[It's a kind offer, yes, and a polite one as well. But Rosella already knows that nothing will come of it; it took her an entire year to get to where she is now, and as it is, she can barely manage to cast a spell with a magic wand and plenty of preparation without it backfiring on her. Magic like this is the sort that wizards and sorcerors can manage--much too powerful for her, and she knows it. And perhaps she shouldn't confess that aloud, but she can't exactly ignore such a polite offer, and it's not as though Megumi doesn't know she has magic at all. This is one area she couldn't bluff her way through if she tried, so there's no point in lying.]
Mm. I can do magic, yes, but only with a magic wand and spellbook handy. This sort...I doubt I could learn, I'm afraid. I'm hardly a magician, much less anything else.
[And once again, she's glad for her teacup to fiddle with, because it gives her a chance to stall for time as she considers Megumi's words and her own options. How much does she know already? Because after all, it's not a question of whether or not she knows, it's a question of how much she knows. The tone in Megumi's voice is gentle, but unmistakable.]
Oh, well...
[Sip the tea, buy a moment. Everyone always says she's a terrible liar--no, no, don't think about lying, don't think about lying. She may be awful at lying, but she knows how to put on a cheerful face, and maybe that's enough.]
That's just how August goes, I suppose! One thing after another. But then, that could be said for any month here in the City, really. Perhaps it's just that I seem to have bad luck with Augusts.
[First Sirius, and now all this...oh, she had plenty of reason to dislike August now. Would Cain call that an observation or an omen? No, no, stop it, don't think about that, either.]
Particularly after that--machine curse. Goodness, could you ever have imagined such a thing? A whole City, filled with nightmares. But at least it only lasted a day. Awful as things might get, they're bearable enough when one knows it'll all end at the stroke of midnight.
[Cinderella's ball ended at midnight, too, and then it was right back to ashes and reality for her. And the most horrible curses are the ones that don't break as the clock strikes twelve. She puts on the prettiest face she can manage, and smiles reassuringly, even if she doesn't feel it inside.]
But I'm managing, of course. That's all I--we--can do, really. Just keep going on and managing, no matter what happens.
[ Action! ]
Mm. I can do magic, yes, but only with a magic wand and spellbook handy. This sort...I doubt I could learn, I'm afraid. I'm hardly a magician, much less anything else.
[And once again, she's glad for her teacup to fiddle with, because it gives her a chance to stall for time as she considers Megumi's words and her own options. How much does she know already? Because after all, it's not a question of whether or not she knows, it's a question of how much she knows. The tone in Megumi's voice is gentle, but unmistakable.]
Oh, well...
[Sip the tea, buy a moment. Everyone always says she's a terrible liar--no, no, don't think about lying, don't think about lying. She may be awful at lying, but she knows how to put on a cheerful face, and maybe that's enough.]
That's just how August goes, I suppose! One thing after another. But then, that could be said for any month here in the City, really. Perhaps it's just that I seem to have bad luck with Augusts.
[First Sirius, and now all this...oh, she had plenty of reason to dislike August now. Would Cain call that an observation or an omen? No, no, stop it, don't think about that, either.]
Particularly after that--machine curse. Goodness, could you ever have imagined such a thing? A whole City, filled with nightmares. But at least it only lasted a day. Awful as things might get, they're bearable enough when one knows it'll all end at the stroke of midnight.
[Cinderella's ball ended at midnight, too, and then it was right back to ashes and reality for her. And the most horrible curses are the ones that don't break as the clock strikes twelve. She puts on the prettiest face she can manage, and smiles reassuringly, even if she doesn't feel it inside.]
But I'm managing, of course. That's all I--we--can do, really. Just keep going on and managing, no matter what happens.