Introduction; a secluded room in the mansion

[southernpoison]

At the end of a hallway where no one usually goes, there's a spartan room. Inside lives a woman, flanked by anonymous nurses that stick with her as obediently as lapdogs. She wears old-fashioned, expensive clothing, including a black mourning veil draped over her face, and her hands, withered and ancient, lay on top of an embroidery sampler in

Comments

[permanent_blur]

rosencrantz is very fond of hallways where nobody goes, even if he can never remember going there, and stops at the end of this one with a sweet, sweetly-puzzled sort of look. "oh -- i don't know. what've you got?"

[southernpoison]

"Tea or lemonade are the best options I can give you now," she says, somewhat acerbically. "There's so little of quality up north, I've found. I do miss the old days back in New Orleans."

[permanent_blur]

"oh. i quite like tea ... but i'm from denmark, you know. i've never been to new orleans," he says, smiling a bit, crouching in the doorway like a child. "is it very nice?"

[southernpoison]

"Quite lovely. Beautiful, in fact. Much better than New York." She scowls. "Moving us up here is one thing I'll never forgive my husband for, but at least I have my children to comfort me."

[permanent_blur]

a bit sheepishly: "i've never been to new york, either. is there an old york and an old orleans, too? are they nice?"

[southernpoison]

A graceful nod. "But you have been to New York, of course, as that's where we are. Have you never been outside Denmark except here?"

[permanent_blur]

"oh, are we? i thought we were in the mansion -- but there's lots of places in the mansion, i suppose. why, there might even be an old york somewhere --" he rolls back on his heels a bit and nearly falls over, catching himself on the door. "i almost went to england once. and i think -- i think i might've been in germany, for a bit -- for school."

[southernpoison]

"In the mansion, yes," she repeats. "In New York." Speaking to Europeans shouldn't be this difficult.

"Germany..." A sigh. "How I would like to go back there."

[permanent_blur]

"in new york in the mansion -- i've got it." speaking to rosencrantzes is always this difficult.

there's a little, curious head-tilt next, a half-smile. "you've been to germany? i don't suppose you've gone to school there, then -- in wittenberg? that's where they say i went."

[southernpoison]

If it's that important to him to get it wrong, he's welcome to it, and Cornelia is pleased for the change in subject.

"Yes, I've been. Not for years, since I was a young woman. You studied at Wittenberg? Fascinating. That must have been quite an experience."

[permanent_blur]

"oh, i'm sure it must have been -- i don't remember a bit of it, except it was very nice in the fall. and hamlet and horatio were there," he adds, smile full. "we were friends."

[southernpoison]

A pause, followed by an intense peer. "Of course. How nice."

[permanent_blur]

"we're still friends, of course. or at least i think we're friends. hamlet i'm not sure of sometimes, but i'd like to think we're friends --"

[southernpoison]

Gently, "Why wouldn't you be?"

[permanent_blur]

"oh -- i don't know. it's the way he looks at me and rosencrantz sometimes. or me and guildenstern sometimes, i suppose, i think it's me and guildenstern ..." he rests his head on his hand and bites a little at his nails, a nervous habit. "i don't know that he likes us."

[southernpoison]

"That's never easy." She glances down and shakes her head in a motherly fashion. "Don't bite your nails, it's a nasty habit."