video | un: beauty of the beholder

[aprescoup]

( A wonderfully chipper woman appears, enjoying her hot chocolate and small cakes. You may remember her as Lady Rigarda, who assigned everyone Taravast identities and quarters. )

Good! Afternoon. Well, I should think we are now all quite, quite settled. Quite settled. You have done good work with that fish-face girl, Odile, ah? She is grateful, sent coin, sent... praise. Fish-face girl, what do you know? You know nothing. Now, I know many of you, you are... how to say... you are... exotic. You are creative. You are wonderful, you are exciting. You are colourful!

Of course, we appreciate it in Taravast. We are artists here, we have the souls of poets, the hands of painters, but the reason, if needs must? We are scientists! One and all. And my friend, your friend, everyone's friend, he told me, look, look, look, Rigarda, they are special people who are coming, and so you have come. And I see you. And you are special. And special is dangerous. And you are even more special for the little help I gave you, with your... what do we call them? Your past. Don't we all have a past we would enjoy to shake off? Why, let me tell your, don Sandro of the goldsmiths' guild, if he could unsaddle the sins of every one of his trysts, when he was young, and without the gout, o-hooo...

( This calls for a sip of her cup. ) Now, a few words of counsel, yes? In Taravast, you wear your mask. It is... how to say... ( Apparently, with disdain: ) Of the people to walk the street and have your face always bare. And it will help you... you must not be seen together, if you are not working together. Who keeps company with their enemies? Everyone. But, of course, not with a smile.

For the parties, the masquerades do not worry about invitations: many are private functions, but... you come in. You give a name, any name, someone will say, yes, yes, she is with me, he is with me — we are generous people. We enjoy guests. With the districts, take care: the artists will rip! Rip every last coin from your hands, I told the countess Strella, when she took her third lover, and he was hardly twenty springs, that's a lifetime, younger, and he was... a painter. And I said to her, Beauty, you cannot trust a man who always needs a gallery of unshrouded women to be inspired. What will inspire him about you? Your wrinkles? Your white hairs? No, her coin purse.

( Her voice briefly darkens: ) The healers, they are all crooks, but we pay them. And the witches, necromancers... I do not know why we tolerate them, we are too good, we are too generous. Cockroaches under our feet.

( And back, breezily, to business: )

To those I have sent to don Macaluso: remember, he is a... a sensitive soul, he does not like to be contradicted, to be challenged... he does not thrive in conflict. Be good to him. Like a new bride. Why does a man who is a bride look for a bride himself? I do not know. But he is... he was a precious child, and if you treat him with respect, and you do not spit in his face, he asks no more.

Donna Vannozza is... how to say... particular. She is demanding. Why else would she have no husband, ah? She wants people who are... good, who are efficient, who do not get between her feet like little dogs. With her, do not let her see you loiter, she will dislike that, then it will be storm, then it will be rain...

The Conclave are preparing for their little contest, they will not trouble you, they are waiting to be amused soon. And Bonaccorso, my good friend, ooooh, how time has not forgiven us. If Bonaccorso could be with us a little longer, we would not have this matter to deal with, ah? He is a good man. A strong, sturdy man. Bonaccorso, Bonaccorso... ooooh, how the years pass us by. Now, I believe you have all you require. Wait for your instructions and... no troubles, yes? Yes. You are special.


( ooc: As at least three performances to help Odile's cause have been played out, please feel free to assume that objective has been met and Macaluso has paid her special mind! Threadjack away in threads. )

Comments

[corvis]

I don't know, maybe because every where we go we kind of get shit on like it's being flung at us. Just a strong feeling. Or are you telling me you are pretty optimistic that's behind us?

[beitangmoran]

Of course not. If anything, life at court involves more .... 'shit flinging' as you say, than life outside of it. Everyone here is only looking for a way to one up their neighbor and appear better, more connected and more powerful then them. And more will ruthlessly use any means to get to this.

Aaaaah, this is actually a bit nostalgic. It's been a while.

[corvis]

I see I am an outsider in not missing this sort of thing.

[beitangmoran]

This is the sort of environment I was born in and grew up in, so I am more familiar with it than anything else.

[corvis]

[ is a duke and grew up in the shitty shits of his household but no one needs to know that. ]

I'll come to you for advice, then. When I wanna stab someone in the throat.
From the ceiling.
...And make sure the cat is blamed with causing an untimely accident for that person.

[beitangmoran]

Do not blame the cats. They are simply living their life. Just find a convenient scapegoat, and proclaim your indignation loudly enough and it will work.

[corvis]

... Seriously?

[beitangmoran]

This is basically how it works, yes.