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[impure_tale]

I have to say I am somewhat surprised; I have been so long since graduating that I suspected the Admiral was awaiting me to finish the play before he would assign me. It is a special irony that I am not only wrong, but have had my assignment made within theatrical circles just the same. I am surprised and in a way honored.

Monsieur Iago, you and I are going to have to have a little chat.

[Filtered to the Cast and Crew]

To my theatre troupe: Owing to the fact that a vast majority of you are in need of time to recover, group rehearsals are postponed for the time being. If any of you require my aid, or lessons or exercises from me to help you get back into the proper mindset to act, I am happy to provide, should you ask.

[Private to Pavi]

Paviche?

Comments

[inhumandog.livejournal.com]

Yes, I remember. I did not think then what would have become of it. So tell me Marquis, are you apprehensive about this task? Does it worry you that you will not become "used" to me?

[impure-tale.livejournal.com]

My dear Inmate, one thing you will come to learn of me very quickly is that I am neither easily shocked nor easily intimidated. In fact I think that there may be few troubles between the two of us provided we are in agreement on a few things.

[inhumandog.livejournal.com]

Ah, the conditions. Of course. Go ahead then. What are we to be in agreement about?

[impure-tale.livejournal.com]

Firstly, what do you wish of your time here? Do you want to return home, to life?

[inhumandog.livejournal.com]

I have no more home, as you well know from reading what you know about me. As for returning to life, well yes. But I assume that I cannot have one without the other.

[impure-tale.livejournal.com]

What you have here is the opportunity to not only return to life, but to have a home returned to you, a better home, possibly. That is one of many possibilities.

But the only way you are ever going to get that far is for me to deem you both ready and worthy to receive such a reward. Do you understand that?

ANGRY writing

[inhumandog.livejournal.com]

Understand that you are in control? Understand that only if I do what you ask, you will "deem" me ready and worthy?

Yes.

He's enjoying this way too much.

[impure-tale.livejournal.com]

Yes. Consider yourself one working for a promotion if that makes things simpler for you.

Well, that calmed him down...

[inhumandog.livejournal.com]

A promotion, then? Yes, it does. Does this make you my new lord and master, Warden Marquis?

Re: Well, that calmed him down...

[impure-tale.livejournal.com]

It makes me your Warden. You are a man, not a prostitute, so I suggest you not try sucking up to endear yourself to me, lest I choose to forget that and make your life a good deal more strange and difficult.

Here is where we need to have an understanding between each other: I will make no demands of how you interact with other people until it becomes a problem, but for this to work, for my judgment on your character to pass the Admiral, you may never lie to me. Lie to whomever else you wish if it suits you, but I am the individual that is -- to put it metaphorically -- guarding your soul, and if you are not honest with me, you will lose it. If I ask information of you, you will give it freely because it allows me to do my job with greater ease, which means more freedom and an easier existence for you while you are here.

[inhumandog.livejournal.com]

Who said anything about sucking up? It was a question, nothing more, nothing less.

As for lying to you, I have no reason to do so as of now. So you can rest easy, Marquis. Anything about me you wish to know, you can find out. I lie only to those who deserve it.

Do not insult me with your assumptions.

[impure-tale.livejournal.com]

These are not assumptions. These are warnings, and it is not I that will have to worry about resting easy if I decide that you are behaving toward me in a manner contrary to what I have made clear is your only path. You'll have to just forgive me if you think I am concluding too quickly, but as you yourself have said, your reputation precedes you.

[inhumandog.livejournal.com]

So it does.

And you are not forgiven by me, though I can only think you do not care at this point. What happened only took place because the weak willed congregated in one place. They chose their own paths.

[impure-tale.livejournal.com]

You can't play that card with me, boy. Speaking as someone who actually was unjustly accused of influencing terrible deeds, there is a fundamental difference between speaking openly in broad terms, or of fictional occurrences, and speaking in the hopes of catalyzing something untoward.

[inhumandog.livejournal.com]

I hoped for nothing. An experiment without parameters. Or, to perhaps make it more relevant to your mind, it was a play. An improvised play where the actors knew very little information about their parts. They fell into their pit because they assumed, because they trusted, and because they are very, very much human.

[impure-tale.livejournal.com]

You do realize that if a word of that were true you would not be here right now, oui?

[inhumandog.livejournal.com]

No.

I am here because my experiments worked out much better than even I had anticipated.

[impure-tale.livejournal.com]

Very well. I'll bite. If your deeds were little more than experiments, then we'll put that to the test.

By tomorrow, you will relate to me the development and results of your experiments, using scientific method. Hans Christian Oerested's steps of Observation, Hypothesis, Deduction and Experimentation should do quite nicely. That was devised a little after your time, but you will find ready sources in the library to aid you, I am sure.

If you're not too busy setting it on fire, that is.

Make me a believer, Iago.

[inhumandog.livejournal.com]

Consider it done.

[impure-tale.livejournal.com]

I'll consider it done when I have the work in my hands.