AN: ta daa! After a spectacular case of writer's block, chapter two is up! As it is, I'm a bit so-so on this chapter but whatever… you all know not to take these things seriously, right? Speaking of which…

Disclaimer: not mine in the slightest. While I have your attention, I'd like to mention that (this being remembrance day and all) in a slightly bizarre tribute I'm dedicating this chapter to all of the people who fought, and are still fighting, for peace.

Chapter the second… in which blessings come in odd packages

There's a lot to be said for self-delusionment when it comes to matters of the heart.

Diane Frolov and Andrew Schneider

Dear Sir,

Thank you for you sweet letter and charming poem. You're too kind. I am, naturally, very flattered, but I must confess that you profess feelings for me that I cannot even hope to reciprocate. However, I accept your offer to escort me to the next ball, provided, you do so with no only out of friendship without any expectations.

Yours truly,

Cythera

P.S. I'm so glad you liked my dress. Your stanza dedicated to in was too kind. I bought it from a lovely shop down on Weaver's Lane that sells all sorts of delightful-

"You wrote her a poem about her dress?"Raoul demanded incredulously, "and then, you wonder why she didn't fall madly in love with you! You idiot."

"I only dedicated one stanza to the dress." I snapped defensibly.

"She wrote you a very nice letter though." Alan commented sarcastically from where he was perched on George's bed in the Dancing Dove.

"Let you down real easy, " the thief, agreed, straight-faced.

"I particularly enjoyed how she allows you to "escort" her to the ball, in "friendship"." Jon told me, grinning, "that was a nice touch; now she can waltz in on your arm, ignore you for the rest of the evening, and still not come out looking like a heartless bitch from some ballad. Very smooth."

"Hey," Raoul cried excitedly, "she's using double negatives! Two negatives equal a positive, I remember that much about math!"

"Not if you're adding." Alan pointed out, a little pessimistically, in my opinion.

"Well, let's see…two positives is another positive, not that that helps here…multiply a positive and a negative that's another negative, add a positive and a negative…" Ripping the letter from my hands, Jon scanned it quickly.

"I don't think it uses double negatives at all." He commented.

"Let me see!" George ordered him. "No, she does; look, there, and there!"

"Sure," Jon replied derisively, "if you want to count that as anything!"

"Shut up, you morons!" I barked in annoyance. How could they not see what this meant? "Who cares how many negatives she uses? My life, as of now, is over! My heart is crushed, my love in a million pieces on the floor and then swept up and thrown out with the other rubbish." My speech over, I slumped forward in my chair. Histrionic? Yes, I admit it, but what can I say? Life as a Player had beckoned, but it was hardly suitable for a person of my status.

"I still think you're overreacting." Alan informed me matter-of-factly. " She's pretty, I suppose…but even you have to admit she's a bit, well, dim." I chose not even to justify that absurd comment with a response. I settled for sending him a withering glare, instead. Alan's a nice guy, and he's pretty smart. But he has an appalling sense of timing.

"Hang on!" Jon cried excitedly, "this may just turn out to be a blessing in disguise for both of us!" I eyed him skeptically. If he could put a positive spin on this, I'd eat my hat. Maybe. "Look!" he continued, "she mentions her favorite store in the postscript. All you have to do is buy her a bunch of junk and she'll swoon headfirst into your waiting arms! It's foolproof! Come on!" without waiting for a reply, my cousin clattered down the steps, and onto the street below.

"I'm off, I suppose." I said, glancing apologetically at my friends, "someone has to make sure he doesn't hurt himself."

Alan shook his head dramatically. "And they say 'love will make fools of us all.' Hah!" He muttered, "love's going to make us all bloody insane!"

TBC…very soon!

AN: please review! Thanks to my highly intelligent and attractive reviewers from chapter one, Saphron, Mage of Dragons, and Daine's twin. Chapter three, "in which there is too much lace" is coming soon. I hope.