Princess Rosella of Daventry

[Audio Post]

[The recording opens with the white noise of the City--the bustle of bodies, the shuffle of feet, the chatter of passerby--all oddly faint and removed from the microphone, as though recorded from a reasonable distance. A minute later, there comes a new sound, closer this time: a soft trill, a faint whistle, a rustle of feathers.]

My goodness, this isn't nearly so pleasant a curse in the middle of winter. It's much harder to fly, somehow, and the wind is so cold! Brrr. No wonder birds keep to their nests in weather like this.

[Another rustle of feathers; she seems to be adjusting them again and again, trying to find an arrangement that's comfortable--or perhaps, just making use of the movement to keep warm.]

And it's so hard to find an open window like this, as well! No one wants to let all the heat out by leaving one that way, of course. So first it's the trouble that one can't get out, and then it's the trouble that one can't get back in!

[Another high-pitched whistle.]

My, I do make a pretty sight against all the snow, though.

[She falls silent a minute, the background chatter returning to the forefront of the recording, and for a time it seems as though the message might be over, but then--]

Oh! There! Someone's opened the--oh, good, no, don't close, please, I want to come in too!

[And with an almost violent rustle of feathers, the audio ends with an abrupt click.]


[OOC: Yup, she's a Western Rosella again today, wings and feathers and all. And, evidently, not too fond about being out in the cold weather! She'll be responding via voice or video on the Network, but for anyone who wants Action, she's just managed to sneak into the Library as of the end of this post, and she'll be out and about again if you'd like to catch her around the City, too!]


(COMMENTS)

Oh, everyone's here again! My goodness, it's been a while, hasn't it? I think it was summer, really, the last time you all came, and now it's just getting to be properly fall--so I suppose in a way you're right on time, since you do all seem to arrive around once every season. And come to think of it, this is rather the month for it, too, isn't it? Since I recall having visitors one year for Halloween, and we all had a marvelous party, and it was a lovely way of saying goodbye to another October once and for all.

...Because it is October now, isn't it? I've been trying not to think too much of it, but...well. It's only a month, and I've beaten it before. And I think I've seen enough Octobers by now to be ready to weather whatever it is that might come from this one.

But in any case, there's no sense dwelling on all that, not with everyone here for the weekend! Oh, I do hope it's for the whole weekend, too, it's always so nice to see all of you. Er, please do be careful around the cars, though--they're quite important to Miss Saya, and it'd be for the best if you left them alone as best you could, thank you.

Well! I think I've enough cookies and milk to last a little while, at least, and I'd be more than happy to entertain any visitors who might come to call, so please do stop by and say hello! Especially, er...any familiar faces that might be passing through.


[OOC: As always, she's canonically 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. Troll, threadjack, have a ball!

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

[Accidental Video Post]

[And here is Rosella, sitting in what appears to be the hold of a ship, hands and feet tied with rope and looking quite disgruntled about the whole prospect. It's fairly dark there in the hold, and the sound of water splashing is close and distinctive; every so often, a faint shout can be heard from somewhere far away as the crew of the ship call to each other from up above. The room is littered with shadowy shapes that are probably crates of various sizes, and far off to one side dangles a rope ladder that apparently connects the upper decks to the hold via trapdoor. It's far too high to jump to reach, but it's a small beacon of hope to strive for.

Rosella, for her part, has never been one particularly inclined to sit around when she gets herself into peril, and so she promptly hops and shuffles her way over to one of the nearby crates, pushing on it in an attempt to open the lid; when that fails, she tries another with better success. The second crate holds bottles of what are probably rum, and she plucks one out and gives it a thoughtful look. She holds still, listens silently to the chatter from up above, and then quickly smashes the bottle against the edge of a crate, earning herself a hefty splash of rum and a lot of jagged pieces of very sharp glass. And again, she holds still, listening to see if she's been discovered--but no, nothing, the commotion from up above must have covered it.

Now looking more triumphant than anything else, she retrieves a piece of glass and begins to saw through her bonds, making slow but steady work of the ropes. It takes some time, but soon her hands and feet are free, and she's free to roam around the hold--which she does, apparently taking catalogue of its contents before beginning to push boxes together, building a makeshift set of steps up to the hanging ladder above. It's a precarious endeavor, and the stairway of boxes looks as though it could fall over at any moment as she darts her way up toward the top, but it gets her close enough that she can leap and grasp hold of the rope ladder without trouble.

But then, curiously, she heads back down to the floor of the hold, pushing on the crates a little more and securing them as best she can before rummaging in her skirt pockets to produce a small, unassuming pouch. Lips set in determination, she pulls the drawstring open and begins to shake what appears to be sand or powder onto the floor, walking backwards in a wide circle to scatter it evenly. Then, when the pouch is empty, she steps into the center of the circle and murmurs two words that are barely audible, but there: ]

Slumber, henceforth!

[She waits a minute...two minutes...and then replaces her things in her pockets, darting up the crate-steps once more; this time, as she leaps for the rope, the crates go crashing to the floor--which makes it a very good thing that she's got a firm hold on the rope ladder and the strength to pull her up to the upper deck.

For a few moments, there is the shuffling of fabric, the steady draw of breath, and the rustle of hands and feet on rope; a moment later, there is a creak of hinges as the trapdoor opens, and then, surprisingly enough, a loud, juicy snore.

And as Rosella swings herself up onto the deck, now successfully the only one still awake on the ship, the video ends.]


[OOC: Yeah, I couldn't resist. This post is a nod to Rosella's brother Alexander, the protagonist of King's Quest III; upon being captured by pirates, he ends up escaping in basically the same way that Rosella does here. Like brother, like sister? Anyway, Rosella's off to make the best of her capture by ransacking the ship looking for dubloons. And her sleep powder's pretty much ensured that everyone currently on her ship is now fast asleep, but if anyone would like to bring a different ship to come rescue her, ride a dolphin out to see her, drop from the sky to action with her, whatever, be my guest!

Also, don't mind the pirate icon, I just couldn't resist that either. :D]

( Private || Hackable by Friends )

My, it's a lovely day out, isn't it? It's nice, really; I've gotten into something of a habit of separating curses into one of two kinds, either the sort that are awful or the sort that are ridiculous, but it's days like today that remind me there's sometimes a third kind as well--the nice variety. And I know it's rather against the point of a curse in the first place, being so nice when it's a common theory that the curses are there to breed misery to fuel the clock. But there's also been the theory that the clock doesn't only run on misery, but on any emotion so long as it's strong, so I suppose it's all right to have a nice one every so often. Certainly it makes us enjoy the nice ones more, knowing how much worse things could be.

The clock still isn't ticking. Why isn't it ticking, even now? Could it have stopped forever, somehow?

In any case, there seem to be cherry trees all over the City today, and all in full bloom! It's really just magnificent to see, and it seems quite a few people have had that very idea; on my way home from the Library, I saw all sorts of people just walking around in pairs and groups, enjoying the view and admiring the flowers. Quite a few of them were wearing the most lovely outfits, as well, rather like fine robes with very wide sleeves. There was a shop in the Square selling them, even, and when I stopped to admire them because they were so very pretty, the shopkeeper told me that all this is meant to be a festival of some sort, and that outfits like that were the proper thing to wear when viewing the cherry trees in bloom.

She was wonderfully kind in helping me find one I liked, too, and even said that if I came back a little later when she wasn't so busy, she'd show me how to pin up my hair and help me with the proper way to wear it, since it seems there's quite a bit that goes into it. I'm still a bit confused by it all, but it's such a lovely offer to make that I really can't resist giving it a try. After all, I haven't yet kept to my resolution and worn my modern clothes for the month, and if it's the proper thing to do for a festival anyway, then so much the better. Even if an outfit like that does seem a bit difficult to move around in at times.

But that's a fine way to spend an afternoon, isn't it? Dressing up and enjoying the flowers. I think it's just the sort of afternoon I need, really.


[OOC: Disclaimer: I am in no way an expert on (or even particularly familiar with) Japanese culture, and yes, Rosella's being almost completely superficial in wanting to wear a kimono just because it's different and pretty. So she's being kind of a poseur today. But at least she's not trying to dress herself, having never done it before. >> Anyway, feel free to spot her out and about if you want to action; if not, she's got her device with her.]

( Private || Hackable by Friends )

Well, it's been a week since the harpies were dealt with, and the barrier is back up again--or, well, a barrier is back up, at least, though I think it's not quite the same as the one we had before, somehow? Which is rather something to ponder over, really. We'd fixed the other barrier before, when it started to come down in pieces and we were all made to put it back up again, but that's a bit different than having the whole thing disappear completely and leaving us without one at all, and having to put a new one up in its place. It certainly was pretty when it all came together, though, wasn't it? All the lovely shifting lights in the night sky.

In any case, it's up now, and keeping the harpies out again, and yet there still isn't any ticking to speak of. I suppose that rules out the idea that the two of them were connected, the clock and the barrier, and that ruining one disrupted the other somehow. Still, even if they aren't connected, it's still curious that the ticking's gone silent, isn't it? If it wasn't the barrier falling that caused it to stop, then I wonder what it could be.

Yes, Cain, I know, I think too much about that clock. Though I suppose it's only fitting that it's driving me mad whether it ticks or not, isn't it?

Still, I'll try not to let it bother me for the moment. I have a few things to get done yet today, and some errands to run, and something to see to this evening, besides. And that's quite enough for right now, I should think.

[Filtered AWAY from Godchild Cast (Yes, Jez, That Means You Too) | Unhackable]

Though I do wonder--if it's not too much trouble, please, I'd like very much to speak with someone who's visited London, if you have a moment to spare. Edmund, Peter, you've been, haven't you?

[/Filter]

( Filtered to Iacho | Attempted Unhackable )


[OOC: TL;DR forever! She's not cursed today, but she's getting things done: getting stuff off her mind, going to Claire's birthday party, dropping off a box containing shiny pebbles, a shoe, and a pair of fuzzy bunny slippers for Iacho at the Deity Office, conducting a little super sekrit stealth research...good times!]

They do say history repeats itself, don't they?

This isn't the first time something has happened to the barrier. It was a little over a year ago, now, the first time I recall it happening; it was December, and Sam had been in the hospital, and the animals came off the carousel and started to lead the way out of the City. The barrier started coming down in bits and patches, and people saw all sorts of things through the holes--mostly visions of home, bu some people saw other things, too. Horrible things. And there was a man, one who claimed to be an architect, who arrived and said he'd done this to set us free and encouraged us to leave while we had the chance, but it turned out to all be a trick, and people who tried to escape only found themselves--trapped, instead.

And something happened to it just a few months ago, when we were all on that horrible train, didn't it? I remember looking out the windows and seeing things there, and there were monsters that jumped at the windows. Something went wrong with the Network devices then, too--they didn't seem to work properly while we were underground, and people had trouble calling out. And there was something wrong with the barrier then, too.

This isn't the first time harpies have come here, either, though I've never been here to see them myself. I've heard word of them, though. A cat, a harpy, and Adrastus all came to call a long time ago, and the clock stopped ticking then, too. I wonder if the barrier came down back then? There aren't many people around who would remember it, if it did; still, it'd be a useful thing to know, either way.

Adrastus has come several times, himself. I was expecting him this time of year last year, wasn't I? I always expect him when things like this happen. Last year we were waiting for an angel of death, and I thought he might be the one to come, and he did. I saw him, just for a minute, and gave him the lemon cake I'd saved for him. And then no angel ever came at all. That was this time of year, wasn't it? Which makes Spartacus a year old now, already.

The trouble always comes first, and then a stranger arrives. That architect, the shepherdess. Adrastus and his mother. We've had the harpies for two days now; if a stranger does arrive, it'll be soon. And they'll tell us we're all free to go, and we'll be left to decide, as always, if they're really telling the truth or if it's all just another trick to make us miserable and leave us as trapped as we were before.

The Carousel opens; that's how they got rid of the shepherdess last year. It opened into cogs and gears and they drove all the sheep into the hole it left behind, and the wool came back out of the mountain like an explosion. And the Carousel has something to do with the clock, and if the clock has something to do with the barrier, then the Carousel might be the way to find it. It's all tied together somehow, it has to be, and there must be a way to fix it all. The deities haven't spoken about it, and there's no telling if they will. They have before, but that doesn't mean they will again.

But what matters is staying safe until we figure out how to manage this. It seems as though the harpies are keeping their distance from the city proper today, doesn't it? There are more of them, one can see them flying about in clusters, but for some reason they aren't as quick to come swooping in as they were before. I'm not certain why that might be, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't take advantage of it while it lasts. So.

FOR ANYONE IN NEED OF REFUGE FOR THE DURATION:
Anyone is welcome to take shelter at the Warehouse for the time being. We're well stocked with provisions and have plenty of room for anyone in need of a safe place to stay in the midst of this chaos. If the Warehouse is too far to go, please feel free to call me and we'll find a way to bring you here safely; if it's still too much of a problem, I know we're not the only ones offering shelter in the midst of this, so there are plenty of options.

If there's one thing I've learned from history, it's that we all need to pull together in times like this. And if there's a second thing I've learned, it's that things always get better, if one can just hold out long enough to see it through.


[OOC: Yup, she's cursed today; her horoscope for the day is "Today is a reflection of the past, but that doesn’t mean you’re trapped in a loop. If you don’t like where you are, perform acts of kindness to improve your karmic balance. Things should pick up soon!". Hence the tl;dr. Enjoy this blast from the City's past? >>]

( Private || Hackable by Friends )

Last year, Penny told me that the holiday today is St. Patrick's Day, and that it's celebrated with all sorts of things, like green beer and shamrocks and four-leaf-clovers. It's a holiday I'll have to take back with me to Daventry, I think, when it finally comes time for me to go; I'm sure the King of the Leprechauns would be absolutely delighted by it. They're very fond of four-leaf-clovers, leprechauns, and the king in particular is quite partial to them. We'd always make certain to wear them when he came to call, back when I was only a girl.

He was rather fond of me, too, back in those days. I have a feeling it was something to do with the fact that we were the same height.

Though I've heard tell of people being pinched today, and it's something to do with the color green? I suppose that's not so difficult a thing to avoid, really, if all one has to do is wear a bit of green. Tuck a clover into one's cap or tie a ribbon in one's hair and that's that. I have a few green dresses I could wear, myself, but I haven't met my resolution of wearing a modern outfit yet this month, so I suppose I might as well manage both at once today, just the same. I'm growing quite attached to those sweaters with the hood and the zipper down the front, even if they don't go very well with a dress.

Only four more days until the first of spring! If that's not something to look forward to, I don't know what is. The party's coming along well, too, or at least as well as I can make it; it may not be the grandest of events, but I think it'll turn out nice, just the same.

[Filtered AWAY from the Deities | Attempted Unhackable]

But of course, there's still the matter of the tower near Building Three.

There's sand everywhere now, and unlike some other times when damage has been caused to a part of the City, it hasn't gone away on its own. I'm told that people found writing inside the tower, as well? The verses to a song about a bridge falling down, I think--which isn't so different from a tower falling, really. I'm also told that there's talk in those verses about how to build the tower back up again, to keep it from falling further. If that's so, I think it'd be wise if we all set about getting some of those materials together, in case this wasn't the only building that should chance to turn to sand and fall.

But that leads to the problem of what might've caused it. Has anyone spoken with a little creature named Iacho? He was on the Network playing with a sand castle just the other day, and he told me he lives in the Deity Building--which, I think, is a few too many coincidences to truly be one.

To say nothing of the fact that the tower fell on the Ides of March. I do wonder about that, as well.


[OOC: Whew! My apologies for the infodump; Rosella had a lot to talk about today. Yes, she is wearing green and therefore is safe from pinching, because she actually bothered to read the Network in advance for once. FRIENDS OF HERS, please feel free to assume you received an invitation to her birthday first-of-spring party this coming Monday; if you've spoken with her once or twice, you probably qualify. Also, if memory serves, there's really no such thing as filtering away from the deities on the Network, but she's trying it anyway. ♥]

[Voice Post]

--oses, what in the world? Oh--

[A throat clears, a little hesitantly.]

I...suppose this may seem a rather odd question, but did anyone else have something, er, go missing in the past few days, while the visitors were here? Yesterday morning I woke up and found that all my red roses were gone, from the ones on bushes in my pots to the miniature ones in my window box--and now here they are, and I can't for the life of me puzzle out how they might've gotten all the way out here! I'm certain they're mine, I recognize a few of them, but why would someone take a whole great bunch of roses and move them out somewhere like this? Really, it's the strangest thing! And honestly, what an awful damper that would be on an otherwise pleasant day, to go around taking people's things like that while they're occupied with visiting their friends. Why would anyone ever?

[A small huff of exasperation, followed by a brief pause.]

Which, er, brings me back to my question: has anyone lost...let me see, it looks like...a writing set, or a very fluffy white rabbit, or a stopped clock, a book of poetry, or a teapot and china to match? If you have, it seems they're all out here by a table in the Square. You can't miss it, really--it's surrounded in roses and all set for tea, of all things.

[A pause, a whisper of wind--]

Oh, what's this?

[--and then, a faint rustling sound.]

...A letter? Addressed to--

[And with a click, the audio ends.]


[OOC: Just a little Fourth Wall aftermath~ Please assume this is backdated to early this morning, a little after six or so--and thanks for playing, everyone!]

[Accidental Video Post]

[The video clicks on with a shake and a rattle, displaying a wobbling view of stacked books on a table and full shelves in the background; given the way the stack of books seems slightly off-kilter, it appears that something has recently jostled the table--which would also explain how the device, abandoned nearby, switched on itself.

For a while, the video shows nothing but books, but eventually Rosella wanders into the scene, hair up in braids and her head tipped back as she surveys the higher shelves, clearly looking for something and absently talking to herself--as she is wont to do, when she is deep in thought--as her gaze flickers over the titles embossed in gold on the leather spines.]

Sigils, runes, symbols...um...hieroglyphs?

[She frowns, absently biting at a hangnail as she continues to think.]

Devices, emblems, logos, pictures...

[And she wanders out of the shot again, only to return a few minutes later with a new stack of books. Setting these down near the camera--which she still hasn't noticed is recording, being so absorbed in her apparent search--she takes a seat and begins to page through the books, studying their contents intently. Eventually, she comes to the book second from the bottom, and pauses in her skimming to frown at the pages.

But no, it's not the pages she's frowning at, after all; she reaches down and plucks a torn bit of yellowed paper from where it has been tucked--perhaps as a bookmark?--into the crease between the pages, holding it up to look it over. Observers with a keen eye may be able to catch a glimpse of this bit of writing before Rosella turns it over to examine it herself; it quickly becomes clear that, while this may not be what she's been looking for, it's something she finds intriguing nonetheless.]

My, that's odd...

[But then she looks up as a new voice rings out across the room, calling something that sounds suspiciously like "Miss, would you like to hear about my fungal infection", and Rosella quickly slams the books shut, which in turn jostles the table--

--and the feed ends.]


[OOC: Research, research! Rosella's in the Library investigating symbols (having seen one elsewhere), and is fair game for assailing with your Stranger Danger tales! Also, any magically-inclined viewers, especially ones with a specialty in runes and icons, are welcome to notice that the drawing on the bit of parchment is magical in nature, though I'd prefer if they weren't able to figure out what it is or does (though speculation is certainly welcome!).

TL;DR: Action if you're in the Library, Network for everyone else. ♥]

( Private || Hackable by Friends )

Oh, it's Christmas again! Merry Christmas, everyone!

Goodness, just look at the weather outside! It's certainly not the same weather we had last year--as I recall, it was beautiful and snowy and white that day, and I was so excited because there wasn't a curse in sight--but it does seem to be traditional to have a bit of summer in the middle of winter here, doesn't it? And Christmas is as fine a day as any to have it, I should think. There won't be any snowball fights or skating on the ice, I'm afraid, but perhaps skating along the ground on wheels will work just as well, and I'm sure there are plenty of other fine things to do on a lovely summer's day in December. Wouldn't you agree, Cain?

Valor will be pleased about all this, I'm sure. I'd planned to go sleighing today and visit everyone I know, but with the sun shining so brightly and not a bit of snow in sight, I suppose I'll just have to go for a ride instead, and I'm sure that will do just as well. That was always tradition on Christmas in Daventry--going around to visit everyone and wish them a merry Christmas in person. But of course, we always had snow for it ourselves, and never any weather like this.

Oh, and, speaking of traditions...Nigel, Miss Saya, I put your gifts under the tree in the Warehouse, if you'd like to open them all together? It's...it used to be tradition, in my past Christmases here, and I'd like very much to continue it with the both of you, if you think you'd like that as well.

Merry Christmas, everyone! And I do very much hope your holiday is merry and bright.

( OOC: Gift List )

[OOC: Gift list of DOOM is underneath the cut! And Rosella went a little crazy with gifts this year, so if you've talked to her, like...more than once in the past month or two, be sure to check this list and see if you're on it. And as usual, all friends and acquaintances get a plate of home-baked cookies to munch on in their holiday season. Merry Christmas, Poly!]