2021-09-04: Tick Tock

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  • Log: Tick Tock
  • Cast: Magilou, Eleanor Klein
  • Where: Klein Central District
  • Date: 2021-09-04
  • Summary: Tick tock goes the clock, come to mask pain with sweet talk; tick tock goes the clock, now you unlock your wedlock. Tick tock goes the clock, left to defrock the night sky; tick tock goes the clock, and soon your flock must die.

<Pose Tracker> Magilou has posed.

The vast CASTLE OF HOUSE KLEIN towers at the top of the cliffs, and at the edge of that precarious drop...

There is a park bench!

A totally normal park bench.

It is currently occupied by a fucking clown.

okay wait, hold up --

Look, it's a nice day. The sun is shining, the birds are singing, the kids are burning in hell. There's a frigate pulling out of port down there, all puffing coal out in big plumes. (It's probably a Galad design.) The amount of people milling about up here in impressively big hats is at least statistically above the mean. But no one accounted for a hat /this/ big, all split down the middle, all checkered-coloured. The brim is all zig-zaggy pointed. It's a jester's hat. It belongs to a jester. The jester is wearing a skirt made of books. Okay. We're just going to have to live with that, all right? We can get through it together.

Because the REST of the castle is doing quite well. There are a dozen-dozen bureaucratic victories being won at this very moment. Some poor paper-pusher drops his clipboard off the side of a rampant. It sails merrily down, caught by the air currents. It does not hit the clown in the head, because there is no justice in this world.

She doesn't even look up from her newspaper. Right, did we mention that? Sitting on a park bench on that cliff overlooking everything, reading a paper. This is just part of Klein's existence now. Why is a jester reading the news? What justice is there to this?

Magilou flicks over a page, to find the continuation of the cover story: 'THE WEDDING THAT WASN'T'. There's a byline about future potential romances. It's all very sordid. This is apparently one of the more opinionated papers of the region. Of course the clown is reading the paper which is a joke.

It's unclear what precisely she's doing wrong, but what is perfectly clear is the fact that Klein is certainly doomed. Why is no one else worried about the jester?!


<Pose Tracker> Eleanor Klein has posed.

Eleanor Klein is having a good day. She's had good days for the last few days, in fact. They have been excellent overall. Since her wedding that didn't actual go to completion, she's been.... mostly scarce, actually. For reasons. But she does occasionally get out, and right now is one of those times. At the edge of the drop, there is a bench, with a clown in it. Eleanor is noticing very little otherwise, frankly, because she's actually humming to herself as she walks, but she is making a circuit of the manor, waving at people here and there as she goes.

Future potential romances are certainly of interest. Eleanor disappeared with Xiumei; her ex-fiance has been spotted on very close terms with her /sister/. And Eleanor herself is... Right here.

She turns onto the space, and looks--and sees--the hat. The skirt of books.

"...Oh!" Eleanor says in surprise, because of all the things that could get through her reverie, Magilou's loud fashion is one.


<Pose Tracker> Magilou has posed.

There are /several/ lines devoted to the possible relationship of one Montgomery with one Danielle. Also, strangely enough, an entire paragraph devoted to the sordid romantic intrigues of Gertrude Klein, who by all accounts doesn't matter in the slightest. This just means her love life gets to be /even more interesting./

The /photo,/ of course, is Eleanor, looking to her mother as she tries to explain herself. There's some blur around the edges because photography tech isn't always the best. Let's call it an artistic choice. Magilou looks at this picture. Magilou lowers her newspaper. Magilou looks at Eleanor.

Magilou raises her newspaper again.

Magilou lowers it a moment later.

"Well, well," she remarks, folding the paper up into a loose loop and tapping the whole thing to her temple, "looks like /someone/ ruined everybody's plans! Running off at the altar with the woman of your dreams, why, golly gosh gumdrops, you've even managed to make something /exciting/ happen around here!"

These are pretty big words from the woman who Eleanor saw helping with Riley and Xander in such a dubious manner, but she sure /looks/ cheerful about it.


<Pose Tracker> Eleanor Klein has posed.

Eleanor likes Gertrude well enough, but they don't talk all that much. Perhaps they should talk more if she's up to such interesting things! ...But Eleanor has /not/ been reading the papers.

But the likeness is good!

"Ah?" Eleanor asks at first, and then flushes red immediately. But rather than shrinking about it she actually smiles, if in an embarrassed sort of way. "Ah, that's... Plenty of exciting things happen in Klein," she starts.

She remembers Magilou--remembers her assistance, there, and how weird she is.

But then, "...Ah heh, I guess it would be in the papers still, wouldn't it...?"

She doesn't see Trouble though. But she does glance around to make sure not too many people are around.


<Pose Tracker> Magilou has posed.

"Suuure is!" Magilou says, and tosses the paper over to Eleanor so she can see what they're saying about her. Which is really kind of mean, given how awful the paper is. No one ever accused Magilou of being nice.

"I mean, sure," she waves a hand, loosely, "if you like bureaucratic busywork, it's fine. If for some reason you're deeply passionate about ships going places, I'm sure this is an /entire/ wonderworld. But that's not what /you/ go in for, huh?" Her hand cups her cheek as her whole head tilts, with a broad, devil-may-care grin. "I always knew you were more of a save the village type! Why, you even stuck around to bury them, didn't you?"

SPEAKING OF WHICH, WHY'D /MAGILOU/ DISAPPEAR AFTER THAT --

She claps her hands together, all too excited. "You're so diligent! The most diligent ditcher there ever was!"


<Pose Tracker> Eleanor Klein has posed.

Eleanor does look. She blanches a little when she settles on a particular line and puts it behind her back instead to focus on Magilou. Bureaucratic...

"Well," she starts, and then--what she goes in for. What does Magilou know about what she goes in for now??? Ah, that incident.

"Someone had to," Eleanor says of that, though she frowns a little. Because Magilou is a mean cat. And rude. But she's very excited over--

"I--I didn't /ditch/ him!" she protests. "It was mutual!"


<Pose Tracker> Magilou has posed.

"A /mutual/ ditching!" Magilou exclaims, hand to her chest. "Each abandoning the other for their own life path... oh, what cruel existence! The death of tradition! The horrors of modern life!" Hand to her forehead, she swoons against the bench, only to look up a moment later. "... except, even the /fun/ rags don't quite put it that way. You've got a good publicist team, huh?"

She streeetches her arms over the top of her head, and loops her elbows over the backrest of the bench, grinning to Eleanor. "Who knew ARMS were so talented? And here they just looked like another boring paramilitary gig. Makes sense though, huh? I mean, you're not exactly a soldier. Look at your whole..." She gestures, with a palm, without quite bothering to lift it up. She just gestured to all of her!

"So," Magilou wheels to another point without missing a beat, "when are you and your girlfriend planning to go punch god? Ballpark estimate."


<Pose Tracker> Eleanor Klein has posed.

"Yes! Mutual ditching! We discussed it! ...Kind of!" But--ah. Magilou swoons, but she points something out, and Eleanor is forced to consider: yes, actually, she does. "Well, I have friends in the press," she suggests. "And Mother did a lot to smooth things out. Father, too." She is absolutely /that/ Klein, after all.l But the talent?

"Well, I knew ARMS was talented," Eleanor points out. But then--Ah. "Hmm. Sometimes I feel like one," she admits. "But I really don't look the part, do I? I used to actually complain about all the running."

But her next point--Eleanor blinks, and her eyes widen a bit. "Ah?" she says. "I think I've probably offended God enough in my personal life, I'm not exactly the best example..." Pause. "Unless you mean one of the other ones. I think Lady Yuna is going to punch their god, so there's no need for me to get mixed up in that."


<Pose Tracker> Magilou has posed.

"Wow, you discussed your altar scene before it happened?" Magilou straightens up, immediately interested. "So it was all a ruse! Fascinating!" One might get the idea that she is engaged by entirely the wrong parts of this conversation.

Did we not warn you about the jester and related jester problems at the start of this?!

She doesn't immediately comment on Eleanor feeling like a soldier, though she /did/ grin like a shark for a moment there, which might invoke a creeping sense of doom.

When she hears about Eleanor having no plans to punch God, she waves a hand, dismissively. "Oh, don't worry about it right now. I'll check again after you've adventured for twenty hours!" A beat passes, and she winks, waving a finger. "Oh, my mistake, twenty /months./ Silly me."

Before Eleanor can question that, she leans forward, elbow to knee, chin to palm. Still grinning. "The point is, you chose love over tradition. Why, you even /didn't do what you were supposed to do./ So what's the story with this new life of defiance? And if you take her last name, are you going to have to change your name order? I have very important questions, and frankly, I think the world deserves an answer." Magilou, you're not the world. Magilou, stop.


<Pose Tracker> Eleanor Klein has posed.

"Well... no," Eleanor admits. "We didn't really discuss it /before/ so much as when it happened. ....And we haven't talked about all of it yet." Eleanor was warned about the jester. She did not listen. It keeps happening.

"Ah?" she wonders. "Well, I've--"

But Magilou leans forward. She does not get to talk about that thing. Instead--

"W-well it's hardly a whole new life," she says, "But... Xiumei made me realize that... I was doing what I wanted to want, instead of what I actually wanted..." She bites her lip, and then--"Ah? Oh, no, she'd probably take my name if we married, but we're not talking about that yet. We're kind of--going to take it a little at a time for a bit? Not get too caught up in planning."

Pause. "But I suppose if I did I /would/ change my name order. But I'm still listening to a lot of other traditions, I just... Didn't... do /this/ one."


<Pose Tracker> Magilou has posed.

"Oh, come on! Zhang Eleanor! That's /way/ more interesting than Xiumei Klein!" Magilou streeetches her arms up again, only to loop them behind her head, looking up without a care. "But what do I care? I'm just Magilou o/`"

Somehow she manages to pronounce the musical note perfectly.

She looks back to Eleanor, with a too-sharp grin. "But hey, I'm sure not talking about things is the best way to get them done. It alllll works itself out at the altar. Have you even figured out what you really /really/ want? Humans live for about sixty years, give or take money and a desk job. Tick tock! Tick tock!"

Magilou spreads her arms, and declares, widely: "The great thing about humans is how quick they die! So even if they mattered, you never have to worry about what they think ever again!" Somehow, saying this to Eleanor is raucously funny to Magilou, who bursts out laughing at the concept.


<Pose Tracker> Eleanor Klein has posed.

"It's pretty nice," Eleanor admits cheerfully, though she was always expecting to keep her last name when she got married regardless. Being a high ranking noble is like that. But Magilou is just Magilou, and she can pronounce a musical note perfectly. Of course.

"I guess," Eleanor allows, since it did kind of work itself out, but then--Magilou keeps going, and Eleanor was going to respond to that part. "...I'm still thinking--"

The next few seconds are a blur for Eleanor, but what is most notable is the loud SLAP of fingers against flesh that might be happening in the next moment, as Magilou's statement about humans gets Eleanor to haul off and swing her open hand straight for her face in an instant.

"Shut up!"


<Pose Tracker> Magilou has posed.

SLAP

One might expect something horrible to happen when slapping one of the most eminent sorceresses Lunar has to offer, as if the very act of impacting her imperial skin would cause a dozen curses to pour onto Eleanor on the spot.

This does not happen.

Rather, Magilou's face is catapulted back against the bench with an entirely satisfying impact, and her hat is even blown back off her head. Magilou catches it with one of those arms flailing out beside her, which is the one expert motion in a sea of staggered comeuppance.

And, yes, the best part is -- she /does/ quiet down for a moment after that, quite soundly surprised.

Tragically, she just starts laughing again a moment later, but it's at least a different /quality/ of laughter. "Damn! You're all right under all that suppression, huh?" Magilou puts her hat back on her head, adjusting it to make sure it is at the correct jaunty angle. "Fine, fine, I'll not go on about it. It's not my problem, anyway. Ahh, I suppose it's just a little nostalgic..."

A finger to her lips, Magilou says: "Oop! My mistake! Shutting up!"

Somehow, that seems funny to her, too.


<Pose Tracker> Eleanor Klein has posed.

Eleanor wasn't really thinking about it. The truth is that she's a very emotional young woman in the first place--it's just that /this/ kind of emotion doesn't get to show itself nearly as often. Her anger is real and sharp, and when she feels Magilou go down she does, for an instant, feel a little better.

But her eyes are wet when Magilou looks back up. A different kind of laughter. "That's horrible!" Eleanor insists, blinking away tears. "Just because they don't live as long--it doesn't mean they aren't important! We--we just have to treasure the time we have!"

"I--I don't understand you," Eleanor says, staring at Magilou. Her hand stings. "Nostalgic? What? Why are you so /awful/?"

"...What /suppression/?" she asks then, her stinging hand curling into a fist. "I just try to be nice. There's so much cruelty in the world already, there's no reason I should be adding to it!"


<Pose Tracker> Magilou has posed.

Magilou laughs while Eleanor cries, so, well, /obviously/ it's nostalgic. Which is not to say that Magilou has met no other Eleanors since then. Eleanor is a common enough name. It's just funny, you know? It's funny how she's an elf this time, and her human still thinks the best of the world. It's so funny, Magilou could die.

(She won't, though. That would satisfy far too many people.)

She grins like a fool or an executioner, even as Eleanor's hand curls to a fist. "So it's kinder to spare their feelings, is it? Just deal with all those nasty little details where they can't see, so they can keep on living without seeing the world through clear eyes? Lies are so /pretty,/ don't you think?" There is that veil over her eyes, the cusp of her eyelids which hides the upper purple tint. "Oh, there's no shame in them. If we didn't lie to ourselves... this world would be consumed by a wave of darkness you have never known."

Her voice drops like a stone. The light falls from her eyes. This, too, is a stone. It's impossible to wring tears from something like that.

"It should really disgust me... but the funny thing is, it doesn't, not really."

She's not smiling any more.

"I simply don't care. The people who did are dead... or worse than dead. Tell me, Eleanor. How do you treasure something without a heart? How do you understand your children? How do you tell someone she matters? How do you believe in this miserable world, the way they did? Do you simply trust it means something, when you cannot see what it is?"

Her voice is flat; her face is, too. It is difficult to listen to her at all, with the same aura of a droning professor whose one skill is driving his students to a nap, without life or inflection or passion at all. They are questions the mind can so easily glance off of, to think of anything else at all.

And that empty gaze finds her, and Magilou says: "Go on."


<Pose Tracker> Eleanor Klein has posed.

Eleanor /does/ think the best of the world. There is so much good in it that she can see, so much that is worth preserving. So she just doesn't understand Magilou, acting this way, and acting so happy about it. She has seen awfulness before, of course--but this is different.

Magilou grins, and it's a terrible kind of grin. Lies are so pretty, she says. She mentions how the world would be...

Eleanor pauses, and listens to her. Her voice drops; the light fades. She is not smiling anymore. Eleanor thinks that maybe she is seeing the real Magilou, for the first time.

Eleanor knows that kind of professor. It is easy to glance away from those questions... but when Magilou looks, she will not see distraction anymore, or even confusion. She will see something like understanding staring back into her empty eyes, as Eleanor, just a little bit, comes to get it.

"...I won't say I'm sorry," she says. "Because it'll sound like I'm apologizing for hitting you... And I won't. I don't want to apologize for my real feelings anymore." She is calm, though she does not immediately answer the questions.

"...Yes. I do think it's kind, to let them fail to see some things. The way the night sky shelters you from the harsh light of day. Sometimes we have to look away from awful things, just to survive. You're right. If we were completely honest all the time, society couldn't function."

"...But I don't believe you," she says simply. "If you really didn't care at all, you'd just find a hole somewhere to be in. Either you care, or you want to care. Or you /did/ care. ...And maybe you're only hanging on for that person."

"But I don't know the answer to your question. I don't know what it's like, not to have a heart. It's /because/ I have one that I keep fighting. That I haven't given up."

"...I'm sure she was wonderful. But it's not my fault that she died. ...And even if Xiumei does long before I do, I won't ever use her as an excuse to be cruel."


<Pose Tracker> Magilou has posed.

Eleanor doesn't immediately answer, but that's fine; Magilou doesn't interrupt her. Not with snickering, or a snide sidelong expression, or by doing something with her hands the way she always seems to be moving about.

It's not quite right to say she's a corpse either, though.

Corpses are stiff and unyielding.

She can't even be bothered to do that.

"Hmm," she says, eventually, after a moment, or a minute, or an hour. One time is like another, all things blurring into a horrible sameness.

"No one does," she says, eventually, after a moment, or a minute, or an hour. "Cassandra would weep." And /that's/ an ancient literary reference which --

That there is any movement to her at all is notable, right now, the way her head tilts, looking through those lashes out to her, the bars of some stygian cage. "But perhaps you're right. After all..."

She sags, a little, as her weight all swings forward, before the whole of her rises. "... the reason I never could be Artorius's night..."

She walks past Eleanor; does not face her.

"I was never happy. But that day... I saw a world I could have been. I accepted the lie... and it was insufficient."

There is an emotion lancing through her voice, now, though she is looking out over the cliffside. It's impossible to see how that bitter disgust registers on her face. If it even does at all.

"... so don't tell me to spare your feelings. I loathe the very /concept!/"

With that, Magilou takes another step -- and falls from the cliffside.

Looking down, one might see her surfing the aircurrents on a shikigami, gliding down to the portside below.


<Pose Tracker> Eleanor Klein has posed.

It happens sometimes, for Eleanor, that time stretches and squeezes, compresses or expands, and turns moments into something else. It makes it hard to tell what time is. But eventually...

Or maybe right away?

Any movement at all is notable. Eleanor sees it--she sees Magilou move past her.

"...Artorius?" she wonders, as she wondered without saying, Cassandra? She couldn't be his night--couldn't be that shield.

Eleanor's eyes widen in surprise as Magilou looks down the cliff--but when she looks over it, there she is, gliding. And so she is gone. Her final words ring in Eleanor's mind.

"I don't..."

She stares after for a little while longer, silent, still holding the paper behind her back with her other hand.

There's so much she doesn't understand... but weirdly, she doesn't feel as bad anymore, either.

"..." She puts that fist she'd curled over her heart. "Magilou... Who are you, really?"