(Untitled)

[mmquitecontrary]

Someone has sent Mary Lennox a message.Mary Lennox is not the kind of young lady who keeps hurt to herself, in a stoic and dignified fashion; Mary Lennox is not the kind of proper young lady who keeps herself under control. Even if she were, she would have trouble doing so now

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[wolflord_andain]

"I daresay the shrillness of your scream would strike fear into the heart of any man, woman, or child," Galadan says, tone dry as dust as he approaches Mary.

And then reaches out to remove the sign from the noticeboard.

"But such acts of bravado are highly unlikely to convince anyone of what you want them to believe."

[mmquitecontrary]

"Put it back," snaps Mary, turning around fiercely, and reaches out for the sign.

[wolflord_andain]

"Ah now, Mary. I believe we'll both be better served by discussing your strategy before you put any plan into action."

He raises one eyebrow, sardonic and blunt.

"Initial impulses are rarely to be trusted."

[mmquitecontrary]

Mary's strategy, at the moment, appears to be something along the lines of 'throw an enormous temper tantrum.'

"I don't care," she says. Her voice starts relatively loud, and rises. "I don't care - I don't care!"

Her breath hitches again. "The person that did this wants me to be afraid! They think my home will not be defended, they think I will be too frightened to act against them - how dare they!"

[puckishly]

"But you are frightened of her, duck."

Puck's voice is grim, and comes from behind her.

"Because you are surely no fool."

[mmquitecontrary]

Her.

Mary didn't know who it was - or at least, she hadn't been sure. She had no evidence - and Blodwen had not been seen in the bar, to the best of Mary's knowledge, for a long, long time.

But now . . .

She turns around slowly to look at Puck. "She wants me to be frightened," she says, her hands clenched tightly at her sides, "and so I shall not be.

"It was Blodwen, then."

[puckishly]

"You know your own business best," Puck murmurs.

And frowns, sharply.

He'd assumed Mary had run into Blodwen as he had.

"What was Blodwen?"

[mmquitecontrary]

It's Mary's turn to frown - she'd assumed that he'd known.

"The tree - the one out back, that I planted to protect the greenhouse. The Old Ones said apple was a tree of protection, so I planted it, when she first came - years ago."

Her voice comes faster, jerkier. "It is withered now, decayed, all the half-grown apples rotted. It is not natural - it was well only yesterday - someone has done it. They have done it to make me afraid."

[mmquitecontrary]

Mary whirls around.

"If you're mocking me -"

Mary is hardly ever in a mood to tolerate being made fun of - a sense of humor about herself is not her strong suit - but that goes triple or quadruple right now.

[mmquitecontrary]

"I have promised not to hit people," Mary says - her voice not quite steady - "unless they threaten me. So I shall not hit you, unless you do - but you ought to know that I can."

[im_so_sari]

"What should be, the bulletin board??"

[mmquitecontrary]

"No," Mary says. She doesn't turn around, but keeps staring at the bulletin board. "Someone sent me a message," she says, holding her head very high. "I am sending one back."

[im_so_sari]

"By yelling."

[mmquitecontrary]

Mary takes a step back, and jerks her head towards the sign.

Sharp: "By writing."

[tocrushdepth]

Jesse knows better than to engage with someone who's threatening a wall, but she's a little distracted right now, and instead of answering Mary, she moves rapidly forward just as Mary steps back.

Oof.

[mmquitecontrary]

Mary jumps backwards and pushes out at the same time, rather harder than necessary, staring at the strange girl; her face is angry and wary.

(Mary is a little on edge right now.)

[tocrushdepth]

Her mouth opens to apologize; what comes out is, "Hey!"

She didn't have to push.

[mmquitecontrary]

Mary relaxes a very little, as she sees it's only a girl around her own age.

Of course, Mary knows better than to underestimate girls around her own age. Still: it seems unlikely to be the Mysterious Enemy.

"You ought to look where you are walking," she says, after taking a breath.