Introducing Benvolio

[keep_the_peace]

Waking up in a strange bedroom, in a strange house, was bad enough, but then when Benvolio finally made his way to the front door he was greeted by snow outside. Summer might be coming to an end, but it definitely is not snow weather yet, nor is Benvolio dressed for such, in his black silk doublet, black and blue trimmed trunk hose, and black stockings. He does have shoes on, thankfully, though he can't imagine how he would have fallen asleep wearing shoes. It's not like he's had much opportunity to celebrate to the point of blacking out lately, after all.

Regardless, he takes one look at the snow outside and decides to shut the door and instead turn his attention to the table covered in different pamphlets and papers. He has many questions.

Comments

[ravkanwitch]

Someone new at the welcome table! Nina doesn't think it's time for another visitor's day, so it must be so. "Hello," she says, friendly. "My name's Nina."

[keep_the_peace]

It has been some time since he first arrived (how long? great question! An Amount.) but Benvolio has wandered back to the table to reread the information, trying to make sense of any of it. It's difficult to understand, on many levels, but he's trying, and therefore no one should criticize him.

When he hears someone addressing him, he turns and smiles, giving her a polite bow. "Good day, Lady Nina. I am Benvolio, of Verona."

[ravkanwitch]

"Benvolio," she repeats to remember. "It's good to meet you. Verona, where the Capulets and... the Montagues are?" The memory is hazy. She talked about this with Mercutio when she was a different version of herself, but Nina has been trained into remembering names, especially when they're influential names.

[keep_the_peace]

"Aye! I am a Montague," he offers, just, for some information, if Nina cares. "Did Mercutio tell you of Verona, or did you know of it before arriving here?"

[ravkanwitch]

Nina's friendly smile fades slightly. She's also not in the habit of freely giving away information about someone to somebody else who claims to know them. "We talked about it briefly. What's your relationship with Mercutio?"

[keep_the_peace]

Benvolio catches her mood shift, unsure of why it is happening. Does she not like Mercutio? "He is my closest and dearest friend, and one who I thought I had lost until my arrival here." His mind flashes back to those final moments with him in Verona, holding him -- he tries to push it from his mind. After all, Mercutio is alive and well now. None of that matters anymore, right?

[ravkanwitch]

Nina will verify this with Mercutio later, but she nods, relaxing slightly. She wants to ask Benvolio what happened ...but that definitely doesn't seem like a first time meeting discussion. "What do you think so far? Have you found a room yet?"

[keep_the_peace]

"Oh, aye, I have been shown around already!" Just don't ask for any specifics about any of that yet, as they haven't happened yet despite having already happened. "'Tis a large house, that is certain. I came back by here to study." He motions toward the welcome table and all of its assorted information sheets.

[ravkanwitch]

"What else do you want to learn about? Well, maybe who else. I know a lot of the good gossip," she tells Benvolio, with a bit of cheekiness.

[keep_the_peace]

He smiles. "Who should I know of?"

[ravkanwitch]

Nina tilts her head with a matching little smile. "That depends. Are you looking to have fun or are you looking to avoid trouble?"

[keep_the_peace]

"With Mercutio already here I doubt it possible to avoid trouble for too long," he says with a laugh.

[ravkanwitch]

Nina giggles. "Mercutio is trouble. But if you ever need help getting out of trouble, Sagramore is who you should find."

[keep_the_peace]

“Sagramore,” he repeats, to commit the name to memory. “He is particularly good at solutions, I take it?”

[ravkanwitch]

"Not particularly, no," Nina says slowly, attempting to be both tactful and truthful. "If you want good solutions, Susan Pevensie is who you need. But if you want someone who will listen to you and genuinely try his best to help you, that's Sagramore."

[keep_the_peace]

"'Tis its own sort of solution, I suppose. Equally important, at any rate."

[ravkanwitch]

"Exactly. And if you need any explanations for anything more, um, modern... either Magnus or Shen Yuan is the best person to get it from. You'll see what I mean. Did you know that the kitchen has something that always keeps the food cold?"

[keep_the_peace]

"Ay, I believe Mercutio called it a... freeridgerator?"

[ravkanwitch]

"Refrigerator. Or fridge," Nina says, gently. "I thought it was the most magical thing I've ever seen when I first came here."

[keep_the_peace]

"I know not if it be the refrigerator or the lamps that seem the most magical to me. Even more magical than the closets which produce clothing at will," he laughs. "Clothing belongs in closets, cold does not belong in a box."

[ravkanwitch]

"It keeps the food fresh!" Nina says, perhaps a little too excitedly. "Did you know that it works with gas and not with ice? The gas somehow takes the heat from inside the fridge to the outside."

[keep_the_peace]

"It does sound as if you are describing magic, my lady," he laughs.

[ravkanwitch]

"It's not magic. If you want magic, there's plenty of that to be found here. If you ever meet the angel, Mr. Fell, you should ask him for a magic show! He's an incredible magician."

[keep_the_peace]

"What -- what doth he do?" Benvolio is picturing, you know, biblical angel stuff. Definitely not the kinds of things Mr. Fell actually gets up to.

[ravkanwitch]

"Card tricks! He makes rabbits appear out of hats, too."