Princess Rosella of Daventry

( Handwritten | Off-Network )

[Filtered from Alexis Hargreaves | Blue's Codes | Unhackable]

It's really an awful thing, that feeling of knowing something, and knowing one knows it, but finding that one simply...can't recall it. As though it's on the tip of your tongue and if you could just...

I still have that feeling about Valentine's Day, a few years back. Moreso than just today, that is, because I think today there might be a curse about it, since quite a few people on the Network seem to be rather forgetful and one thing I haven't forgotten is my promise to be better about checking up on things like that before I go off and do something silly on my own. I did remember to check it this morning, and I've been writing myself notes all day to help with my memory because of it. The last thing I'd want is to forget that I've something in the oven and let it burn by mistake, or to lose track of time in the stacks at the Library again and read the whole day away in there.

But that's not what I've forgotten, I don't think. Is it strange, to know you've forgotten something without being able to recall what that something is? It's much easier when one simply forgets one's forgotten it in the first place, because then it doesn't nag so horribly.

Something happened near Valentine's Day a few years back, and I know it must've been something precious because I traded it away for something precious in return. Sometimes I wish I hadn't, when it leads to feeling like this--knowing there ought to be something there, but never quite being able to piece out what it is...and worse, knowing it must've been something wonderful but surrendering it forever. If it is a curse out, then I think we'll get back whatever we've lost today when the clock finally strikes midnight. I'm afraid the same might not be true of whatever it is I lost then; I may never have that one back again.

But knowing we'll get them back doesn't make it any less frustrating that I just can't seem to...

...There was a boy and I think he...his favorite were chocolate-chip cookies and he once had me chop onions because he had to make me cry, and my horse climbed the stairs on the eve of Christmas and I didn't believe him when he woke me up about it, and he was fond of my mother and he had a car that didn't like me at first and he was once turned to stone and not even a kiss could change him back. And I think he...

...It's just, I don't know what to think, because I can't seem to remember who he is.


[OOC: For those playing along at home, she's forgotten her best friend, Sam Witwicky. Which she will, y'know, not be very pleased about when the curse eventually wears off. Someone fill her in, please?]

( Private || Hackable by Friends )

[Voice Post]

Would anyone--

[A brief pause; a careful swallow. And then she tries again, her voice more steady than before, but thinner somehow, and a bit too cheerful.]

That is, I was thinking of spending the evening out tonight, if anyone would care to come along? Cain? Neil, Todd? Or Claire, or--it's just, I thought it might be exciting to make a bit of an adventure of it, and try something different, and of course adventures are always more pleasant with company, aren't they? And perhaps we could walk around and find someplace new to visit--a restaurant we've never been to before, or that building with all the lights and colors and games, or something else new and interesting to look at...

[Another pause; she feels as though she's doing terribly at this, but she's already lost out on one resolution after only a week of the new year, and she's loath to break another. So she pushes on.]

I think it'd be lovely to...that is, if it isn't too much bother, I'd like to see you. That's all.

[She's quiet another moment, but she's said what she needs to say, and so she quietly clicks the audio off.]


[OOC: More friends leaving = one sad Rosella. Please try to cheer her up, someone? She's having kind of a rough time of it.]

( Private || Hackable by Friends )

Thank you again to everyone that offered help with trying to catch Snowdrop the other day. We did manage to coax her out, in the end, and she and Prince are both safely back at the Warehouse now. Prince is settling in well--which I suppose is only natural, since we brought his whole bowl and everything with him, so the only thing that's really changed for him is the view outside his glass--and seems content enough. Snowdrop has taken to avoiding me, I think, but I know she's been eating the food I've been setting out for her, and I've seen flashes of white fur every so often, so I think she's still just getting used to being in a new place. There are certainly plenty of places for her to hide around here, and if she'd rather not be found, then that's all right, too.

...I think there's a curse out today, if all the, er, odd things outside are any indication. So it seems we're back to our usual variety of curses. I remember having the last one once before, when we all went to school and took tests and then had a ball to celebrate; this time was a bit different, but it was still just as busy and silly as before. But I suppose it's harmless, really, and I hope that today's curse is just as harmless, even if it is a bit...strange.

I shouldn't ask, bu
Please, I know there's a curse, but could som
I don't want to be alone right no

Do you suppose it's too ridiculous outside to go for a walk today, or would it be better to just stay in, instead?

( Private || Hackable by Friends )

One of the first lessons I ever learned in this City was about the importance of understanding. In a place like this, with so many people from so many different places, it's easy to find ourselves caught in the middle of misunderstandings simply because we see things in different ways, and because we've all had different experiences that have shaped the way we approach things now. A word from one place might be the same word in another, but the two words might have completely different meanings. A reality in one place might be nothing more than a story in another. A monster in one world might not be a monster in the next.

The curses bring about a lot of misunderstandings, too. That's the whole point of them, really, to make us do things we normally wouldn't, and to try to make us miserable because of it. And oftentimes, they succeed--especially so with curses like this. The ones that make us act differently are the ones that are hardest to be understanding about, both during and afterward, because they turn us into people we're not, make us do things we wouldn't, make us hurt people we ordinarily love. These sorts of curses are some of the worst to endure, and the hardest to forgive.

And yet, these are the ones when forgiveness is needed the most.

I'm still not certain yet if yesterday's curse really ended at midnight, or if it's decided to persist through today as well. Last year this sort of thing ended at the stroke of midnight, and in a rather humiliating way for everyone concerned. This year, it's much harder to tell.

However, when it finally does come to an end, I hope that we can all find it within ourselves to be understanding about the circumstances, and to be open to the people we've hurt, and to forgive the things we said and did when we couldn't help ourselves. And it's a duty that both people need to engage in--the people that were hurt need to find the strength to forgive, and to not hold those actions against the person that hurt them, and the person that was cursed needs to do the responsible thing and ask forgiveness for the things they did, and apologize for hurting their friend, even if they couldn't help it at the time.

I'd hate to see more friendships needlessly ruined over something as silly as a curse.

I'm very sorry, but I'm afraid I won't be coming in to the Library to help today. I'm feeling a bit under the weather, and so I think I'll be staying in and getting some rest until I start feeling a bit more like myself.


[OOC: My, Rosella's certainly putting on a brave face for someone who found a human heart on her doorstep yesterday. Sob. She'll just be over here hating this curse and hiding inside her magically-warded Warehouse until the world stops being crazy, thanks. ♥]

( Private//Hackable by Friends )

[Voice Post]

[The audio switches on to the sound of shaky, uneven breathing, punctuated by the occasional sniffle; it is immediately evident that the person behind the device has been crying, and is doing everything she can to keep herself under control long enough to speak. Perhaps it would have been easier to rely on text for this post, but there is something removed, something impersonal, about the thought of delivering this message in writing. So she will speak, even if she has to fight to retain her composure every step of the way. When she finally does manage to find words, they come in a thin voice that trembles every so often, and threatens to crack at any moment.]

My best friend once saved the whole world.

[She draws a slow breath, then continues:]

He showed me once--well, no, a few times, really. They made a movie about what he did, you see, and he had it and he showed me. We watched it together. I remember thinking I could never do the things he did--I was scared out of my wits, just watching those events on the movie on the screen. I could hardly imagine what it must have been like, being there in person. But he was, and he did, and the world--the whole world, every bit of it--was saved. Because he was there.

He...he was always there. For me--for anyone who needed him. I think I just needed him more than most other people. He once...he once burned his eyebrows off, saving me from a dragon, and oh, didn't he look silly afterwards--and I teased him about it, too, and took pictures, but I was always so, so glad, even so, because if he hadn't been there...I don't know what I would've done if he hadn't. There were a lot of times like that, when I don't think--when I'm not sure what might've been, if he hadn't been there. But he always was.

He was.

[She swallows hard.]

That's...what he's doing now. Sam Witwicky, off to save the whole world. It needed him again, and he...of course he...

[And now, at last, her voice breaks, and a single sob escapes her lips. As she reaches to switch off the Network device, intent on ending the recording before she breaks down any further, her last whisper reaches the microphone.]

He's really gone.

[And then, with a click, the recording ends.]


[OOC: BRB CRYING FOREVER. So Sam has left the City and returned home to save the world once again during Transformers 2; Rosella is understandably distraught, considering she's just lost her best friend of a year and ten months. But at least he managed to say goodbye, so...she's not quite as much of a wreck as she might've been. But please, won't someone give the poor princess a hug? :( ]

[Accidental Voice Post]

[The audio begins, rather abruptly, to the sound of someone in near-hysterics, shrieking in a tone that is both desperate and pleading.]

--told you he doesn't know! Stop it, stop it, put him down, how can you expect him to--Alexander! Leave him alone, he told you he doesn't know! He said he doesn't--

[Then, suddenly, she goes silent as she at last becomes aware of her surroundings, and more importantly, the fact that these are not the same surroundings she was seeing a moment ago.]

...What--what sort of trickery is this? A fountain...? Horses? This isn't--where am I?

[The sound of her breathing quickens.]

What have you done, Mordack?! Where am I?! Where's my--Mother, where's my mother, what have you done with her?! Alexander--our castle--no, no, what have you done, where am I?! Where have you taken me? What is this, what have you done?! Let me go!

[The questions seem to hang in the air as she falls silent again, waiting for a reply that never comes. There is a long, drawn-out pause, in which the only discernible sound is the faint rush of water from the Fountain in the background. When Rosella finally speaks again, her voice is quiet and trembling, obviously directed more to herself than to anyone else whom she thinks might be listening. Despite sounding on the verge of tears, it is clear that she is determined to carry on as bravely as she can.]

It still won't work. Whatever you've done to me, it won't work, it doesn't--it doesn't matter what you do to me, he'll never change that awful cat back for you. No matter how you threaten us--it won't work, it won't ever work, he'll never help you!

Don't tell him anything, Alexander. It doesn't matter about me. You've done more than your part already. This time--this time it's mine to bear.

[There is a soft rustle of cloth as she gets to her feet, and then the faint sound of heels clicking against pavement as she begins to walk around, trying to get her bearings as she attempts to make sense of everything she is seeing.]

Mordack...what in the world have you done with me...?


[OOC: Ahhh, I've been wanting to do this one for a while. So today, Rosella is cursed with Feels Like The First Time, ( which means... [OOC Explanation Within] )

She is currently wandering around the Square, mostly keeping near the Fountain, so action for people out there, and voice for everyone else.]

( Private//Hackable by Friends )

Oh, everything was very interesting the other day when it was all changed. Even if some unpleasant things did happen, it was still fun to see all the different clothes and buildings. I usually enjoy curses like that, getting a look at how things were in different times. It’s very exciting, like being in Blue’s club, only everywhere.

Speaking of exciting, my birthday is less than two weeks away. I very much hope all of my friends out there haven’t been slacking off on what to get me. Only gifts fit for a princess will be accepted. If you have issues with that then you’re clearly not as good a friend as I thought. Perhaps this will be a true test of friendship, goodness knows that some of you have been freeloading on my goodwill as it were.

Also, has anyone noticed how strange that giant store is still making some people look strange? I simply refuse to go into it anymore. It hasn’t changed me yet, but I’m not letting it have the chance. Sam, from now on you’re in charge of shopping. Really, it can’t make you look much sillier than you already are.

Speaking of looking silly, Kanda, I’ve discovered a sentiment that perfectly expresses my feelings for you. I’ve seen it on the network. DIAF. It stands for Die In A Fire. Isn’t that so perfect and appropriate? It exactly expresses the fact that you’re worthless, a waste of time and could best serve a purpose to act as kindling. I’m very glad that I learned this phrase.

Perhaps, since I’m on the subject of wastes of time, I should tell you Cain that we’re over. While you were certainly thrilling as the man I wasn’t sure if I had feelings for and were very much not something I could have, the longer I’ve had you the more I realize that your inaccessibility was really the only thing that made your other qualities worthwhile. When we get down to it, you’re a polite person, but not exactly a nice person and perhaps not even a good person. Really, the poetry and nice words are all just nice wrapping on a rather dull and undesirable present.

You were a rather enjoyable experiment. Or, drat it all what do they call it… a fling, yes, that’s right, a fling, but I just don’t see myself being with someone like you for any length of time. Perhaps it was a mistake to stay with you this long but you know how I tend to think things over a million times before I make a decision. I hope you don’t take this as me saying you’re entirely unpleasant as a person, because that’s quite the opposite, you’re just unpleasant for me to keep around any longer as a boyfriend.

Well, now I feel much better than I have in a while. Isn’t it lovely when you can just get things off your chest? I feel so much better I think I may go for a walk in the garden.


[OOC: SOBBITY SOB. So Rosella and Sam are both cursed today, absolutely hate each other's guts, and are venting their aggression at each other (for the moment) in the form of stealing each other's Network devices. So they're currently pretending to be each other on the Network, and this right here is Sam's handiwork. ♥ Feel free to notice that something is Not Quite Right here, and stay tuned for Sam's post, which will be up shortly hereafter.

Responses from redrosella are from Sam pretending to use Rosella's Network account, and ones from not_so_sam will be from Rosella on Sam's. And they'll both be trolling like mad, most likely, so threadjacking, ahoy?]

[Filtered AWAY from Sam Witwicky | Blue's Codes | Unhackable]

I don't even know what to say but

For any friends of Sam Witwicky, he's in the hospital right now.

To anyone that normally has occasion to go in the buildings near the Warehouse, please take caution. There's a machine trap in one of them. I didn't see any others, but there might very well be more, so please don't go there at all if you can at all help it. It's dangerous.

I know a lot of his friends have left the City, but please, for anyone still here, I'm sure it would mean a lot to him to see you, when he's allowed to have visitors. Even if you can only spare a little while, I'm sure it'd be greatly appreciated.

I think I'll be staying here for a while, too.

Blue, I'm scared

I don't know if this happened because of one of the boxes, or if it's something else entirely, but I think it would be wise if everyone were very careful from now on.

I don't know what else to do.


[OOC: Right, so. Sam got Saw-cursed, Rosella found him, and now he's in the hospital while she's a nervous wreck. Someone distract her?]

[Accidental Voice Post]

[The device switches on amidst a shuffle of cloth, presumably by accident--as though, perhaps, it is being kept in a pocket, out of sight, and its owner has jostled it by mistake.]

Don't look don't look don't look don't look--

[The whispered words keep time with the faint clicking of footsteps.]

There's nothing there, it's fine, it's fine, don't look, don't look, there's nothing there, just keep going one step at a time, don't look, don't look, oh, drat these boots! Don't look, there's nothing there, don't look--

[Somewhere nearby, gears grind and electricity crackles. A strangled sort of cry escapes before she can restrain it, and when she begins to speak again, it's with renewed, frantic vigor.]

No, no, no, there's nothing, it's fine, it's fine, there's nothing there, don't look, one step at a time, one and one and one and one, it's fine, it's all right, just get home, it's fine, it's fine--!

[The sound of machinery returns, louder now, clanking and rattling and grinding. Too close--this time, her fear wins out, and her scream is filled with revulsion.]

Get away!

[And now there is scuffling, shuffling, and the distinctive gasping of someone running, stumbling, and running again, as though her life depends on it.]


[OOC: It's mentioned a couple times in the King's Quest Companion that people from Daventry have a deep, universal loathing for technology. Of course, seeing as how the Daventry definition of "technology" means gears and cogs and clockwork stuff...yeah, Rosella's not having a good day. She's been fighting to keep her freaking out under control all day, but between the steampunk atmosphere and her wardrobe modification, it finally got the better of her.

All responses are assumed to be voice, and action for not_so_smooth and bombylious.]

( Private//Hackable by Friends )

[Filtered from Alexis Hargreaves | Blue's Codes | Unhackable]

It's been...goodness, a week and a half since the last time I was cursed. I rather wonder if I ought to start being concerned? The random curses all seemed to strike last weekend, I know, so I think it's safe to say that won't be lying in wait for me this weekend, but I can't help but wonder if the lull is a sign that there's something dreadful in store...

I know I really shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth, as it were, but after eleven and a half months in the City, one starts to see these sorts of things as less of gifts and more of bad omens. Still...even if there is something bad on the horizon, there's no way of knowing it until it comes, is there? So I suppose there's no use worrying about it, either.

Well, after all the excitement on Tuesday, I suppose it's only natural that I've mostly kept to myself the past few days. But there's something pleasant about just following along a daily routine, too, so that's not so bad. The Library keeps me supplied with plenty of things to read, and there are few better ways to spend a summer afternoon than sitting in a tree with a good book and listening to the birds as the day goes by around you.

Though I do wonder--I can think of plenty of remedies for helping to put one to sleep, like warm milk and soft music and all that, but are there any good ones for helping a person to stay awake? Other than loud noises, that is. I think I've had my fill of those for quite a while.


[OOC: Moody princess has been moody for days, thanks to the rising angst levels from most of her friends, but is trying her very best to hide it. Feel free to notice that she doesn't sound much like her usual upbeat self, but be forewarned--she'll most likely deny it and snap right back into cheerfulness right away.]