| The Hall of Introductions; Being a Place of New Beginnings and Welcome | |
|---|---|
| Tweet Topic Started: Jul 29 2017, 11:29 PM (468 Views) | |
| Alexander Voight | Aug 8 2017, 03:37 AM Post #11 |
![]()
|
Alexander nodded, taking a drag on his cigar. "I have a similar scar from my own Court masterpiece. A Society lady was...less than pleased with my grand opera and made her displeasure known with a quite expertly placed hairpin. I believe it was a quite serious attempt to murder me, given that she was aiming to place it between the third and fourth rib. Fortunately, I twisted, and it instead buried itself to the head in my arm. I still have the scar. Court can be brutal in more subtle ways...Thankfully, the Tomb-Colonies have taught me patience." |
![]() |
|
| Louis Ferdinand | Aug 8 2017, 03:49 AM Post #12 |
![]()
|
"Ah yes, the Tomb-Colonies do have that effect on one, don't they? They, and their inhabitants, have so much to teach. So very much." Louis stared into his tea, a wistfulness overtaking him. "... What were we talking about again?" |
![]() |
|
| Alexander Voight | Aug 8 2017, 12:56 PM Post #13 |
![]()
|
Alexander took a drag om his cigar, considering the possible answers. Finally, he commented, "Society ans Court, and our masterpieces. Frankly, I'm shocked Footsteps in Flint: A Tale of the Elder Continent is selling so well. Apparently, it's quite popular on the Surface, even if it is sold as pure fiction. Do you have a copy yet? I could swear I sent you one." |
![]() |
|
| Louis Ferdinand | Aug 8 2017, 09:39 PM Post #14 |
![]()
|
"Of course I have a copy: I have four, in fact. One which you were so kind to send me, and another three, for which I waited an hour at the door of my favorite bookshop before their opening to ensure that I would be the first to purchase it." Louis took another sip of tea, then requested a second cup from a passing server. "And while it is very generous of you to include me in such a discussion, in all honesty, I don't think anything I've produced rightly deserves to be called a "masterpiece". Especially not in such august company as your own works." |
![]() |
|
| Alexander Voight | Aug 8 2017, 11:33 PM Post #15 |
![]()
|
Alexander smiled, sitting back with his cigar. "On the contrary, my friend. Your tragic, doomed romance of nobility and automata was a masterpiece. It may not have sold well, but my copy rests in place of pride in my library. As does the book you wrote afterward skewering the Court for its lack of taste. The Gothic romance of love and death in the Tomb-Colonies was perhaps somewhat overwrought in parts, the imagery and genuine passion that infused the tale more than makes up for it. I quite enjoy your works, my friend, even if they are quite criminally underappreciated. Into The Beyond: An Illuminated Future of Brass and Lightning, however? You should not lower yourself to write to flatter the Court and University. A clockwork future of difference engines and electric carriages? Ludicrous, my friend, simply absurd. The fact that it seems to be your most popular work is a further crime against Literature perpetrated by the court." |
![]() |
|
| Louis Ferdinand | Aug 8 2017, 11:58 PM Post #16 |
![]()
|
"Don't make me recall that travesty. The name alone is enough to make me sick. If it weren't for the fact that it had already been completed, submitted to my editor, and approved for publishing by the time the honey wore off, I'd have taken it out to the coldest, most remote corner of the zee I could find, burnt it, scattered the ashes, and scuttled my vessel so that no living soul would know of its existence." Louis shuttered dramatically. "That is the absolute last time I patronize that parlor across the way from the Embassy. All the smoke and the brass fixtures must have had some deleterious effect on my ability to write." |
![]() |
|
| Alexander Voight | Aug 10 2017, 05:03 AM Post #17 |
![]()
|
"I tend to avoid the Embassy on principle. My views on the soul trade and the proper treatment of spirifers are notorious enough that I tend to find visits down Moloch Street rather unpleasant at the best of times. Being accosted by defensive spirifers is a treat compared to affectionate devils who think convincing me to sell my soul is a challenge to be overcome. My advice is simply to avoid Moloch Street entirely whenever possible." He waved his cigar to emphasize the point. |
![]() |
|
| Louis Ferdinand | Aug 10 2017, 09:53 PM Post #18 |
![]()
|
"I can relate all too well. Not a day has gone by since I set foot in London where some overly-forward devil hasn't made certain... Overtures. It's gotten to the point where they and their talk of "abstraction" are as mundane and common an element of the city as its gas lamps or its hansom cabs." Louis rolled his eyes dramatically. "That said, I nevertheless find it helpful to maintain a handful of contacts at the Embassy, despite the obvious hazards and inconveniences. Know thy enemy and all." |
![]() |
|
| Evoro | Aug 16 2017, 10:23 PM Post #19 |
|
The sound of heavy, trudging footsteps and the slight rustling of bandages and coats is more than enough to betray Lieutenant Evoro's approach to the table with the other two gentlemen. Although, how he had managed to get in without their notice was certainly noteworthy. "Greetin's, gentlemen. Might I join ye?" Without waiting for an answer, he drops into a chair beside them and retrieves a pipe and a match from deep within his coat. He strikes the match and lights whatever is in the pipe, burying the other end in the bandages - presumably where his mouth is. |
![]() |
|
| Alexander Voight | Aug 17 2017, 12:36 PM Post #20 |
![]()
|
Alexander replied to Louis, his cigar waving trails of blue smoke in the air. "Ever since I moved into my Mansion, they have been less persistent than-" He stopped with the arrival of Evoro, nodding. "Of course you can. Welcome, have a glass of the '82. It's quite good. Not quite as good as Surface wine, but one must make do." |
![]() |
|
| 1 user reading this topic (1 Guest and 0 Anonymous) | |
| Go to Next Page | |
| « Previous Topic · The House of Chimes · Next Topic » |








2:27 PM Jul 11