Quest 136

[primrosella]

...Goodness, when I was baking for the party tonight, I wasn't expecting this many visitors. But it seems you're all here again, are you? It's not quite so nice as being able to visit home, of course, but it's always lovely to have visitors. And especially for the holidays!

Just not Lolotte, please, not her--not again...

Hello, everyone! Do come by to say hello, won't you? It's always such fun to see you and visit with you. And of course, you're welcome to stay for the party tonight, if you'd like! I'm sure it won't be any trouble at all.

...Well, unless we run out of snacks, but it's not as though it's difficult to make a few batches of cookies in a hurry. Speaking of which, I rather ought to get busy with that, shouldn't I?

And of course...if there's anyone here from the land of Daventry, please do stop in to say hello. It's been quite a while since I last heard word of home, and I'd be glad for any news.

...My, what a nice way to end October. I think perhaps it'll turn out to be a happy Halloween, after all.


[OOC: /copies and pastes As always: Canonically, she's from just after the end of Perils of Rosella, and with some very disjointed and vague knowledge of Absence Makes the Heart Go Yonder. If something comes up that I don't want her to know, I'll just have her forget it, so have a party--anything goes! HIT HER WITH EVERYTHING YOU'VE GOT.

Also, muns, keeping in the spirit of Ye Olde Text-Based Adventure Games, that down below there? Is a command prompt. If you feel like 'directing' Rosella to carry out actions like "get bowl" or "open door", she might just feel compelled to respond...unless it's too complicated, in which you might get a fun error message instead. (Guaranteed acceptable commands include "get", "look", "open", "close", and "use".) Have fun!

And of course, I am totally okay with backdating.]

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Comments

[somekindofsin.livejournal.com]

Not while I've been outside of the City, no, but I was rather intent on discerning a pattern when I was here. This population influx should have been earlier in the month, I believe. When was the curse weekend, then? The third weekend? It should have been on the third weekend of the month.

Sorry, sorry... I generally give a name before babbling, so pardon my manners. I'm Carl. You look terribly familiar. Might I assume you've been here for some time?

Wonderful! Oh, I never start trouble. It occasionally follows me about, but I do what I can to deter it.

[primrosella.livejournal.com]

Oh, the--the random one? That was just last weekend, I was a bird and then I had my soul as a daemon for a day. But I think that must've been the fourth weekend of the month, not the third...

And yes, I have, I've been here--goodness, just about a year and three months now. Hello, Carl, I'm Rosella, and you look terribly familiar, too.

Goodness, I know the feeling.

[somekindofsin.livejournal.com]

The fourth weekend! The City refuses to follow a set pattern, doesn't it? Just when the puzzle begins coming together, it becomes apparent that none of the pieces are quite the right shape. Being a bird, though... that sounds pleasant. Could you fly? I didn't master that when I was a bird, but it would have been an experience, to be sure.

We've undoubtedly seen each other in passing, then. It's a pleasure, Rosella, albeit a rather belated one.

[primrosella.livejournal.com]

No, I can never seem to keep track of it. It used to come early, though, didn't it? And now it seems as though we go a whole month before it comes.

And yes, I could fly, and I had a lovely time of it, too. I visited a friend of mine for the day.

The pleasure is all mine, I'm sure, Carl.

[somekindofsin.livejournal.com]

The changes are seasonal, I've noticed--curses on the first weekend in spring, the second in summer. I thought they would fall on the third weekend during autumn and the fourth in the winter before starting over, but it seems I was mistaken. There's far too much to the City for one person to understand, unfortunately.

Wonderful! It's refreshing to hear someone say something positive about a curse, you know. Even the better ones tend to be treated like plagues.

[primrosella.livejournal.com]

...Oh, but there were five weekends this month! Do you suppose that made any sort of difference? Perhaps you're not mistaken, after all, and it really does have something to do with the seasons...

I certainly don't see why. Some of them are really very nice. It's just a matter of looking on the bright side of things, really.

[somekindofsin.livejournal.com]

I would like to think that I'm not mistaken, but I suppose only time will tell. I do wish I could continue studying the City.

Precisely! You're a clever girl, you know. I would have liked to meet you a good deal sooner.

[primrosella.livejournal.com]

Where have you gone in the meantime, may I ask? Back home?

Why, thank you, I'm flattered, really. It's a shame we couldn't have met before now, I agree.

[somekindofsin.livejournal.com]

If you would like to call it that, yes, although the City is considerably homier than the cloisters. I don't remember the City when I'm not in it, of course, but a part of my subconscious misses having a proper bed and exciting meals.

Might I ask where you've come from?

[primrosella.livejournal.com]

It is rather strange how this place comes to feel like home, isn't it? But I suppose it's only natural, after spending so long here.

I'm from a land called Daventry, and don't feel bad if you've never heard of it, because I haven't met anyone yet that has.

[somekindofsin.livejournal.com]

It is peculiar, yes. Certainly not in an undesirable way, however.

Daventry? No, I haven't heard of it. You're from a different world than I am, I imagine.

[primrosella.livejournal.com]

And all of my friends are here, too, so that's rather like a family in itself. It's never the same as having my real one around, but it's close, I think.

I am, yes. Do you read fairy tales, Carl? With knights and princes and dragons?

[somekindofsin.livejournal.com]

You're quite lucky, then! Not that I begrudge you a bit of happiness, of course.

Hm? Oh, no, not really. Why do you ask?

[primrosella.livejournal.com]

I'm very lucky, I know--in a great many ways. Sometimes that's a good thing to remember.

Oh, because I've found that it's the easiest way to explain to others what Daventry is like, that's all. It's a kingdom rather like a fairy tale.

[somekindofsin.livejournal.com]

Really? Perhaps I was wrong to dismiss fairy tales as stuff and nonsense.

What was your role there? You're from a rather well-off family, I would guess.

[primrosella.livejournal.com]

Even stuff and nonsense has to start somewhere, doesn't it? And if there's one thing this City has taught me, it's that anything is possible.

Ah...princess, actually. And future queen, if I'm lucky.

[somekindofsin.livejournal.com]

Yes, well... as a rule, that somewhere is the imagination. Not that the Order doesn't see it's fair share of oddities!

Ah! That's quite the profession. It's a pleasure to meet a princess, truly. You're much kinder than Victoria.

[primrosella.livejournal.com]

I've found that there are a few too many coincidences between Daventry and other places for it to truly come from nothing but imagination, I think.

Why, thank you. Though I don't believe I've met a Princess Victoria. Is she from your world, perhaps?

[somekindofsin.livejournal.com]

There are a number of things that might explain that, but I would rather not discuss touchy matters like existence--or the lack thereof--with someone I've only met. You might think I'm entirely insane.

Queen Victoria, yes. She was the queen of England from 1837 until her death--1901, I believe, although that's after my time--and the namesake of the atrocious fashions of the late nineteenth century. She was a rather good queen, I think, although I didn't think much of her when a potion transformed her into a young lady. She was so preoccupied with my partner that she didn't so much as thank me for aiding in her rescue.

Erm. Not that I anticipated a reward of any kind.

I'm going on again. My apologies, really.

[primrosella.livejournal.com]

Oh, er...well, of course, yes, as you prefer.

No, no, it's quite all right, it's a lovely story. And you rescued her...from a tower? Or some other sort of danger?

[somekindofsin.livejournal.com]

From a deranged doctor-turned-murderer who wanted her eternal love, actually. His sentiments were acceptable enough, but going about murdering ladies in an attempt to preserve your love's youth isn't.

To be perfectly honest, I didn't do much rescuing.

[primrosella.livejournal.com]

Ugh! No, I should say not! Why, that's simply horrible!

[somekindofsin.livejournal.com]

He was a mad scientist. They tend to do things like that.

[primrosella.livejournal.com]

I've known one plenty of perfectly nice mad scientists, thank you very much, and they weren't the murderous sort at all.

[somekindofsin.livejournal.com]

Oh! Oh my. Terribly sorry! I've never met a mad scientist who wasn't entirely... mad. Not all of them are murderous, of course--well, Frankenstein never murdered anyone directly, to my knowledge--but they do cause a bit of trouble.