(no subject)

[not_lugosi]

Bela arrives, moving a little more slowly than usual, but with her familiar smirk. It's been an interesting day. In the end it was a quite profitable one, even if she's paid for it in bruises.

Ghosts can be so pesky when you try to take their treasures.

Tiny tag: Bela Talbot, Cal Chandler

Comments

[not_lugosi]

"Oh, it's fine," she says, eyes darting to the toddler. Children make her nervous.

"Think nothing of it."

[kitchen_maid]

"Thank you," she says.

The toddler's eyes look back at her.

"Siddey," he says, decidedly.

"Merry, be nice," says his mother.

[not_lugosi]

She plasters on a smile.

"He's cute," she says. That's the kind of thing you say to parents of children.

[kitchen_maid]

"Thank you," says Amy.

It's the sort of thing you say when people say things like that about your children, even if the smiles seem rather more Court like than sincere.

She shifts her son to get one hand free and offers it.

"I'm Amy, and this is Merry."

[not_lugosi]

She shakes the woman's hand after a second of hesitation.

"Bela. Nice to meet you."

She keeps smiling.

[kitchen_maid]

Amy's used to smiles like that. She sees a lot of them in her line of work.

"It's lovely to meet you as well," she says.

"Ishbish," says Merry.

"I believe this is traditionally the time to ask when and where you are from, and if you've been coming here long."

[not_lugosi]

She laughs, a little nervously. "I'm from New York City on Earth, and it's 2005 for me. I've been coming here a few months now. And you? And, um, Merry?"

[kitchen_maid]

"I'm from a kingdom called Ambergeldar, on a version of Earth, and it's the seventeenth year of the reign of King Algernon."

It's not a useful way of designating the year here, but it's all Amy has.

"I've been coming for, oh, years. Since I was seventeen. And Merry's been visiting all his life."

[not_lugosi]

"How old is Merry?" she asks, making with the polite conversation.

The toddler makes her very uncomfortable. She tries to never involve children in her work dealings. Ever.

[kitchen_maid]

"He was a year in July," says Amy. "Weren't you, darling?"

"Beeeeeeeeeee," says Merry happily.

"We had quite the celebration."

The worst of the rationing was over by July, and the kingdom needed a party.

[not_lugosi]

Oh dear God... The cute is terrifying.

"The kingdom needed a party?"

Shit. Is she a queen or something?

[kitchen_maid]

"Yes," says Amy. "We'd had a rather difficult year before, and the first birthday of the crown prince seemed a good time to focus on the fact that things are getting better."

So, yes. She is a queen (there's no or something).

[not_lugosi]

"Oh, I see. You're the Queen of Ambergelder. And... you come here?"

This does not seem to be a suitable hangout for a queen. With a toddler.

Is bringing a kid even allowed? If you're a queen, then apparently so.

[kitchen_maid]

Oh, Bela. You have a lot to learn about Milliways.

"Yes. I've met most of my closest friends here. And it's nice to not have to be the Queen of Ambergeldar all the time."

But she can revert, when she has to.

And something about Bela makes her . . . feel like acting a little queenly.

[not_lugosi]

"It's an escape for me, as well."

She folds her arms across her chest. Then she thinks better of it, and lets them fall by her sides once more. Usually she doesn't allow her discomfort to show in her body language. Milliways makes her much too relaxed.

"Although I'm certainly not royalty."

[kitchen_maid]

Amy smiles. "There used to be rather more royalty than there seems to be of late. At least, in my acquaintance. But all sorts of people visit here, and I think many of us find it, as you said, an escape."

[not_lugosi]

She nods. "I haven't seen any babies in here. I did see a teenager tending bar once. I guess things are different here."

Hey, queens can do what they like, but Bela's more into adult-only establishments.