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I...
don't, at present.
[A thoughtful pause.]
Do you?
don't, at present.
[A thoughtful pause.]
Do you?
[ Bastien smiles, crooked and rueful. ]
That isn’t really what I meant. I meant—generally. To stop assuming I have time.
[ He rolls up onto his feet and ducks to pick up his glass, so he can lean against the table beside her, a few inches further than shoulder to shoulder. ]
And I don’t really think the Herald was trying to tell us anything that personal. Maybe we were telling ourselves. I am afraid to die for nothing and leave nothing behind. You are afraid— [ a statement with the halting pace and eyebrows of a question, open to contradiction ] —that if you do not do everything that could be done, whatever goes wrong is your fault.
That isn’t really what I meant. I meant—generally. To stop assuming I have time.
[ He rolls up onto his feet and ducks to pick up his glass, so he can lean against the table beside her, a few inches further than shoulder to shoulder. ]
And I don’t really think the Herald was trying to tell us anything that personal. Maybe we were telling ourselves. I am afraid to die for nothing and leave nothing behind. You are afraid— [ a statement with the halting pace and eyebrows of a question, open to contradiction ] —that if you do not do everything that could be done, whatever goes wrong is your fault.
I don't know if anything is ever enough— [ said with a little distaste, like it's a dirty word ] —but it would have been better.
[ He considers the ceiling instead of her profile. ]
And I think there has to be a line, non? You make a reasonable decision for good reasons, and it ends badly—that is not your responsibility. And it is not your responsibility to never enjoy a moment of your life because that might be the moment you could have prevented something from going wrong.
[ He considers the ceiling instead of her profile. ]
And I think there has to be a line, non? You make a reasonable decision for good reasons, and it ends badly—that is not your responsibility. And it is not your responsibility to never enjoy a moment of your life because that might be the moment you could have prevented something from going wrong.
[ There's been dancing! There's been a responsible amount of wine! And there's been the heartbreak of arriving at the docks just as the departing ferry reached a distance that would make it rude to call for the ferryman to wait or turn around.
So now there's waiting, sitting on the wall over the water, and watching the little boat make its slow progress toward the Gallows without them.
Into the dark, windy, wavy silence, Bastien says: ]
The other Division Heads. Fu— [ A moment of consideration for the audience. ] Bed, wed, behead?
So now there's waiting, sitting on the wall over the water, and watching the little boat make its slow progress toward the Gallows without them.
Into the dark, windy, wavy silence, Bastien says: ]
The other Division Heads. Fu— [ A moment of consideration for the audience. ] Bed, wed, behead?
He very kindly bought you a moment of time to protest and consider your answer. I'd say that's friendship.
[Darras, bereft of the cigarette for the moment, cranes his neck to look down below their feet, to see if there are any rocks available to be picked up and skipped while they wait.]
Good friendship. So good that now you've got t'answer.
[Darras, bereft of the cigarette for the moment, cranes his neck to look down below their feet, to see if there are any rocks available to be picked up and skipped while they wait.]
Good friendship. So good that now you've got t'answer.
[ What Bastien really thought was that, however informal one is with a husband and a wife separately, one ought to be one or two notches more polite with a husband and wife together.
But Darras makes and excellent point. Bastien wags a finger at him—in a complimentary way. A listen to that very smart man way. ]
But Darras makes and excellent point. Bastien wags a finger at him—in a complimentary way. A listen to that very smart man way. ]
Bien... To begin with, maybe it does not matter. Maybe in a situation like that you could do everything right, give every little scrap of your attention to the mission, and your friend would die exactly the same way, except for having fewer chances to hear you laugh.
[ He glances down and nudges his knee sideways. It doesn't swing wide enough to actually knock her, but the idea of a companionable nudge is there. ]
[ He glances down and nudges his knee sideways. It doesn't swing wide enough to actually knock her, but the idea of a companionable nudge is there. ]
[ Yseult does not appear to agree with this assessment, with the dry look she casts them both. ] You also have to answer [ she reminds Darras, but she looks resigned, exhaling a plume of smoke as she squints up at the stars for inspiration. ]
Stark might build an airship if I gave him time enough.
Stark might build an airship if I gave him time enough.
Surely—although there is never a definite timeline attached to this game, is there? You do not have to have one of them under you while you exchange vows with the second and stab the third. You could delay the execution.
[ He looks at the rocks at his own feet. A guess at what Darras had been looking for, and he kicks one that’s sort of flat sideways so it’s within his reach. ]
But that takes all the fun out. Donc ouais. Airships if he lives.
[ He looks at the rocks at his own feet. A guess at what Darras had been looking for, and he kicks one that’s sort of flat sideways so it’s within his reach. ]
But that takes all the fun out. Donc ouais. Airships if he lives.
Wed for an airship. [ Congrats, Tony. Which leaves... ] Bed Flint, behead Byerly.
[ She tips a brief, mildly apologetic shrug toward Bastien. ] He's a better man but I'm not risking disease. And Flint would keep his mouth shut. [ Yseult exhales a thin curling stream of smoke toward the sky, contemplative. ] I bet I could make him uncomfortable.
[ She tips a brief, mildly apologetic shrug toward Bastien. ] He's a better man but I'm not risking disease. And Flint would keep his mouth shut. [ Yseult exhales a thin curling stream of smoke toward the sky, contemplative. ] I bet I could make him uncomfortable.
[Darras makes a noise of quiet appreciation as he goes to pick up the rock--which is, incidentally, fairly perfect. The act of skipping is momentarily waylaid by Yseult's very pragmatic answer. He laughs.]
Oh, aye, if anyone could, it'd be you. [Very complimentary, despite the topic, though he has to say, in an undertone, as he hops down to square up and skip the stone,] Disease?
[Cruel. If maybe true.]
Bastien made a point there I never thought of. Would you let the man live and behead him at the end of his natural days?
Oh, aye, if anyone could, it'd be you. [Very complimentary, despite the topic, though he has to say, in an undertone, as he hops down to square up and skip the stone,] Disease?
[Cruel. If maybe true.]
Bastien made a point there I never thought of. Would you let the man live and behead him at the end of his natural days?
[ The crumpled mix of offense and laughter on Bastien's face smooths out halfway for him to say, ]
It is. Unfortunately. And—also unfortunately—I am obliged to say there is no disease. [ That was for honor's sake. This is for loyalty and affection's: ] Or maybe there is, but its only symptom is thinking sometimes about whether you might ever be willing to live in Ferelden.
[ Horrific. ]
D'accord. Yseult is emerging from this mostly unscathed, triumphant in an airship, leaving three men worse than she found them. That sounds right. What about you, Darras?
It is. Unfortunately. And—also unfortunately—I am obliged to say there is no disease. [ That was for honor's sake. This is for loyalty and affection's: ] Or maybe there is, but its only symptom is thinking sometimes about whether you might ever be willing to live in Ferelden.
[ Horrific. ]
D'accord. Yseult is emerging from this mostly unscathed, triumphant in an airship, leaving three men worse than she found them. That sounds right. What about you, Darras?
I don't see why it would be against the spirit, [says Darras, stuck on weaseling around in the rules more than on Ferelden.] It's a game that's been made up, can't we make up new rules to suit? It'd change answers, surely.
[He flicks his wrist. The stone goes skipping across the surface of the water. It's a little choppy--it always is--but the stone makes it four strikes before it plummets. Darras looks about for another stone.]
My answer is easy even if we don't fiddle with rules. Wed the Scoutmaster. Obviously. [He flashes Yseult a grin.] And then the other three... Don't think I could sleep my way to an airship. I don't know the man well enough besides, so I'd behead Stark--apologies to him once I get to knowing him, I'm sure I'll find him charming and regret that answer. Then I suppose I bed Byerly. I'm at no risk of catching the Ferelden disease.
[He flicks his wrist. The stone goes skipping across the surface of the water. It's a little choppy--it always is--but the stone makes it four strikes before it plummets. Darras looks about for another stone.]
My answer is easy even if we don't fiddle with rules. Wed the Scoutmaster. Obviously. [He flashes Yseult a grin.] And then the other three... Don't think I could sleep my way to an airship. I don't know the man well enough besides, so I'd behead Stark--apologies to him once I get to knowing him, I'm sure I'll find him charming and regret that answer. Then I suppose I bed Byerly. I'm at no risk of catching the Ferelden disease.
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