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Walter raised his eyebrows at that proclamation and set his tray down. "I think it's common knowledge that our royal family isn't all that photogenic. You'll be an improvement in that respect."

"I plan to take over," Nadia said, seemingly completely serious. "After all, if England can decide to claim Islas Malvinas, then an Argentine girl can claim England!"

Then she realized that Walter had just totally complimented her looks and blushed.

He hasn't seen recent photos of the current Princes or he might have been slightly less complimentary. Or maybe not, because flattery is part of his training.

"Dare I ask how you plan to take over my homeland? Will this be by force or cultural imperialism?" Yay, sociology vocabulary.

"I thought I'd just put up a lot of signs in Picadilly Circus and places that say 'Nadia is your Queen' and let people figure it out from there." Nadia sipped at her water, a picture of queenly dignity and poise.

If it weren't for the fact that the water-sipping was covering for the fact that she wasn't entirely sure what "cultural imperialism" meant.

Whereas Walter was using the opportunity to hide his grin behind a cheeckee veeng.

He waited until he wasn't talking with his mouth full to continue. "Will there be glitter involved with these signs?"

Nadia gave Walter a withering look that could be appreciated by any royalty around the world. "Glitter," she said, in a highly condescending tone "is involved in everything."

She didn't actually call Walter a peon, but it was certainly implied in her tone.

Then she grinned playfully and jingled her sceptre at him.

Walter refrained from mentioning that he could think of one or three things in which glitter should not be involved.

Pastry making. That's right. What else would he be thinking?

"My Lady obviously knows what she wants."

Yes, but sometimes, such as with "pastry making", it is metaphorical glitter.

Nadia decided she could totally get used to Walter calling her "my Lady".

"Yes," she said. "We do, Sir Walter." Man, she was just passing out the titles left and right today.

"A title! I've been knighted already. I am in your debt, my Lady." Not so much so that he didn't move on to eating some peeza.

"Now I'll never need to buttle again."

"Alfred will be terribly disappointed, we're sure."

No more watching his contractions when there was a chance Alfred was anywhere nearby? No more ruler?

"I'm sure that he'll learn to live with the disappointment."

"We'll just have to bestow some grand honor upon him, too, if he can't."

"One that comes with glitter would be best." Teaching Moral to chase Alfred around saying, Contractions are not the enemy, and Denim is an acceptable fabric for clothing? Priceless.

Just how many ruler thwaps do you suppose that would earn them?

And would Alfred be willing to thwap someone who wasn't his student?

Important questions for consideration.

"But of course there would be glitter. A sparkly crown, perhaps. A sparkly pink crown."

"... With sparkly pink dangly bits." said Pippi comming ~~back from lunch~~ out of ther reverie.

"I like the way you think, your Majesty." Because nothing beat the image of Alfred in a sparkly pink crown.

But there were other things to think of. "I have to interview an animal for Creature Languages. Do you think Furrball would talk to me?"

"Definitely with dangly bits," Nadia said to Pippi with a very small smirk. She had a feeling that the fact that Pippi had been so lost in thought was an indication that she was right and there was someone that she was interested in . . . . Now she just had to find out who.

Then she turned back to Walter. "What, as opposed to claw your legs off?" She shrugged. "Sure, I'm sure he'd like someone to talk to that spoke his language."

Ivanova? Still here. She's eating. Quietly.

Maybe lost in her own thoughts too.

Surprisingly, not the same thoughts that Pippi's having.

Off by a Y chromosome or so.

*munchmunchmunch*

"Maybe I can convince him that my ankles aren't good scratching posts." Although he'd been well-behaved when Walter had been staying with Nadia to keep an eye on her.

"And apologize for our first meeting."

"That might be a good idea." Nadia shrugged. "But he might have forgiven you for that, since you kind of made sure I kept coming back."

Oh, and now she's blushing again. How very unqueenly of her.

"But, yeah, talking him out of clawing things would be great."

"Let me know when would be convenient for you and I'll come by your room to talk to Furrball." Unless that was presumptuous. Furrball would be a chaperone?

"Or you could bring him to one of the common rooms. Let's just keep him away from Pup. I didn't learn Dog or Hellhound or whatever it would take to talk to Pup to keep him from wanting to play with Furrball."

"Maybe it would be best to let him choose the topic." suggested Pippi who was ever the ~~same~~ diplomat.

"Rather then bring up unpleasant things right off the bat."

Right, like Furrball would care what the humans were getting up to as long as he got fed on a regular basis?

"Either or. I mostly keep him in my room since he got out this winter, but I'm sure he'd love to spend some time outside of it."

What kind of dirt was Furrball going to spill about her? After all, one doesn't often watch oneself around a cat. She would have to make sure that Furrball was willing to remain . . . discrete.

Hm, just what would Furrball spill?

"I don't want to be responsible for his running for it. I'll bring him a treat though, as a gift for speaking to me. Do you think he would like sashimi?" Although that would require going to Cafe Fina and seeing Alfred the day after the radio announced that he and Nadia had been kissing on the roof.

"If it has fish in it, I'm sure he'd love it." And Walter going to fetch it would give her time to . . . coach Furrball a bit.

Yesssss, perfect.