Sitting Pretty (Open to All)

[Genevieve Linton]

Light. Spaciousness. Cleanliness. All were luxuries Genevieve Linton was seldom afforded at the Asylum for Wayward Victorian Girls, a poky, padded cell being her usual place of accommodation. Misery over her plight was always the farthest thing from her mind, however. "Were these treasures perpetually present, they'd be all the less magical, now, wouldn't they?" she often mused. "Besides," she would add with a devious smile, "the fun I have is almost worth the subsequent deprivation more often than not."

Today was one of those rare days when the magic manifested itself in Genny's life - a day of fleeting freedom, spent relaxing in the institution's sitting-room. Stretching herself out on one of the comfy couches, Genny, quite untrue to her usual solitude-loving nature, found herself hoping that someone else might stop by to share her bliss. The sound of approaching footsteps brought a satisfied gleam to her eyes.

[Wynter Willow]

Wynter walked silently into the sitting room with her faery book in hand. Her bare feet making barely a sound on the floor as her long black short sleeved gown that her husband had just gotten her swept across it. She yawned, having been kept awake by her husband and then again by a screaming inmate. She was no longer an inmate but was still looked at as one by the chasers and bramsfield, while the other inmates spat insults at her or pleaded for help.

Either way she was happy to get away from every one and just settle into one of the big chairs in the sitting room with her book. As she stepped into the room though she noticed an inmate sitting in her favorite chair.

[Genevieve Linton]

"The winter rose blooms again," Genny exclaimed, delighted, as she saw who had made an entrance. Too long had passed since their last meeting amid the previous year's first snowfall. She rose to her feet, observing Wynter's new finery and well-fed appearance. "And wearing such pretty new foliage, too!"

[Wynter Willow]

Wynter yawned involunterly as she smiled at Ginny. "What rose? I've gotten fat," she said not really in a good mood from being kept awake all night. She placed the book she was holding on a table near her and sat in a chair near where Ginny was sitting.

[Genevieve Linton]

"Hardly a permanent state of affairs," said Genny, "and surely not one that dampens your loveliness. See the rosy glow your pregnancy has brought to your complexion!" Once more, she cast an approving look over Wynter's raiment. "I see fortune has smiled upon you since we last crossed paths. Could it truly be that he has softened in his outlook?"

[Wynter Willow]

"Not hardly, he's just made me a prisoner of a different sort," she said and the yawned again. The baby kicked hard against one of her ribs making her cringe and bring a hand to her side. "OW....GET OUT OF MY RIBS DEMON CHILD!" She said half joking and then yawned yet again.

[Genevieve Linton]

"It's a start," said Genny. "They say all journeys, long or otherwise, begin with the first step. Perhaps the treasure that lies beyond the pouring rain might just be your freedom." She tentatively reached out to lay a hand on Wynter's side, feeling the intermittent movement of the child that gestated within, and wondered what it might turn out to be like. The product of a union between the depraved doctor and the ravishing Wynter would certainly be something to behold.

[Wynter Willow]

"This thing is due any day now and I can't wait to get it out of me," wynter said with exhausted excitement. Wynter's face got serious for a moment though. "Genny, when he and I went to the courthouse a few weeks ago Elisabeth was there," she teared up a bit holding her stomach still even as the child calmed. "She's either dead or being sent here by her husband. If you see her, take care of her and make sure she knows that I'm not ignoring her by choice." A few tears ran down her cheeks but she quickly wiped them away before they became a huge deal. "Please Genny, do me this favor?" She pleaded at the girl.

[Genevieve Linton]

Genny felt something flutter within her breast. Images of a lush, paradisaical garden flashed through her mind - of radiant, multi-hued flowers, defying the infecund earth they stood in. "So it's true, what they say," she murmured. "Soulmates are bound by an invisible thread, uniting them come what may." Her hand slid towards Wynter's, holding it comfortingly. "My word is my bond, Wynter," she said, her voice imbued with seldom-heard feeling. "We're all rats out of the same bag; it's only right that we stay together, watching over our own."

A heartbeat elapsed before she turned away, brow wrinkled in thought. "It would help immensely if I knew what she looked like. There have been newcomers to the Asylum as of late; who knows if your beloved is among their number..."

[Wynter Willow]

Wynter smiled up at Genny gravely. "I'm sure she'll be asking around for me," she said shifting her body to a more comfortable position. "She has short black hair and blue eyes, and is very slender," she said desiding to give her more information. She sighed and squeezed Genny's hand before letting it go.

[Genevieve Linton]

Genny's hand froze in mid-release, the look in her eyes one of abrupt realization. The encounter had lasted but several seconds, so determined were the chasers to haul her off to the padded cell for what the staff termed 'necessary discipline'. But she was certain that she had seen a girl answering to Elisabeth's description being dragged down a nearby corridor - a corridor Genny remembered from one fateful autumn night, when she stared the personification of the Asylum's depravity in the very eye... and watched it blink. Her face darkened; not everyone was as lucky as her, to have invisible friends on their side.

"She may not be in any position to ask, no thanks to your bedfellow," said Genny, her voice grave.