far from his post, which is usually in the same room as his master, or close by, when the other man is about the house or his office. When his master is not about, Barnaby busies himself with tending to the man's clothes if any need mending or cleaning, or with tidying up his master's personal rooms. Unlike other servants, many of whom are fond of gossiping, Barnaby is a more taciturn fellow. He does not gossip and disdains most forms of idle conversation. His main interest is doing his job. This he does well and with as little fanfare as possible. His duties primarily consist of attending to his master's clothing and kit, preparing his bedchamber at night and setting the room right in the mornings. It's a routine he thrives upon. Perhaps the one most beneficial trait inherited from his father is a fine tenor singing voice, which he takes care to conceal when there are other officers or common guests around. Even his master knows little about Barnaby's talent. Only the other servants are granted the benefit of hearing him sing. The family he first worked for was one that considered their servants to be little more than working beasts and took every opportunity to treat them as such. Any glimmer of human feeling, talent, or indulgence in activities other than their work was harshly suppressed. Barnaby had acquired his stiff bearing and careful reservation during the five years he had worked for that family. Though he cares little for small talk, he will engage in it if his master opens the discourse. Barnaby believes it unbecoming of a fellow of his station to be on any sort of friendly terms with those who are socially higher. Only one of his masters ever bothered to treat him decently, and the man had died of pneumonia only two years after Barnaby was hired into the man's house. The Cornwall native holds no expectations for fair treatment from anyone who should be his master and is often surprised when a kind word is spoken to him. Amongst other servants, he is a little more animated than when he is abovestairs. Traces of the playful side of his personality tend to show through during off-hours and he's considered one of the more easygoing servants, for he rarely takes offence at anything. Having his back turned into a mass of bruises by a former master's cane for reacting poorly to a slight given by the man's daughter taught him to hold his tongue when treated poorly. It was the first and only time he had drawn punishment for misbehaviour. Strengths & Weaknesses: Strengths
The first son of Gavin and Bethan Hales was born during a howling winter storm. As befitting his parents' status as servants, the newborn was kept belowstairs, well out of sight from the family for which they worked. The other staff pitched in to help raise the boy, for there was little time for any one individual to look after him and his sister, and later his brother. Life was pleasant enough for the two as they grew up, though they were carefully kept in the servants' quarters to avoid needless interaction with the family's own young children. Unlike his brother, Barnaby was a quiet and obedient lad. He paid close attention to the goings-on of the servants' quarters and learned by observation a number of skills that would come in handy later in life. One of the ladies' maids took it upon herself to teach the boy the fine art of needlework, and it was not long before he began assisting the maids whenever they had to repair one of their mistresses' garments. It was a way for him to be useful and he enjoyed the work. His happy existence in the Billingtons' house came to end when he was nine. It was decided by Mister Billington that the boy should be sent to a neighbouring family, there to work as a combination shoeshine boy and attendant for one of that family's sons. Baffled and upset by the abrupt removal from his surrogate family of servants, Barnaby had a difficult time adjusting to the strange new house he was taken to. The boy he was charged with looking after despised him and wasted no opportunity to belittle the lad. At first, he took the poor treatment to heart, until one of the older footman told him to ignore the snide comments and just go about his work. It wasn't personal, the footman said, only the way things were. It took a few years to adapt to that philosophy, but Barnaby eventually came to tolerate most insults and off-colour remarks directed his way. He was not yet wholly immune to comments about his family, however, and when one of the young ladies of the house saw fit to speak sharply about Barnaby's mother, he did not react well. His brusque response to the lady's derision earned him a heavy beating from her father and a subsequent dismissal. He was turned out onto the streets of Falmouth with only half a month's wages to support him. Being sacked for such an action would normally preclude him from ever gaining employment as a servant, but Luck decided to favour him. A family by the name of Southford was in need of a footman and Barnaby heard of the opening from one of the Billingtons' scullery maids. He applied for the position at once and was hired. The Southfords' butler and other footman gave Barnaby a thorough training in his duties and made sure he was properly attired in the family's chosen livery. Heartened by such a welcome reception, Barnaby set himself to his tasks with an eager will. Mister Southford was pleased with his new footman's enthusiasm and competency and made sure to take the young man along with the rest of the permanent staff when the family closed their seaside home and returned to London. He lived in this manner for two years, until Mister Southford's death due to pneumonia. With no male heirs, his estate was entailed away to the nearest cousin. The entire staff were dismissed, though many were taken on again by Southford's cousin. Barnaby found employment with another family, for he had been passed over by his former master's cousin, and worked as a footman at the Elmores' London townhouse until the end of the Season, when he was turned out again. By now, he was becoming distressed at his seeming inability to hold a position with any one house for more than a few years. Once again, Luck chose to favour him. He was sought out at the boardinghouse at which he had sought lodgings by another of the Elmores' footmen, who said he knew where the Cornish native could find employment. The other footman directed him to the home of a politician, a genial enough fellow by the name of Swann. Barnaby was hired directly, only to discover that he would be accompanying his new master across the sea to an island with a strange name. Only two other servants were making the journey, Swann's butler and his daughter's maid. It was unusual for a newly-hired manservant to be taken along on such a trip, but Barnaby decided not to question his good fortune. The sea voyage was long and soon cured Barnaby of any love he might have entertained for being aboard a ship. He was constantly seasick, but was too stubborn to let his few responsibilities fall slack. It was difficult to attend to his master with the wooden deck for ever shifting beneath his feet. He was not alone in his discomfort, for the butler was often confined to his hammock with an uneasy stomach as well. After several weeks, the journey came to an end when land was sighted, and butler and manservant each privately rejoiced. Life settled back to a more familiar pace once the Swanns went ashore and began moving into their new home. Barnaby and the butler, an older fellow called Tremont, were busy for days moving pieces of furniture and baggage into the various rooms, aided by newly-hired servants from the town. In barely two weeks, the Swanns' mansion was prepared for living and entertaining, and the ordered life that Barnaby enjoyed had resumed. His master was fond of entertaining and there were a good many formal dinners and other such occasions held, at which Barnaby was present to help with the carrying out and serving of the many dinner courses. Always after each gathering, he assisted the scullery maids with the tedious task of washing up, until he was called upstairs to attend to his master. About three years after arriving in Port Royal, Barnaby was called into Swann's study and informed that he was to begin packing whatever belongings that he had. He was being sent to another master, as a sort of gift. The news was more than a little surprising, but he did as he was bid and packed his small bag. His new master was an officer in the Navy, a lieutenant about to be promoted. The man was reputed to be a fine fellow, but Barnaby had learned not to judge his masters on their reputations. Mister Southford had been said to be an ill-tempered and peckish man, which turned out to be entirely false. With his undersized valise in hand, he departed the Swann mansion and went with the Governor to the fort, where he was presented to the officer, a relatively young man called Norrington. It felt odd to be simply given away as a gift, but he accepted the change in his circumstance without complaint and applied himself to learning his new master's routine. To his surprise and dismay, the newly-promoted captain spent a great deal of time aboard his ship, the very one that had brought them from England. Barnaby had to endure many days aboard the vessel, though he was grateful for the times when the ship lay at anchor and was not actively sailing. He became passingly accustomed to the constant light rolling of the ship, but every time the great vessel got under sail for a patrol, he was a most unhappy fellow and quite often ill. Blessedly, the frequent trips to sea were lessened when Norrington was again promoted. Barnaby silently rejoiced at his good fortune and was quick to settle back into the steadier routine that came with his master spending the majority of his time ashore. Things were not to remain peaceable for long, however, for the pirate attack on the town and the subsequent hunt for the kidnapped Miss Swann necessitated a return to sea. News of the Swanns' butler's death during the attack struck Barnaby harder than hearing of Miss Swann's abduction and he endured the unpleasantness of being at sea in the hope that the pirates who had killed Tremont would be caught. Life hardly improved after Miss Swann was rescued. Even though he had once worked for the girl's father, Barnaby had long held reservations about her, and it irked him that she was quick to accept his master's offer of marriage on Dauntless' main deck. He set little store in gossip or rumour, but he had observed the young miss for years. It was clear - at least to him - that she had little true interest in his master, even though it was apparent to all that the Commodore thought very highly of the girl. Though he wished to convey his doubts to his master, it was not his place to do so and he held his silence, observing quietly as he ever did, whilst matters unfolded. It came as little surprise to the Cornish steward that Miss Swann had a seemingly sudden change of heart on the afternoon of the pirate Sparrow's would-be hanging and chose a common blacksmith over Barnaby's master. It was an affront that he considered unforgivable. For the first time in his life, he was immensely glad that he had been sent away from a household, even on as good a note as he had left the Governor's employ. For a time, there was little to trouble the relatively-peaceful pace of life around Fort Charles and Barnaby forced himself to forget the turmoil of the previous months. There was a great deal of work to occupy him, including the time-consuming task of maintaining his master's uniforms and other clothing. The sudden arrival of Lord Beckett and his East India Company cast the fort into near-chaos and the drastic chain of events that hammered the garrison stunned him. His concern was aroused most by the effect of his lordship's arrival on the Commodore, for it quickly became apparent that there was more amiss than the abrupt sacking of the Captain of Marines and the boiling tensions between the regular marines and the EITC men. There is little he feels he can do except his job, but he maintains a careful watch on his master, ever alert for anything that might suggest the reasons for his strange, brooding moods. Sample/Past Roleplay: If there was one piece of a gentleman's attire that he despised most, it was the shoes. Every day they had to be carefully wiped down, then buffed, and wiped down again. If there were any scuff-marks or nicks in the leather, these had to be painted over. Then, a fresh coating of polish applied and let to dry before being buffed with a soft cloth. And of course the gold buckles had to be given a thorough cleaning and buffing, so they attained the proper shine. These were the first items that he attended to each afternoon, for they were the most troublesome. Thankfully his master owned two pair of shoes, which allowed Barnaby to keep them both in a reasonable state of repair. The shoes that he had just buffed, however, would soon need to be replaced. Their lasts were beginning to crack from age. He was not a cobbler, and neither could he easily afford to have a cobbler repair the shoes. It would be more cost-effective to simply replace the shoes. With the shoes buffed and shining to his satisfaction, Barnaby turned a critical eye to the various pieces of his master's uniform, each one laid out on the narrow cot that served as a bed in the small room that served as quarters. There was little enough space in the room for anything, outside of the cot and a few other small pieces of furniture, and it was close to being crowded when both Barnaby and his master were in the room at the same time. That was not the case presently, however, which gave the steward ample space to work. He'd start with the blue woollen coat, he decided. It needed a good brushing anyway. His fingers closed around the soft-bristled brush and lifted it from the battered leather case that held it and the various other implements that he used for the keeping-up of his master's clothing. Thankfully, the layer of dust and dirt that loved to cling to the wool was easy enough to brush away, giving the coat a slight shine. He had to be careful of the golden brocade, of course. If he disturbed even part of that delicate fabric, he would end up spending days painstakingly repairing it. One final touch of the brush and Barnaby held the coat up to examine it. He noted that the wool was growing slightly worn at the elbows as he turned the coat over carefully in his hands. That fact was filed away for later, then he folded the coat and set it into his master's sea-chest. Next was the long waistcoat, which required a different sort of attention. He'd use the same brush, but he had to be mindful of the light linen of which the waistcoat was made. There was more brocade on the waistcoat to be wary of as well. The waistcoat was folded and placed atop the frock coat when it was brushed. Barnaby moved on to the linen shirt. He had to get out his bone needle and thread now, for the shirt had suffered a tear on the left cuff. That had to be repaired before he could clean the shirt, otherwise he could not starch the shirt as it needed. As he was threading the needle, however, the clear, ringing notes of the bugle stirred the heavy afternoon air and he cursed. It was later than he had estimated, for the bugler had just called the fort's officers to dress for dinner. Where had his brain been? Moving hurriedly, he set the as-yet unrepaired shirt aside and began laying out his master's dinner dress. It was uncommon for him to not attend evening meal with the other officers, and Barnaby was behind in his preparations for the nightly ritual. He had just finished laying out his master's dress coat when the Commodore came briskly into the room, removing his hat and setting it carelessly aside as soon as he was past the door. Without speaking, the steward stepped forward quickly to relieve him of his frock coat, and thus another familiar ritual began. |
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4:10 AM Jul 30
