In Recognition of Seven Years

[misterblackbird]

Seven years is no small amount of time. Certainly, the princess bound to silence until she'd made seven shirts from nettles for her brothers could say so. How fortunate neither you nor I have been bound to such silence. We're rather the inversion of the tale: bound to speak rather than bound to silence. The nettles, though...

Still, it's worthwhile to recognise the occasion.

I'll ring for Riff and we'll have tea.

It's not likely to be proper to toast with tea, but we will, and we'll remember them all: Lailis, the crippled queen; Megumi, who left and returned again; Princess Rue and Ahiru and Autor and Fakir who showed me such generosity when I first arrived; Radu and the Order above him, and the Professor and whatever rivalry was between them all; Rosiel, the mad angel and those following hi and standing against him; the Corinthian, for whatever he was worth...and, most of all, Rosella. Between the two of us we could name a thousand names, friends and foes alike.

Seven years is no short time, least of all in the City.

Come, we'll make an afternoon of it, recalling it all, from that first sight of the Carousel to the last view through the Door. And you know I've kept my promises.

We'll toast the City and seven years.

[In recognition of what would have been my seven year anniversary at POLYchromatic playing Cain Hargreaves. Thank you for humoring me♥]

Comments

[silverbellchild]

I'm so happy for you, Brother.

[misterblackbird]

Thank you, Merry.

[silverbellchild]

You're welcome.

[beyourarmy]

So even after marrying me I'm still grouped in with those standing against Rosiel, huh?

[Oh, but he's grinning.]

[misterblackbird]

As I recall, I turned into a cat the next day, so one has to wonder how valid that marriage was.

I could hardly name everyone, you know. That would take seven years in itself.

[beyourarmy]

Yeah, even I'm not so depraved I'd stay married to a cat.

Well, why not? What else are you gonna do with your time?

[misterblackbird]

I do have Rosella to think on.

You recall her, I hope. It's rather funny when one thinks about it: she helped us both in getting ready for our ceremony, even if it was all thanks to a curse. And in the end, I married her.

[beyourarmy]

Yeah I-

[Pause, then sly grin.]

You married her, huh? I didn't know you had a thing for her. Guess that's the problem with only interacting with you during curses.

[misterblackbird]

Slow as we were about it, it was still nigh inevitable that we'd marry. I wish I could have told you sooner, but that would mean hoping you were back in the City, which is the last thing I would wish on someone.

[beyourarmy]

The City wasn't all bad.

Still, glad you made it out of there. That anyone did. I was worried everyone would be trapped there forever. Then I went home and couldn't remember a thing about it.

[misterblackbird]

It had its moments, both good and bad.

We all made it out of the City, really. Though it was all rather complicated there at the end. But we did make it.

[absinthed]

I wonder how much luck you'll have with this, earl. I've never known peacocks to come when they're called.

[misterblackbird]

I beg your pardon.

[absinthed]

No need; you can have it without begging. It's unseemly for someone of your rank, anyway.

[misterblackbird]

No, what do you mean by peacocks?

[absinthed]

Those thousand names you're going to rattle off and invite to tea?

I note I wasn't included among them, by the way.

[misterblackbird]

I had no intentions of inviting them all--or any of them, really. So perhaps you weren't to be included in this very small and private gathering. It's rather rude of you to assume you should be invited, I daresay.

[absinthed]

Perhaps I wouldn't have accepted anyway. I might have other plans.

[misterblackbird]

I'd quite expect you would. Houses of ill repute need someone to visit them, after all.

[absinthed]

In that area, I think even my own expertise is outmatched by yours.

[misterblackbird]

Perhaps you'll catch up someday.

[absinthed]

Perhaps I will. I suppose it comes more easily to an unattached man than a committed one.

[misterblackbird]

You're trying to insult me, but it won't work.

[absinthed]

I'm trying to congratulate you. Though I'm not surprised you can't tell the difference.

[misterblackbird]

When it comes from you, I hope you can see how one might be confused. But thank you.

[absinthed]

Uncharacteristic of me, is it? I suppose it just goes to show that we can both make exceptions to our usual habits, sometimes.

[misterblackbird]

Well, if nothing else, you're still quite capable of surprising, even after all this time.

[absinthed]

Now that I will take as a compliment.

[misterblackbird]

And you're quite welcome.

oh look it's the "my utter lack of shame" power hour

[foxhood]

Oh! That's the swan story!

Welcome--thanks for being here!

[misterblackbird]

Had you never heard it before?

[foxhood]

No, I know how it goes. But you forgot about the brother with the wing in place of an arm.

[misterblackbird]

I didn't mention him, but I didn't forget about him either.

[foxhood]

That's good. I like him the best! He still gets to live happily ever after even though he's not perfect.

[misterblackbird]

And, perhaps, since he still had one wing, he could remind his brothers and his sister of what they'd overcome. That might make the 'happily ever after' all the happier.

[foxhood]

Mmhmm. The story talks all about the princess, but I think it'd be just as hard being a swan for that long, too. The brothers didn't have it easy, either.

[misterblackbird]

No, I don't think they did either. But what they had to endure was quite different from what the princess had to endure.

[foxhood]

Do you think people tried to hunt them?

[misterblackbird]

I wouldn't be surprised if they did.

late as always

[mistified]

Seven years is no short time, least of all anywhere. But really, all I'm good for is leaving and returning? I'll frown at you for that, Cain!