Marsh

marsh/stories/toward-eternity.tex

@@ -1,7 +1,3 @@
-Toward Eternity
-
-by Thomas ``Faux'' Steele
-
 Aurélien Delacroix leaned back on the cracked leather barstool and interlaced their fingers, claw-tips painted an eye-catching sapphire that matched their majestic crest. Tapping a cigarette out of a crumpled packet of Gauloises---also blue---they tucked it into their beak but left it unlit. ``Let's start with a name and go from there, shall we?''
 
 ``Gaëlle,'' the Persian leopard replied, golden eyes tracing the curves of the blue jay's deep purple suit. The corner of her muzzle curled into a slight frown as she took a seat, the curves of her dress cascading down her lithe body like turbid water. A choker set with fire opals like translucent magma adorned her throat. ``Of the Khayyamzadeh Clade. I've heard that you fancy yourself a detective, Monsieur Delacroix.''
@@ -12,7 +8,7 @@ Gaëlle considered Aurélien for a long moment, her manicured claws sinking into
 
 ``Is this related to the Century Attack?'' A lazy wisp of smoke rolled out of the blue jay's beak as they slowly exhaled. The ember of their cigarette gave their amethyst eyeshadow an iridescent glow. ``I imagine you've already checked the clade listing.''
 
-``Naturally.'' Gaëlle sighed, her shoulders slumping. ``I expected there to be casualties after they announced that the cause was Contraproprioceptive Virus. I just didn't expect the losses to have hit within my clade,'' the leopard murmured, her paw instinctively batting at a silver pendant in the form of an art nouveau key suspended from a dainty chain around her neck. ``Did you uh\ldots lose---''
+``Naturally.'' Gaëlle sighed, her shoulders slumping. ``I expected there to be casualties after they announced that the cause was Contraproprioceptive Virus. I just didn't expect the losses to have hit within my clade,'' the leopard murmured, her paw instinctively batting at a silver pendant in the form of an art nouveau key suspended from a dainty chain around her neck. ``Did you uh\ldots lose--''
 
 ``No. I'm technically part of a clade, but''---Aurélien took another puff as they swirled a half-empty glass of Armagnac and watched the amber droplets dance against the crystal---``we all seem to be a bit drunk on the liquor of solitude these days.''
 
@@ -20,7 +16,7 @@ Gaëlle considered Aurélien for a long moment, her manicured claws sinking into
 
 ``Then tell me more about the one that you're hunting for.'' A mournful saxophone rose above the steady drone of conversation that echoed off the cove ceiling above them. ``Anything that might help me identify an up-tree instance.''
 
-``Her name was Céleste,'' Gaëlle began, claws scratching lightly against the weathered mahogany bar of the Sombres Reflets speakeasy. ``A lynx. Reddish fur, beautiful emerald eyes, and a grin just a bit off-kilter. She was---'' the leopard's voice hitched---``she was not our clade's root instance, but she was very close, much closer than I am.''
+``Her name was Céleste,'' Gaëlle began, claws scratching lightly against the weathered mahogany bar of the Sombres Reflets speakeasy. ``A lynx. Reddish fur, beautiful emerald eyes, and a grin just a bit off-kilter. She was--'' The leopard's voice hitched. ``She was not our clade's root instance, but she was very close, much closer than I am.''
 
 ``You sound like you could use a drink. Bartender!'' Aurélien called, their voice slicing through the smoky air. A moment later, a handsome human with a well-trimmed mustache---part of the sim---stepped forward, chromed cocktail shaker in his white-gloved hand.
 
@@ -38,11 +34,11 @@ The bartender plucked a bottle from the top shelf, pouring precisely the request
 
 ``You had no way of knowing,'' Aurélien replied. The smoke of their cigarette curled lazily upward, contributing to a haze that muted the light thrown by the solitary incandescent bulb above them. ``No one predicted that phys-side would lash out at the System with such violence outside of the darkest sims birthed from conspiratorial delirium.''
 
-``There was this...old playground on the sim where the core of my clade still lives. Céleste loved it there.'' Gaëlle stared vacantly down into her whiskey, her sinuous tail twitching restlessly against the tarnished brass footrest. ``I'd join her there at the same time every week and we'd sit on the swings and reminisce until we ran out of memories or mimosa, whichever came first.''
+``There was this\ldots{}old playground on the sim where the core of my clade still lives. Céleste loved it there.'' Gaëlle stared vacantly down into her whiskey, her sinuous tail twitching restlessly against the tarnished brass footrest. ``I'd join her there at the same time every week and we'd sit on the swings and reminisce until we ran out of memories or mimosa, whichever came first.''
 
 ``I assume this new instance wasn't there when the appointed hour arrived?'' The ember on Aurélien's cigarette glowed brighter as they took a contriving puff.
 
-``No,'' the leopard replied with a sigh. ``And the clade listing wasn't of much help. I suspect that the new instance hasn't quit, but I don't have access---'' Gaëlle's voice trailed off, her fingers tracing aimless patterns on the mahogany bar.
+``No,'' the leopard replied with a sigh. ``And the clade listing wasn't of much help. I suspect that the new instance hasn't quit, but I don't have access--'' Gaëlle's voice trailed off, her fingers tracing aimless patterns on the mahogany bar.
 
 ``Those damned privacy settings,'' Aurélien murmured, offering a sympathetic nod. ``Useful at times but\ldots also occasionally frustrating.''
 
@@ -62,7 +58,7 @@ Aurélien gave her a curt nod before tipping back the full glass of Armagnac in
 
 ``I'll find her.'' The door swung shut behind them, the building's weathered shutters rattling in the howling wind. Sipping on her whisky, Gaëlle watched the blue jay's blocky figure disappear into the cityscape until it was swallowed entirely by sheets of bitter rain.
 
-\#
+\secdiv
 
 If the atmosphere in the Sombres Reflets was \emph{The Maltese Falcon}, then the Government Club was \emph{Brick and Mirror}. Aurélien stepped onto a cobblestone street lined with neatly-trimmed groves of Persian cypress trees and slowly exhaled. Dead ahead, a three-story building with a majestic art deco façade was impossible to miss, its emerald green and gold details accented by Kashan tilework. The gated archway that separated it from the street was flanked by two marble cheetahs, each bearing a gleaming torch of sapphire flame.
 
@@ -118,7 +114,7 @@ Plucking one of the pomegranate arils free, the blue jay rolled it between their
 
 Sampling the pomegranate, Aurélien appreciated the burst of sweet-tart flavor that brushed across their tongue like the tip of a \emph{billet doux}. ``And yet you've chosen to remain impartial anyway?''
 
-The Zamburak waved his paw and the elaborate murals adorning the ceiling faded away to reveal a cosmos stretched out like a silken canvas, punctuated by radiant stars and swirling nebulae. His manicured claws traced an absent pattern on the surface of his goblet while he gazed up at the heavens. ``The universe doesn't favor a quark over a lepton, so why should I favor one co-cladist over another?''
+The Zamburak waved his paw and the elaborate murals adorning the ceiling faded away to reveal a cosmos stretched out like a silken canvas, punctuated by radiant stars and swirling nebulae. His manicured claws traced an absent pattern on the surface of his goblet while he gazed up at the heavens. ``The universe doesn't favor a quark over a lepton, so why should I favor one cocladist over another?''
 
 ``Mrm\ldots I prefer to shape the world around me rather than gaze at the heavens,'' Aurélien replied. ``And for that, I need information.''
 
@@ -146,7 +142,7 @@ Parting their beak, Aurélien drew a quick breath as they narrowly dodged anothe
 
 ``I would have thought that you'd know the answer already,'' the cheetah replied smoothly, launching himself onto the table with Aurélien. The wood creaked under their combined weight but held fast. ``The same way one listens to whispers in the wind or the rustling of leaves.''
 
-The Zamburak's shamshir whizzed past, barely an inch away from Aurélien's beak. The blue jay stumbled backwards and quickly regained their footing as they were simultaneously struck by inspiration. ``Or the language of two co-cladists sitting together in an empty playground, saying nothing and yet everything to each other at the same moment.'' Aurélien finished.
+The Zamburak's shamshir whizzed past, barely an inch away from Aurélien's beak. The blue jay stumbled backwards and quickly regained their footing as they were simultaneously struck by inspiration. ``Or the language of two cocladists sitting together in an empty playground, saying nothing and yet everything to each other at the same moment.'' Aurélien finished.
 
 ``Very good.'' The Zamburak's voice carried a hint of approval. The cheetah flashed a pair of gold-capped canines as he smiled. Aurélien moved with renewed vigor, sweat dripping from their forefeathers as they used their superior agility to keep the Zamburak off-balance.
 
@@ -162,7 +158,7 @@ Céleste's fork became clearer in their mind; no longer an abstract notion but a
 
 ``It's not in a different sim, but\ldots I think I know just the place,'' the Zamburak replied with a knowing smile. With a swift movement, he closed the distance between them and slipped under the blue jay's guard. Aurélien's \emph{shamshir} flew from their grip as they were viscerally ejected from the Government Club. ``\emph{Safar khosh begzared!}''
 
-\#
+\secdiv
 
 Aurélien collapsed backward onto an unspoiled blanket of powdery snow which almost instantly soaked through the thin cotton of their \emph{gandoura}. Rolling their eyes, the blue jay forked into a winter-appropriate outfit, swapping the lightweight tunic for a well-insulated down jacket and sturdy snow pants. A fierce wind stirred their plumage, nipping at the slight gaps between the feathers on their cheeks.
 
@@ -218,7 +214,7 @@ The lynx nodded, her eyes briefly gleaming with distilled starlight. ``So, what
 
 Aurélien peered down into the dregs of their tea, scanning for omens in the waterlogged leaves. The hisses and pops of the dying fire punctuated the silence between them. ``I was only hired to find you,'' they murmured, noting what appeared to be the silhouette of a mushroom as they set their now empty cup down. ``What happens next is not up to me.''
 
-``\emph{C'est la vie},'' Céleste quipped, pushing herself off the chair. Her tail swished behind her as she moved, tracing patterns against the checkerboard pattern of her flannel lounge pants. Squatting beside the hearth, she casually dropped another log onto the pile with a resounding \emph{thu-clack}. ``We're always beholden to the decisions of others, whether they be friends, lovers, or co-cladists. Perhaps I just wanted a taste of living for myself, at least for a little while.''
+``\emph{C'est la vie},'' Céleste quipped, pushing herself off the chair. Her tail swished behind her as she moved, tracing patterns against the checkerboard pattern of her flannel lounge pants. Squatting beside the hearth, she casually dropped another log onto the pile with a resounding \emph{thu-clack}. ``We're always beholden to the decisions of others, whether they be friends, lovers, or cocladists. Perhaps I just wanted a taste of living for myself, at least for a little while.''
 
 ``And now?'' Aurélien asked.
 
@@ -228,9 +224,9 @@ Aurélien peered down into the dregs of their tea, scanning for omens in the wat
 
 ``Off so soon? I hope that I didn't chase you away,'' the lynx murmured. ``Our little discussion was just starting to get interesting.''
 
-``Not at all,'' Aurélien assured her while deftly slipping on their jacket. Their thoughts drifted to their clade, long scattered to the winds. Perhaps it might be time to reach out, if only to have an excuse to sample an unfamiliar haunt. ``But, if star-gazing ever gets a bit lonely---''
+``Not at all,'' Aurélien assured her while deftly slipping on their jacket. Their thoughts drifted to their clade, long scattered to the winds. Perhaps it might be time to reach out, if only to have an excuse to sample an unfamiliar haunt. ``But, if star-gazing ever gets a bit lonely--''
 
-``---I know where to find Gaëlle,'' the lynx murmured. Escorting Aurélien to the door, she crossed the cozy space in a few graceful strides. Upon cracking it open, the pair were greeted by a gust of sharp wind that whipped up ethereal swirls across the landscape like diminutive dust devils.
+``--I know where to find Gaëlle,'' the lynx murmured. Escorting Aurélien to the door, she crossed the cozy space in a few graceful strides. Upon cracking it open, the pair were greeted by a gust of sharp wind that whipped up ethereal swirls across the landscape like diminutive dust devils.
 
 Aurélien shivered, giving Céleste a warm \emph{jeer-jeer} as they pulled their coat tighter. ``I was going to say you could find me,'' they finished. ``If you're ever in need of a stiff drink, leave a message for me with the bartender at the Sombres Reflets.''
 
@@ -240,8 +236,6 @@ Aurélien tilted their head and cocked an inquiring eyebrow. ``Of course.''
 
 ``Just because the stars are scattered does not mean they are separated.'' The lynx delicately tilted her head onto one side, her gaze momentarily lost in the snow-blanketed landscape beyond the front porch. ``They all belong to the same sky.''
 
-``I'll pass the message along.'' Aurélien closed their eyes as the door's latch clicked shut behind them. The bluejay sent a ping to Gaëlle before letting out a satisfied sigh that hinted at their exhaustion. Still, at the Sombres Reflets, there would be time enough to enjoy the satisfaction of providing the first drop of gold for relationship \emph{kintsugi}\ldots and perhaps gather the fortitude to reach out to a few co-cladists. ``\emph{Nos cœurs se tiennent par la main, même quand les distances nous séparent.}''
+``I'll pass the message along.'' Aurélien closed their eyes as the door's latch clicked shut behind them. The bluejay sent a ping to Gaëlle before letting out a satisfied sigh that hinted at their exhaustion. Still, at the Sombres Reflets, there would be time enough to enjoy the satisfaction of providing the first drop of gold for relationship \emph{kintsugi}\ldots and perhaps gather the fortitude to reach out to a few cocladists. ``\emph{Nos cœurs se tiennent par la main, même quand les distances nous séparent.}''
 
 Then, beneath an endless sky painted with shimmering constellations, the blue jay turned and stepped confidently toward Eternity.
-
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