(no subject)

[mistressmaryquitecontrary]

Mary Lennox comes into the bar through the back door, wrapped in her green shawl, and clambers up to a seat at the counter.

For once, she doesn't look sullen, or even solemn; her face is bright and shining. A generous person might even call her pretty.

Christmas agrees with Mary.

Comments

[smallestopener]

Ingress waves as she bounces over.

"Hi Mary! Did you have a happy Christmas?"

[mistressmaryquitecontrary]

"Yes," Mary says, and smiles at the other girl.

"Though it is not Christmas at home, I have only had Christmas here - but Christmas here was lovely."

[smallestopener]

"I had a lovely one, too, but I was stuck at home the whole time, and that was no fun."

[mistressmaryquitecontrary]

"You must have come in at least once," Mary says; another, quicker, almost shy smile.

"I found a present from you."

[smallestopener]

"Did you like it? I made the pinecones myself. Yes, I meant I couldn't come on my own. I have to have a grown up with me now because of mean Mrs. Rowlands."

[mistressmaryquitecontrary]

"I liked it very much," Mary says, earnestly, and then frowns, her brows drawing together.

"Mean Mrs. Rowlands? What do you mean?"

Her voice is a little stiffer; but perhaps, she thinks, it is not the same Mrs. Rowlands.

[smallestopener]

"She's a bad guy. I'm not to talk to her anymore. She'll be sweet and give you hugs and teach you to knit, and then she'll make you cry."

[mistressmaryquitecontrary]

Mary is growing stiffer and more old-womanish with each word Ingress says.

"Mrs. Rowlands is not bad," she says, quietly, when Ingress is finished.

She has not made me cry - and I do not think she ever would; she is not bad." Her voice is rising with each word. "She is - she is lovely and sweet and good, and I do not know why anyone would say such cruel things about her -"

[smallestopener]

"We were friends a long time. Then she did a bad thing to Tom. I can't say what. She's not your friend, Mary. She was lovely and sweet and good to me, too, and she made me a hat. She made me cry and cry."

[mistressmaryquitecontrary]

Unconsciously, Mary draws her shawl more tightly around herself.

"Perhaps," she suggests, coolly, "whatever she did, Tom deserved it."

[smallestopener]

Ingress has a shawl on, too. It is not teh evil, so she doesn't have the unconscious need to pull it closer.

"You take that back."

[mistressmaryquitecontrary]

Mary has the useful ability to fly into a temper without actually flying into anything; she just gets stiffer, and louder, and more stubborn.

"I shall not. I shall not, unless you take back what you said about Mrs. Rowlands, as well, I shan't."

[smallestopener]

"I'll not take back anything. She's a witch, a bad one, and I bet you're under a spell, too. Or maybe you're just a... a... dumb dumb head!"

Even with Megwyn's soothing words in her head, Ingress is a fiery tempered Lady of the House of Arch.

[grovecj.livejournal.com]

CJ watches the kid with a raised brow... thats something he does not see often, a child just being happy, no worries...

[mistressmaryquitecontrary]

It takes Mary a moment to notice the man watching her; when she does, she turns her regard on him and watches him right back.

[grovecj.livejournal.com]

"Hello." CJ blinks, once. Not used to people staring at him.

[mistressmaryquitecontrary]

"Hello," Mary says, still watching him steadily.

"Why were you staring at me?"

[grovecj.livejournal.com]

"Just pondering... remembering last time I saw one of the kids back home acting that way. Sorry."

[mistressmaryquitecontrary]

Mary looks a little stiffer.

"Acting which way?" she asks, warily.

[grovecj.livejournal.com]

"Happy. Unworried." A small smile

[mistressmaryquitecontrary]

Mary relaxes, a little.

"Well," she points out, "it is Christmas, or just was - and people are meant to be happy at Christmas."

[grovecj.livejournal.com]

"Not only then, people should be happy more often than that."

[mistressmaryquitecontrary]

Mary considers this.

"Perhaps," she says, seriously, "if they can.

But it is most important to be happy at Christmas."

[grovecj.livejournal.com]

He nods. "Weird, its still May, back home."

[mistressmaryquitecontrary]

"It is nearly summer where I am, as well," Mary agrees. "I did not know it would be Christmas here until it was nearly too late to get gifts for people."