2nd Floor Common Room, Sunday Afternoon

[bookbeltof_love]

"And then the Princess Ce'na encountered the Maze of Longing with her loyal and faithful knight, Sir Foomy, at her side…," Nina narrated for the sake of the video she was shooting. Of, yes, bird!Vette (now an amnesiac princess bird!Vette) and her loyal jelly demon and the maze that Nina had made out of the common room floor.

It had taken her a few hours of drawing to get how to summon that down pat, but given that the bird princess and the jelly knight slept more than she did, well, Nina had had the time.

And it was worth it to watch Princess Ce'na trepidatiously enter the maze of string-trees and origami leaves that shivered in winds unknown to find, perhaps, a way to regain her memories!

Nina was… still probably not the best one to leave people trapped by tropes with all weekend.

"Would the maze treat them kindly? Or would they never be heard from again???????????"

On cue, there was the cawing laughter of crows.

"And what of the evil Miss Dozy, waiting at the other end of the maze????????"

Miss Dozy yawned, so thoroughly over this game. Nina was undeterred.

[Open, of course! Mind the maze that's taken up most of the floor!]

Comments

[scoffs_at_tradition]

"Hello, Nina!" Shuri said, today having a completely American accent for no real reason. "Have you seen Wayne? He was off to find his Destiny yesterday."

Can you hear the capital-D?

[bookbeltof_love]

"Shuriiiiiiiiii!!!!!!!!!!!! Hi!!!!!!!!!!!"

The accent was going to get a blink but, like, Nina had been dealing with Amnesiac Princess Bird!Vette for most of the weekend so an accent was hardly anything.

Destiny though... of course she got the capital-D.

"Ohmygosh, I haven't!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Did he, like, say what his Destiny was???????????????"

[scoffs_at_tradition]

"He has to find an amulet," Shuri said, eyes wide. "Have you seen one?"

[bookbeltof_love]

"I don't think so," Nina said, her eyes just as wide, since there was nothing Nina loved more than a good, tragic story about Destiny and Love. "But, like, maybe the Magic Box would have something like that???????????????"

[scoffs_at_tradition]

"Ooooooh," Shuri said. "For sale, one Amulet of Destiny!"

That seemed anticlimactic.

[bookbeltof_love]

A little.

"But, like, I bet it can't be bought with money," Nina suggested, even though money was, in fact, what the Magic Box took as payment. "Like, something like an Amulet of Destiny would have to be special and need a payment just as special!!!!!!!!!!!!! Perhaps he'll have to defeat fearsome monsters or give away his ability to love!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

[scoffs_at_tradition]

"It better not be giving away his ability to love!"

That was far too vehement, Shuri.

[bookbeltof_love]

"It would be a fitting price," Nina said, assuming an idle air.

She was not at all idle or as uncurious as she appeared.

"I mean, like, he does say he likes someone................"

[seriesofbaddecisions]

Sabine had expected that there would be plenty of men here that she could help with their lives. She breezed in in her breezy summer sundress and her breezy purple hair, and... uh.

Surely there'd be a man around in a moment, right?

Did she even exist around only women?

Totally not thinking too much about it, because that wouldn't be breezy, she sat in the corner with a book of poetry you've never heard of.

[bookbeltof_love]

Well.

Sir Foomy was a... manly, manly peanut butter jelly demon? He was also very busy helping Princess Ce'na get through the maze (the going was very slow) and Nina was considering releasing some enemies to make this more exciting for her to film.

"Hiiiiiiiiiii, Saaaaaaaaaaabiiiiiiiiiiiiiiineeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

[seriesofbaddecisions]

"Well hello," Sabine said, breezily, peering at her over her book. "This is very whimsical of you."

She approved. Which made Nina someone else who didn't need her, obviously she was going to have to breeze right on out of town in search of helpless boys who needed to learn to become a very certain kind of man.

[bookbeltof_love]

"I usually am," Nina said cheerfully, a bit bemused at Sabine's changes but willing to roll with it. "Whimsical, I mean???????????? Right up until I'm not.............."

But that wasn't something to talk about now, was it?

"Do you think, like, that their love has a chance????????????" Nina asked, gesturing at her maze and the two bumbling through it.

Despite the fact that Princess Ce'na had wings and just wasn't using them. Plot dictates.

[seriesofbaddecisions]

"Love always has a chance, as long as you're willing to try!"

...It was almost like that answer was automatic. Maybe she'd been dying to say it to someone.

[bookbeltof_love]

"You know, Sabine," Nina said, entirely earnestly, "you're right!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Love always finds a way!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

The thing was this was just Nina being normal.

[seriesofbaddecisions]

"Exactly," Sabine said. "You just have to put yourself out there."

...And went back to her poetry, because how did she have a conversation?

[in_sidon_we_trust]

After making his impassioned speech at the wedding, Sidon wasted absolutely no time in heading for the dorms, running as fast as his short legs could carry him. Thankfully, he only had to go up enough steps to get him to the second floor, but he was already quite breathless as he went rushing by the common room.

And then came rushing right back.

"Nina!" he called out, upon spotting the fair, flaxen-haired maid. "It is imperceptive that I find Vette! Have you see---AH! There she is!"

And so he waltzed right in and scooped her right up out of the labyrinth to hold her aloft to tell her the wonderful news. "Vette! It's incredible! I have finally decided! I am ashamed to admit that it has taken me so terrible long, but I have chosen! I choose you! I choose to follow my heart! I choose love! I henceforth renounce my throne, so that we may be together, now and for the rest of our days!

"If," he added, his grin going a little sheepish at the bird, "you shall even have me, that is..."

[bookbeltof_love]

Princess Ce'na was mostly just going to chirp at him, incredibly confused and distraught by this strange being picking her up out of the maze without so much a by-your-leave and leaving poor Sir Foomy to his own devices.

Sir Foomy, obviously, was going to have to go on a Quest to Save Princess Ce'na!

"Siiiiiiiiiiidon!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You're ruining the plot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Nina. Nina. What were your priorities?!

Even if she was quite stunned and delighted at the pure devotion of his declaration.

[in_sidon_we_trust]

And Sidon blinked. He blinked at Nina, and then at the bird in his hands, and then down at the maze at his feet and the angry little jelly demon within it. And then back at Nina.

"Oh," he said. "Oh, dear. Oh, goodness. Oh, I see...Well, I am terribly sorry about that, Nina, but you must understand. I am declaring my love and renouncing my throne right now. It...is rather important...."

[bookbeltof_love]

Brave Princess Ce'na was slowly, ever so slowly making for a Grand Escape--maybe the budget would even let her use her wings!--as Nina stood.

"Honestly, Sidon," Nina said, sighing, though she did smile up at him. "And it is very important, I understand," did you really, Nina? "but, like, Princess Ce'na is currently on quest to find her memories!!!!!!!!!!!!! You can't declare your affections and renounce your throne until she's found herself, now can you?????????????"

And, before Princess Ce'na could use her wings--darnit, budget--Nina scooped up the bird princess and set her down, primly, where Sir Foomy would be able to rescue her without too much difficulty.

[in_sidon_we_trust]

"Well," said Sidon, still looking a bit stricken as he found the love of his life, whom he was giving up everything for, just whisked away so matter-of-factly, just like that, and he frowned slightly, "I suppose you've a point there, Nina...."

So he did the only thing he could think of, crouching down so that he might watch the proceeding of his beloved and her brave jelly knight through the maze, eager to cheer them on should they need the encouragement.

"It won't take too long, though, will it?" he asked.

And then the rest caught up with him.

"Wait! Did you say Princess??"

[bookbeltof_love]

"I did!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Nina said cheerfully, fetching her phone again to keep on recording their Mad Adventures through the maze. "It's all she remembers, having woken up without any other knowledge and being chased by perilous monsters and escaping death several times over!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Nina knelt down, folding her skirt primly around her knees, as she made sure the recording looked great.

"Sir Foomy is an invaluable and loyal companion to her!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If not for him, then the evil Miss Dozy would have eaten her several times over!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

[in_sidon_we_trust]

"Well, this is wonderful news!" said Sidon, though he didn't sound quite as enthusiastic about it as one might expect, as something else was suddenly putting a weight of dread in his stomach. "Why, if she truly is a princess, then I might not need to renounce my throne at all! But...Nina!"

And here he frowned deeply with concern.

"What if, while on this incredible voyage, Vette should find herself falling in love with none other than her brave and dutiful knight? Then where would I be?"

[seriesofbaddecisions]

Oh, thank god.

Sabine watched with a little bit of a smirk on her face, because of course she did that.

"I see my job here is done," she said.

[in_sidon_we_trust]

"Oh, Sabine!" Sidon grinned at her with each and every one of his sparkling teeth. "I couldn't have done it without you!" He pumped his fist. "And your splendid words of timely wisdom!"

[seriesofbaddecisions]

"All in a day's work," she said with a curtsy.