lucetilogs | The Mallies are coming! The Mallies are coming!

Who:

hatesherjob
What: The Malnosso arrive!
When: Today (this morning, pre-festival)
Where: The central plaza
Rating: Bil hopes it stays PG!

[As the village expected, Sir Catherine arrives in Luceti in the central plaza, having traveled there from the east. Along with him is a young girl dressed in this dress. She has been in Luceti before, a strange girl that last year some Lucetians found amongst a group of dead ex-Malnosso cultists that left only her behind during the Halloween ball. She is now Sir Catherine's personal assistant and apprentice (and quite cute to boot, despite her bland brunette hair!)

As for Sir Catherine, he is dressed in this manner, simply because he felt he might fit more in like this and because it gives him a certain distinction befitting of The Great One's envoy and leader of the Malnosso. Six figures, all dressed in robes that hide their faces, are also in his presence. Although not obvious, these are actually Malnosso droids in disguise. They are merely here to act as bodyguards, just in case. They will not speak if spoken to and remain stone faced.

Sir Catherine will be walking about inspecting the booths and games and later poke about the church, followed by his attendants. Sometimes he'll deliver his comments to Molly, who will jot them down on a clipboard. They'll talk to anyone who approaches them (though it may be Catherine OR Molly, unless you specify in your comment which one you want) to converse with them, though they can't stay and talk forever! There's much to do, after all.

((mod note: If your character met Molly in the Halloween Log, then they can remember her in the situation mentioned above.

Also, either Catherine or Molly will tag your character, unless you specify one you want. For our own sanity, we won't do double tag you with both. Sorry!))

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ She passively watches him ramble, and by the time he's done, she almost, maybe sorta kinda has a very tiny smile on her face. ]

Th-Th-Then you'd be the j-j-j-j-judge of the equipment b-being in order, w-w-wouldn't you? S-So it's your f-f-f-feelings that m-matter.

[ Rumors, what rumors. Molly will pretend to know of no rumors. ]

Well, I suppose, but in the end the festival is supposed to be for the Malnosso, and so it'd be your opinions that would m-matter more, I'd expect...

[Yep, he's just... rambling away. Either rambling or stuttering from this one. Or both. He has a slight flush on his face too, from discomfort and embarrassment at not having anything intelligent to really say.

Most people would probably be put off by Molly's relative lack of emotions. Robert? He's pretty much the same way himself, so it doesn't bother him. Hell, it's a toss-up as to whether he even notices.]

Ah. But... I-I'd hope I was qualified to judge the magitechnology. I've, er, been around them for... quite awhile. [Notice he is very carefully not mentioning why.]

... Though... i-if you'll excuse me saying so... I believe this is the first time we've met.

Y-You seem nice. [Robert knits his fingers together, a stabilizing gesture that's a holdover from his non-AU self.]

[ Were Molly the type ever to express such a thing, she might laugh. But she does not. Instead her small smile simply remains.

.... that is, until he calls her nice. Then it abruptly vanishes, replaced by a vague sort of blankness.

She isn't here to be nice.

Molly curtsies, the gesture as bland as bland can be. ]

Th-Th-Thank you. That is k-k-k-kind of you to s-s-say.

I'm sure S-S-Sir Catherine will l-l-love what you have done.

[Robert gets the very vague - just on the edges of his consciousness, of the lack of ability he has to define these sorts of things thanks to what's likely a mild form of autism - feeling that he's said something wrong when that smile goes away.

It hurts, just a little. Because how many times has he done that before? How many times has he pushed people away, entirely by accident?

He looks down at his feet, suddenly ashamed of himself.]

I... hope so.

But, well, if you ask me... it'd be more prudent to dedicate the festival to the Malnosso in general... [Rather than some "Great One" who probably doesn't exist. But Robert doesn't say that part.] Still... I... I've no business dictating what should or sh-shouldn't be done...

[ She'd rather be thought of as cold, and distant, and cruel. It is easier, then. Not to get so attached.

Her gaze is neutral upon him, with no shift in her expression at his sudden shame, or the way he does not look up. ]

I-I-I have no particular f-f-f-f-feeling one way o-o-or another. P-P-People may w-w-w-.... [ ha. ] --worship how they p-p-please.

[Funny. Robert's been thought of as cold and distant himself. Cruel, maybe not... But he'd understand, if she were to say.

His lips purse gently at the word "worship".] I... I've never considered it worshipping, at least not for me.

[He's afraid of what would happen if he said he didn't believe. Especially to the Malnosso themselves. But if push comes to shove, his ethics come first.

That being said, he has no intention of offending anybody more than he's already seemed to.]

But... I suppose others might. Few people think the w-way I think about much of anything, really.

That tends to... h-happen when you're different...

[Maybe this person is different too, outside of the norm, looking in at the crowd in the same bewildered, fearful manner Robert often does, knowing he doesn't belong but not knowing why...]

Hm. I w-w-w-w-wonder what th-th-th-the Great O-O-O-O-One would think o-o-of that. [ Said without inflection, while glancing boredly off to the side.

But her eyes return to him at that last statement. ] N-N-N-No one likes a person who is d-d-d-d-different. [ She ought to know. But like hell will she express that fact. ]

...

So do I, actually. [This isn't just a half-lie to cover his atheism. Assuming the Great One existed, it'd be a fascinating question...

He notices her gaze flickering back to him, and tries to uncomfortably meet it.

A spark of understanding somewhere in the back of his consciousness makes him venture, almost cautiously:]

... A-Are you... d-different, too, then?

[She was at the least somebody who held a position of power. And yet she seemed so very afraid...]

... no.

[ Her voice is a bizarre combination of cold and wistful. ]

I-I-I-I'm just the same as e-e-e-e-e-e-everybody else.

Everybody else...

[What is "everybody else" in this case? The people who send those looks at Robert, the suspicion and the malignance and the fear-mixed-with-anger fermenting to hatred under the surface - none of which Robert can identify, but all of which he can see and feel like a spectre on his shoulders...]

If you were like e-everybody else, you wouldn't talk to me at all.

[Maybe she doesn't want to talk to him, anyway.]

... B-But... it's... i-it's alright. We are who we are. [He wonders who she is. Who Sir Catherine is. Who they really are, not just how they appear to him - because he knows appearances aren't everything. In fact, they are rarely anything.]

Even if... d-differences aren't welcome here... if you aren't different, then there... won't be any problems for you, here.

Presumably.

[ One of her brows lowers, scrunches over one eye, and she scrutinizes him.

Is he ... is he really this determined to reach out to her? To try? To make a connection? Right now she is someone in a position of power, but not hated... but that will soon change. He would regret forging an alliance with the hated, heartless enemy. She needed, absolutely had to, spare him that pain.

And yet... ]

... w-w-w-what is your n-n-name?

[Robert is not that good at making connections with people. He's always in a position where he is clutching at anything that seems like a chance of identifying with another, and this is no different.

Even an alliance with the enemy could one day prove a useful asset. Not that he'd know she was an enemy at all.]

...

I-I am Doctor Robert Alexander H-Hastings.

[A nervous response, but it's the same way he introduces himself to everybody. It has less of a rehearsed feel to it here in this AU, but it's still something he's said a thousand times...]

M-May... may I enquire as to your name as well...?

The Mallies are coming! The Mallies are coming!

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action] 3rd time tonight i've had to delete and repost. i miss my edit function so bad ):

[Action] I feel your pain ;;