by Glenn » Mon Feb 25, 2013 3:57 am
Answers come to Glenn Burnie. Had he deceived Ariane? No, because the end result was as she expected it. She had denied him what he wanted but had to understand that he would accept what he was not allowed to take. It was a matter of degree and no one understood that as well as the swordswoman. Of course, she also understood absolutes and that might come to a head at some point
To Burnie, all of this hinged on one very important question: Was the girl over her head or not? Or, to put it more simply, was the girl even a girl or was she something else entirely. A brief encounter had given him an initial supposition, enough that she was allowed to live free for another day. For now, it would be a chain of words and ink that he bound her with. It would be up to her to walk the careful balance between that and something far more draconian.
Nightingale,
It is with no small appreciation that I have come to find your letter before me. There was always a chance that you would have decided upon flight, either from me or Myrken. In fact, in many ways, that would have been your wisest choice. I gave you the chance for freedom, and yet you have tied yourself to our mast. You'll humor me that. Nautical reference rarely carry much weight in a landlocked province. Still, it is unusual to find the siren tied to the mast instead of the captain. We'll have to see what comes of it. I suggest not blocking up your ears, however. You will miss much if you do.
On civility, my betrothed would agree with you in a happy moment, that it is the goal one must always strive towards. Climbing that pinnacle is unfortunately not a luxury I am always allowed. Necessity in all things, Nightingale. Necessity, brilliance, and then, I suppose, civility. I refuse to wear the mask of false civilization if it bars my way in the creation of true civilization. You shall humor me this as well. My incivility will never be brutish or without purpose. Know that.
It was important that you understood the stakes of this game. They are high enough to make calling it a game at all offensive, trite. They are nothing less than people's lives. Thankfully, I am never one to shy from offending those around me when it suits and so often it does. It is up to you, however, if you will humor me on that count. Know that even if you don't, it will avail you little.
I find it interesting that you speak of your mother's beauty but not of her other features, that you liken her to Altias but not to Garrison. Is she not sister of both men? Or in those ways that matter, is she only sister to Altias? That is an interesting thought, don't you think? A sister of Garrison would not have let you come alone, nor would she have bowed so thoroughly to your father. Do you think me to be a man moved by beauty first and foremost? I appreciate that you are a rose, Sparrow, but only so far that it has provided you with enough confidence to let your other talents shine. It is but a single mean to a thousand other ends.
Was there anything amazing in the above? It becomes occasionally difficult to tell in my own missives. Self-reflection is one of my weakest skills, I'm afraid to say. An amazing question then. Why did I not ask you who your mother was? To make it easier, I shall hone in further. Why might I not care? I wonder if it would offend you to offer a third clue. I shall take my chances and you may chastise me for it later later. It was not because I knew your father so well.
Luck,
Glenn