tushanshu | 007

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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.

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Hallo.

[ A perfect mimicry of his tone and inflection. ]

[A startled blink, a flare of his ruff--it is enough to distract Temeraire from his other thoughts, however temporarily.]

Why--that was very well done, miss. Are you an actress?

[ She starts to shake her head before tilting it curiously, thinking it over. ]

Not like that. She acts, but not an actress. She's a lot of things without being them, a mystery, a mirror.

[How--curious. Temeraire has always been the straightforward sort, but there is something to be said for a puzzle. His immediate reaction is one of interest, rather than annoyance.]

And pray, what is--her name?

[ River gives him a smile, still soft and childlike like she's entranced by the conversation. ]

River. Who are you?

I am called Temeraire; it is very nice to meet you, River.

[His captain had told him once there were certain sorts of people he ought to be careful with. Looking at that smile, he gets that feeling now, albeit, he thinks, for very different reasons.]

I have not seen you here before, I think; have you been here very long?

Not very long.

[ She knows the time exactly, of course -- in days, hours, minutes -- but it doesn't feel like very long to her except when she wonders about her crew. ]

Doesn't feel like life and dreaming though.

No, it feels quite real, does it not? In a dream one believes one might do anything, I suppose, but I have never felt so here.

[He tilts his head, curious.]

What sort of place do you think it is, instead?

Maybe we aren't dreaming right.

[ That's certainly something River intends to pursue, at least. (A shame none of the Inception crew remain.) ]

Like a story. One that doesn't have an end, not yet.

[He blinks slowly. It is something he has never considered, but then he is getting the feeling that this sort of thing may be usual, with River.]

Do you suppose we might--control it, somehow? That is to say, write our own ending?

[ River thinks about it, then nods her head. ]

Just imagine. Might be able to make it real, if the book agrees.

It is very [a pause as he searches for an appropriate adjective, and settles for] curious of you, to think so. Certainly I have never heard anyone else propose as much.

What have people suggested?

[ She's curious to know what else has been tried, being new here. ]

On the whole, I think everyone has been too busy trying to think of how we might defeat our enemy, to consider the implications of the world we live in.

[Pause.] But if you think perhaps it might be manipulated in our favour...

Is the Enemy part of the world? You can't separate them, they're not oil and water.

I think he is something outside of the world entirely: something that does not conform to the narrative, and would rather seen the book destroyed altogether.

We can call and ask.

[ Stop her before she starts on Malicant's name, Temeraire! ]

[Immediately:] No: that is something you must never do. His name has too much power here.

How do you know that? Have you seen it?

Seen him, and spoken to him, and subjected to his entertainment: I should not wish the same on anyone living here.

[With the unspoken assumption that there are people no longer present who ought to make Malicant's acquaintance in the same way: but that is of little consequence.]

Pray do not think it superstition: he is real, and ought not be toyed with.

Not superstition.

[ But she'll heed his warning anyway. ]

Do people tell stories about you?

[They do--or the top brass of a significant number of European countries do--but he does not know it yet. Not that it stops him from speculating; Temeraire has never been one to be self-effacing.]

Oh, I should not be surprised if they do: I have seen and done a great many things, in the world, all of which I am sure would make very good stories. I doubt very much the rest of the Corps has seen as much as I have--that is to say, most of them, at any rate.

[ And he has inadvertently given River a new topic to latch onto. ]

Corps?

Oh, the Royal Aerial Corps, that is what they call us: dragons, and our captains and crews, who protect Britain together.

[ Captains and crews is remarkably familiar and thus welcome for River. ]

And take jobs?

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dracobin - 2014-04-08 02:41 (UTC) - Expand

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