[Open] Why can't novels fix all ills?

[legallygreen]

Characters: Jennifer Walters, Open
Content:  Jennifer is in her room, brooding over the unfortunate problems such as the accident with the Admiral, fears that her father would request her to come home, and the odd little creature that was caught aboard the ship.
Setting:  Her quarters on the Serenty
Time:   The evening after the creature was captured

Comments

[anthypants]

Anthy ran a hand down her dusty-rose skirt self-consciously. Her clothing was nice enough, quite nice for a pirate ship, nicer than they had needed to be, but they were quite different than the sort of things she had worn when she was younger, the sort of things the Ambassador wore now

[legallygreen]

Jennifer was pulled out of her thoughts by the sound of someone knocking at her chamber door. Glancing up from her heating water, she walked to the door, calming her thoughts before opening the door. It never occured to her to ask who it was. Perhaps it was because with the friends she had already made aboard the Serenity, she was already at her ease, and felt comfortable with her surroundings

[anthypants]

"Oh...thank you, Miss...Jennifer," Anthy replied hesitantly, stepping inside. "Tea would be lovely."

She was a little surprised, but did her best not to show it. She felt nervous, on edge, even though Jennifer couldn't have been more than polite. She knew of course, her feelings had nothing to do with Jennifer's behavior, only that she had been burned so many times before.

She smiled at the other woman, trying to hide her feelings. She didn't want to be weird, or show how awkward or strange she could be. Instead, she walked carefully towards the bookshelves, and made herself look occupied with looking over the titles.

[legallygreen]

Jennifer watched Anthy peruse her books, then remembered that she had picked up something new the previous day, something that she had seen when shopping with Rufus and her temporary body guards. Going to one of the shelves, she removed the book, still in it's paper wrappings, and held it out to Anthy, explaining herself

[legallygreen]

"I had a small cat once." Jennifer said, amused at the description of Chu-Chu. "It was not truly my pet, but one that belonged to one of the kitchen maids. It allowed me to pick it up and stroke it on occasion. It also had a desperate need to sleep in my favorite crinoline at all times

[anthypants]

"Ah, I shall be sure to keep Chu-Chu away from you then," Anthy said. "He's rodent-like, if the rodent had a little bit of monkey in him." She noted the shudder with a small smile, rats didn't scare her in the slightest, she would pet them if they were tame

[legallygreen]

"I don't know if I could ever keep a bird in a cage, even if it is just for traveling." Jennifer said, running water in her little sink in the room, busily cleaning up the dishes as if she were used to doing it. Of course, she had slipped on a pair of surprisingly fashionable rubber gloves before doing so. Have to protect those lady hands

[anthypants]

Anthy inclined her head gently and rose in her very well-bred way, just half a second slow, as if something as simple as sitting and rising were things a woman would be judged on, and needed to be executed with precision and poise each and every time. She made her way to the corner and sat in the green chair, perching on its edge with the same sort of straight-spined grace.

"Perhaps that's the case," she said, with a knowing smile. "But pet shops will sell canaries regardless. They cannot survive on their own in the wild, and someone will purchase them anyway. Most of those people will let the bird stay in its cage its whole life. If you're a nice owner and let it out in your room then you'd be improving that bird's life, wouldn't you? If you have sympathy for its situation than you can keep each other company."