James-Chauncy

[Atsirian]

The Day of Floating Fire is just over a week away! It feels like just yesterday we were celebrating the Night of the Dead. I can't believe how fast this month has gone. It's almost half over! Helena's getting really excited too. She always loves this holiday. She keeps asking me if I'm going to light a lantern with Dairanne this year, too. I keep telling her I don't know, because I haven't talked to Dairanne about it.

[Atsirian]>

I can't wait until the big party tomorrow night. I just got my costume from the tailor and it looks great! I'm not going to tell anyone what it is though, it has to be a surprise. Dairanne knows, of course, because she helped me decide what to be, but no one else can know. I look really great though. I think it's my best costume yet!

[Atsirian]

Mother and William keep talking about the Queen's big announcement at the Festival party. We keep expecting that she's going to announce someone else for the council soon too. William thinks it's too soon. I don't think the Queen would have chosen someone if she wasn't really sure he would do a good job. I don't think William agrees with me, even though he won't say it.

I wonder how long it will take until every council member is finally chosen. It feels like it's been a really long time already.

William keeps saying really mean things about Mother, and talking about how much better he is than her, and how he won't make the same mistakes she did. He shouldn't be doing that. She's still our Mother. I don't care why he's doing it, he shouldn't be.

[Filter: Private]

I'm glad Dairanne has been too busy with her mother and everything going on for us to see each other much. Trying to be a good boyfriend all the time is hard and I never know what I'm supposed to do or say. I don't even know what to talk to her about anymore. I don't think I ever did. How does everyone make this look so easy? I don't like having to think about what to wear or how to act or going to really nice restaurants just because they're nice and she wants to be seen there. Why does it always have to be about impressing people? I wish things could be like they used to be when I didn't have to think about things like this all the time.

[Atsirian]

Mother has been even busier than before Queen Edalene's wedding got cancelled. She's had meetings with other councilors, with Prince Reeve, with Queen Edalene, and the rest of the time she's in her study and doesn't want to be disturbed. She won't even tell me what she thinks yet. She keeps saying it's too soon.

I want to talk to her about other things too, but she won't listen to me.

[Atsirian]

Mother ended up having three new suits made for me. She says they should last me a long time. I had to spend all day at the tailor's as they did all the finishing touches and made sure everything was just right. They took forever and I hated every minute of it. I lost count of how many times he poked me with the needle as he was working.

I hope I don't have to do that again for a long time, like Mother said.

[Filter: Dairanne]

We should go out again some time. It was fun going to dinner somewhere that didn't have my family there too. I'd love to do it again. Maybe we can even find our own restaurant that we can recommend everyone else goes to!

[Atsirian]

I hate my brothers. They never leave me alone about anything. I thought they would be bored of teasing me about Rose Day by now, but they're even worse than they were before. Everything I try to do to make them stop just makes it worse too. If I ignore them, then they just do it louder. If I yell back at them then they just do it more because they know they're upsetting me. They even follow me around. If I was an older brother I wouldn't make fun of my younger brothers like they do to me.

[Filter: Private, in Atsirian]

I wish my brothers would stop making fun of me. They used to make fun of me for not having a girlfriend for Rose Day and I thought they would stop when they found out Dairanne was going to be making me something for Rose Day and that I was giving her a rose, but now they keep making fun of me for having a girl friend. It doesn't make any sense. They're just jealous. That has to be it. I'm better than them and they know it. Jerks.