hey back again! sorry, that I haven't updated in like forever, it's just my attentions have been elsewhere (basically in the novel section of the originals).
It was the next day, when Berenice had just finished her translating for the day, she was still decoding history/myths and legends. She walked through the rooms of the library slowly with her head in her book. By now she had learned her way back to her rooms and to a couple other places in the palace. As she walked through the main room of the library, a voice stopped her.
"Hello."
Berenice looked up the tiniest bit from her book, two booted shoes stood in front of her. She slowly looked up into Neal's face. "Hello," she said.
"Still reading your book?" he asked.
Berenice stared at him for a second. "Oh, yeah, yes I am. Really, it's very interesting."
"So, I was wondering if you wanted company on the way to your rooms," he looked at her nervously.
"You want to walk me to my rooms?" Berenice couldn't believe it, Neal wanted to
walk her to her rooms, NEAL!
"Well, yeah," Neal replied, in obvious discomfort.
Berenice looked at the study group of the Protector of the Small. They were all staring at her and Neal, some with grins on their faces, but they quickly turned away and turn extremely studious when she looked. Placing her attention back at Neal, she shrugged and said, "Sure."
"So," he said, as they made their way through the library to the door, which he graciously held open for her, " what do you do in the library?"
Berenice bit her lip, she wasn't sure if she should tell him or not. She had never been explicitly told not to talk about her situation and knowledge and she didn't feel it was necessary to lie about it, but then she wasn't sure if Sir Mattieu or Numair would be too happy if she screamed her news from the top of Balor's Needle. "I, um, I translate documents and do paper work and help out Sir Mattieu of Riders Peak, the, uh, keeper of the, uh, documents." Well, she hadn't really said anything untrue, she just evaded the
"I see," Neal said, obvious he didn't, "Well, Arsinoe told me about she brought you guys here."
Berenice stopped and stared at him, "She did What?!" Berenice couldn't understand why Arsinoe would want to go around bragging that she was from another world. She had no discretion whatsoever, and she was purposely making them into outcasts. If she had no consideration for her own secrecy why ruin Berenice's? Berenice steamed with anger and frustration.
Worry lines etched Neal's face. "She told us you were from another world, what? Was she not supposed to tell or something?"
Berenice continued to walk again. "No," she said, "not really, we were never really forbidden from telling people we were from another world, I just thought we wouldn't really tell anybody," she sighed, she would have a talk with Arsinoe later, "Well it's already done, so oh well." She smiled up at Neal, deciding she should look on the bright side, "So, hows pagedom treating you?"
Neal smiled back at her, "It's the same as it always was, total and complete torture. Berenice chuckled. "So," Neal said, " are there knights in your world? Arsinoe doesn't really talk about it much, she just says this Tortall is a lot funner."
"ttt, Arsinoe would say that," Berenice said scornfully." There aren't knights, though, at least not what you have here. There were knights and squires and stuff a long time ago."
"Really?" Neal asked, deeply fascinated.
Berenice nodded, "Yeah, hundreds if years ago in the Middle Ages. Actually the culture of Tortall is very similar to that of the Middle Ages, except we don't have the gift, which is like a really big difference."
"You don't have the gift?" Neal asked, "How do you do serious healing, or warfare? It must be terrible."
"Not really," Berenice said, trying not to get defensive of her own world, "Though, we don't have the gift, your world, compared to mine, is technically primitive. Instead of candles we have lightbulbs, that you can turn on and off in seconds, and electricity and cars and heating and TV and showers, oh god I'd die for a shower and a Milky Way bar-" she stopped. Neal didn't know what she was talking about. "I'm sorry, I got carried away, I guess, I'm just home sick."
"I understand," Neal said, " I guess I'd be home sick to," They stopped, they had reached Berenice and Arsinoe's apartments. "Though maybe you'll tell me what a 'shower' is, besides rain, and a 'Milky Way'. Sounds interesting."
" Don't worry," Berenice said, " I will, or you can ask Arsinoe, I'm sure she'll be happy to tell you. Well, thanks for walking me, I really appreciate it."
"It was my pleasure," Neal said gallantly.
"Well bye!" Berenice said and opened and closed her door behind her. She was beginning to like Neal in spite of herself.
Later when Berenice had decided to go to bed early, Arsinoe stormed into her room, seething with anger. Berenice, laying on her bed reading, warily looked up from her book.
"You've really done it this time," Arsinoe said, standing at the foot of her bed, angrily shaking her head.
"What?" Berenice asked, she hadn't done anything to Arsinoe lately so she couldn't imagine what was wrong.
"It was bound to happen, I know, once a guy meets you he falls to his knees. Let me ask you, why? Why must you make every guy you see fall in love with you? You must have known I liked him and just did it to spite me, you may play the innocent, but I can see right through you, no you don't fool me!" Arsinoe's words dripped with anger, Berenice was sure she had never seen her so angry before.
"Arsinoe, what are you talking about?" Berenice was a little frightened of Arsinoe this mad.
"As if you don't know!" she laughed, but it was and empty, angry laugh, "You've got Neal of Queenscove spouting love sonnets over you! It was so close to being me he like, but no, no one ever likes me once they meet you," years of jealously and rage poured into this one moment.
"What!" Berenice cried, "thats impossible! he only walked me back from the library once, he hardly even knows me!"
"Thats all it takes with you, you and your wiles and flirting. He didn't even stand a chance."
Berenice was getting angry now too. "It's not my fault he likes me, I can't very well force him too. And besides, it's Neal! He falls in love just for the sake of falling in love!"
"Yeah," agreed Arsinoe, angrily," And not with me!"
"How can I help that?" Berenice cried, " It's not my fault he's that way, if you blame anyone, blame him not me, I didn't so anything!"
Arsinoe's eyes narrowed. "No, you did something, you purposely got him to fall in love with him, just to spite me! You knew I liked him so you flirted your way into his heart just to hurt me!" Her eyes filled with angry tears Arsinoe stormed out of Berenice's room.
"Arsinoe, wait!" Berenice cried jumping out of bed, " How was I to know?!"
Arsinoe had reached her door, " I'm never going to speak to you again! Ever!" She screamed and slammed the door.
"Arsinoe please!" Berenice cried through Arsinoe's door, but she knew it was useless. With a sigh and a heavy heart, Berenice headed back to bed for a restless night.
It was the next day, when Berenice had just finished her translating for the day, she was still decoding history/myths and legends. She walked through the rooms of the library slowly with her head in her book. By now she had learned her way back to her rooms and to a couple other places in the palace. As she walked through the main room of the library, a voice stopped her.
"Hello."
Berenice looked up the tiniest bit from her book, two booted shoes stood in front of her. She slowly looked up into Neal's face. "Hello," she said.
"Still reading your book?" he asked.
Berenice stared at him for a second. "Oh, yeah, yes I am. Really, it's very interesting."
"So, I was wondering if you wanted company on the way to your rooms," he looked at her nervously.
"You want to walk me to my rooms?" Berenice couldn't believe it, Neal wanted to
walk her to her rooms, NEAL!
"Well, yeah," Neal replied, in obvious discomfort.
Berenice looked at the study group of the Protector of the Small. They were all staring at her and Neal, some with grins on their faces, but they quickly turned away and turn extremely studious when she looked. Placing her attention back at Neal, she shrugged and said, "Sure."
"So," he said, as they made their way through the library to the door, which he graciously held open for her, " what do you do in the library?"
Berenice bit her lip, she wasn't sure if she should tell him or not. She had never been explicitly told not to talk about her situation and knowledge and she didn't feel it was necessary to lie about it, but then she wasn't sure if Sir Mattieu or Numair would be too happy if she screamed her news from the top of Balor's Needle. "I, um, I translate documents and do paper work and help out Sir Mattieu of Riders Peak, the, uh, keeper of the, uh, documents." Well, she hadn't really said anything untrue, she just evaded the
"I see," Neal said, obvious he didn't, "Well, Arsinoe told me about she brought you guys here."
Berenice stopped and stared at him, "She did What?!" Berenice couldn't understand why Arsinoe would want to go around bragging that she was from another world. She had no discretion whatsoever, and she was purposely making them into outcasts. If she had no consideration for her own secrecy why ruin Berenice's? Berenice steamed with anger and frustration.
Worry lines etched Neal's face. "She told us you were from another world, what? Was she not supposed to tell or something?"
Berenice continued to walk again. "No," she said, "not really, we were never really forbidden from telling people we were from another world, I just thought we wouldn't really tell anybody," she sighed, she would have a talk with Arsinoe later, "Well it's already done, so oh well." She smiled up at Neal, deciding she should look on the bright side, "So, hows pagedom treating you?"
Neal smiled back at her, "It's the same as it always was, total and complete torture. Berenice chuckled. "So," Neal said, " are there knights in your world? Arsinoe doesn't really talk about it much, she just says this Tortall is a lot funner."
"ttt, Arsinoe would say that," Berenice said scornfully." There aren't knights, though, at least not what you have here. There were knights and squires and stuff a long time ago."
"Really?" Neal asked, deeply fascinated.
Berenice nodded, "Yeah, hundreds if years ago in the Middle Ages. Actually the culture of Tortall is very similar to that of the Middle Ages, except we don't have the gift, which is like a really big difference."
"You don't have the gift?" Neal asked, "How do you do serious healing, or warfare? It must be terrible."
"Not really," Berenice said, trying not to get defensive of her own world, "Though, we don't have the gift, your world, compared to mine, is technically primitive. Instead of candles we have lightbulbs, that you can turn on and off in seconds, and electricity and cars and heating and TV and showers, oh god I'd die for a shower and a Milky Way bar-" she stopped. Neal didn't know what she was talking about. "I'm sorry, I got carried away, I guess, I'm just home sick."
"I understand," Neal said, " I guess I'd be home sick to," They stopped, they had reached Berenice and Arsinoe's apartments. "Though maybe you'll tell me what a 'shower' is, besides rain, and a 'Milky Way'. Sounds interesting."
" Don't worry," Berenice said, " I will, or you can ask Arsinoe, I'm sure she'll be happy to tell you. Well, thanks for walking me, I really appreciate it."
"It was my pleasure," Neal said gallantly.
"Well bye!" Berenice said and opened and closed her door behind her. She was beginning to like Neal in spite of herself.
Later when Berenice had decided to go to bed early, Arsinoe stormed into her room, seething with anger. Berenice, laying on her bed reading, warily looked up from her book.
"You've really done it this time," Arsinoe said, standing at the foot of her bed, angrily shaking her head.
"What?" Berenice asked, she hadn't done anything to Arsinoe lately so she couldn't imagine what was wrong.
"It was bound to happen, I know, once a guy meets you he falls to his knees. Let me ask you, why? Why must you make every guy you see fall in love with you? You must have known I liked him and just did it to spite me, you may play the innocent, but I can see right through you, no you don't fool me!" Arsinoe's words dripped with anger, Berenice was sure she had never seen her so angry before.
"Arsinoe, what are you talking about?" Berenice was a little frightened of Arsinoe this mad.
"As if you don't know!" she laughed, but it was and empty, angry laugh, "You've got Neal of Queenscove spouting love sonnets over you! It was so close to being me he like, but no, no one ever likes me once they meet you," years of jealously and rage poured into this one moment.
"What!" Berenice cried, "thats impossible! he only walked me back from the library once, he hardly even knows me!"
"Thats all it takes with you, you and your wiles and flirting. He didn't even stand a chance."
Berenice was getting angry now too. "It's not my fault he likes me, I can't very well force him too. And besides, it's Neal! He falls in love just for the sake of falling in love!"
"Yeah," agreed Arsinoe, angrily," And not with me!"
"How can I help that?" Berenice cried, " It's not my fault he's that way, if you blame anyone, blame him not me, I didn't so anything!"
Arsinoe's eyes narrowed. "No, you did something, you purposely got him to fall in love with him, just to spite me! You knew I liked him so you flirted your way into his heart just to hurt me!" Her eyes filled with angry tears Arsinoe stormed out of Berenice's room.
"Arsinoe, wait!" Berenice cried jumping out of bed, " How was I to know?!"
Arsinoe had reached her door, " I'm never going to speak to you again! Ever!" She screamed and slammed the door.
"Arsinoe please!" Berenice cried through Arsinoe's door, but she knew it was useless. With a sigh and a heavy heart, Berenice headed back to bed for a restless night.