Idiot.

Bella rises up from the slouch she'd been watching the movie in. Her legs pull straight and she plants them both evenly and directly underneath her. The colors on the screen invert as she rises, motion blurring the whole production into a black-blue-green mess of nonsense. She sniffs, and folds her arms across her chest. 

It is not lost on her that this is the last pose she saw the monkey strike before she rendered the screen unwatchable. Her teeth flash in a snarl. She squeezes her eyes shut, and a moment later her expression softens. Her ear twitches, catching the voice of the monk (sniveling, fighting back tears after being narrowly rescued from a pack of snake demons) as he calls his companions back to him so he can continue his journey. Asserting control despite being possibly the least qualified member of the entire group. 

But of course he's in charge. He's the one with the crown. And he's the only one with a real reason to 'go west'. He's... well. It isn't difficult to draw the comparison, that much is true. But still, idiot. Stupid, stupid Redana. Movies don't overlap one to one with reality, and especially not the stories of the ancient past. Not that it matters. There's something else bothering her about all this. Something much more elemental. 

She reaches for the strange, salty-buttery-empty-air snack and pops several pieces into her mouth. They melt almost before she can crunch down. So strange, this sensation. All flavor and no nutrition; she's been eating it for hours now and it hasn't done a thing to her appetite. It must be designed to break down into simple air before it reaches the stomach. Ingenious, actually. It's a shame Her Imperial Majesty was so concerned about resource efficiency. Even party snacks were made into essential foods under Her guidance; that way Servitors maintaining the many royal parties and functions could operate at full power without the need for a dedicated meal break. It kept the schedules running, and meant that all food on every plate and platter was healthy. 

But there's a decadence to this pure air treat that makes absorbing stories feel... special. It's something Tellus doesn't have. And Tellus should not want for anything. If the Ancients had a process and a way of life that the shattering of the universe had made everyone forget, someone really ought to go back and--

Her tail curls. Her eyes flutter open in surprise. Aha.

"The monk," she says, "His voice is exactly the same as that bandit's from the other movie. The one about the 108 stars. Do you remember."

Redana shrugs. "Maybe it's the same actor?"

"Don't be ridiculous. This isn't a [i]play[/i], it's [i]animation[/i]. Wouldn't be much simpler to just breed another voice exactly suited to the role?"

"Iono, maybe they hadn't thought of that back when."

"It's just such a simple concept, isn't it?"

"Hmm," Redana looks away from the movie to look at Bella appraisingly, "Then I guess they understood that cartoons [i]should[/i] be art. Like, I've always said that [i]Batrachomyomachia[/i] should be-- mmmph!"

Bella cuts the thought short with a fistful of salted snack puffs straight into the Princess' mouth. She smirks at the furious, and thoroughly silly glare the shorter girl shoots her in response. 

Still, though. One person, many roles. Bella watches Redana in silence for a long time, tuning out the movie entirely. The chewing. The split attention between the screen and Bella herself. The increasingly nervous stares, until finally Dany is so distraught at the eyes on her she opens her mouth to apologize for the entire journey all over again.

Bella presses a finger over her mouth this time, as she settles back down into the relaxed position that lets her watch these paintings in their proper colors again. 

"If we can find one while we're here... I'd like to watch a love story next. A real one."