mother knows best

[powershines]

Rapunzel doesn't sleep well, and she does wind up wrapped up in her hair overnight like a golden-cocooned butterfly. She's still dozing fitfully when the sun comes up.

Comments

[hisowninvention]

"Yeah, I don't believe that either. And I won't read them, but I can't speak for anybody else. Come up with a code, maybe? So you're the only one who can read it in the first place? A locked box might work too, but - well - locks can be opened in a variety of ways."

[powershines]

"I was thinking a code, yeah. The question is how to memorize it without leaving enough of it written down for someone else to figure out how to read it if they wanted to."

[hisowninvention]

He thinks about this. "Invent it with notes on how it works, write it in a lot until you're used to it, then destroy the notes? And keep them with you all the time until you do - or with me, if you're going somewhere you can't take them along easily - so nobody else can get at them?"

[powershines]

"Or I could come up with some - paragraph or poem or something that I can memorize word for word, and write that in code, and know how to refer to it."

[hisowninvention]

"That'll work too, if you can pull it off."

[powershines]

"I think I can. It'll be slow and clunky for writing my thoughts out in for a long time, though."

[hisowninvention]

"Well, when you really want to go fast for the thinking part - write them out normal, copy the parts you want to save into code, destroy the rest before anybody gets a chance to look at it? You're a princess now, you can have all the paper you want."

[powershines]

"I probably can have all the paper I want, can't I?"

[hisowninvention]

"Yep!"

[powershines]

"Okay, I have a plan. I wonder who I ask for paper. I guess I could ask a guard but I don't think those ones are supposed to be out of sight of me..."

[hisowninvention]

"We could go looking together for someone to ask."

[powershines]

"Yeah. The tour didn't really go into the servants' wing..."

Out of her room she goes, braid swaying. She asks a guard. She gets directions to the head of household's officey-place just off the kitchen.

[hisowninvention]

Rolan, as is now firmly his habit, follows right along.

[makeyourselfuseful]

When they locate the officey-place, it contains a considerable amount of paperwork and one head of household!

She looks at them when they come in.

"Fancy that," she says. "A princess."

[powershines]

"Um. Yes. Hello. I'm - Claribel, but I go by Rapunzel, please."

[makeyourselfuseful]

"Okay. What can I do for you, Rapunzel?"

[powershines]

"I need paper. Blank notebooks would be ideal but looseleaf is fine too. And pens and pencils."

[makeyourselfuseful]

"Well, you sure came to the right place," she says. She fishes around in the various drawers and cabinets of her enormous desk, and comes up with a pen, several pencils, and two canvas-bound blank notebooks. "Will that do for now?"

[powershines]

"Yes, thank you. Um, what's your name?"

[makeyourselfuseful]

"Torea."

[powershines]

"And you do... paper filing things."

[makeyourselfuseful]

"That's one description of my job, yes. I run the palace staff and keep track of the domestic budget. I also happen to be head cook, but only because I can't seem to find a replacement who's better than I am."

[powershines]

"So you're also who I talk to if I want to cook something?"

[makeyourselfuseful]

"Yep!"

[powershines]

"Okay. Thank you."