Princess Rosella of Daventry

[Accidental Voice Post]

[The audio begins with the whisper of wind, the occasional chirp of crickets, and the lapping of waves at the shore, broken only by the soft rustle of footsteps through the grass.]

It's a lovely evening out, isn't it, Ellington? [A soft chuckle.] No, of course I couldn't forget to come see you, too. It wouldn't be the same without you!

[A pause; the wind picks up slightly, echoed in the leaves of the nearby trees.]

One more year, now. Do you suppose we can manage it somehow?

[It's clear from the silence that follows that the speaker isn't really expecting an answer, anyway, but it turns out she gets one--a faint, eerie sort of crooning that begins to drift over the water, wafting the strains of a song that careful listeners might be able to identify as...Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy, strangely enough.

It's another long moment before the speaker's voice is heard again, and when she does, the emotion in her tone is unmistakable.]

You're a good boy.

[And as the peculiar serenade continues, the audio ends.]


[OOC: Because there's nothing like a baby Cthulhu serenade to round out a birthday! How did Rosella get to be twenty already I cannot even. Her party log is here and backdating friendly for easy reference; this post doesn't take place until afterward, later in the evening.]

Well, that was...er, certainly an interesting curse yesterday, wasn't it? I'm not entirely, um, sure what it was all about, other than that everyone seemed to be talking in fives. That is, the things people were saying didn't seem to have much in common with each other, outside of the part about it always only being five words. Why five words, I wonder? We've had plenty of curses before that have altered the way we speak, whether it's through forcing us into rhyme or verse or a sailor's brogue, but there aren't many that restrict the numbers of words themselves, I don't think. There's the one that goes in only three lines like poetry, but I don't think I recall one that keeps things to only five words.

I don't think I was cursed yesterday, either, which is lucky enough, I suppose. Perhaps I'd have a better idea of what it really was if I had been, but I'm certainly not about to complain that I wasn't. Still, no matter what it was, at least it seemed...er, harmless enough, and it's over now, anyway.

And wasn't that a lovely ball we had for Valentine's Day? Really, words can hardly do it justice, and I'm sure anyone who attended will agree. Oh, and I do hope everyone who went to Mr. Nekozawa's event had a lovely time, too, even if it was a rather...well, unorthodox way of celebrating the holiday. After all, a celebration is a celebration, and what matters is that everyone enjoyed themselves, isn't it? And it was certainly nice to have something to look forward to and get excited about, too.

But now things are back to usual--or as usual as they get in the City, I suppose--and I've still another four days to go before I can start thinking about the next great event on the horizon. So I think I'll spend the day looking over a new book of mine. Five words at a time is all well and good, but it's just as nice to have a whole book filled with sentences to pore over on a free afternoon, too.

( Private || Hackable by Friends )


...That's odd, how did that get there? And it doesn't seem to want to come down, at any rate, so I suppose it will have to stay. It's a bit odd to think of a cat dancing, isn't it? And especially so when his partner has turned herself invisible; one would think she'd want to be the center of attention if she could help it, and show off her lovely dress for all to see. Though perhaps she's invisible because she's shy, or was made to feel ashamed of the dress she had, like Cinderella. Poor dear, I'm sure it was very lovely. After all, fur never does go out of fashion, does it?

Well, in any case, it seems I'm not the only one with dancing on my mind, if these cats are any indication. And how could anyone not, with a ball like Tamaki's on the horizon? And I must admit, I'm quite excited about the theme--I like all the parties we have here, of course, but the formal balls are really my favorites. They feel the most like home, and it's always such fun to see all the lovely ladies in dresses and their dapper partners dancing the night away.

And speaking of dancing, is it true that most people in modern times never learn how to waltz properly? Really, it's such a shame to hear. But there's still a few weeks until the ball, and that's certainly more than enough time for lessons, if anyone should like to learn how. After all, "practice every day has made / Pangur perfect in his trade", as the rhyme goes. And I'm sure there are enough of us around who do know how to dance, that we ought to be able to offer lessons for anyone interested in learning.


[OOC: She's in ur City makin ur lolcats relevant. Link is OOC and there for player reference, but she's definitely advertising for the ball--and yes, she's serious about offering dancing lessons for anyone who wants to learn how. After all, the more people dancing, the merrier! And if anybody else wants to get in on helping teach, feel free to chat Rosella up about it; she'd be more than pleased for the help. ♥]

I wasn't just dreaming all the commotion--it really is them. They're really here! Oh, I thought it would be the end of last month, but this...this is even better.

Oh, hello, everyone! It's just lovely to see you all again! I do hope you all managed to dress warmly before coming here, since it's the winter season now. Or, well--it is for us, anyway, since I know time does seem to move differently from one place to another. And it was summer the last time you stopped by, wasn't it? So it's been quite some time now, since we all saw you last.

But you're here now, and that's what's important. And if you have, er, found yourself in a bit of a predicament with proper clothing and whatnot, there's a Welcome Center in the Square that I'm sure can be of some help with that. And do say hello to Penny while you're there!

Does this have something to do with that train? All the things we saw out the windows, the people trying to get in--and now this?

Oh, it's a good thing I saved all those leftovers. If anyone would like some--we just had Thanksgiving a few days ago, you see--there's plenty of cold turkey and cranberry sauce and rolls and things to snack on while you're here!

Sam? ...Blue? If...are you by any chance out there somewhere, too?


[OOC: 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. Troll, threadjack, have a ball!

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

( Private || Hackable by Friends )

If there's one thing I've learned in more than two years of living here in the City, it's that one of the few things as constant as the curses is the need to apologize for them when they're over. I know I've mentioned time and again how important it is to be understanding with other people when they're cursed, and to take care not to hold a person's cursed actions against them when it's over, since oftentimes they couldn't help it when they were and feel just as terrible about it afterward. But it's the sort of thing that bears repeating, I think--just as apologies bear repeating, even when you're lucky enough to have the sort of friends that have already forgiven you for the things you did while cursed, before you even say them.

I'm not cursed now, but I certainly was a few days ago, and I really am so very sorry for the way I was acting. I was feeling terribly proud of myself that day, as I'm sure the whole Network could tell, but I'm certainly not proud of the way I was acting now. So I do apologize for that.

And really, if I ought to have been praising the virtues of anything that day, it should've been the lovely new clothes that a wonderful fashion designer named Cinna made for me. If there's anyone deserving of laud and honor, it's him; he's a simply marvelous designer and tailor, and the dresses he made for me are absolutely perfect. They're as comfortable as they are beautiful, and they're so wonderfully practical, too--exactly right to suit my needs. Which is especially lovely for adventuring, and goodness knows I put my dresses through rather a lot of those.

With so many lovely holidays coming up in the next few months--Giving-Thanks, and Christmas, and even Halloween at the end of this month, besides--I'm sure that there will be plenty of occasions perfect for new and pretty clothes, and I'd absolutely recommend Cinna to anyone interested in them. He's kind and clever and wonderfully talented, and I'm certain that any other customer of his will be just as happy with their things as I am with mine.

Oh, but speaking of getting dressed up--has anyone started thinking yet of what they want to go as for Halloween? I remember two years ago I was a lady knight, and last year I went as Persephone, but I haven't thought of anything for this year yet, and there are only three weeks left until it comes.

ENTRY: From th' Top-Secret Journal o' Morgan the Lurch

13 June, 18—

Made port this mornin'. Much as me heart lies on th' open sea, 'tis a welcome change t' spend a spell on dry land again. Especially after that last catastrophe th' Barnacle got us all into. We barely escaped by th' skin o' our teeth, an' thar t'ain't much o' that left, what wi' all th' use we be givin' it.

Th' tavern smells like th' inside o' th' boot No-Foot Seamus (formerly One-Foot Seamus) lost t' th' shark a fortnight ago. Th' swabbies be ugly an' th' rum tastes like whale sweat, but we`re nay here fer th' berths or th' companionship. Word tell be that th' fabled booty o' El Pollo Diablo lies somewhere around these parts, an' th' cap'n has sworn on all th' dubloon in th' hold that we'll be th' first t' claim 't.

Fortunately, th' map managed t' survive th' trip wi' minimal wear an' tear, despite th' better efforts o' Percy the Jinx. Ye can hardly e'en be seein' th' remains o' th' whale spit. Now we jus' be havin' t' get our bearings an' find th' startin' point at Crag Rock. 't ortin't be too hard; th' rock be spake t' glow under th' light o' th' moon. But wi' this crew, one nereknows. Some o' them would jus' as soon go chasin' mermaids t' Davy Jones' Locker as they would go chasin' booty.

Th' cap'n has called us t' order. I be havin' nay time t' write more.

M.

--------------

[Open Action]

The scene: an average day of business in the dank interior of the Flaming Walrus Tavern. Seated around a rough wooden table littered with the deep scars of knife marks and dark splotches of condensation from ale mugs, there sit three unusual characters--two men and a woman. All are fitted out in the standard attire of the seafaring lot. One wears a fine scarlet coat with gold braid and an elaborate hat with feather; and if his clothing did not mark him as the captain, his bearing as he addresses the other two would clearly indicate him as such. The other two have the less elaborate attire of crew members, but they too are dressed better than the average sea rat. Both wear bandanas tied over their hair: red for the man, black for the woman. And all three look as though they have seen their fair share of adventures on the high seas.

Curiously, though, the three figures appear to be ignoring their mugs of grog, and are instead hunched over a tattered piece of parchment that may well be a map, pointing at various locations and chattering at each other in hushed tones. If one listens closely, however, one might overhear a few murmurs of conversation, spoken slightly louder and slightly sharper than the rest:

"...th' last job..."
"...say about ever speaking o' that again?!"
"...three weeks to get th' barnacles out!"
"...up and look for Crag Rock, ye landlubbin'..."

Do ye dare approach and disturb them, ye scurvy dogs?



[OOC: Sobbity sob this is crack at its finest. Say hello to Peg-Fist Jack, Leonard the Barnacle, and Morgan the Lurch, three of the most notorious pirates to ever sail the City Seas. Perhaps you've seen their wanted posters around the City? That's quite a reward offered for their capture--though beware, as these swashbucklin' scalawags have no intention of being apprehended today.

By all means, feel free to join in on the shenanigans. Play along, try to join the crew, aid them in their search for the Fabled Treasure of El Pollo Diablo...the sky's the limit! Open action for anyone who wants it, and Network for people who want to exchange correspondence with Morgan the Lurch--though, Leonard the Barnacle and Peg-Fist Jack may very well chime in themselves. Who knows?]

( Letter Home | Viewable to All )

Ugh, fashions and lessons and entertainments are all well and good, but what's the fun of coming to a City like this if I never manage to get out and see any of it? Cousin Lotte would have me stay where she can keep an eye on me, I think, or at least where Edgar can do it for her, when she can't manage it herself. And they've shown me all manner of pretty things, it's true--all the right things for a pretty girl, albeit one just a bit out of fashion, visiting from so far away. But only ever in their own time and their own way, and according to their own designs.

I think she must not like me very much, Cousin Lotte. Or at least, she only likes my presence for the novelty of having a foreign relation staying in her household, which makes for one more thing to chat about with her ladies.

But I'm not here for Cousin Lotte's guidance, either. I came because wanted to get away from home and see all the wonders of the city for a change, and here I am. I should be happy enough with that, shouldn't I? The bits and snippets I've managed to glimpse through the carriage windows are better than nothing at all, and yet...no, it's not enough. It's not, because I want to hear the music, to see the lights, to meet the people and hear their stories and talk with them for hours about anything at all--or even nothing at all, just the same. I want to be here because here is an adventure, and it's anything other than home.

Now if only I could convince Cousin Lotte to let me out to see it.

I'd sneak away, if I thought I could manage it, but the chance is too great that I might get lost or get caught. My French is still awful and other than parading me around in front of a whirlwind of matrons, Cousin Lotte seems content to keep me chained to Edgar, so I haven't much practice with knowing where I'm going, or how to find my way home again if I go. And he won't take me to the places I want to go. He'll only do as Cousin Lotte tells him to. And besides, if I'm to get myself in trouble, I'd rather not be responsible for getting him into it as well.

What I need is a plan. Or a confidant. And at the moment, I have a rather unfortunate lack of both. So until I come up with one or the other, I suppose my adventure will just have to wait.


[OOC: So Rosella is cursed to be a young lady of the nobility, visiting a distant relative here in the City in the hopes of Getting Culture and Having Adventures. Unfortunately, her relative's idea of culture and adventures aren't quite what she had in mind. So what's an enterprising young lady do to? Why, take matters into her own hands, of course.

Dibs on busting her out goes to Ferris (la_vie_rapide), so her replies will either come before she's made her escape or after she's out in the City. Feel free to action her up if you want to run into her somewhere; she'll be hitting the town in general tonight. =D]

( Private//Hackable by Friends )

( Private to Asano Rin//Unhackable )

Well, my necklace is off to be fixed, Miss Alice is back at home with Blue, and I'm still successfully unmarried. I suppose that means things are getting back to normal around here, after all.

That was a funny curse yesterday, though, wasn't it? Which is not to say that marriage is a laughing matter, of course, but it was a silly sort of curse, just the same. I doubt that anyone really intends to keep for today any marriage that they might've ended up in yesterday, and I do hope that no matter what happened yesterday, no one holds those actions against each other. Curses that change our thoughts and play with our emotions are never easy, and especially not in the aftermath, but that's what makes it all the more important to forgive each other once they're over.

Kaname, thank you for the recommendation of the jeweler; I do appreciate it, and perhaps we can reschedule our plans for tea once again, if it's not too much trouble? We seem to have rather bad luck with finding a good day to meet, don't we? But I'm sure if we keep after it, we'll manage it eventually.

...Am I just imagining things, or has there rather been a lack of new arrivals lately? Speaking with Rin made me think of it-- It seems as though a great deal of people have been leaving, but other than the weekend when all the visitors came back at the beginning of the month, it seems as though there haven't been many new people arriving. Or perhaps I just haven't been paying close enough attention, I suppose...

And let's see, Blair's birthday party is on this Tuesday coming up, and I still have yet to see about finding something to wear to it. It's a pity I couldn't trade colors with Sam, and wear that orange dress I had for Valentine's Day this year, but then that would leave Sam with pink and I think it'd be rather improper if I broke the rules and switched, so a pink dress it'll be, after all. That makes things a bit easier, at least, since it leaves out the trouble of picking a color.

My, I'm accumulating a lot of dresses, aren't I? At home, I'd only have had to pick from a few, but here it's color this and style that and improper to wear the same thing more than once...

And of course, Tristan and Yvaine, I do hope the two of you are feeling better now?


[OOC: Rin-mun, the link itself is OOC, but the conversation and some of the information in it is what Rosella would've sent along. Enjoy!]

( Private//Hackable by Friends )

Well, that's another August survived, anyway. Everyone always says that October is the worst of the months here in the City, and I suppose we'll find out one way or another if that's so, a few weeks from now. But August is a cruel month, too, and I can't say I'm very sorry to see it go. Already, September is turning out much better than its predecessor, and there are plenty of lovely things to look forward to! Blair's Across the Universe party is coming up fast--and isn't that a pretty name? It rather makes me think of Luke, sailing through the stars in his spaceship--and then shortly thereafter is the anniversary of Blue's jazz club, the Blue Light, and of course I'll be attending that. Which reminds me, there's rehearsal for it tomorrow, I mustn't forget that.

It's rather amazing, though, isn't it? That we've all been brought to this one place at this one moment in time, and given this chance to meet each other? And I can't speak for anyone else, of course, but I don't regret being brought here. It's been a little over thirteen months for me now, and I haven't once been home since, but...that's all right. It really is.

Things aren't always what they seem. Everything changes. And some things are more important than oneself. I still believe that things happen for a reason, and even if that reason can't always be found, that doesn't mean it isn't still there. Hiding things doesn't always mean they go away. Maybe it's true that we're brought here to represent our worlds, or to suffer for their sakes, or to provide misery for the clock to run on, or for some other reason entirely. Maybe we're brought here because we're meant to learn something from it, or to see something we've never seen before, or have chances we wouldn't have had at home. Maybe we're brought here to meet someone that will change us, somehow, for the better.

Or maybe we're brought here because someone else needed the chance to meet us.

Bumblebee's gone home now. I know he could be trying at times, but he was a dear friend and a very sweet person--er, or rather, car, I suppose--and it's really...not the same without him, somehow. Oh, it was frustrating to no end when he'd follow me around the Network and sing at my friends, there's no doubt about that. But looking back on it, it was always amusing, too. Even if it could be utterly mortifying at the time. I'm going to miss him very much.

And I know what he's going back to, as well, and Sam--

How does one go about thinking up a good name for a pet?


[OOC: Because the soap opera can NEVER BE OVER. What will happen next? No one knows! STAY TUNED.

ETA: AUGH BRB. And back!]