eachdraidh | video, open to both courts (action if you are at the barrel)

Entry tags:

video, open to both courts (action if you are at the barrel)

[ Alice has been at the Barrel for a few weeks now. No one's asked her to cook and clean, but it's been a bit of an engraved habit brought over from her time in London. It's only through getting children's clothing and interacting with the nearby town that it's been plaguing the back of her mind. Unlike the last time she's popped on the lockets back in December, Alice looks healthier, but she is still pretty thin.

As usual. And as usual, her white rabbit is sitting there beside her, munching away at a bowl of food. She's not good at public speaking. ]

Hello.

These may be strange times to open a dialogue about this subject while both of our courts prepare for another skirmish. There are plenty of natives here of various ages who have been hit the most by war, especially children. I used to be the maidservant of an orphanage back in Whitechapel London.

[ Her face only flashes with a hint of pain when she mentions it. ]

Houndsditch Home for Wayward Youth—if you heard of it. And the children there came from similar backgrounds, that they were all traumatized and lost family either by sickness, death, or murder. These children are often overlooked, sometimes they are swept up by those with ill intentions and treated even worse. But they are still children and they still have pieces of their innocence left.

I may not have the resources nor the... capacity right now to replicate that orphanage, but I still want to help the youngest natives here have the smallest comforts like food or clothing. I've only had a handful of opportunities in Redgate and the Station to make good on my word and clearly I need the additional hands.

In addition to natives being sent away from the path of war, I hope that there can be a way to provide resources for them or find them the appropriate care somewhere down the line. I know that it is silly to think of such a thing when all the adults in this world are preparing for battle, but they are so young and they deserve so much more while they are being guided to safety.

But if I were to oversee these things, I reserve the right to be very picky. The children I cared for weren't even spared from the cruelty of adults, even the proprietor of that orphanage.

Surely my friends will be thrilled if I focused my attention on children rather than them. I know they must tire of my nagging.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Alice actually takes in a breath. She's many feelings about this and Rin unintentionally has her think of Bumby. ]

Where I come from, it is not that uncommon for unwed women like me to take up the role of a nanny or a maid. It was my job once, and I overlooked many children.

[ She could have done more. ]

Even something simple will make their day; in London, they had barely anything and I know that they would appreciate little things.

[ That's a stigma she's going to have to carry with her for a long time. At least it taught her to not speak so boldly of being a Master to anyone she may have started to trust, so there's that. ]

Your past is a foundation, but it doesn't define you. If you wish to pursue something else here, you can.

There's no harm in embracing a bit of familiarity. It'll do good to settle down somewhere out of harm's way and to care. I think that's just how you are. You care too much.

[ Alice is still considering her words carefully. Unfortunately, in her eyes, her past does define her and it may not have such a powerful hold on her now, but it's still apart of her life. ]

My needs are not my concern right now.

[ God, doesn't this sound familiar. Alice grimaces -- of course she cares too much, sometimes she lets it push her in the wrong direction. ]

At the very least, what cannot be healed in adult, it can be healed in a child.

You're right. [ On which part she doesn't say. ]

I just wanted to thank you for causing me to think about this. It is as I said. I'll find some way to contribute when I can, but for now all I can do is wish you the best of luck with your endeavors.

Take care, Alice. [ She means it. Take care of yourself. Think of your needs every once in a while. ]

[ Alice pauses again, a little unsure how to take that, before she blurts out- ]

You can thank my friend partially for that, being the pain in the neck that he is.

[ She's been keeping a watchful eye on Lancelot the best she can, while slowly accepting that boy can look after himself. ]

[ And now Rin's uncertain of where to go with this. Having given her an opportunity to cut their conversation short while maintaining the polite illusion, it surprises her to see her... not take it? Interesting. ]

Lancelot? It's good to see some things don't change between youth and adulthood.

How long do you suspect he'll be like this?

[ What can she say, she's socially stunted in that aspect. Maybe she rather mention that than actually own up to taking care of herself. She vehemently rejects the sentiment. ]

I have no idea.

Forgive my being selfish, but it's best he's like this right now so that he's removed from the war. Mad Enhancement could be turned against everyone and it's possible he could have been tricked into killing allies.

This way... he does not have anymore regrets.

[ Clearing her throat. ] After the conflict has subsided a bit, I'll take a look at him. I might not be able to dispel the magic myself, but being able to understand the source better will allow me to locate the people who can help. I'll have the gold by then to pay anyone for their time.

I've fought alongside him before, I've seen what he's capable of. But he was oddly calmer than usual, but anything to stop the big oaf from wallowing even more is fine by me. [ Lo and behold, she's actually agreeing, despite everything. ]

If you can, by all means. Unfortunately, any more details regarding this little problem is better left in person.

Yes, of course. [ They're actually agreeing on multiple things. ]

I'll contact you after battles start to break out to figure out where we'll go from there. In the meantime, please continue to look after him. I can't help him right now.

[ As much as it kills her to admit that. ]

Oh, but I will, no matter how much he dislikes it.

[ So help her, she'll drag him back inside, too. ]

Fair enough.

[ Can't or won't, sometimes it's difficult to tell with her. ]

He's a boy. He's bound to dislike every little thing.

That's just how they are at that age.

No, it's not, it goes well into adulthood.

[ No one can tell her otherwise; she's convinced men are babies. ]

[ Snickering. ] Someday you'll meet a real man that's not like the ones we're stuck with here.

[ Like Saber. ]

I've learned not to get my hopes up and I won't be any time soon.

[ It's good that she's snickering -- Alice doesn't really want to be butting heads with her despite her disapproval of that pact, anyway. And, well, it's hard when it just happens to be someone she's very fond of. ]

Saber's a proper gentleman herself. [ Okay, she'll say it out loud. ]

Perhaps after this battle, we could ask her to teach the other men to be men instead of children?

[ That's a bit too much for Alice's Victorian sentiments to handle. ]

If it pleases you.

It would please me. [ It certainly would. ]

[Lancelot said nothing.

All he did was stare.]

[ Gosh, even when he's small, he can be a headache. Does this mean Alice has to hunt him down? ]

A lady should not gossip about others in such a way.

At least not when 'the boy' can hear it.

video;

video;

video;

video;

video;

video;

video;

video;

video;

video;

video;

video;

video;

video;

video;

video;

video;

video;

video;

video;

video;

video;

video;

video;

video;