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Cymbeline doesn't really like boats, but they're the only way to get anywhere in a reasonable period of time, especially when "anywhere" isn't on the mainland. Today he is sailing to Vectis, to oversee the change of governorship; his father the king is needed for courtly matters back home and his mother the queen, despite being the source of his royal blood, declines to involve herself in affairs of state when she can avoid it. Zoyah takes more after Ranae than after Charles in this department. So, it falls to Cymbeline.
Walking on a boat is even more difficult than walking on land, and Cymbeline is no great shakes at the latter to begin with. Unfortunately, neither he nor Kerem, the court magician and Cymbeline's confidante, have been able to figure out how to apply the principles of practicable magic to alleviating princely clumsiness. So Cymbeline is clinging to the railing of the boat, watching the waves, trying to avoid having to walk anywhere.
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aetheling
aetheling
...He reminds himself that she can change her mind anytime. "Won't come off by itself" doesn't mean "irretrievable".
"Okay," he says dubiously, and he touches her foot, and concentrates, and after a few minutes he says, "There."
"Okay," he says dubiously, and he touches her foot, and concentrates, and after a few minutes he says, "There."
aetheling
She's very affectionate, isn't she. Well. Hugs, all right.
Presently he returns to teaching her signs.
Presently he returns to teaching her signs.
agnatic
Zoyah interrupts them when they're about a third of the way through the book, and says, "Dinnertime. But if she's going to come she should borrow a whole outfit."
aetheling
"Ah. Um. Jade, want to go with Zoyah and -" They don't have 'borrow'. "Take clothes?" He pulls at his sleeve by way of illustrating 'clothes'. "Then eat?"
agnatic
Zoyah offers Jade her hand, since she remember how ineffectual Jade has been at walking so far.
treasuresuntold
Jade hands Cymbeline back his jar, now that she won't be needing it anymore, and takes Zoyah's hand with a smile.
If her legs are hurting her, she's not showing it.
If her legs are hurting her, she's not showing it.
agnatic
Zoyah leads Jade up to her chambers, and flings open the closet. (She has already replaced the overskirt that Jade is currently wearing.) "Do you even know what constitutes an outfit? I bet not. Hermioneeeee," she calls.
Zoyah's lady-in-waiting appears from another room in the princess's suite, and is told: "This is Jade, I found her on the beach, she can't talk, help her into something presentable, not my favorite stuff but something she can wear to dinner, I don't think she knows how regular people clothes work."
"Yes, milady," says Hermione, chipper, and she sets about choosing an outfit while Zoyah sweeps off, and attempts to get Jade out of the leather top and borrowed overskirt and into something more surface-conventional.
Zoyah's lady-in-waiting appears from another room in the princess's suite, and is told: "This is Jade, I found her on the beach, she can't talk, help her into something presentable, not my favorite stuff but something she can wear to dinner, I don't think she knows how regular people clothes work."
"Yes, milady," says Hermione, chipper, and she sets about choosing an outfit while Zoyah sweeps off, and attempts to get Jade out of the leather top and borrowed overskirt and into something more surface-conventional.
treasuresuntold
Jade resists taking off the leather top, but is willing to layer over it. She greets the revelation of the existence of corsets with an expression of mild horror. In general, anything that's snug around the waist is an instant rejection.
Hermione tries to coax her into one until she realizes that the gills are the problem, and then she improvises as best she can in the absence of proper foundation garments, muttering to herself about strange beach women with gills. Eventually Jade has been attired in a layered dress and stockings and a spare pair of Zoyah's shoes, which are too big for her, and Minnie shows her down to the dinner table, apologizing in Zoyah's ear about being unable to talk Jade into a corset.
treasuresuntold
Jade is quite cheerful about all this once the gills problem has been sorted out!
Dinner is a whole different kind of adventure.
Dinner is a whole different kind of adventure.
aetheling
Cymbeline is somewhat dismayed by her lack of table manners. "Just - do what we do," he suggests the first time she uses her fork backwards.
aetheling
He takes her fork out of her hand, turns it around, then mimes eating with his own.
aetheling
He continues correcting her as the meal proceeds. His parents look at her quizzically.
treasuresuntold
Since most of these corrections make Jade better at eating their weird food with their weird utensils, she accepts them all and follows them diligently.
But when it comes time for dessert and he cautions her not to lick the bowl, she stares him down and then goes right back to it.
But when it comes time for dessert and he cautions her not to lick the bowl, she stares him down and then goes right back to it.
aetheling
"Jade, no, really - don't -" says Cymbeline, dropping his face onto his hand.
agnatic
"Ew," says Zoyah.
The king says, "I understand that a gilled, green woman found on the beach is an interesting curiosity, but if she can't eat like a civilized person she's going to have to take meals in the servants' quarters as long as she's here, Cymbeline."
The king says, "I understand that a gilled, green woman found on the beach is an interesting curiosity, but if she can't eat like a civilized person she's going to have to take meals in the servants' quarters as long as she's here, Cymbeline."
treasuresuntold
Jade puts her bowl down triumphantly, having cleaned it of every available drop of pudding.
aetheling
Cymbeline is still completely exasperated, trying to think of some way to explain what's going on.
agnatic
Zoyah is not so hindered. "You can't do that," she tells Jade, "and if you do you can't eat with us."
aetheling
Cymbeline says, "May I be excused?"
And the queen says, "Yes."
And up he gets and off he goes.
And the queen says, "Yes."
And up he gets and off he goes.