Irhaboggle Pride (2020) Quarantine Edition

Defying Quarantine

"Oh, come on, Cass! It's not that bad!" Rapunzel gave the other woman an upbeat smile as she continued to decorate the many masks that the servants of her castle were required to wear. "We're all healthy, we've got a roof over our heads, and we're all stuck here together!"

"That's exactly what makes me sometimes wish I had the virus," Cassandra deadpanned, snorting at the mountain of decorated masks by Rapunzel's arm. As one may have expected, they were all painfully sappy and cheerful, full of bright colors and smiley faces.

"Oh, come on, Cass," Rapunzel repeated, cheeriness turning into gentleness. "I know you and Eugene don't get along, but this virus is more serious than your squabbles. It just isn't safe for either of you two to go anywhere else."

"Saying that we don't get along is an understatement, Raps," Cassandra deadpanned. "That's about the only thing I like about quarantine: the social distancing. I just wish the distance between Eugene and I was larger. I was thinking six kingdoms apart, rather than just six feet!"

A smirk flickered across Cassandra's face as she envisioned a beautiful scenario where Eugene was suddenly and inexplicably shipped six kingdoms away while Cassandra got to stay behind with Rapunzel, waving him a cheerful farewell from the docks as he was loaded on board with the rest of the cargo with a "no return" label on the box.

"You're already the entire castle apart," Rapunzel reminded Cassandra, interrupting the other woman's glorious daydream.

"Mmmm, nope, still not enough distance," Cassandra replied cheekily, giving Rapunzel a smug and playful smile, riling her up just for fun.

"Cass," Rapunzel gave her friend a small sigh and a slightly disapproving frown.

"Raps?" Cassandra echoed in mock innocence, even raising her eyebrows as if to ask how she'd upset Rapunzel.

"You're incorrigible, you know that?" the princess asked her handmaiden tiredly.

"It's all those years of training!" Cassandra replied with a playful and proud smile. "You can never surrender!" She puffed her chest up and gave Rapunzel what she thought was her most heroic expression. It worked like a charm, and, despite herself, Rapunzel began to giggle.

"Ok, but seriously, Raps, what do you say we get out of here for a little while and just... walk?" Cassandra asked. This time, there was no joking in her voice as she made the offer.

"Wait. What?" Rapunzel blinked in genuine surprise and disbelief. "But that would be defying quarantine!"

"Exactly," Cassandra replied with a shrug. "It's not like we haven't snuck out before!"

"But every single time we have, it's never ended well," Rapunzel winced, brushing her fingers through her long, golden hair.

"Fair enough, but I still got you home safely, didn't I?" Cassandra asked. "Besides, we won't go anywhere public. I was thinking that it could just be you and me and a nice... long... forest trail." As Cassandra said this, a sultry look began to replace her serious one. But Rapunzel was so genuinely shocked by Cassandra's request to break quarantine that it went over her head and she was quick to cut the idea down.

"That's still not safe! For any of us!" Rapunzel reprimanded Cassandra, trying to appeal to Cassandra's protectiveness, especially of her.

"Meh, a little adventure, a little rebellion, that's good. Healthy even!" Cassandra replied, a mischievous spark lighting up her eyes.

"We've already seen a decrease in imports and exports with neighboring kingdoms because of the unfortunate name of the virus. The last thing we need is for someone to actually get infected!" Rapunzel replied sternly.