Third Floor Common Room, Wednesday Evening

[ambassadorinara.livejournal.com]

Inara was on her way into the common room to see what was on television when she passed by a rat in a state of dishabillé, hiding behind the door frame, peeking in at a large group of rats in petticoats.

The one in the center was on a chair or stool of some kind, and singing,

Poor wandering one!
Though thou hast surely stra-ayed,
Take heart of grace,
Thy steps retrace,
Poor wandering one!

The singing rat hopped off the stool and gestured toward the door, almost as if she knew the rat in his knickers was standing there, sighing wistfully at her.

Poor wandering one!
If such poor love as mine
Can help thee find
True peace of mind
Why, take it, it is thine!
Take heart, fair days will shine;
Take any heart take mine!

Inara gave the rat a little nudge forward with her foot, then walked into the room and took a seat on the couches, wondering what else she would see.

[ooc: Open! We're in the first act of Pirates of Penzance, if anyone wants to play along!]

Comments

[solo_sword]

Coming back from outside, Jaina stopped in the common room before heading to 313. "I just had a rat chorus add its own soundtrack to me walking up the stairs."

[ambassadorinara.livejournal.com]

"So it's not just here, then?" Inara asked, watching the two rats be drawn to each other from across the room. "It's really quite engrossing."

[solo_sword]

"Have I missed much so far?" she asked, not sure why she was asking, really.

[ella-obeys.livejournal.com]

Ella, very confused, followed the sound of less-squeaky-than-one-would-expect rat voices into the common room.

Take heart, take heart,
Ah! Take any heart but ours,
Take heart! Take heart!

"Do rats often sing in this world?" They did in stories she had read, of course, but many things happened in stories she did not expect to see in her life.

[ambassadorinara.livejournal.com]

"I have absolutely no idea," she said. "Did John mention whether this kind of thing happens a lot here? The history books didn't say anything."

[ambassadorinara.livejournal.com]

"I don't know," Inara admitted. "I'm not exactly from this world. Er, hello, incidentally. I'm Inara."

[ella-obeys.livejournal.com]

"Ella," Ella returned, with a slight bobbing curtsy of introduction. "And hello to you too. I sometimes forget my manners when rodents start singing at me."

She gave a quick smile. "Not that that happens often. Or ever."

[ambassadorinara.livejournal.com]

"Nice to meet you," she laughed, "and I think that's an acceptable reason. Are you a new student?"

[ella-obeys.livejournal.com]

"I was new in May, but I keep getting that question, so I may have kept to myself a bit more than I needed to," Ella answered. "Have you been here long?"

She grinned. "It would be a sad day when I got blasé about rats performing in musical theater, wouldn't it?"

[ambassadorinara.livejournal.com]

"I don't get out much either," she said sheepishly, "but I'm trying to be better about it. I've been here almost a year now."

"Musical theater?" She asked, a bit lost. "Is that what they're doing?"

[laidanegg.livejournal.com]

Dick walked into the common room followed by a scurvy rat eating a piece of pie.

Dick got the impression that this rat didn't read the memo. "Hello," he said.

[solo_sword]

"Here as in Fandom, or Tortuga?" she asked, and shrugged. "I haven't seen him since we got back, anyway, assumedly so either way the answer would be no."

[ambassadorinara.livejournal.com]

"Hello," Inara greeted him with a wave. "That's a, er, lovely rat you have following you?"

She couldn't believe the things this place made her say sometimes, all in the name of civility.

[ella-obeys.livejournal.com]

"I think so?" Ella guessed. "Since they have costumes, and there seems to be a story, kind of. But it may just be their custom -- there's a whole country at home where people sing about everything. Perhaps rats on Tortuga are the same."

[ambassadorinara.livejournal.com]

"I think either would work at this point," she sat down on the arm of the nearest sofa. "At least they seem to be mostly on key?"

[ambassadorinara.livejournal.com]

"You have an entire country where people sing about everything? What happens if you don't know the words, or are tone deaf?"

[ella-obeys.livejournal.com]

Ella smiled at Dick. "I fear the rats may have shown us up before we even got to the karaoke bar," she teased.

[laidanegg.livejournal.com]

"Thanks. He's not mine, though," Dick said. "And I really don't want to know where he got the pie."

[ella-obeys.livejournal.com]

That was a good question.

"You mumble, I suppose," Ella shrugged. "They do it from the cradle, and very few of them are tone deaf, or so my friends who have been there claimed. It's mostly a problem for visitors."

[laidanegg.livejournal.com]

"Just remember that if you don't compete with the rats, they can't show you up," Dick said. "Hopefully they're gone before tomorrow night."

[ella-obeys.livejournal.com]

"Maybe we could coerce them into being backup singers," Ella mused. "Yours seems fond of pie."

[laidanegg.livejournal.com]

"I think mine likes eating more than singing," Dick said. "Although that might actually work in our favor. I mean, we don't want the backup rats to be too good."

[solo_sword]

"First time I'm seeing it," Jaina answered. "We're quirky like that, I think."

[ella-obeys.livejournal.com]

"It's a smart rat," Ella decided. "I'd rather have pie than sing, too. But no, we wouldn't want the back-up rats to demand solos."

[solo_sword]

Jaina tilted her head at the rat, impressed at its ability to multitask, walking and eating pie.