Not Another One [Alan, Tulio, Chel]

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Henry walked into his bedroom one day to find the third bed finally taken. He groaned and rolled his eyes. As if it wasn't bad enough having one and a half roommates, now there would be three other people sharing the space.

He dumped his fencing gear and backpack on the ground and flopped onto his bed. "Okay," he said, his voice half muffled by the pillow. He turned so his face was clear and looked over at the new roommate. "What's your story?"

He rolled over in bed. "I would get up and say hello, but I just got out of fighter practice and I'm more than a little sore. Anyway. I'm Henry Charming." He glanced down at the small gold circlet he left hanging over the end of his bedpost. "And you are...?"

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Alanna had been in her new room in the boys dorms exactly five minutes when one of her room mates entered. This was a concept that was new to her. In Corus, she had had her own room. Even after becoming Jonathan's squire, she had a room that was merely adjacent to his. She wasn't sure how she felt about sharing a room, since it would make changing and bathing - though she didn't see a tub in here anyway, she desperately hoped they weren't all group baths here - especially hard. Perhaps she could just claim she was shy about her body - 'his' body. Would her room mates believe that? She prayed they would.

When the young man entered, Alanna stood, even though he laid down. When he introduced himself, she bowed. "Squire Alan of Trebond. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Henry Charming." She too glanced at the gold ring and was slightly confused. Surely that was a crown? But if so, why was he treating it so poorly? And why hadn't he introduced himself with his titles? It made no sense to her. "I came here today, from Tortall."

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Henry waved the guy down. "Stop bowing, you're making me look bad. This isn't really the place for formality. I mean, we're going to be living together, and we're probably going to hate each other at some point, so better to just start getting to know one another now." He rolled over and sat up on his bed, stretching out his back.

"Tortall? Never heard of it. Anything like this world?" He popped his neck. "Wait, no, you said 'squire,' right? Squire Alan?" He frowned. "So I guess you like knights pretty well, huh?"

Not that knights couldn't do good things. One had recently saved his life. But Henry still wasn't overly fond of them. "Well I guess if you're going go be all 'Squire Alan' you might as well know. That bed over there is Tulio's. He claims he's some sort of emperor-god or something. So I guess he outranks all of us. And then I'm a prince, and you as squire. So that's everything, I guess. Oh, and Chel. She hangs out with Tulio a lot."

Henry finished stretching his back and slumped back onto his pillow, folding his arms over his chest and looking up at the ceiling. "Don't mind me. I'm just going to try to take a quick nap here. And if Tulio comes in, you can tell him I'm sleeping."

He hoped Tulio wouldn't just barge in.

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Alanna sat at the... request? Command? Whatever it was, she knew enough royalty, supposing this boy was a prince, who preferred to skip formalities when they weren't under public eye. "Alright, can we start with your name?" she inquired after he said something about getting to know one another. It would be a good thing to get to know the people she lived with, even if living with them seemed strange to her.

"Yes, I plan to be a knight. This world is very different, it's so strange that they share rooms here. Along with the people in the boxes they showed me. And lights that don't burn." Alanna was frowning slightly as she finished. "It will require some adjustment, but I'm sure I'll manage... What was your world like? If you don't mind telling me."

Alanna had no idea Henry's dislike for knights. In her experience the only people who disliked knights as a whole were evil people, though she could absolutely understand disliking a slave master, no cruel knights existed thanks to the Chamber of the Ordeal. Squires, on the other hand, she could understand. If she hadn't beaten Ralon of Malven he would have turned into a cruel squire and ultimately failed the Ordeal of Knighthood. "Very well, I will take the bed that you do not prefer. I wouldn't want to impose, even if you weren't royalty... But I thought girls weren't allowed in the boys dormitories?"

Alanna nodded quickly. "I won't disturb you, then." She settled her things, not that there was much of it, at the end of her bed, wondering if this prince would become as good a friend to her as Jonathan had. Probably not, after all she had known Jonathan for what seemed like lifetimes. They knew each other so well, probably because they'd been through so much together. Nothing like that could happen here, right? There would be nothing like the Sweating Sickness or the Ysandir... Would there?

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"We're not," said a voice at the doorway. Said owner of the voice soon flounced into the room, lifting a hand to brush aside her nearly waist length hair. Without any compunction or reservation, she strolled over to the section of room that Henry had indicated as Tulio's and began rummaging through things. She did pause to look over her shoulder, first at the new arrival, then at Henry. "That's unless we're very sneaky."

She reached down, bending till she came out with what was most definitely a hair tie of some kind. Nodding, she reached back and began tying back the thick mane of hair, turning to face the two as she did.

"Who's this, Henry?" she asked, looking at Alan, but flicking her eyes to Henry. "New friend? Boyfriend, maybe? He's definitely cute..."

Chel ran her eyes over the new arrival with a look of appraisal generally reserved for cuts of meat or new horses. At some point, she'd managed to finish tying back her hair, which she let flop against her back. There was a little more arranging, but things were mostly settled there. Which allowed Chel to continue eying the new arrival, clearly trying to figure out what she could do to, or with, him.

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"What about my name?" he asked, suddenly defensive. "Where I come from, the Charming name is very respectable. I really don't need more people making fun of me for having a strange name." Like he didn't get enough of that from just about everyone else at this school.

"Oh yeah," Henry said, listening to the descriptions. "I remember when I first got here. The TVs and the lights and the phones really threw me. And I even got told about them before I came." He yawned and rubbed an eye. "My home? Castles, dragons, wizards, evil curses on beautiful princesses. All that sort of thing. No indoor plumbing. Drafty rooms. Lots of people hitting each other with sharp weapons in the name of glory. Lots of good things. I'm guessing yours is the same?"

Henry rolled his eyes as Chel pranced into the room. "And you are the absolute definition of sneakiness," he said sarcastically. "I can practically feel 'sneak' oozing off of you." Chel was perhaps the most conspicuous person that Henry knew--he wasn't really sure if it was possible for her to blend into a group, at least not any of the groups here. "How do you get into the building, anyway?"

He was tempted to get upset at the insinuation, but it was only Chel making the claim. He'd been around long enough to recognize her version of a joke. "Nope. Just a new roommate. Try to leave him alone? For one I don't think Tulio would appreciate it, and I don't think Alan would, either." Henry wasn't actually sure about Alan, but he did know that he hadn't enjoyed most of his run-ins with Chel, and sometimes his conscience got to him about inflicting her on others.

"Oh, I forgot introductions." Henry sat up on the bed again. "Chel, Alan. Alan, Chel. Alan's a squire, Chel's a..." He ran through a list of descriptions in his head and finally settled on one he hoped wouldn't get him into too much trouble. "Woman." Then he flopped back onto his bed.

"Now if you don't mind I'm going to try to get some sleep and hope some of these bruises go away before I have to wake up."

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((woops that's what happens when a role player doesn't pay attention. I forgot that Henry gave his name. Because it's super hard to look at two posts to see *sarcasm*))
"That's not what I meant at all. I'm sorry to have insulted you," Alanna said with slightly wide eyes. "It's just, where I come from names include the place from where your family hails - for instance, Alan of Trebond - or something about you or your family. Smith, Baker, and Miller are common, with occasional Browns or Fosters... I was wondering what your name implied. You needn't tell me if you do not wish to, of course. I was merely curious. I apologize for my lapse in manners."

Alanna listened to the description with a small smile. At least she wouldn't be the only one here. How lucky it was that she had even been put in the same room as someone from a similar place. It would probably be helpful to have someone who had already adjusted to the - what had they called it? Technology? - of the time close at hand. Someone who could explain things in a way that she would more easily understand. "Yes, mine is similar, though dragons are myths and I cannot think of the last time someone was foolish enough to use a direct spell on royalty, though indirect is another question altogether."

Alan wasn't quite sure how to respond to Chel. In fact, she did nothing but watch her until she suggested that Alanna and Henry were together. "No, nothing like that," she said affirmatively. It was a moment before 'Alan' realized what the girl he was just being introduced to was looking at him for and he couldn't stop himself from frowning. No matter how much Alan hated being a girl, she would certainly never be with a girl. "And I do apologize, miss, but as Henry stated I am not interested."

"I don't think bruises heal more rapidly the more you sleep, though," Alanna informed her new room mate, trying to focus on him once again rather than on Chel.

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"I do ooze it, don't I?" said Chel, grinning at Henry. How did she get in? She winked: "It's a secret."

Chel had arranged herself on Tulio's bed, but had proven in just those few moments that she wasn't all that great at sitting still. She'd begun rummaging through Tulio's things, clearly demonstrating a great concern for other people's possessions. Her gaze kept drifting toward Henry's side of the room, and she bit her lip. See, this was the hard part about living sort of a sloppy life: you couldn't always remember where you put everything. Chel was usually better at this, but the new guy was throwing things off.

"Right, woman," agreed Chel, flashing another tight smile to Henry before turning a much more genuine one on Alan. "And it only took Henry months to realize that. You'd think it would be a little easier," Chel sighed, then rolled her eyes to the ceiling, "but I am just so sneaky."

And now she was back to being so very stealthy in admiring Alan. Really striking, actually. Was it just the light, or were those purple eyes? And here Chel thought that Tulio had a nice pair. Well, she'd recently decided that Tulio could go run off with Miguel or whatever (not that she was moving; she was comfortable).

"Riiiight, not interested," Chel's grin had a bit of a slant to it now. "Seems like lots of squires aren't interested. Happened with another one too. Know what happened with him?" she leaned forward, her grin widening. "We went horse-back riding."

She was tactfully leaving off the part about how Brianna had been a girl all along, and Chel had been remarkably dense about---actually, now that she thought about that... but surely that wouldn't happen twice...

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"Oh," Henry said, a little upset he'd gotten so worked up. "Well Charming is the royal family name. I think the word actually comes from our name...or maybe that was just a legend. Anyway. So yeah. Prince Charming, King Charming. Charming is royalty in my world. And all those other things associated with the name, but those aren't hereditary."

Henry snorted at Chel. "You ooze something," he muttered. "So that's a secret, but everything else you do is common knowledge. You need to learn mysterious better." Ah, the joy of bantering, even when it would never actually sink in.

"Well it was hard to tell, really, when all I ever--" Realizing what he was about to say, Henry bit back his words so quickly he snapped his tongue in the process. Wincing, he said, "You know, nevermind." He hadn't forgotten all of his manners just yet.

He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to ignore the conversation. He didn't want to get involved...he wouldn't get involved. Alan would figure out to say no to Chel or he would have to suffer the consequences. "Don't let her fool you," he said as a final warning. "She's not as smooth as she likes to pretend."

Feeling the aches of the day begin to sink in, he wrinkled up his face. "Don't spoil my fun. I like to pretend that I can get better just by doing something I like. You don't know how many black eyes have been healed by pizza." He moved his jaw from side to side, feeling it pop slightly out of place. "Maybe you're able to take pain better, but I'm still getting used to it."

As he lay there, though, he realized how absolutely disgusting he felt, covered in sweat and dirt. How was he supposed to sleep like this? Sighing, he stood up and grabbed his towel from off the end of the bed. "I'm going to shower. I'll be back in a few minutes. You--" he pointed at Chel "--are welcome to leave, since Tulio isn't here and neither of us are really interested in having you around." And with that he walked away.

[He'll return in the next post. Until then have fun talking behind his back.]

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It was too bad that the word the Prince deemed most appropriate for that was 'woman'. It was as though he was saying all women were like that. Even if more than a few were, Alanna's godmother Lady Catherine included, not all of them were... Though she supposed Henry's world could be different, it seemed strange that it would be.

"Well I really am not interested," Alanna insisted. She was so glad that Garry or Raoul weren't here, they would try to get her to go somewhere with this girl, and for some reason, she didn't strike Alanna as someone who kept secrets easily. "I'm here to continue my education, that's it."

'Alan' kept quiet as Henry left, hoping desperately that Chel would take his advice and just leave. Some part of her realized that this girl wouldn't, though. That part wished even more that Henry wouldn't leave her alone with the other young woman.

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"You're right," said Chel, again flashing a devil-may-care smile toward Henry, "I'm so much smoother than that."

Though right now, her smoothness and attentions were riveted upon the new arrival. He didn't look quite as opulent as Henry did, which likely ruled out prince. Which meant that he was less a mark for Tulio, and more the kind of guy that Chel bothered. You could always count on a lonely squire for a few drinks or a few coins here and there. Chel had made a lovely habit of not paying for anything since her arrival, and she certainly didn't plan on picking up the cheques now.

Henry pointed and commented, drawing Chel's attention for about a half a second. She wiggled a few fingers at him, and made absolutely no motion to leave. Why would she? she'd been here since before either of these two had arrived, so she certainly didn't see a reason to leave now. Besides, things had just gotten more interesting.

"Aww, that's cute. A squire who's all dedicated. Bet you want to become a knight and everything," said Chel. She rose, walked over to Alan's bed, and plopped on it as if he'd invited her. "C'mon, Alan. It's no fun to be all uptight and stuff. You'll end up like Henry then. Who wants that?"

She waved a hand dismissively. "The only thing charming about him is his name, and I'm pretty sure he just stole that when nobody was looking."

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Alanna had doubts about Chel's charm from the brief moment's she'd known the girl. Perhaps it was a kind of charm that only worked on real males, and not on Henry for some reason. That was doubtful, and she really wished that this girl would leave her alone.

With a sigh, 'Alan' started to answer Chel's question, "If I didn't want to become a knight, I wouldn't have become a squire. I am determined to get my shield before I do anything else, and my training comes before everything." She had to stop herself from adding 'especially girls' at the end of that. "So, yes, I want to become a knight, and I am dedicated. If that makes me like my room mate, who I do not know well enough to say whether I would want to be like him or not, then fine. I don't see any of that as a bad thing, even if I don't get dates." She never actually thought she would have to explain all that, let alone to a girl.

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"Oh yeah, you're definitely a squire," said Chel. She rolled her eyes to the ceiling, deepening her voice. "I live to serve my liege. My training is everything to me. I had them shove the sword up my butt when I signed up for the training."

she chuckled a bit, rocking back onto the bed, her hands gripped on the edge to give her some purchase. She turned to look toward the shower. It was a bit unfair, painting Henry in such a bad light. Sure, he was a stick in the mud, but he also hadn't done a whole lot to get Chel removed. He just complained. A lot. Not that it would really matter if he had done anything, but still.

Chel looked back at Alan. "Let me guess: you've sworn revenge or something? You need to learn to relax, Bright Eyes. Being a knight's not all about being uptight, right?"

She leaned over and elbowed Alan, chuckling again. she extended her legs, looking down at them for a moment, before turning back to Alan. Mischief danced in her eyes. "Anyone ever told you you have pretty eyes?"

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"Yeah, but usually they said that right after a kiss," Henry said, walking into the room. He had his towel wrapped around his waist and shirt thrown over his shoulder. He cleaned some water from one ear with a pinky as he walked.

Looking between Chel and Alan, he frowned. "It looks like your conversation has progressed very well," he said. "Has she stopped picking on you yet?" he asked, looking at Alan and gesturing to Chel.

"Would you mind turning around?" he said to the girl in the room. "I need to get dressed, and maybe it makes me medieval but I do still come from the 1300s and I don't exactly want to have to change in front of a girl."

He turned to his bed and pulled a mostly clean shirt out from under the wadded-up sheets, then dug around in a drawer until he found a clean pair of underwear. He slid the shirt on and put his underwear on as he dropped the towel, then pulled on his old pair of jeans.

"So are you guys done talking now? Or is it still going to be impossible to make this a quiet zone?"

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"I didn't just sign up, my father sent me, as is tradition... And no, I haven't sworn revenge. I've sworn to protect my kingdom, and I'll do whatever it takes to make sure I can... Besides, I'm not always uptight. I had friends before I came here," Alanna huffed. "I had friends and I spent my free time in town. I just work as much as I need to to be the best I can be."

Alanna was taken aback by that. "N-no, no one has ever said that," she stammered, then continued quickly, "I spend all my time around other boys and we don't exactly stare into each other's eyes. Or anyone else's eyes either. And no one pays attention to our eyes." She nodded as if that settled everything.

'Alan' was more than used to seeing boys in less clothing than even some of their lovers saw. She'd been to the pond with her friends every day in the summer, and George had had a habit of wearing hardly anything before he found out she was a girl. She was casual as he changed, not staring and not looking at anything but him. "Wait, 1300's?" she asked, confused. In her world, they were in something like 450 H.E.