therookery | Coryphriends } Closed

FORM: Sending crystal
SENDER: Freddie Durfort-Lacapalette
RECIPIENT: Members of the Corypheus' History project
WHAT: Intro + brainstorming sesh
WHEN: Right now
WHERE: In your ears
NOTES: Threadjacking encouraged! And with this group, probably some kind of terminal sass overdose warning

[ The message begins with the genteel clearing of a throat and then a voice, lightly accented but unmistakably Orlesian. ]

Good evening, all. I do not believe any of us has met in the past, but my name is Frédérique Durfort-Lacapalette, Baroness Haut-Brion, but you may simply call me Freddie, or Lady Freddie if you are the type to insist upon formalities. [ Which would be an absurd thing to say to this particular group, if she'd ever knowingly met any of them before. But she has not, so enjoy laughing behind your hands at the notion. ]

I will be leading this effort to uncover more information regarding our adversary Corypheus, and I am pleased to have your assistance in this endeavor. To begin, I would like you each to introduce yourself, and to share how you came to be assigned to this project, and if you have any particular expertise you believe will be useful to achieving our ends.

And of course, ideas! Should you have any suggestions for how we ought to begin, I would like to hear them. While my research skills are of course formidable, I freely confess to knowing little about our foe in specific, and even were that not so, I believe an open exchange and discussion of ideas is essential to the development and transmission of knowledge.

I look forward to hearing from each of you!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ For the sake of knowledge, Anders. Completely different. Not at all the same feeling when you die.

Anyway there's a pause in which she recognizes his voice and then her tone is extremely dry. Not hostile, but very dry indeed. ]

Is it truly possible that the pretentious fellow lecturing me on endangering myself was you, the Anders, mage, warden, notorious criminal? How extraordinary.

[His voice is equally dry.]

Yes, the man who dealt with several people determined on walking into every trap, notably Jonas Cousland and Marion Hawke, but who also had the sense to bring people with big swords and big shields, and a spirit healer as well, and a few others to round out the group.

It's hardly pretension when I've had to repeatedly save all of their lives. It's experience.

You speak as if they are mutually exclusive. I assure you, they are not. Why, you are doing a remarkable job of evidencing that as we speak. You are no doubt aware also that experience is not something only one can possess at a time, yes? You may have it, but how wonderful a resource! it is not all used up, for I have it as well and I would wager so do many others here. Perhaps now that this is established we might return to the subject at hand? Or would you prefer to continue boasting?

[Flatly:]

You chose the subject. And you chose to go into likely danger without backup. It's your call on if we move on or if you wish to dwell on the fact that you survived this time.

[ She scoffs a laugh. ]

And you chose to become possessed and to murder a great many people! Perhaps we should dwell instead on which of us has made the more questionable choices in their life, monsieur? And yet I have given you not a single lecture on the subject. Nor have I any wish to! I merely ask that you do me the same courtesy and resist this urge to condescend.

You know nothing of my choices. Let us be clear on that. You can mock and laugh and act as if you've superior ground to stand on, but if you're asking for courtesy, perhaps you should start.

You should take your own advice, monsieur Anders. [ There is a coolness in her tone now, civil still but no longer light. ] You know nothing of me, and yet you have taken a superior tone from the first moment of conversation, as if scolding a foolish child. I have been as courteous to you as anyone could be, and I shall endeavor with all my considerable will to continue to be so because I believe this work we must do is more important than pettiness. But if you cannot set aside your ego and at least feign to show the respect I have earned here, then I am afraid we shall have a difficult time of it, you and I.

Maker, if being courteous is judging me, what's being discourteous? You want people to follow you, lead by example.

[His voice goes stern.]

I was trying to help and reach out to you in our previous conversation and you decided to take it as a lecture and pretension. You began this conversation with name-calling, follow it up with mockery, and then bring my past into it. And then you tell me to take my ego in check and treat you with respect?

Earn it, Lady Freddie. Be a leader, and I'll follow. Demand respect while talking down to me, and yes. We'll have quite the time of it.

Name-calling! [ A laugh, disbelieving. Some of the other stuff she probably did, but that! ] I have called you nothing but your own name, 'sir', and three descriptive titles that unquestionably apply. Unless you would deny being mage, warden, or notorious criminal? If you took as innocent a remark as that as judgment, that is your own issue and no fault of mine.

I can see that you are one of those men who must always have the last word, so by all means avail yourself of my silence to do so; I have more pressing matters to which I must now attend.

[There's only one way to 'win' this conversation, as clearly she's not going to consider anything but her own ego, in his opinion, and so he says nothing in return in an attempt to prove her wrong.

It's a shame that silence means he'll never know if it was effective or just not as much of a headache as arguing at a wall.]

Coryphriends } Closed

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject