exsilium | voice; forward dated to past midnight (action open to anyone around?)

( there's a slight sound of rustling after the feed clicks on, as oz makes himself more comfortable on a seat in the observatory. why he's there late at night — night by circadian rhythms, anyway, simulated nights on the moon — is anyone's guess, or maybe it's obvious enough. in any case, when he speaks up a moment later, he sounds to be in a good enough mood. )

What's your favorite story? Scary ones are probably best for late at night, but what I really want to hear about are everyone's favorites. For instance, something about a princess and a dragon, or maybe a mystery with a twist ending, or something out of history....ah, if you make it up or adapt it from a book, that's fine too! Or even if it's a real one that's happened to someone you know, ( and a light laugh ) — don't worry, I don't tell anyone!

But it's rude to ask without giving my own preference, right? I can start with mine, if anyone wants.

( he'll tell people about holy knight. all about it!!!! don't ask him about it. )

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Hey...think you can tell yours out loud?

[Free bedtime story to get the kid to sleep? Priceless. He's dying here. No one told him toddlers were insomniac early rising freaks.]

Yes, I don't mind. Are you a reader?

( before he dives right into his ~favorite novel series~ )

Uh. Sometimes. When it's required. And there's a cliff notes version I can skim. Yeah.

[That's a no, in case you're keeping score.]

( YEAH THAT sounds like a no. it makes him laugh, but not unkindly )

So you've probably really never heard this story before! That's good. I don't want to bore you with something you already know.

Nope, we're good. Bore away.

Well, there was once a princess who was very beautiful. In fact, she was so beautiful that anyone who looked at her immediately forgot whoever it was that they loved in favor of her, and would ask for her hand in marriage straightaway. But she always turned them down, because who would want to marry someone who only appreciated how she looked, right? One day she would get old like anyone else, and then what? Besides, someone who would throw away their fiancees for a pretty face had to be fickle. Maybe a new most beautiful girl in the world would be born, and then she'd be left alone with a broken heart too.

"I wish I didn't look this way," she cried once when she thought she was alone — but it turns out she wasn't, at all.

[Oz can't see it if course, but there's a little girl trying to pay attention to the story from the other side of this feed. She's tucked into one of the beds, with an exhausted teenager sprawled next to her, waiting for her to doze off. If this works, you're a lifesaver dude.]

Does a witch come along and turn her into a frog?

Something like that! There is a witch, and she approached the princess with the promise of giving her a different appearance. The princess was suspicious, but the witch promised her that the spell could be ended at any time if she wanted. So in the end she agreed, and the witch turned her into a plain-looking girl, maybe a farmer's daughter. It was only then that she asked how to break the spell, and the witch laughed and laughed.

"What's so funny?" the princess asked.

But the witch said that even though she promised the spell could be ended at any time, and it can, she never promised to say how. What she was hoping was that the princess would get so desperate as to go to her family about it, to ransom the information. But something else happened instead.

What happened?

The princess shrugged and said, "That's that, then."

She picked up her skirts and walked into the city proper, selling some of her goal hairpieces for money and supplies, and then left the city too. She'd always enjoyed being active, so the walk wasn't a problem. Along the way, she sold her fine slippers for sturdier shoes, but held onto her gown — it was pretty and ostentatious and would do well for something else to sell if it came down to it. Eventually, she came across a lonely hut by a forest where an old woman lived alone. The old woman said that she'd used to have a larger family, but her husband had died from old age and her children had grown up and left, those that were still alive. So the princess decided to look after her.

Was it a gingerbread house?

Hahah, no, it was a normal house. They were able to live quietly for years, until a nobleman rode by their home and asked for shelter for the night. He couldn't recognize the princess of course, but there was something about her that seemed strange. So he asked and asked until she finally decided to explain her story. Well, the nobleman had news for her — since they lived in such a lonesome place, they didn't get news of the outside world often — and a lot had happened to her kingdom since she left!

The witch had taken over!

Why?

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