This van labeled HAZARDOUS MATERIALS is also on its way to school.
The van hits a patch of black ice. It goes spinning, it turns over, it slices itself open on a wrought-iron fence with spikes, and it disgorges boxes which smash open on the pavement. Some of them skitter clear into the slush.
Some of them - along with most of the van - land on Annie.
There is a whirl of bewildering pain and confusion -
- and she falls to the ground, injured and in more kinds of discomfort beyond that and moaning.
She slowly starts to heal before the eyes of her sole witness.
"...The first response that springs to mind is 'but I like your face', which I am sharing because I expect it to delight you and not because I think you should govern your actions by it in any way," says Stalas.
Giggle. "I'm glad you like my face but I don't know how else not to scandalize the servants. You can watch my face when we're home again."
And so Annie finishes taking off all clothes that go over her head and then buries her face in a pillow. "Am I inaudible?" she yells, muffled.
She pulls her head up. "Well, I'll try to keep it down as best I can, let me know if I slip up."
Well, all of her nerve endings are unimpaired.
...The pillow helps, and her attempts at restraint... would probably be helping if only they weren't so very, very futile under circumstances like "Stalas, existing, touching her".
...Usually. She usually manages to bite her tongue.
Well, he said he'd interrupt her, so he will. Even though she and her noises are both great.
She quiets when interrupted. And squirms. ...she may be attempting to channel noise-generation into squirming and toe-curling and things like that.