Corisande: Powder Room

Cori knew her way around this part of the castle, and quickly found a powder room. Harri had already seen that the castle had running water, and there was a water closet in the powder room. But it also had a sitting area with a love seat, and a basin and mirror with a stand topped with a generous bowl of powders and lotions.

There were also towels and handkerchiefs, which last Harri could tell Cori was going to need, as she slumped on the small couch, sniffling and blinking. "My stupid brother," she said, sounding half-strangled. "He'll ruin everything. Can't he keep his mouth shut for once?"

Harri grabbed a handful of handkerchieves and handed them to Cori. She wasn't entirely sure what to say. Shje was, however, uneasily aware that agreeing too vehemently with Cori might actually through Cori on to the defensive.

"Um," she said at last. "Some of those kids are a bit young. Do you think they can be relied on not to tell?"

Cori took up one of the hankies that Harri had handed over and blew her nose.

"Dulce won't tell, if she figures out how much trouble she could get us all in. Dante's a rat and he'll use it to blackmail us later, if he can. And I don't think Keenan will tell, but I don't know him well enough to be sure. But he didn't even notice them! All he was thinking about was impressing Lillith so he can go necking with her again." Cori made a face, which only emphasized the hot, angry tears that had begun to roll down her face.

"Again?" said Harri, handing over a second handkerchief. "He's been ... erm ... necking with her before?"

She shook her head. "I suppose I could get Wolf to warn him ... but that's probably a bit late now. What about the little girl - Seramina? She's Flora's daughter, isn't she? Do you think she might tell?"

"Boys!" she added in all-embracing disparagement.

"Sera's even worse than Dante. At least there's some chance he'll stay bought when you buy him off," Cori said, and began to cry in earnest.

"They're looking for an excuse to take Crispin away from my father," she told Harri between sobs. "Crispin told me this morning that the Queen talked about it at breakfast with him and Lex. Now they've got it, and he's so blind that he can't see that he's just making it easy for them."

Harri sank down on the seat. "But ... that's terrible!" she said. "You're twins ... they can't separate you like that! Or take you from your father."

She thought of Corwin who was leaving the following day, and her own lower lip quivered. But she would be going back to New Avalon soon and besides, she had Wolf.

She slipped an arm around Cori. "I'm sure it will be all right!" she said valiantly, but not entirely truthfully. "We'll put out heads together and we'll work out a way of stopping it!"

"Oh, Harri!" Cori said, sniffling. "You're a pal!"

She took Harri's hand and squeezed it, than grabbed another hankie and blew her nose again. "And it's so awful, with your father leaving, too. I know I'd miss my father terribly if he did have to send me away."

Harri fought back a gulp. "Daddy often has to go away into Shadow. It'll be like that, I 'spect."

Only here there would be no devoted and familiar castle staff who understood her and would loyally protect her. "Oh the Princess has been an angel while you've been aware, Sire!" And then Daddy looking at her in a way that made her horribly conscious of all the things she had or hadn't done ...

No, here she would be on her own in a strange place. Apart from Wolf, of course.

"And it's something we're going to have to get used to," she added grimly. "All of course. When we're eighteen, we'll have to serve with the forces of Amber ... even me, Daddy says. I'm going to be a Ranger, though - if Uncle Julian will have me."

She was hoping this would turn Cori's thoughts into new channels.

[no tag for GM]

"I don't know what I'm going to do yet," Cori confessed glumly. "I don't want to be in any of the guards, and I'm not sure they'd let me go into the Navy even if I wanted to. Maybe I'll be a ranger too."

"It would be fun if we could serve together," said Harri. "Dop you know Uncle Julian well? He was really kind to me about Wolf ... "

She broke off, remembering. Seventeen was, after all, getting uncomfortably close - and with it the time she had to redeem her debt to her Uncle.

"I don't know most of the uncles that well. I think some of them still don't like my father because of all the stuff in the war." Cori forbore to mention the other obvious reason why the princes might not care to get to know Bleys' daughter.

Then she added: "Crispin hasn't said what he wants to do, either. I can't imagine Uncle Julian putting up with him, though, just based on what I've heard. He doesn't like pranks and japery." And that made her look glum again.

"That's true," agreed Harri, with a wry smile. "But on the other hand, there'll be the forest. Wolf will love Arden, I'm sure. And he'd hate it if I had to do ceremonial guard duty or join the navy."

Cori makes a bit of a face that's probably inspired by the thought of Wolf on a a boat. "Can he swim? You're right, you have to go into the Rangers; nothing else will do as long as you have Wolf."

"I'll always have Wolf," said Harri with simple confidence.

"Do you feel better now? Shall we go back? I'd like a chance to meet some of the others ... Dulciefera, f'instance. And we can just roll eyes at each other over your brother being an idiot."

She grinned at Cori.

"If he does anything else that stupid, he won't have to wait until we get home for me to yell at him either. What an idiot!" Cori did, in fact, roll her eyes.

[OOC: you can write us back into whichever thread you want us in, just let me know.]

Harri laughed, and led them out of the powder room.