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007 | video
I appear to have--damaged my harness, and also a dear possession of mine, while I was in the bottle.
[His ruff droops guiltily. Is that a note of embarrassment in his voice? Of course it is. He is nothing if not transparent.]
If there is anyone here with a talent for leatherworking, or perhaps metalworking, I should be very glad to hear it.
[private to anyone who encountered his mirrorverse self in Kithika]
I--I must beg your pardon, if I said anything to you that was very rude, or stupid, or both; you may rest assured I am in my right mind again, and the incident is unlikely to repeat itself, and I should like it very much if you forgot everything I--that is to say he--told you, and pay it no mind at all, because it is not true.
[Beat.]
And I should think it obvious that goes doubly for you, M. Pontmercy.
[His ruff droops guiltily. Is that a note of embarrassment in his voice? Of course it is. He is nothing if not transparent.]
If there is anyone here with a talent for leatherworking, or perhaps metalworking, I should be very glad to hear it.
[private to anyone who encountered his mirrorverse self in Kithika]
I--I must beg your pardon, if I said anything to you that was very rude, or stupid, or both; you may rest assured I am in my right mind again, and the incident is unlikely to repeat itself, and I should like it very much if you forgot everything I--that is to say he--told you, and pay it no mind at all, because it is not true.
[Beat.]
And I should think it obvious that goes doubly for you, M. Pontmercy.
voice;
[A pause, as he attempts to gather his thoughts.]
--it is only that wretched bottle, and everything that was in it; I am very glad we are well away from that place, now.
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[There's a reason she's only using the voice feature. She's quiet for a few seconds before speaking again.]
Can't help with metal work but if you need anything else, I can try to help. Proper food or a book.
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Well, if you should like to visit, I have always thought a properly brewed pot of tea tastes all the better for being shared.
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I never say no to tea. Where's your flat?
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[And he bustles off to heat up the massive cauldron that passes for his kettle, and to rummage through his pantry for a suitable tea.]
->Action!
[It takes her a bit to get over to his flat since she's still a little sore from her encounters in the bottle and so she still has to walk a little gingerly. When she reaches his door, she raises her non-bandaged hand and knocks gently on the door before shifting her coat around her shoulders to hide the bruising on her face.
She feels a little embarrassed going out and having everyone see that she suffered inside the bottle but she's glad for tea and company. And to see what a dragon's flat looks like.]
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Hallo, Clara; pray come in.
[He shuts the door behind Clara and gestures to a row of small hooks on the wall near the door.] And you may hang up your coat, if you like; the renovators were very helpful, but I thought it sensible to keep most things person-sized, for visitors.
[As a matter of fact a dragon's flat looks much the same as anyone else's, except distinctly lacking in the floors which originally divided it into three floors. The result is a spacious single room with a high ceiling and a skylight, with a small library in a corner and tapestries and paintings hung along the walls. A few human-sized doors are still visible at the far end of the room, but these have been carefully shut.
At the center of the room is a large heating element, which has only just been switched off, and an equally large metal cauldron set in a blocked-off area rather like a sandbox, from which the smell of tea is emanating.]
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[she grins and enters, sliding off her coat as he suggests. When she steps inside, she turns on her heel to get a sense of the space. The high ceilings are nice, they make the room feel open and spacious. Not like you're trapped inside.
Her eyes are held captive by the library for a few seconds before she glances over to the cauldron of tea. Her nose is a little stuffy from the cold and changing of the seasons but the smell of tea is a comfort.]
The tea smells lovely. Thank you for having me.
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[He delivers the words airily--and, it must be said unconvincingly. Evidently he notices; his wings droop a little, and he adds, reluctantly,] I had much rather not be alone, at the moment.
[He hesitates for another, longer pause, a little embarrassed by the admission, before he continues a little more briskly:] There are cups and saucers in the cabinet by the library, and a ladle; I tried pouring it myself, once, but I am afraid the cauldron has a tendency to spill. And there is milk and sugar in the icebox, if you take it.
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I'd rather not be alone either. Lucky to have a friend to invite me over.
[Then she pulls her hand away and follows his instructions to grab a cup and saucer, though she has to stand on tiptoe and struggles to pull the cups from the shelf. Delicately, she adds her milk and sugar before returning to his side.]
Can I get you your tea?
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I suppose so--oh, you are hurt!
[Perhaps it ought not be a surprise--he is a little battered himself, after the last few days--but the sight of the bruising on her face startles him nonetheless, and he draws back, concerned.]
Oh, no, I shall pour my own tea; pray make yourself comfortable-- [a distracted gesture to a rather squashy human-sized couch] --I should not wish you to overexert yourself, after all. It was the bottle, of course, was it not?
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[She waves him off and self-consciously brushes at her bangs so they better cover the bruises and cut. But she allows him to fuss if it pleases him. So she goes over to the couch and sits on it, tucking her legs underneath herself.]
Got on the wrong side of that dragon's tail. Sent me flying.
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Yes, I believe I saw a great many people trying to fight it on foot; it did not seem very sensible, but I suppose most of them had little choice. I should have thought to offer you a ride, if I had known: only I am afraid I was--indisposed, at the time.
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[She bites her lip as the smile fades.]
Did you touch a statue?
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Yes, I-- [He pauses, uncertain how much he ought to tell, before the dam breaks and it all comes out.]
--my egg was Chinese, you see, and had been meant for Napoleon himself, only the ship bearing it was captured by an English ship, and its captain became my captain, when I hatched. Only the statue did something to my mind, so I thought my egg had reached France after all, and I had taken Napoleon as my companion instead, and--
[Abruptly he stops and buries his snout in his tea instead. The memory of it is a little too strong to take, all at once again.]
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Even though it's alright now, it doesn't so easily get better, does it?
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Loyalty is important to us, but it is the sort of bond which comes from being close to one's friends, not to one's country, whatever that might be. I had never much understood what treason was, or cared about it, but now I think I might.
[But he pauses, and looks down at her again.]
You know what the statues do. Did you touch one yourself?
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[She twists her fingers around her teacup. She, like him, would rather not speak of it. But maybe it would be some comfort to share.]
I did. But I didn't forget who I was. I just had a nightmare or a vision. It was just me. In this big empty room. Everyone I knew had been there once, but had left me behind. When I tried to call out to them, they were gone. I was just alone in the dark.
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[And theft is the greatest of crimes to a dragon.
He makes a quiet, rumbling sound, and carefully curls his tail around Clara, the leathery scales warm with dry heat.]
I should not know what to do, if I were in a situation like that.
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[She curls up under the warmth of his tail. It's comforting, like curling up with a blanket after a long day. Or a long few weeks as it's been for them. She sips her tea and mulls over what he said.]
A theft of your proper life?
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[He nudges her again with the tip of his nose.]
What did you do? Did it last very long?
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About a day, I think. It was dark when I snapped out of it. But I couldn't feel how much time had passed. It was disorienting.
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[The exclamation escapes him before he can restrain himself. He peers down at Clara, dismayed.]
And was there nothing to be done in that darkness? It sounds dreadful.
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[she replies quietly. When she'd awoken from the dream, she'd been left so shaken that she'd been unable to sleep or eat for the next day. She just sat, trying to breath and steady herself.
Then she looks up at him with gentle look.]
I'm alright now though. Or... alright enough.
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It is better, I think, when one has an enemy one can see. Fighting the dragon was difficult, but at least one knew where it was, and even if one could not defeat it outright, one could have run away, instead.
It is much harder to fight something inside you, or a memory of a thing. I do not mind a battle, at all, but the way the enemy here fights--
[He falls silent, and rests his head on his forelegs, huffing out a quiet breath.]
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