Blue felt like she were about to go cross-eyed when she heard a new voice from somewhere behind her. “Aggie, darling,” said the voice, soft and smooth as velvet, “don’t be coy.” Blue turned to see a man carrying a tray of refreshments toward the woman. Aggie? He placed the tray closest to her near the edge of the table, straightened his back, smoothed out the front of his robe, and looked at the woman thoughtfully. “She asked you a question.”
“Oh…” the woman said, making a slightly irritated face and walked past him to the tray. The man, a seemingly handsome 30-something to the woman’s comically-sarcastic-version of the same age, folded his arms in front of him and eyed the Princess thoughtfully.
“Don’t pay her any mind. She’s been cooped up here for so long that I think she’s gone batty.” Glancing at the woman casually, he added, “There’s a good chance she lost it some years ago.” Blue just stared at him. He referred to where they were as ‘here’. “I’m Devon,” he said, extending his hand toward the Princess. After shaking it lightly, he then said, “and that,” pointing at the woman who had taken her tray to eat by the window, “is Agathea.” Before she could respond, he said, “You must be Blue.” She started to question how he could possibly know, but then having deep blue hair was practically a dead giveaway. She simply nodded and kept quiet… mainly since she hadn’t any idea what to say. “Has she been treating you nicely?”
“Why wouldn’t I?” hollered Agathea from her window seat. Devon quirked an eyebrow at her, her bravado faltered a bit, and she went back to eating a sandwich.
“Why,” Blue found herself whispering without realizing anyone else could hear her, “wouldn’t she treat me nicely?”
“Oh,” said Devon. “I just meant that she can be short with people and doesn’t always have the best of manners.”
“Just means I like to play with my food,” she muttered, and Blue wondered if it was said for her benefit or if she really meant it. She eyed Agathea then and saw her dance her sandwich around her smiling face before the smile turned sinister and she bit off a hearty bite.
“Where am I?” asked Blue, turning toward Devon. Perhaps he brought the worst out of her, but Agathea shot the Princess a look from the window that upset her stomach.
“Aggie!” said Devon a little curtly, the change in tone surprised Blue, but she saw that Agathea backed down a little. “Eat your lunch and behave.” When he turned his attention back to Blue, his face was calmer, his tone nicer. “I’m sorry you had to witness that display,” he said. “Sometimes I need to be a little stern and raise my voice. I don’t like doing it, mind you. I’m more of a peaceful man, but sometimes simply being polite,” he shot a sly glance over at the other woman, “isn’t enough.” He smoothed out the front of his shirt without really needing to and said, “Well, perhaps we should leave her to eat in peace. Shall we?” With a sweeping gesture, he waved his hand past him in the direction he had entered the room, and Blue took that to mean he wanted her to leave the room with him. What she really wanted was to return from whence she came, but the appeal of putting distance between her and the woman was greater so she stepped forward a bit and Devon walked beside her, his hand lightly on the small of her back guiding her. She risked a quick glance over her shoulder at the woman, expecting a look of irritation and defiance, but what she saw surprised her even more – it was worry.
*originally written on March 26, 2008
“Oh…” the woman said, making a slightly irritated face and walked past him to the tray. The man, a seemingly handsome 30-something to the woman’s comically-sarcastic-version of the same age, folded his arms in front of him and eyed the Princess thoughtfully.
“Don’t pay her any mind. She’s been cooped up here for so long that I think she’s gone batty.” Glancing at the woman casually, he added, “There’s a good chance she lost it some years ago.” Blue just stared at him. He referred to where they were as ‘here’. “I’m Devon,” he said, extending his hand toward the Princess. After shaking it lightly, he then said, “and that,” pointing at the woman who had taken her tray to eat by the window, “is Agathea.” Before she could respond, he said, “You must be Blue.” She started to question how he could possibly know, but then having deep blue hair was practically a dead giveaway. She simply nodded and kept quiet… mainly since she hadn’t any idea what to say. “Has she been treating you nicely?”
“Why wouldn’t I?” hollered Agathea from her window seat. Devon quirked an eyebrow at her, her bravado faltered a bit, and she went back to eating a sandwich.
“Why,” Blue found herself whispering without realizing anyone else could hear her, “wouldn’t she treat me nicely?”
“Oh,” said Devon. “I just meant that she can be short with people and doesn’t always have the best of manners.”
“Just means I like to play with my food,” she muttered, and Blue wondered if it was said for her benefit or if she really meant it. She eyed Agathea then and saw her dance her sandwich around her smiling face before the smile turned sinister and she bit off a hearty bite.
“Where am I?” asked Blue, turning toward Devon. Perhaps he brought the worst out of her, but Agathea shot the Princess a look from the window that upset her stomach.
“Aggie!” said Devon a little curtly, the change in tone surprised Blue, but she saw that Agathea backed down a little. “Eat your lunch and behave.” When he turned his attention back to Blue, his face was calmer, his tone nicer. “I’m sorry you had to witness that display,” he said. “Sometimes I need to be a little stern and raise my voice. I don’t like doing it, mind you. I’m more of a peaceful man, but sometimes simply being polite,” he shot a sly glance over at the other woman, “isn’t enough.” He smoothed out the front of his shirt without really needing to and said, “Well, perhaps we should leave her to eat in peace. Shall we?” With a sweeping gesture, he waved his hand past him in the direction he had entered the room, and Blue took that to mean he wanted her to leave the room with him. What she really wanted was to return from whence she came, but the appeal of putting distance between her and the woman was greater so she stepped forward a bit and Devon walked beside her, his hand lightly on the small of her back guiding her. She risked a quick glance over her shoulder at the woman, expecting a look of irritation and defiance, but what she saw surprised her even more – it was worry.
*originally written on March 26, 2008
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