IC Inbox

[doneisdone]

[Correspond at your own risk.]

Comments

[byblow]

I need you to put the fear of the Maker into Scipio. More so than usual. Please.

[doneisdone]

What has that fool boy done this time.

[byblow]

He asked Sabriel to go to the soirée with him by riding a horse through the courtyard and shouting to her through a window.

[doneisdone]

...how did Sabriel react to this?

[byblow]

[ The worst part. ]

She went with him.

[doneisdone]

Not sure I understand the problem? Young people regularly make fools of themselves, there's nothing I can do to change that.

[byblow]

There are young people [ he's not a young people ] we have to live with [ we, old people, of which he is one ] and if they're already at horseback window-shouting I don't want to imagine where they'll be in a month.

[doneisdone]

[She's silent for a few moments.]

Is this a joke, Alistair. Are you being ironic.

[byblow]

[ Why would he even ]

Either he's going to be writing songs about her and I'm going to want to kill him or he's going to hurt her and I'm going to actually kill him. There's no other way for it to end, unless it ends soon.

Maybe you could convince her to end things with him. I like that better, actually.

[doneisdone]

[Another thoughtful silence.]

...you're trying to divert me, aren't you. You did something, didn't you. Alistair what did you do.

[byblow]

I haven't done anything! I am trying to prevent myself from having to do something. I like Scipio. I don't want to hate him. And you know how I am when I hate someone—I'll make everyone miserable. I won't be able to help it. This is for the greater good, Teren.

[doneisdone]

[a long-suffering sigh.]

And why would you hate him? Do you fancy Sabriel?

[byblow]

No. No. She's a child! Not really a child, I mean, she's very grown-up and competent, but she's too young for me. She's so good, though. I mean—you know what I mean. It hasn't all gotten to her yet. She's not all cynical and weepy like the rest of us. [ Or is that just him. ] And he's some sort of con artist.

[doneisdone]

You ought to know better than anyone that children must learn from their own mistakes. Try to put her off from this and she'll fight back all the harder. Scipio thinks he's very clever, but he's not a bad sort. The girl will have people around her to swoop in if things start to go awry.

[She clears her throat.]

Until then, stop whining and mind your own business.

[byblow]

[ That's a very good argument, kind of. The finality of it works on him, at least. But he still grumbles. ]

I don't know what you're talking about. I've never made a mistake in my life.

[ He's not serious. Obviously. She wins. ]

[doneisdone]

Of course not. How presumptuous of me.