(no subject)

[alt_regulus]

A quiet evening at home is a lovely, decadent thing. Especially such a rainy one when inside it's snug and warm.

I've been working all week at sorting through the boxes from Aunt Prewett's, but I'm nearly finished. I've set the armour to stand guard beside my breakfast table lest anyone steal my toast of a morning.

Now I think of it, most of the items were actually Uncle's--a rather wicked-looking poignard, for instance, and a silver shaving set. (I've been pondering what might happen if its charms have gone wonky at all.) Best of all, there are a great load of books. Inspired Strategies of Death-dealing Duellists by Esme Meretriste seems the most entertaining of them, but there are some real gems in the lot--ancient, obscure, idiosyncratic and utterly ingenious books of history and spellcraft and theory. There's a bit of philosophy in the mix, a medieval navigational manual, and a set of Senecan tragedies with very fine bindings.

One of the boxes contained an interesting assortment of oddments that must have been left at the end of the divvying up:

item, one ball self-tying twine;
item, one murderous thimble that jabs poison into the wearer's finger;
item, one well-worn pack playing cards missing three of its four jacks;
item, one fruit bowl, unwashed;
item, one flask doxy venom;
item, one absinthe spoon inscribed 'Hotel Churn, Cirencester';
item, one long shoe lace (unless it's really a garrote);
item, one chipped desktop espial globe;
item, one bone or ivory cigarette holder etched with ivy design;
item, one lady's hat, chartreuse with peacock tail.

Oh, yes, and one silver button.

I believe I'll take Salazar's Sapience to bed with me; it's a page-turner so far.

Comments

[alt_regulus]

You find me irreverent? Hm. Well, I suppose it depends what you mean by 'irreverent': I've always been quite serious about somethings and rather less impressed with others. Those opinions have not always coincided with others' ideas, though I'd have said that in all important respects I have my priorities in order. A certain brother of mine would disagree with that, of course, and Mother would only grudgingly agree these days. That's why I say it comes down to what you mean when you use the sort of loaded terms that people use when passing judgement.

And so, of course, it depends what you mean by 'clash': I suspect for Slytherin it meant 'red, gold, blue, and yellow are gauche and must never, NEVER be paired with silver, green, or black--most especially the red and the gold.'

Still nothing to report on Salazar's Chamber. Last night's chapter was all about his special affinity for serpents. Of all types and sizes. Apparently he had a special suit of mail made in which the links were made to resemble scales; it reportedly allowed him freedom of movement that was unheard of in armour because the whole thing could move in the same sinuous, smoothly undulating snakes do. I can't imagine why it didn't catch on.

[alt_pansy]

Oooh, I didn't mean it to be all that. Only I thought that it's nice that you aren't so deadly serious about everything. And a lot of people I know wouldn't ever dare to poke the slightest bit of fun at Salazar Slytherin. And if you were the sort of person who would have made jokes like that when you were in school, I think I would have liked the school-aged you very much too. That's all, really.

I suppose I should really know a bit more about words before I start tossing them around.

That mail thing sounds dead wizard. Did they have any moving pictures of it? Although if it had arm-bits, I don't suppose it would work as well as it ought, because we tend to bend our arms at angles rather than undulate them. It would work brilliantly on the Giant Squid, though.

[alt_regulus]

I don't know that you would have thought much of me when I was in school. I went through quite a serious phase starting in sixth year, but then we all did, really. Things seemed very urgent then that are much less so now.

The answer to your question, I should think, depends as much on what sort of person you'd have been if you'd been in school when I was.

And if we're taking all this speculation that far, we may as well wonder, too, what sort of person you'd be today if you'd been in my year and House.

What do you suppose?

[alt_pansy]

They might seem a little less urgent on the outside, but we've got Chambers and Heirs and Carrows to deal with here, thank you very much.

That's a joke.

I see what you mean, though.

I really, honestly don't know what I'd be like today. That could do with some thought. I suppose the easy answer is that I'd be happily planning the St Mungo's Charity Event with Aunt Narcissa, only she wouldn't be my Aunt, of course, she'd be a friend from school. And perhaps I'd even be happily married or engaged to the Right Sort of Person, and naturally, I'd be living in the Right Sort of Place, decorated in the best of taste.

It's probably not the best answer, or even the right one, but making guesses like that can get very, very tricky. Not to mention dangerous. Especially if you write them where other people can see

[alt_regulus]

Of course, you're right, it was unfair of me to put you up to answering that question.

You ought to take your time about that growing older bit. It's far less rewarding than it seems it should be. I mean to say, when I was your age and a bit, I thought I would never, never be grown up enough to make my own decisions and take charge of my own life. And now I see that I had quite an unrealistic picture of what being responsible for oneself amounts to.

So don't let anyone rush you. Least of all me. I've no idea what I was thinking.

[alt_pansy]

It is far easier to see where you've come from and all that once you've already been there, I'd imagine.

[alt_regulus]

The giant squid in armour. Now that's a truly inspired thought. I suppose it would have to have a Never Rust enchantment on.

And I think the benefit of Slytherin's serpentine mail was that it did not require one to move like a toy soldier with pins for his joints. But I take your point. It might be best suited for someone who needed a full and fluid range of movement. Perhaps Slytherin was aiming to outfit an army of Veela.

The next chapter may be quite an interesting one!

[alt_pansy]

Well, maybe if the scaley bit were right around the elbows and shoulders and wrists, all the places you usually twist and bend, it would be more practical than if it was all over, maybe?

I don't think Veela need armour. But they would look brilliant in it. Even shinier than usual. Or, well, if he liked snakes so very much, perhaps he was planning on creating an army of cobras and pythons and such.

[alt_regulus]

Well, I will say that the right serpent can be quite a formidable weapon. They have a way of commanding respect.

[alt_sirius]

If by having your priorities in order, you mean

-Regulus
-Regulus' friends
-Death Eaters
-Other Purebloods

and all others go hang, then I suppose you could say they're in order, yeah. You're right that I wouldn't say it, however.

Would be like Sally Slytherin to get himself in a lather about something like colour. Though you and your acquaintances seemed to favour unremitting black, from the boots to the hair to the lacquer to the eyeliner, wasn't it? Wonder what your hero would have thought of that nonsense. Anyway, are you suggesting he'd take the time from a busy schedule of murder and mayhem to coordinate his robes? Sounds more like that effete Lockhart bloke to me. (For what it's worth, Father did have a smoking jacket with red in the pattern. I think even Mother had at least two blue frocks and even one reddish one. but then you'd know what was in her closet far better than I, wouldn't you? )

... I think the other three Jacks might be found in Uncle Prewett's old things yet. I remember repairing a Snitch with one of the cards, and didn't he once shrink one down to stand in as the portrait in a broken pocketwatch for--oh, I don't know, some game you were playing. Or we were. I've no idea where the third one is. Perhaps a bookmark?

[alt_regulus]

Your list of my priorities leaves out the only One of any importance. If there is any second place to make it properly a 'list', then second place goes to family. Not that you've any concept of that beyond mocking our Parents' sartorial tastes.

Or have you let slip some nostalgic feeling for Uncle's playing cards? I could send them along if they mean something to you.


Oh, all right. I'll give you the fact that the kohl and paling powder look suited others better than it did me.

[alt_sirius]

You know, I considered putting him on the list, but then your lot are supposed to be so cowed you can't even bear to use the name he chose for himself, can you?

As for the cards, no sentimentality whatsoever, brother. Just wouldn't wish you to think you'd been cheated out of any part of the inheritance.

[alt_regulus]

What are you on about? He wills that He be addressed as 'Lord Protector' or 'My Lord', and His will commands.

I suspect the cards were a bonus rather than a proper bequest. I'm as content with 49 cards as with 52. It's a rather dodgy deck, in any case. The backs have a bunch of doxies cavorting on a plant that looks rather a lot like deadly nightshade.

[alt_regulus]

And you know, now I think of it, I nicked the hair dye off you. And the boots, for that matter. At least they were well broken in.

As for the lacquer and eyeliner, I feel certain you and your mate, Potter, got there long before I did. Not to mention the hair spiking and the studded wrist braces. You two were right ghoulish for a month or three.

Didn't really stick with it, though. Which speaks volumes about you. Both of you. Not very steady, really. Not what most girls' parents would call good value.

[alt_sirius]

I know you nicked the boots. You were always a miserable little copycat - and you were always helping yourself to my things. Couldn't have your own sense of style, even then, could you? But the dye? Never. James's hair was already black, you berk. As for me, I had no interest in making my hair look like Snivellus', thanks.

And why do you think I only did it over a summer, hm? We were having a bet on, to see how long it would take you to come running in behind us.

I see nothing's changed. Trying to get a twelve-year-old to build you up, so you can feel better about yourself, are you? Not healthy, Reg. Not in the slightest.

[alt_regulus]

Not a bit bitter, are you?

[alt_narcissa]

Oh, do stop, Reg. It's like tapping one of those wand-started monkeys, you know he will never stop whilst you give him any reason to continue.

[alt_sirius]

Only in the measure of my disappointment, Reg. Only bitter disappointment.