Who's your favorite background/minor character in Her
Majesty The Prince? (named or unnamed)
Ask me this on three different days and you'll probably get
three different answers, but right now I'm feelin' Dusty
because her metanarrative role as "the not-as-important one"
tickles me immensely. Despite originally being envisioned as a
way to backfill the flashback/present day chapter structure
and flesh out the setting and Lou's character, the maid
chapters have ended up introducing some extremely important
characters—Sleeves is pivotal in Act 2, Chiffon is a crucial
emotional support for Lou and looks to be increasingly
relevant in Act 3, even the at-the-time-unnamed guard who
stumbled upon Lou in the halls has gone on to be the storied
Soixante Douze.
But not Dusty! Sleeves and Chiffon both know Lou's secret, but
not Dusty. Sleeves and Chiffon have both left the city to seek
adventure, but not Dusty. Dusty just stays Dusty. She's the
archetypal friend in the group who's kind of out of the loop,
doesn't really participate in the group chat, but who
everyone's glad to see during the reunions. Dusty abides. And
I love her for that.