primrosella | Quest 204

[Accidental Video Post]

[As the video switches on and fades in from black, the sound of wingbeats and merry chirping can be heard, as though a multitude of birds of all varieties have all come together in one place. Shortly thereafter, the picture comes in to focus on Rosella, standing in the middle of one of the burned-out sections of the Library with a broom in her hands and a bluebird on her shoulder. She is wearing a neat, albeit slightly sooty, dress and a pair of sensible shoes, and her hair is braided and pinned up on her head with a few tendrils hanging loose, having obviously slipped free of their coils while she was working.

However, the strangest sight is the wildlife around her--birds, squirrels, chipmunks, and even the occasional deer, all with wide innocent eyes, and all dutifully aiding her in her attempt to clean up her area of the Library. The birds flutter around collecting bits of charred paper that have fallen on the ground, the squirrels dust and sweep with their tails, the chipmunks sort though the remains for anything that might be salvageable, and the deer trot around with collections of half-burned books and pieces of wood secured in their antlers, delivering them to other parts of the Library.

And every one of them is singing or contributing to the tune. Merrily.

The expression on Rosella's face clearly reveals just how ridiculous she finds all this commotion, but hey, she's not about to complain about the extra help in cleaning the Library. When she speaks, her voice sounds...not different, exactly, but perhaps slightly more melodious than usual.]

Oh, do be careful! That's quite a lot of books you're carrying around, you know--don't try to take too many at once! Really, there's no need to rush. I really do appreciate the help, but I haven't any balls to be late for, so there's no need to work so fast and risk hurting yourselves.

[The birds twitter and chirp at this, rustling their wings noisily.]

Yes, of course, you're all being wonderfully helpful, thank you.

[A pause, as she glances toward the camera.]

Oh, drat, how did that get on? I don't suppose one of you could...oh, thank you, I do apprecia--

[And with a flurry of fur near the camera, the video switches off.]

[OOC: Cinders + Rosella = Cinderosella? And a little bit of Snow White, too. She's afflicted with the Child Friendly curse today, which means all the standard features of a standard Disney Princess--helpful birdies, merry work tunes, and the apparent ability to remain pretty even after a long day of hard work.

IF ANYONE IS INTERESTED IN JUMPING IN--safari!cursed people who want to join the animal brigade, people wanting to play Fairy Godmother, princes who want to attempt a rescue, etc.--feel free! I will roll with anything. :D]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

There's a very fine garden here, you know, but it belongs to the whole City, not just to me. They have a path that's planted with every kind of rose you could imagine, and that's my favorite path of all because roses are my favorite flower. I'm even named after them.

I don't...really like roses all that much...

But--what's your name, then? Rose?

That's all right, though. There are plenty of other flowers to like, too! And goodness knows I certainly like them enough for two people.

[Oops. Such a minefield of touchy subjects, Cain is. Though at least his younger self will admit it instead of hiding it, she thinks.]

Almost! It's Rosella. Though I have been called Rose before, but only as a nickname.

Rosella is a very pretty name.

[Oho, that makes twice now. Not that she's counting.]

I'm glad you think so!

[And since she does remember that Cain's own name is yet another touchy subject, she'll wait to see if he offers it himself in his own time, and takes a slightly different topic instead.]

Oh, but are you good at keeping secrets?

Oh, yes, a girl named me the Earl of Secrets. I'm very good at keeping secrets.

Well, I'll tell you one, then, if you promise to keep it for me.

[She even leans in close, conspiratorially, and drops her voice to a hushed tone.]

My name is really Princess Rosella. That's my secret.

Oh! You're a princess?!

[Fortunately, there's no one around to hear but the birds. Though one of the chipmunks might stop and peer at him a little oddly, after that outburst.]

I am. It's a fine secret, don't you think? Though I'm sure, being the Earl of Secrets, that you've heard plenty of better ones.

It's an excellent secret. I'm not sure I've heard any much better than that.

Then I'm sure you'll take plenty of care to keep it for me.

Of course I will.

Good! I'm glad to hear it.

[She gets to her feet, smoothing her skirt out as she does so.]

Did you come all this way by yourself?

I did, yes. I wanted to see this town since Father isn't here. I wanted to know where he'd sent Riff and me while he was in London.

That's quite adventurous of you! And what have you seen on your travels, then?

I've seen the garden you were talking about, but not the roses. And I've seen the centre of town, and the carousel there, and of course the theatre where I woke up.

Quite an adventure indeed. I wonder, are you fond of horses? There's a barn with quite a few of them here. And of course, there's a whole zoo full of animals, too.

I've seen horses before, but I do like them. And a zoo too, really?

I have a horse at the barn, you know. His name is Valor and he was a gift from...a very dear friend of mine. He's terribly temperamental, though, and jealous, too. He likes to think he's my favorite person in the world, so he dislikes anyone that he thinks I might like better than him.

And there certainly is a zoo! I've been there a few times, and there are dozens upon dozens of different animals to look at in it.

He doesn't sound at all friendly. How do you manage to ride him if he acts like that?

Are there really? Animals from all over the world?

Because he likes me very much, so for me he's quite gentle. And we've known each other a long time, he and I, so we've had plenty of time to become friends.

Oh, yes, from all over. Lions and tigers and elephants and all sorts of things like that.

[It's tempting to mention the unicorns, but then she'd have to try to convince him that unicorns are real in the first place. Better to stick with animals he's likely to know of already.]

Really?

Would you like to see for yourself?

Yes, I would, please!

Well, then, if you'll be kind enough to escort me, I'll gladly show you the way.

Action!

misterblackbird.livejournal.com - 2010-07-18 22:47 (UTC) - Expand