ScionInWaiting(Continued from Storms and Horses) Rosemary finds her way back to her rooms, pausing to look again at the portrait of Washington over the door before letting herself in. She does see a servant waiting patiently (if nervously) outside of the sitting room, but the servant in question does not approach or engage her. The rooms' extravagant size makes more sense now, she supposes, putting her things on the counter in the bathroom. After a short study of the problem, she closes the bathroom door and takes off her dress in order to wash the dust and horse hair off her feet and legs. Then there's her wind-blown hair to deal with, but eventually, dressed and shod again, she returns to the sitting room. More reading, she wonders, or more staring out the window? Rosemary does note that during her sojourn with her mother, some of the books have been moved, rearranged, reordered. More books on history, mythology and culture have been moved to next to where she found the odd copy of Graves' Greek Myths. ''The Mittlemarch. Lords of the Nile Desert. The Celestial Bureaucracy. The Chrysanthemum House. The Coming of Ragnarok.'' And others. None of the authors are familiar. There is a knock, quiet, reluctant and timid, on the door to the enormous suite as the possibilities unfold. Rosemary takes a few steps toward the door and calls, "Yes? What is it?" "It's Jon," the familiar voice of her fellow Guardsman responds. "Are you all right, Rosemary? Can I come in?" "Sure," she says, and goes over to unlock and open the door. Jon doesn't quite rush into the room in relief, but his desire to be on this side of the door is telegraphed by his quick steps inside. He breathes in and out, hard, as if he has been running. "I'm so glad I could talk to you, Rosemary," Jon says. "I think we made a big mistake in coming to this Ball. I think this entire town is full of lunatics." "Some of them do seem a little, umm, enthusiastic," Rosemary temporizes. "Enthusiastic." He puts his hands in head. "I think they believe the craziness, that they are living in the 1840s or something." He lowers his voice. "It gets better, Rosemary, and that's why I had to talk to you. "I overheard some of the staff talking." He looks at Rosemary. "What, I wasn't going to be cooped up in that room and read old books. They were talking about you, Rosemary. Like you're some sort of Princess of this place or something. "We're just here for this Ball for the Horse Guard, right?" His tone is almost pleading. "I'm certainly not staying here," Rosemary responds. "Though I guess being treated like royalty for a while might be nice. As long as there aren't any hungry dragons around." She grins at him, putting real effort into convincing him that it'll all be fine if they just keep their senses of humor. Rosemary has not exactly been a bookish wallflower in her life and her career in the law office. Far to the contrary. But, yet, even if Jon does have a crush on Rosemary, something that she intuits as she speaks with him, her effect on him is still something preternatural. No distracted air of "yeah, yeah" or a running track of something else in his head while listening like many might. Instead, when Rosemary speaks to him, he listens, rapt, attentive. He is nodding before she finishes her words, and he gives off a long breath of release. "You're right, of course," he says. "It's pretty weird that you would be treated like royalty, like something out of a Doctor Who episode. But you are taking it in stride. Better than I am, and you're the one that seems to be at the center of this. "Though, word from the staff here is that a couple of other people are expected tonight," Jon says. "People, well, like you. Royalty, nobility, whatevah you want to call 'em." "I've been introduced to one already," Rosemary says casually. "Fellow from Japan. He seems just as normal as me," she adds. "A Japanese Prince?" Jon says. "Wow, so this is all really real." He says. He exhales a deep breath. "And you had no idea, until we got here, about any of this? Nothing at all? That stuff about working in your office wasn't all an act or something, slumming?" "I wonder if they think I'm supposed to be your servant?" he adds, talking as much to himself, nervously, as Rosemary. "I'm just this ordinary guy in this weird town with the weird royalty." Rosemary snorts. "When did *you* get weird?" she says humorously. "I thought you were an accountant." "Um, I'm not," he protests. "Heck, I get excited for Microsoft Excel seminars, not this sort of thing. But here I am, dragged out of my ordinary life. You're the member of the Connecticut Horse Guard. I might be, too, and know a quarterhorse from an Arabian, but otherwise, you're more, err, unusual." At that moment, there is, yet again, a knocking on the outer door of the suite. "Ball is going to be within the hour, I think," he says. "I bet that's what that knocking is about. At least, I hope it's not, say, your mother." Rosemary shrugs, conveying unconcern. "However awkward this ball thing turns out to be," she says cheerfully, trying again to soothe his concern, "it won't be as bad as the bar exam. Or the CPA exam - am I right?" "At least, I hope so," he says. Smiling encouragingly, she raises her voice towards the door. "Come in!" The door opens to reveal one of the hotel staff, one of the pages. He bobs his head in her direction. "Miss Zelioni." He doesn't quite look at Jon, focusing his attention on Rosemary alone. "I was instructed to tell you that two more of the Scions have arrived for the Ball in your honor, should you wish to meet them." "Hmm," Rosemary says, carefully not looking at Jon. "Is there a parlor or something downstairs where I could meet them?" "They could meet you in the Red Room," the page offers. "Ask them to meet me there, then, please. In a few minutes." The page hurries off. "Well," she says to Jon, "I'm not sure I can bring myself to actually be rude, you know. I'll just go along with it all and then we'll leave as soon as we possibly can." Jon nods, relieved. "That sounds good to me." He looks down at his clothes. "Had I really understood this place, I would have found a vintage clothing shop. But shall we go and meet these other 'Scions,'" Jon snorts, relaxing. "Sounds like we're going car shopping, doesn't it?" "Are you sure you want to come?" Rosemary says. "I know you're uncomfortable - there's no need to subject yourself to more of it all. Plus I suspect they'll think you're an outsider, and won't like you being there ..." At Rosemary's words, Jon cocks his head, slightly confused. "Hmm, you do have a point. I would be an outsider compared to the rest of them. I wouldn't be one of you, I would just be the guy caught up in these doings at your, err, mother's request." He shakes his head as if in disbelief. "I'll see you at the party, I suppose, and leave you to meet your, err, relatives?" He gets up and heads towards the door. "But do be careful, okay, Rosemary? I suspect these relatives are more dangerous than legal briefs." "You haven't read some of the briefs I have," Rosemary jokes, then adds, "I'll be careful, Jon, and I'll see you at this dance thing, I guess." "You bet. I've gotta get ready." With that, Jon exits the room. After he goes, she brings Bucephalus and her small purse into the bathroom. Taking the statuette out of the wooden box, she carefully wraps it in one of the handkerchiefs thoughtfully provided by the hotel, and tucks it into her purse. Only then, or rather after a last check on the state of her hair, does she go downstairs. Like a comforting weight, Rosemary notices as she heads down toward the first floor that she can sort of sense the statuette's nearness, as it sits in her purse. It's not that it's too heavy, but shorn of its box, and carried on her person, she knows it is there. A servant soon directs Rosemary to where Hikaru is waiting ... (Continued in Scionic Blast) |
