; [interlude/closed post]

[quote_gentle_unquote]

After a few dances -- with several attendees, but mostly with Lancelot -- Susan liberates two bottles of wine and a plate of food from the ballroom and slips off to go find Janet. Luckily, after struggling to track Lancelot down earlier in the week, she's made a point of mapping the location of everyone's rooms, and so she doesn't have to search to find Janet's.

She raps on the door with the back her hand, careful not to let the food or the wine jostle overmuch. "Diplomatic envoy for Queen Janet of Fillory," she calls.

Comments

[sorrowandsorrow]

"That's such an important consideration." Janet clinks her mug against Susan's to acknowledge the brilliance on display. "Sagramore really needs to regret what he gave up as the elephants and unicorns and whatever else storm the place."

[quote_gentle_unquote]

"Perhaps some form-fitting chain mail," says Susan, thoughtfully. "Under leather armor. He shall rue the day." She thinks for a moment. "Do you think we could train a tiger to let you ride it? Silly question, actually; if it's a Talking Beast surely it will be amenable to the requests of a Queen."

[sorrowandsorrow]

Janet actually musters up a pretty sincere laugh for that one. "The talking animals of Narnia must be more predictable than the ones in Fillory. Still, I bet we could make it work either way. Just figure out what kind of booze the tiger likes and strike a deal."

[quote_gentle_unquote]

"Alcohol if the tiger should be Fillorian; a boon if it should be Narnian," says Susan with a solemn nod. "Shall I ride behind you, firing flaming arrows?"

[sorrowandsorrow]

"Queen Susan," Janet intones, "I would love nothing more. They'll never know what hit them." A beat. "Actually, they'll know all too well. It'll be amazing."

[quote_gentle_unquote]

"I do so love to kill multiple birds with one stone." Susan switches her wine mug to her left hand and slips her right arm around Janet's shoulders. "A glorious conquest, and once the mansion is aflame, it neatly solves the problem of inventorying a place that likes to change its belongings every time you dare to look the other way."

[sorrowandsorrow]

Janet's still for a second, and then she lets herself lean against Susan again. "Yep, this place is insane. I'm pretty sure that Jacuzzi didn't exist until I wanted it to. It's like Fillory on speed sometimes." The fact that she still can't figure out any of the magic drives her crazy. Almost as crazy as the fact that she's sure Alice would have the entire thing solved by now.

[quote_gentle_unquote]

"There's a closet upstairs that's just full of pencil shavings," Susan tells her. "To what purpose, I can't possibly imagine."

[sorrowandsorrow]

"Jesus Christ." Janet laughs again, then has another sip of wine. "I really wish I was better at magic theory."

[quote_gentle_unquote]

"You think there's an explanation for all this?"

[sorrowandsorrow]

"There has to be, right? Magic always has rules. They're not always obvious, but they're always there. I just..." She sighs. "It wasn't my best subject. I passed my exams, but that was a long time ago now."

[quote_gentle_unquote]

Susan considers this for a few moments, sipping her wine while she thinks. "In Narnia there was magic, and then there was Deep Magic. I'm afraid I was never terribly clear on how either sort worked."

[sorrowandsorrow]

"All magic is insanely complicated." Janet pauses around a mouthful of wine. "Where I'm from, anyway. I know we talked about that. Like, it's blood, sweat, and tears just to pull off your first basic spell."

[quote_gentle_unquote]

"Yes, hence the future welters handicap," Susan nods.

[sorrowandsorrow]

"Shen Yuan is going to regret the day he was born." Janet hesitates, but just for a second, and then shifts her weight to lean her head on Susan's shoulder and shut her eyes.

[quote_gentle_unquote]

Susan gives into instinct and presses a kiss to the crown of Janet's head.

[sorrowandsorrow]

For a split second, Janet freezes. It's not disgust or anything. It's surprise. Then she feels herself smiling, and she gives Susan's thigh a fond little squeeze about it. She already said thanks, so she won't say it again, but that's the basic sentiment.

[quote_gentle_unquote]

Susan doesn't need any thanks; she's perfectly happy to be skipping the party and hanging out with Janet instead. After a few minutes, she ventures, "Did you have attendants in Fillory? Ladies of the bedchamber or the like?"

[sorrowandsorrow]

"Ladies of the bedchamber," Janet repeats with amusement. "Not really. I mean, there were some servants at Castle Whitespire before it got obliterated, but not really like that." She fights back another smile and looks up at Susan, but without moving her head from where it's resting. "Why do you ask?"

[quote_gentle_unquote]

"We didn't in Narnia, either, which is quite queer if you think about it," says Susan. "I mean, I suppose most of our small pool of servants hadn't any opposable thumbs, but on Earth and in all the stories, queens are closely attended. Usually by someone in the peerage, if memory serves." She pauses - she hopes that most of these queens are being fully serviced by their ladies. How deliciously forbidden that would be!

For all that she's given to fussing over the people she cares about, she's never really been one to seek out tending to a lover in any particular way. Still, it does seem rather romantic, in the classical sense, and it's clear that Janet is having more of a moment than Susan tonight. She shifts a little so that she can stroke her hand over the hair falling down Janet's back. "This might be heretical to say in Europe, but I imagine a queen could be considered a peer."

[sorrowandsorrow]

Janet's quiet again for a second. Her hand is still on Susan's thigh, which is comfortingly solid under the gown, and she rubs her thumb against it. "We're not in Europe," she points out. "We're not anywhere that we know of. I think we can do whatever. Also," she adds with another glance up at Susan, "I'm the other queen here, and I say you're right."

[quote_gentle_unquote]

Susan presses another kiss to Janet's head; this one lands on her temple. "In that case," she says, aiming for a flirty, teasing tone. "Would Your Majesty like me to attend to her tonight?"

[sorrowandsorrow]

That makes Janet laugh, or at least gets a small huff of amusement out of her. "I'm not about to deny Her Other Majesty whatever she wants," she says, keeping her tone mostly pretty light.

[quote_gentle_unquote]

"Diplomacy is a jolly wonderful thing," Susan says, matching Janet's tone. "A good way to affirm our newly-signed war treaty."

[sorrowandsorrow]

"Politics isn't so bad after all." There's another exhale of a laugh, and Janet drains her second mug of wine. She's feeling better, and she thinks it might not even be the booze. "This lady and her bedchamber are getting a serious upgrade."