Third Floor Common Room [Tuesday afternoon]

[likes_ducklings]

Rapunzel had spent so much time in her tower doing certain activities that she almost didn't want to do some of them anymore, instead just picking and choosing her favorites -- the things she'd do even if she wasn't incredibly bored and lonely

Comments

[doesnotkneel]

The weekend had been odd. Very odd. So strange, in fact, that Edward had insisted on ignoring any of it after limping away from Anders at some point... he didn't know when.

"Rapunzel!" he called ebulliently - that was the repression talking. "What's going on here, then?"

[likes_ducklings]

"It's a puzzle!" Rapunzel explained helpfully, because she was very literal and also he might legitimately not know about puzzles! She wouldn't be shocked. "Wanna help?"

[doesnotkneel]

"A puzzle," Edward echoed, squatting down by her side. "That'd depend. Are you in distress?"

[likes_ducklings]

"Nope, it's just for fun!" See? She had guessed right. "These pieces all fit together, see? If we put them together the right way, they'll make a picture -- but the trick is finding the right piece to go in each spot."

It was the kind of detail-oriented, tedious task that Rapunzel loved, honestly.

[doesnotkneel]

"Do we have any thought as to what the image will be here?" Edward said. It did not sound like a particularly novel idea to him; certainly not as much as other things in this room alone.

[likes_ducklings]

"It is this nice garden picture!" Rapunzel said, showing him the box proudly. "...which is maybe not so helpful, because there being so much green makes it kind of confusing. Right now I'm just trying to find the edge pieces --that way we'll have a frame to go off of, you know?"

She located one such edge piece and showed him what she meant. "It also makes it easier because we know one side's pretty much taken care of."

[doesnotkneel]

Edward picked up a few pieces that looked a bit edge-like on one end. "I believe I get the general principle," he said. "It's the practice that's supposed to stump you, 's far as I can see."

[likes_ducklings]

"It's the kind of thing shut-ins like me do for fun," Rapunzel said by way of agreement, smiling at him. "I haven't done a puzzle since I left home, though. I used to get through like, one of these a day."

Because she had like, nothing else going on, yes.

[doesnotkneel]

Edward gave her a curious look. "Didn't your parents have you doing some chores or somethin'?" he said. "Mine had me working with the ewes 's soon as I could stand up and walk about and carry things."

[likes_ducklings]

"Well, yeah, but cleaning my tower didn't take that long, since I did it every day," Rapunzel admitted. Fifteen minutes on average, actually. "And we didn't have animals or anything, except Pascal, so I'd do puzzles, or bake, or read, or paint, or make pottery or dresses or...." She shrugged. "I kind of had a lot of free time 'cause I wasn't allowed to go anywhere."

Which she was beginning to realize wasn't exactly normal, but at least it did explain why she'd had to teach herself to read.

[doesnotkneel]

"But..." Edward parsed that-- then found that he couldn't, not really. "What did your parents do to make a living?"

[likes_ducklings]

"Mother's a witch," Rapunzel said carefully. "But I don't really know where she goes all day...."

Gothel didn't think Rapunzel needed to know that sort of thing, clearly.

[doesnotkneel]

"A witch?"

Now Edward was really frowning. "You mean she sells potions and poultices, that sort of thing?"

[likes_ducklings]

"I mean, she does that too, I think, but mostly I mean she does magic," Rapunzel said, casual as can be as she selected another puzzle piece. She glanced over at him with a fond smile, raising a brow. "Come on, Edward, I have hair I can climb and my chameleon talks." Well, kind of. "The fact that my mother does magic is what's throwing you off, here?"

[doesnotkneel]

"Just because the women I know don't have hair like that don't mean it's impossible," Edward pointed out, "And I've never heard your chameleon speak a word."

[likes_ducklings]

"He doesn't always use his words," Rapunzel admitted, though Pascal did indeed wave indignantly at that. "But magic's not impossible, you know that. You're friends with Anders and me and -- tons of others, I bet."