(Untitled)

[amazonofthe21st]

I was using loneliness and now it's using me.Just after sunset, a girl makes her way carefully down the stairs. Careful, because less than that would mean stumbling, and in her current condition, stumbling would probably lead to falling. She's hardly dressed for the weather either, and the tips of fingers and toes might be an unhealthy shade of

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[jealous_rose]

Rosalie sits down sometime after Rachel has fallen asleep. She doesn't have anything with her-- nothing to read, nothing to eat or drink. She's just sitting there, staring into the fire and thinking. So her gaze may wander to the sleeping girl from time to time, as she loses herself in thought.

[jealous_rose]

Rosalie smiles back, and returns to her chair. She sits gracefully, tucking one ankle behind the other.

"How long have you been coming to Milliways?" she asks. It's a bland topic of conversation, but a topic at least, not intrusive and a good point of reference.

[amazonofthe21st]

It's an easy place to start. On the list of what Rachel would have chosen.

Though for the moment, she's busy feeling grungy and awkward while the other girl moves with such grace.

"A couple of months," she says, already lifting a hand to smooth her hair back again. "Not long, I guess, compared to most. You?"

[jealous_rose]

"About the same, actually. Maybe four or five months, or so." Rosalie tucks her hair behind one ear. "I've known about it much longer, though-- several members of my family have been coming here for quite some time, and it was hard to keep it a secret."

She pauses for a moment, and her eyes are far away. "I didn't much see the point at first, honestly, but the others came here so often I guess I started to feel a little left out." She laughs lightly.

[amazonofthe21st]

Rachel seems to straighten slightly, suddenly more than just casually interested. "Your family comes through here, too?" she asks quietly. "Most people I've met seem to come alone."

As for being left out, Rachel smirks a little and nods. If she knew people going to a magical mystery bar without her, she'd want a way in, too.

[jealous_rose]

"Most of them do, yes," Rosalie replies. "Some more than others. My father works in the infirmary sometimes, actually."

[amazonofthe21st]

"Big family?"

'Most of them' speaks of a pretty big number.

[jealous_rose]

"Seven of us altogether," Rosalie replies. "I suppose we've all been here at least once, come to think of it."

[amazonofthe21st]

"...wow."

She's starting to frown, tiny shifts in expression. Thinking on it and trying not to think about it and invariably glancing to the wall where people occasionally appear through doors she can't see.

People she never recognizes from home.

It might be better that way.

"You just come through randomly, never together?" Rachel smiles, shaking her head. "This place never makes any kind of sense."

[jealous_rose]

"It really doesn't," Rosalie agrees, with a gentle laugh and an angel's smile.

"Actually, we found out that we could get here pretty consistently if we came through the broom closet in our house." A pause. "Weird, I know."

[amazonofthe21st]

"Very Narnia," Rachel agrees, with a smile that is pretty enough, though no one could ever call it angelic.

[jealous_rose]

Rosalie laughs brightly, bell-like.

"It is, isn't it?" she says. "I never thought of it that way."

[amazonofthe21st]

"I'm a source of truly useless information these days." Rachel smirks and settles back into the couch and her blanket, head resting back on the cushion. "But it makes for decent jokes."

[jealous_rose]

"It does," Rosalie agrees, warmly. "I could probably use a good store of useless information-- it would make for much easier conversation.

"Do you read often?" she asks, referencing the allusion to C.S. Lewis.

[amazonofthe21st]

Rachel shrugs. "I used to. Bar gives me magazines sometimes here. But I haven't in a long time, I guess."

As for Lewis, she hesitates, then says with another small smile, "One of my sisters is crazy about the Narnia stories."

Or used to be. It's been a while since Rachel had a real conversation with either of them.

[jealous_rose]

"Oh, really? How many sisters do you have?"