MORITURI TE SALUTANT!! [S!4]
03-04-2012, 06:00 PM
Originally posted on MSPA by Wojjan.
“And so it is done, correct? Good. Yes, but let me sign… mais où est ma plume? Ah, good, good. Yes, and here...
“Mademoiselle.”
“…we are.”
“I believe this little show of force has gone on long enough, don’t you agree? This charade of yours is getting tedious.”
“Nonsense,” said the Haruspex. “You haven’t even half learned your lesson.”
The hummingbird perched on the augur’s bony finger regarded her with measured scrutiny. It was so delicate as to be nearly translucent, an artifice of bones and feathers of such fragility that it seemed at any moment it might collapse on itself into nothingness. Against the crystal walls of the palace it shone a subtle range of greens and blues that dissolved into grey when examined too closely, the edges of its feathers fading into the air. The illusion was only marred by the addition of a perfect miniature powdered wig, fixed on the crown of its crested head.
“Mademoiselle,” the bird said, “You must understand that a man such as I grows distracted by this tedium, without rest. I am accustomed to the Court. I am accustomed to more.”
“Now, Stephanoxis-“
“Vox, Mademoiselle.”
“Stephan,” she said. “Stephan, you must understand that you made a very serious mistake. You quite deserve this. You went behind my back, said terrible things about me-“
“Mademoiselle, my name is Vox Nihili, as I keep reminding you.”
“Hush, Stephan, it’s rude to interrupt. My back. My god,” she tittered. “What were you thinking in that empty head of yours?”
The hummingbird chirped indignantly. “That is an insulting term.”
“It’s in your name.”
“Speaker of the Void is a noble title,” the bird said. “You are a child.”
The Haruspex giggled and touched a lacquered nail to the tip of the hummingbird’s breast, who did not seem to notice. “Oh, it’s such fun having you here with all my little animals, Stephan. I’m so glad I killed you, you’re really quite the entertainment. Why would you ever want to leave?”
“I have duties, Mademoiselle. Some of us more established figures are bound that way.”
“Oh, hush,” she pouted. The arms of the crystal throne she was curled in rose to support her as she settled in more comfortably. “Well it’s all your fault anyway. I mean, I was very hurt! I hate it when people talk behind my back! Why didn’t you think I would find out? Did you think you could hide from me?”
“Mademoiselle,” the hummingbird said, “I don’t think anything at all.”
“Good,” she said, and smiled. “I hate it when you keep secrets.”
“Secrets…?”
“Such a nasty habit.”
“Is it?” said the bird, sidling closer. Its feathers enveloped the tip of the Haruspex’s finger. “I understand it is something you substantiates do, when you have something to hide. It is such a tragedy when one sinks to such depths. But,” he sighed, “one supposes it’s futile. Trying to keep up with everything. It’s just not possible, is it? There is always more. Even when there’s nothing.”
The edge of the augur’s mouth stiffened. With exaggerated care she lifted her hand until the hummingbird’s beak was level with her nose and batted her eyes at the tiny creature. “Stephan,” she said sweetly, “Do you have something to tell me?”
“Are you accusing me, Mademoiselle?” lilted the bird. It tilted its fading head and fluttered its wings. “I would never. In a thousand years, never, yet… “ It shrugged. “Even a god forgets.”
“Forgets?”
“One has obligations.”
“Obligations?”
“Certainly.”
The Haruspex narrowed her eyes. “What obligations?”
“This and that.” The hummingbird seemed to be speaking to the atrium ceiling.
“What obligations, Stephan?”
“A contract,” he said. His diamond claws glittered where they gripped her skin. “Written and signed and sealed. All official. All set. La voix ne se tait jamais. With all your spies I have no doubt you knew.”
The Haruspex said nothing, only angling her hand to examine the bird perched on her finger like a fat jeweled ring. Where they caught the light its feathers dulled and faded into nothingness.
“No?” Stephan said loftily. “It was a game.” He lifted a tiny foot and scrutinized its nails. “A minor one. No concern. No reason for you to take notice, much, much before our little scandal, when I was still in Court. But papers were signed. An agreement was made. And there was such a little troublesome detail in there, as some might see it. A quibbling thing. Some very fine print, very, very fine.”
He gave a sidelong glance at the Haruspex before continuing. Her expression had not changed. “There is a consequence to disowning a body when a body is all one has. One mustn’t disappear or, sometimes, not entirely, not in some senses… Certain rules, they will not budge on these matters, you see. An arrangement must be honored. An inheritance, of some sorts. If my children were alive they would have sufficed, but…” The little bird shrugged. “I ate them. And thus it is you.”
“For your game?”
“For my game. Yes. Clever girl. I did have ideas-“
“It was very rude of you to keep this from me, Stephan,” the Haruspex said. Only the faintest movement of her lips gave any evidence that she spoke. “I’ll have to consider this. You’ve been very uncivil.”
“Have I?” he said, stretching his wings lazily. “Only you might wish to consider quickly.”
“And why is that?”
“Because it begins in fourteen minutes, Mademoiselle,” Vox Nihili said. “And a gentleman must always keep his word.”
__________________________________________________ __
What:
How:
Who:
“And so it is done, correct? Good. Yes, but let me sign… mais où est ma plume? Ah, good, good. Yes, and here...
“Mademoiselle.”
“…we are.”
“I believe this little show of force has gone on long enough, don’t you agree? This charade of yours is getting tedious.”
“Nonsense,” said the Haruspex. “You haven’t even half learned your lesson.”
The hummingbird perched on the augur’s bony finger regarded her with measured scrutiny. It was so delicate as to be nearly translucent, an artifice of bones and feathers of such fragility that it seemed at any moment it might collapse on itself into nothingness. Against the crystal walls of the palace it shone a subtle range of greens and blues that dissolved into grey when examined too closely, the edges of its feathers fading into the air. The illusion was only marred by the addition of a perfect miniature powdered wig, fixed on the crown of its crested head.
“Mademoiselle,” the bird said, “You must understand that a man such as I grows distracted by this tedium, without rest. I am accustomed to the Court. I am accustomed to more.”
“Now, Stephanoxis-“
“Vox, Mademoiselle.”
“Stephan,” she said. “Stephan, you must understand that you made a very serious mistake. You quite deserve this. You went behind my back, said terrible things about me-“
“Mademoiselle, my name is Vox Nihili, as I keep reminding you.”
“Hush, Stephan, it’s rude to interrupt. My back. My god,” she tittered. “What were you thinking in that empty head of yours?”
The hummingbird chirped indignantly. “That is an insulting term.”
“It’s in your name.”
“Speaker of the Void is a noble title,” the bird said. “You are a child.”
The Haruspex giggled and touched a lacquered nail to the tip of the hummingbird’s breast, who did not seem to notice. “Oh, it’s such fun having you here with all my little animals, Stephan. I’m so glad I killed you, you’re really quite the entertainment. Why would you ever want to leave?”
“I have duties, Mademoiselle. Some of us more established figures are bound that way.”
“Oh, hush,” she pouted. The arms of the crystal throne she was curled in rose to support her as she settled in more comfortably. “Well it’s all your fault anyway. I mean, I was very hurt! I hate it when people talk behind my back! Why didn’t you think I would find out? Did you think you could hide from me?”
“Mademoiselle,” the hummingbird said, “I don’t think anything at all.”
“Good,” she said, and smiled. “I hate it when you keep secrets.”
“Secrets…?”
“Such a nasty habit.”
“Is it?” said the bird, sidling closer. Its feathers enveloped the tip of the Haruspex’s finger. “I understand it is something you substantiates do, when you have something to hide. It is such a tragedy when one sinks to such depths. But,” he sighed, “one supposes it’s futile. Trying to keep up with everything. It’s just not possible, is it? There is always more. Even when there’s nothing.”
The edge of the augur’s mouth stiffened. With exaggerated care she lifted her hand until the hummingbird’s beak was level with her nose and batted her eyes at the tiny creature. “Stephan,” she said sweetly, “Do you have something to tell me?”
“Are you accusing me, Mademoiselle?” lilted the bird. It tilted its fading head and fluttered its wings. “I would never. In a thousand years, never, yet… “ It shrugged. “Even a god forgets.”
“Forgets?”
“One has obligations.”
“Obligations?”
“Certainly.”
The Haruspex narrowed her eyes. “What obligations?”
“This and that.” The hummingbird seemed to be speaking to the atrium ceiling.
“What obligations, Stephan?”
“A contract,” he said. His diamond claws glittered where they gripped her skin. “Written and signed and sealed. All official. All set. La voix ne se tait jamais. With all your spies I have no doubt you knew.”
The Haruspex said nothing, only angling her hand to examine the bird perched on her finger like a fat jeweled ring. Where they caught the light its feathers dulled and faded into nothingness.
“No?” Stephan said loftily. “It was a game.” He lifted a tiny foot and scrutinized its nails. “A minor one. No concern. No reason for you to take notice, much, much before our little scandal, when I was still in Court. But papers were signed. An agreement was made. And there was such a little troublesome detail in there, as some might see it. A quibbling thing. Some very fine print, very, very fine.”
He gave a sidelong glance at the Haruspex before continuing. Her expression had not changed. “There is a consequence to disowning a body when a body is all one has. One mustn’t disappear or, sometimes, not entirely, not in some senses… Certain rules, they will not budge on these matters, you see. An arrangement must be honored. An inheritance, of some sorts. If my children were alive they would have sufficed, but…” The little bird shrugged. “I ate them. And thus it is you.”
“For your game?”
“For my game. Yes. Clever girl. I did have ideas-“
“It was very rude of you to keep this from me, Stephan,” the Haruspex said. Only the faintest movement of her lips gave any evidence that she spoke. “I’ll have to consider this. You’ve been very uncivil.”
“Have I?” he said, stretching his wings lazily. “Only you might wish to consider quickly.”
“And why is that?”
“Because it begins in fourteen minutes, Mademoiselle,” Vox Nihili said. “And a gentleman must always keep his word.”
__________________________________________________ __
What:
How:
Who:
quidquid Latine dictum sit altum videtur.