primrosella | Quest 231

[Accidental Video Post]

[The device opens on a shot of the interior of the Library, with Rosella sitting at a table reading a book in the foreground and a glimpse of tall shelves loaded with books in the background. Her blonde hair is pinned back off her face, as it usually is when she is at work, and there is a stack of books on either side of her on the table itself. On her left--the camera's right--the stack is quite tall, perhaps seven or eight neatly stacked books; on her right, the pile is only one or two books tall.

The one currently in her hands is old and bound in brown leather; the cover is so worn that the title is nearly illegible. But she appears to be thoroughly engrossed in her reading, and as yet hasn't even noticed that her camera has switched on.

She reaches to turn the page, and her finger slides along the edge--]

Ouch!

[--and instantly the scene seems to go into slow motion: the edge of the page slowly, agonizingly slides through the pad of her finger; her blue eyes widen faintly at the abrupt sting; her hand moves instinctively toward her mouth as a small droplet of blood squeezes out from the sudden wound--and the soundtrack kicks in.]

♪ MMMM, WHATCHA SAAAAAAAY?
MMM, THAT YOU ONLY MEANT WELL?
WELL, OF COURSE YOU-- ♫
[As she sucks on her cut finger, a look of exasperation crosses Rosella's face, and her eyes narrow slightly as she slides it from her lips and hisses in a severe whisper: ]

Oh, honestly. We're in the Library!

[And, as if properly abashed, the volume of the background music suddenly dials down to a more appropriate tone.]

♪ --DID,
MMMM, WHATCHA SAAAAAAAY?
MMM, THAT IT'S ALL FOR THE BEST? ♫
[Rolling her eyes, Rosella sticks her finger back into her mouth and returns to her book, and the soundtrack continues until the video slowly fades out to black.]

[OOC: Papercuts: they're serious business. And dramatic enough for today's curse, apparently! So naturally I couldn't resist. Action for anyone in the Library, Network for everyone else. Just remember to keep your voice down! :D]

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[Her expression softens a little, and she raises her hand--complete with newly-bandaged finger--to her own cheek, drawing attention to it without quite touching it. It does still sting a bit, if pressed, and she doesn't want to mar the makeup, either.]

I got tired of people looking at me strangely and asking about mine, that's all, so I covered it up to make it more difficult to notice. I only thought you might like to do the same, if people have been bothering you, too.

[ Mouse's hands wiggle in their pockets but he manages them to keep them where they are. And when Rosella says the word 'bothering', his mouth puckers slightly, just as if he's tasted something sour all of a sudden. ]

Just worried about you, [ he offers, in response to the idea that anyone would look at Rosella funny. Part of Mouse knows that all people aren't as kind as that, that maybe some were just staring at her to make her uncomfortable or to judge her, but he likes to pretend otherwise. It makes the world seem like a nicer place. ]

M'okay. Thanks.

[She nods a little, thinking back to the reactions of some of her friends when they'd first seen her that night, before she'd had the chance to explain.]

Likely so, yes. Still, it's a long story to explain over and over again, being the princess with the pea for Halloween and bumping it with a hairbrush and so on. So it's much more convenient to just avoid it when I can help it, I should think.

[But she does smile at him then, putting the bottle away.]

All right, then. Is there anything I can do for you, though, to thank you for rescuing me today?

[ Mentions of princesses gets Mouse to smile down at his shoes in a small, private way. He says very quietly, almost to himself: ] Princess.

[ But then his brain skips over this little beat and he looks up at Rosella again with a grin. Canting his head to one side, he beams at her, just proud to have been helpful in the first place. When he smiles this broadly, the piercing (http://s3.amazonaws.com/data.tumblr.com/tumblr_lafcrwvnxJ1qboh6jo1_1280.jpg?AWSAccessKeyId=0RYTHV9YYQ4W5Q3HQMG2&Expires=1289369024&Signature=2Ir8usr2bQRqOzapU1r27b6LzBk%3D) in Mouse's mouth exposes itself. That's why it's called a smiley, after all. ] Free of charge.

[She does look a bit surprised at the sudden reveal of the piercing, but if there's one thing she's gotten used to in her time in the City, it's people and fashions that are much different from the ones that she's used to. She isn't quite sure, though, if it'd be polite to remark on it or not, so she decides to err on the side of caution and keep those thoughts to herself.]

Oh, I see. Well, shall I make you my knight for the day, then? Sir Mouse has a nice ring to it, I should think.

[ The prospect sounds wonderful, as far as Mouse is concerned, and his enthusiasm for the idea shows on his face and in the faint blush that spreads across the bridge of his nose. It's a fairytale sort of idea, and he hasn't lived a fairytale life (not by far), but it's a nice thought. ]

Better at pirates than knights. [ His friends back home were better at rabble-rousing than chivalrous deeds. ] But could try.

Oh, I've been a pirate before, as well. And we have plenty of stories about them around here, too--have Neil and Todd told you the legend of Peg-Fist Jack yet?

[And suddenly, she is inexplicably grinning, for some reason.]

[ Hastily, Mouse tugs one of his hands free from the pockets of his jeans and pulls his sleeve down just far enough to expose his hand to the wrist. He stares at his fingers in consteration, opening and closing his fingers like a fist and trying (quite hard, mind you) to visualize exactly how a peg-fist might work.

He peers at Rosella dubiously. ]

Peg. Fist.

[Yes, well. Practicality was never a strong point in the Peg-Fist Jack legend, unfortunately. It was more silliness than anything else; and of course Rosella should know, since she's the one who made it up.]

Yes, that's right. Rather like a peg leg, except for his fist. You've just missed him, I'm afraid; he usually comes around to haunt the City around Halloween, looking for his lost treasure.

Quest 231

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