#raph rp

This was the fifth time they’d come here but it was the first time they’d actually entered. The space wasn’t quite public, they’d needed to be invited inside but one of the dancers had seen them lingering near the windows and had all but insisted they come in out of the cold. They hadn’t even realized it was cold.

Now they stood along the wall, watching, among they others who’d come to watch the dancers. The humans beside them seemed to know one of the dancers, Raphael began to question if they were meant to pretend to know one too but that felt far too awkward to attempt. They’d followed the spells their Lady had taught them, the ones to mask their true shape, but they weren’t sure how they actually looked. Weren’t even sure it mattered. All they could ever see was the wood and the shadow and the cracks. There clothing was the only thing they had any feelings about, loose grey joggers and a deep blue tank top with a silvery flannel over the top. And ballet flats. Those had seemed important despite not being anything like the actual dancers were wearing.

Raph had been granted access to Queen Rosaline’s private garden as a place to escape the pressure of the Seelie Court when they needed to decompress. Queen Rosaline had said that the garden was a wonderful place to relax. That her Knight should sit under one of the large oaks or swim in one of the large pounds. That the cool water would be invigorating and refreshing.

Raphael was not relaxed. If anything they felt more anxious than when they’d entered. They didn’t know where to put their body. What if they broke something? Stepped on the wrong thing? This was the Queen’s garden that she cultivated herself. It didn’t matter what the Queen said, if Raph did anything to disrupt or harm the garden, they were sure they be punished.

So upon entering the garden they had stopped in the clearest area, back ridged and back straight. Not so much at attention as paralyzed by indecision. They might have continued there statue impression indefinitely id not for the shiny metallic being that caught their eye.

Raph had found a clearing in the woods far from the court lands and away from everyone. Or at least as far as they were aware. They’d never been to this part of the Otherworld before, but the chill in the air was refreshing. Setting the small music box down, a trinket they’d taken from the world of humans, they struck a pose.

In the small clearing the doll danced, its body carved from wood and polished smooth yet with the deep signs of wear showing on its wooden exterior. Cracks and gouges repaired and filled but the color could never be made to match the original work. The doll wasn’t made for dancing, but it tried so hard, moving through the paces again and again until it’s joints creaked in protest.