A Happy Home Rose Intro

*Now talking in #2wizardsic
<Mina‘Haplo> [The palatial estate of the Timmann family is nestled in the wealthy, central district of the city of Paxia, where it shares the space with other, just as respectable and great houses and families. The yard is clean, green and well-kept, and the mansion is grand and beautiful from the outside.-
<Mina`Haplo> [But it is not the outside that draws attention today, but the inside, in the bedroom of a lonely little girl called Rose Timmann.]
*Rose` hums quietly to herself as she works. At the moment, she’s clutching a small metal box - a storage container for cookies or sweets one upon a time, perhaps, although now it's been converted to hold other things. Beads, dozens and dozens of them, of all shapes. And while she need some to complete the necklace she was building, she was having trouble finding the right *sort*.-
<Rose‘> She shifts the little box and its contents this way and that way, noisily, trying to spot the right one.
<Mina`Haplo> [The beads rattle about in their box, the sound generated when bead hits tin being loud and magnified. There are all sorts of beads- shapes and colours abound.-
<Mina`Haplo> [There’s a sort of muffled, irritated voice from down the hall, barely heard, but clearly that of the maid, Ms. Selywn.]
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*Rose` hesitates, but she can’t quite bring herself to stop. She tries the shifting a little more slowly. Selywn was mad a lot, and yelled sometimes too. She winces a little at the noise herself when she realizes the plan isn't quite working.
<Mina‘Haplo> [Roses door opens, and although it doesn’t quite hit the back wall, it nevertheless has a great deal of force behind it. The Timmann Maid/nanny, Ms. Selwyn, glowered down at Rose beneath thick, bushy eyebrows, from behind an aquiline nose and a furious forehead. "Too much -damn- noise, child!" She hisses. There's no love in her eyes, only a sort of sufferable tolerance.]
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Session Time: Sat Aug 21 00:00:00 2010
*Rose‘ has a predictable reaction to this sudden intrusion. She jumps a little! The corner of box she’s clutching bounces against the side of the desk that she's been using, and slips free! Beads scatter everywhere, tumbling like tiny raindrops, and the box itself clamors against the hardwood floor.-
<Rose‘> Mutely, she merely stares after it in dimay, gaze twisting here and there. Now she would never find the right bead. And as for Ms. Selwyn…
<Mina`Haplo> ["Fool child!" Hisses Ms. Selwyn, and, taking out a feather duster, reverses her grip and smacks Rose on the head with the blunt end. Not enough to do damage, but enough to hurt. Selwyn, strictly speaking, wasn’t supposed to hit the children, but Rose was a special case. "Clean it up! Now!"]
*Rose‘ yelps, and clutches the spot where she was hit with tears welling up fast. They don’t quite fall yet, even though it's a terrible struggle. For a moment, she simply sits there, fighting for control of herself. "I d-didn't…" she stammers.
<Mina‘Haplo> ["No backchat! Clean! Now!" She gestures imperiously to the ground. Unseen to Ms. Selwyn, the horribly delighted eyes of Rose’s big brother, Basil, glitter from the doorway- having been drawn to the sound of people being mean to Rose, is both curious and entertained.]
*Rose‘ stares back beyond her for a moment, and color flares up on her face from the sudden stab of humiliation that followed. Her eyes veiled over - she knew better than expect Basil’s help. She had to… act tough. Otherwise he would try to get to her after Selwyn was done too.-
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<Rose‘> Reluctantly, she moves for the fallen box, and flips it over. Beads begin to tink against the bottom as she starts to retrieve them, one by one.
<Mina`Haplo> [Selwyn stares at her hard for a few moments, before turning about and fussing around in Rose’s room. She throws an ensemble of clothes onto the bed. "Once you have finished, -child-, get dressed and meet your parents for dinner." And with that, Ms. Selwyn stalks out, brushing by Basil as she does so.-
<Mina‘Haplo> [With a mean little smirk, Basil slips into the room, sitting on the bed and watching Rose clean. "Did you throw them onto the floor?"]
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<Rose`> "I didn’t!" Rose snaps, not looking up. Why wouldn't he go away? And why did she have to go to dinner? She didn't want to do that either. There would only be more mean looks, and cold stares. Maybe if she pretended to be sick…
<Rose‘> she could stay in here, away from all that.
<Mina`Haplo> ["Do you want some help?" Asks Basil, leaning back a bit, not actually lifting a finger to do anything.]
*Rose` jerked her head up. Some part of her sensed a trap, but she couldn’t help but blurt something out that might lead her to it anyway in her astonishment. "…You'll help me?"
<Mina‘Haplo> [… And he’s deliberately creasing Rose's neat ensemble on the bed- it's going to look all crumpled and messy for dinner. "Why would I help you, Rose?" Asks Basil softly.]
<Rose‘> Yup. Should have known. "You’re the one who asked," she grumbled bitterly. And then, noticing the state of her dinner clothes, "H-hey! Stop it!"
<Mina‘Haplo> [Basil doesn’t stop. Crinkle crinkle. "You know, it's pretty sad, you wanting help. I mean…" He turns to look at Rose with a cruel little smile. "I mean, you can't honestly expect to get it, can you? No one is going to help you, Rose. No one wants to. No one wants you here. You just sit here and eat our food and use our money…" There's a strange tone to the words, as if he's repeating them from something he's heard elsewhere
*Rose‘ has heard it all before, but it’s still like a blow to the chest. Her fingers tighten around her box, and for a while she says nothing, just looking down. Her eyes feel hot now too, even though she knows it's stupid to cry.
<Mina‘Haplo> ["The thing I don’t get is why dad keeps you around… I guess mum makes him, huh?" He slips off the bed. "Probably that. Mum loves her little half-breed… Makes dad angry, but she keeps it around… Anyway, you'd better hurry up or you'll be in trouble." With another cold smirk, he reaches out and tugs at Rose's sensitive half-elven ears, before leaving.]
*Rose‘ flinches! But she doesn’t really react otherwise until his back is turned. Saying those things when they were passing by each other in the hallways and at the dinner table when mom couldn't hear was normal. But this was her room, her refuge from all of that. Somehow that made it stung a little bit more-
<Rose‘> He was leaving anyway, thankfully. She should have felt relieved, but in reality a little ball of tension had formed in the pit of her stomach, and was whirling furiously. Stupid Basil. Stupid Basil!-
<Rose`> And even though she knew it was stupid to cry or throw a tantrum, she did something stupid anyway. "Get… Get out!" She flings the little tin box. In her anger, she doesn’t even think to *aim* but she's hoping it hits him all the same.
<Mina‘Haplo> [The tin isn’t particularly well-thrown, but it hits Basil solidly in the back of the knee, and he stumbles forward, hissing in pain. He turns to give Rose a look of loathing and triumph. "You've really screwed it up now, Rose. You're going to get -flogged- for that."]
*Rose` is quick to follow up with a handful of beads! He was right, of course, but all she wanted was for him to go away!
<Mina`Haplo> [Basil gets to his feet, bombarded by the beads, which scatter all over the floor. He bolts, yelling loudly "Dad! DAAD!"]
*Rose` stands glaring at him as he disappears, and then shakily wipes her eyes. Very slowly, she goes to the door and shuts it, and then walks back to her bed, kicking beads out of the way without caring. She wipes her eyes yet again, and then tries to crawl under the covers and draw them over her head.
*Rose` is now known as CakeyCake
*Mina`Haplo is now known as Minaplo|Votan
*Minaplo|Votan is now known as Mina`Haplo
*Disconnected
Session Close: Sat Aug 21 02:58:03 2010

Session Start: Sat Aug 21 22:28:21 2010
Session Ident: #2wizardsic
*Now talking in #2wizardsic
<Mina‘Haplo> [And so Rose buried herself under her sheets, her once-neat dinner clothes falling off the bed and onto the ground into a crumpled heap. It was warm in the bed, and soft, and… Safe. Or it felt it, at least.]
*Rose` decides to stay there. She’s better off not going to dinner after everything that happened. Curling up tight, she shuts her eyes.
<Mina‘Haplo> [Time passes… Perhaps Rose falls asleep, or perhaps time just passes quickly… Nevertheless, she hears something, eventually. The sound of her door opening and fast, furious footsteps. "Show your face." Growls Philip Timmann, Rose’s stepfather.]
*Rose‘ …doesn’t. She does, however, cling to the blankets a little tighter. "I didn't do anything wrong," she says, her voice small and muffled.
<Mina‘Haplo> [Philip Timmann does not brook disobedience. With an angry hand he rips back the sheets, and with his other he grabs Rose’s left ear. Unlike his son, Philip keeps a hold of it, twisting it as he drags Rose up. "Look at me!"]
<Rose‘> Owowowow, her ear!! Rose cries out, but she bites off the end of it and struggles to meet his face without tears. Finding some way to keep her dignity in this situation was very difficult indeed.
<Mina`Haplo> ["Look at this." He gestures down at the clothes on the floor. "You deliberately ruined your clothes. You made a mess with your godforsaken beads. You were disrespectful to Ms. Selwyn, and worst of all, you attacked -my son-. How -dare- you. How dare you flout the rules of this house- my rules! I, who keep you clothed and fed, and you show me no respect whatsoever!"]
<Rose`> It wasn’t her fault! Stupid thing to say aloud, and she knew it. He wouldn't believe her anyway. So she held her tongue, and waited for the berating to end so that she could go back to huddling under her blanket. Why did so many people have to barge into her room today? Him too, of all people. She just wanted to be left alone!
<Mina‘Haplo> ["Apologise. Now! Now!" He gives her ear a painful twist. "You go down there and you apologise-…" "That’s quite enough, Philip." Another voice enters the room. Liandra Timmann, Rose's mother, staring at Philip with a rather cool expression. "She disrespects this household, Liandra!" "And I will deal with her. She is my daughter, after all- more than you've ever admitted…" Liandra has a powerful aura of dignified authority-
<Mina‘Haplo> [And after a brief, tense stareoff, Philip lets Rose go, muttering angrily about "Selfishness" and "Worthlessness" as he goes. Liandra shuts the door behind him, and turns to give Rose a little smile. "Are you alright?"]
*Rose` rubs her ear. She’s silent a little while longer, staring at the woman, a sharp mix of emotions welling up inside. Finally, and suddenly, she broke. "Basil is -mean-" she blurted out. Little tears started to fall. "And Ms. Selwyn too! And.. and…"-
<Rose‘> There was no guarentee that her mother would believe her either. But there was something in the look she was giving her, however genuine or false it might have been, that made her try to explain herself.
<Mina`Haplo> ["Shhhhh." Liandra sits down on the bed, and reaches out to gently stroke Rose’s reddened and hurt ear. "You were just here in your room, right? It's okay. I know you don't go out of your way to cause trouble when you're in here… I know Basil probably provoked you, didn't he?"]
<Rose‘> "He’s a dumb jerk…" she mumbles. Her eyes fall on the crinkled clothing on the floor. After a moment or two, she pulls away from her mother's gentle touch. "I'm okay." She scrubs her eyes with the sleeve of her shirt.
<Mina‘Haplo> ["I’ve made them prepare some food for you. I'll bring it up to your room later, alright? … What were you doing in here anyway?" She eyes the room. "Playing with your beads again?"]
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*Rose‘ nods and stands to retrieve a particularly bright jade-colored glass bead that was resting on the floor nearby. "A new necklace," she says unhappily. "There was a lady who visited last week who had a nice one. All bright and glossy. I was trying to make one like it."
<Mina`Haplo> [Liandra nods slowly, knowing who Rose was talking about. She quietly brings her stockinged legs up onto Rose’s bed, keeping her eyes on the girl. "It's very lovely, Rose. Were you… Making it for anyone in particular…?"]
<Rose‘> "N-not really." She tries to act nonchalant, turning her back to the woman. "Do you want it? It would be okay if I gave it to you, right?" Or would she throw it away? That was another possibility… and it made a stab of sadness go through her. What reason would she have to keep it, after all?
<Mina`Haplo> [Liandra gives Rose a lovely smile. "I would love that. You know…" She leans over conspiratorilly and gives Rose a wink. "Basil would be -so- angry if he saw me wear something you made me, you know?"]
<Rose`> "Oh yeah?" She grins a little herself, but that grin faded a little. He wouldn’t be the only one angered by that. Could that dumb Basil have been right about something he'd said earlier? No less troubled, she turns away once again. "I'll give it to you," she mumbles
<Mina‘Haplo> ["Thank you. I’m sure it'll look wonderful." Liandra smiles, and rests a little on the bed. "… Rose, I have something to tell you. Something important. We've… Come to a decision, Philip and I."]
*Rose‘ feels her back go stiff. Here it came. ’You're to leave this house and never return'. It was only a matter of time before someone finally said it. She clenched her eyes shut to keep the tears from brewing up again.
<Mina‘Haplo> ["This house isn’t healthy for you. I know… I know you aren't happy here." She bows her head for a moment. "So we… We decided to see if you would like to learn how to do magic."]
<Rose‘> "You… you don’t want me here either…" It was more of a statement than a question, and her voice shakes in its delivery.
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<Mina‘Haplo> ["Rose…" Liandra shakes her head. "Rose, darling, it isn’t like that. Look at me. Please? I want you to look at me, in the eyes, and tell me if you're -happy- living here."]
*Rose‘ shakes her head in answer, but continues to keep her distance, wary and betrayed. Just like the others after all… why did mom bother even bother to be nice to her? Was it all just an act, as she had feared?
<Mina`Haplo> ["I’m…" Liandra fiddles with one of Rose's sheets. "I'm not very happy either."]
<Rose‘> "Then why make me go away, then?" Rose clenches the bead in her fist. "I don’t know the first thing about magic. And they won't want me either." She didn't know who 'they' were just yet - the new people she would be living with. Suppose they were worse than Philip and the others?
<Mina‘Haplo> ["Because… Because there’s a chance for you, Rose." Says Liandra. "A chance for you to be happy. With people who -will- like you. Children your own age, teachers… It's a school, Rose. A school where you'll learn, and be… Be treated with respect."]
Session Time: Sun Aug 22 00:00:00 2010
*Rose‘ is silent as seconds tick by. A school. So she would be surrounded by dozens… maybe hundreds of children. And if they were all like Basil… what then?-
<Rose`> But she didn’t cry. At this point, it would be useless. They had already made the decicion, and it was better than being thrown out to wander the streets alone. There was no reason for them to keep her here in any case. Her shoulders sag in defeat.-
<Rose‘> "I’ll go," she whispers finally.
<Mina‘Haplo> ["I’ll write to you." Says Liandra fervently. "I'll see how you're going, alright?"]
*Rose‘ nods unhappily. She reaches up to rub her ear, even though the soreness is long-faded. Was she just being nice again, or did she mean that? "I’ll write back," Rose says quietly. "And I'll finish the necklace before I go, too."
<Mina‘Haplo> [Liandra gives Rose a smile. "I’m glad…" She pats a space on the bed next to her invitingly.]
*Rose‘ obliges, moving for the bed again. Impossible to go under the covers again this time. She sits stiffly, wariness still very much present.
<Mina`Haplo> [Liandra puts an arm around her daughter, a warm, comforting arm. "Can I tell you a secret?"]
*Rose` blinks. Nods. This was unexpected.
<Mina`Haplo> [Liandra nods, and leans forward. "There are times… Sometimes, you know, where…" She fidgets a little. "Times where I miss your father. Your elven father." She sighs. "I don’t think life here has been very gentle to me ever since…"]
<Rose‘> "He was gentle?" Rose looks even more surprised now. But then, well, there were probably nicer people in the world than Philip was, for sure.
<Mina`Haplo> ["He was…" There was a sigh. "Philip has kept me safe and has provided me with a very comfortable lifestyle, and I’m grateful for that, but…" Another bout of fidgetting. "Your father, Edhelanu, he was… Passionate. Romantic in a way. There was something very appealing about a relationship where the desire was each other, not in politics or… Wealth, or 'duty'. I suppose you might not understand…"]
*Rose‘ …really didn’t understand, as evidenced in her blank stare. After a moment, though, she looked down. "How romantic could he be? He's never even come to see us."
<Mina‘Haplo> ["Do you really think Philip would let your father come back? No, it’s safer for him to be away." Liandra shakes her head. "But let me ask you this, Rose, because perhaps you do get it in some way. Would you rather live with Philip, who can keep you living comfortably, and safe, with good food and clothes, or would you rather live with someone who loved you?"]
*Rose‘ managed a hard, awkward little chuckle. "Someone who loved me… That would be nice."
<Mina`Haplo> [Liandra hugs the girl. "See. I think you do understand in a way. The wealthy ones keep you safe, but the passionate ones make you happy." She grins. "You’ll have to do well at school. You need to come back one day and show off. Really beat Basil, ok?"]
<Rose‘> "I’ll try," she mumbles. She doesn't hug back, but she doesn't move out of arm distance either. "..how many days do I have until I… I have to go?"
<Mina‘Haplo> ["A few months. You have to be ten years old, and the semester starts in Aerest, so…"]
<Rose`> "I’ll be ready, then." Rose tries to look resolute. If she failed out of this Aarest place, would they let her come home? Likely not. "What's it like there? Have you ever been there yourself?"
<Mina‘Haplo> ["I haven’t, no." Says Liandra. "As you can see, I've never been much for the magical arts. If I were… Well." She winks. "I wouldn't be here, I don't think. But it's very respected. The place is called the St. Evelyn's Imperial Paxian Academy of Magic and the Arcane Arts… You're a good, smart girl, Rose. I'm sure you'll do well."]
*Rose‘ looks doubtful, but nods nevertheless. Now it’s her turn to be fidgeting at the compliments. "Thank you," she mutters, and a vaguely sad twinge about leaving in just a short amount of time. "I'll try hard."
<Mina`Haplo> ["Good girl." Liandra gives her a quick peck on the cheek, before rising from the bed and leaving- returning a few minutes later with a tray of food for the girl. The rest of the night passes without incident…]
Session Close: Sun Aug 22 03:40:28 2010

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