With my old marshal Crux, and with Ortus, we used to have codes or gestures to communicate with when I was seeing something unusual. It would be useful to have something of the sort. A phrase I give you, and if you invoke it, I will understand that I am not acting within my right mind and must instead follow whatever instruction you give.
It wouldn't enable me to understand the nature of the curse, but I would nonetheless understand the instruction.
It lacks elegance. But I suppose it will sound more natural coming from you. Very well.
[. . .]
You must swear, then, by something of meaning to you that you will never invoke this phrase for any reason but to inform me that I am not in possession of all my faculties or have in some other way been compromised. And you must swear that you will never share this phrase with any other soul.
On my own grave, I swear to never invoke this phrase for any reason but to inform you that you are not in possession of all of your faculties or have in some other way been compromised and that I will never share this phrase with any other soul.
[There are probably necromancy rules about swearing on your own grave. But it's fine. She does a huffy sigh.]
I'll accept even though I did not find your oath convincing. Just. . . understand me. This poses a risk to my safety if used carelessly. I could trust Crux and Ortus both with this task, because whatever their personal feelings towards me, they valued their honour and could not betray their lady. I don't think honour has the same meaning to you.
[he's got two to swear by, so you know the oath is super serious! he actually looks quite pleased when she says that he totally lacks honor.]
It most certainly doesn't. Don't have a shred of honour, nor would I ever care to, but if anything that should make you feel better about it? I'm not doing it out of a sense of obligation to any old god of hot air or long-dead tit's bullshit code.
It doesn't. Old gods and long dead tits remain what they are. There is certainty in that. A vow to something that doesn't change is a vow unlikely to be broken.
[If you're loyal to the Ninth, it doesn't really matter whether you feel any loyalty in particular to Harrowhark Nonagesimus.]
Anything else is little more than. . . whims and ephemeral feelings.
[. . . but fine. he digs out his tarot deck, flipping through it for a moment until he finds what he's looking for. A card with the image of the moon (one side - the moon hangs in the sky, alone. the other - its reflection in a lake, a second, red twin behind it.) and puts it down on the table. Then he puts his hand over it.]
On the Moonweaver, I swear to you that I will not betray this oath.
Sure, but you were going to keep complaining about it.
[reaching over to flick her on the forehead before he actually sits down, putting his feet up on the table. she can inspect the card if she wants. the top says MOON and the bottom says SHADOW]
A card that could get me in quite a bit of legal trouble. So keep your mouth fucking shut.
[i cant read my own notes its moon and MIRROR but thats fine]
The Moonweaver isn't exactly an approved goddess in the Empire.
[a snort of laughter.]
As for the card. The Moon can mean a good deal of things. Suppose it depends on context when she's pulled. Illumination. A light in the darkness. The Mirror. An illusion, misdirection, trickery.
Got to have something to believe in. At least a little.
[he reaches over to take the moon card back and shuffle it back into his deck, cutting and sorting without much aim.]
Something in between those two things. Be disrespectful to the cards to say it's all my wonderful words. They've got their own power, but it isn't exactly magic. I'm certainly not casting any spells on them. And it isn't all trickery either. Sometimes you just have to know what people are looking to hear.
When did I say anything about falsehoods. If a man comes in coughing up a lung, I might suggest that the cards are saying to consider see a doctor. Just reading people.
Just because it's interprative doesn't mean I'm lying!
[A scoff, but. He doesn't seem that offended by this take either.]
Beau fucking hated me for it, I'll tell you that. Not a fan of the fortune telling. She didn't much care for me when I was alive most of the time, you know.
Yes, I think so, anyway. Certainly, it was how we all got along.
[His nails tap against the table a bit.]
But as I'm sure you know, I'm rather arrogant about my particular philosophies, and she was looking for a fight with the whole world. But we watched each other's backs. One trash person for another. That was the deal.
... When I got to talk to her here, she had grown a lot.
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[Or when you're cursed.]
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[She's massaging her temple.]
With my old marshal Crux, and with Ortus, we used to have codes or gestures to communicate with when I was seeing something unusual. It would be useful to have something of the sort. A phrase I give you, and if you invoke it, I will understand that I am not acting within my right mind and must instead follow whatever instruction you give.
It wouldn't enable me to understand the nature of the curse, but I would nonetheless understand the instruction.
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Though if anyone curses you again I'll just actually kick their ass. What's your phrase, then?
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. . . I'm going to say you need to see a man about a manticore.
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It lacks elegance. But I suppose it will sound more natural coming from you. Very well.
[. . .]
You must swear, then, by something of meaning to you that you will never invoke this phrase for any reason but to inform me that I am not in possession of all my faculties or have in some other way been compromised. And you must swear that you will never share this phrase with any other soul.
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On my own grave, I swear to never invoke this phrase for any reason but to inform you that you are not in possession of all of your faculties or have in some other way been compromised and that I will never share this phrase with any other soul.
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I'll accept even though I did not find your oath convincing. Just. . . understand me. This poses a risk to my safety if used carelessly. I could trust Crux and Ortus both with this task, because whatever their personal feelings towards me, they valued their honour and could not betray their lady. I don't think honour has the same meaning to you.
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It most certainly doesn't. Don't have a shred of honour, nor would I ever care to, but if anything that should make you feel better about it? I'm not doing it out of a sense of obligation to any old god of hot air or long-dead tit's bullshit code.
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[If you're loyal to the Ninth, it doesn't really matter whether you feel any loyalty in particular to Harrowhark Nonagesimus.]
Anything else is little more than. . . whims and ephemeral feelings.
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[. . . but fine. he digs out his tarot deck, flipping through it for a moment until he finds what he's looking for. A card with the image of the moon (one side - the moon hangs in the sky, alone. the other - its reflection in a lake, a second, red twin behind it.) and puts it down on the table. Then he puts his hand over it.]
On the Moonweaver, I swear to you that I will not betray this oath.
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So serious! I wasn't going to make you.
[She only meant it meant something more to her, to trust someone based on ephemeral feelings.]
What is this card, then?
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[reaching over to flick her on the forehead before he actually sits down, putting his feet up on the table. she can inspect the card if she wants. the top says MOON and the bottom says SHADOW]
A card that could get me in quite a bit of legal trouble. So keep your mouth fucking shut.
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[She scowls at the flick but she can't protest too much.]
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The Moonweaver isn't exactly an approved goddess in the Empire.
[a snort of laughter.]
As for the card. The Moon can mean a good deal of things. Suppose it depends on context when she's pulled. Illumination. A light in the darkness. The Mirror. An illusion, misdirection, trickery.
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[Literally?]
Tell me . . . is what you do with the cards real? Outside of this place, is there some sort of power involved? Or is it all trickery?
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[he reaches over to take the moon card back and shuffle it back into his deck, cutting and sorting without much aim.]
Something in between those two things. Be disrespectful to the cards to say it's all my wonderful words. They've got their own power, but it isn't exactly magic. I'm certainly not casting any spells on them. And it isn't all trickery either. Sometimes you just have to know what people are looking to hear.
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[A scoff, but. He doesn't seem that offended by this take either.]
Beau fucking hated me for it, I'll tell you that. Not a fan of the fortune telling. She didn't much care for me when I was alive most of the time, you know.
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[He taps the toes of his boots together.]
And my particular outlook was extremely irritating to her. We squabbled. Stupid shit, really.
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[His nails tap against the table a bit.]
But as I'm sure you know, I'm rather arrogant about my particular philosophies, and she was looking for a fight with the whole world. But we watched each other's backs. One trash person for another. That was the deal.
... When I got to talk to her here, she had grown a lot.
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