eachdraidh | o1. spider | audio; both courts.

I keep thinking of this story.

[ There's nothing particularly guarded about the way Natasha sounds. Lazy, maybe; a little mildly amused. ]

Once upon a time, there was a proud and warlike tsar— [ A short pause, then a correction. ] —a ruler. His name was Dadon. When he was young, he invaded and destroyed neighboring lands, taking them for his own. When he grew older Dadon wanted peace, but now his enemies sensed his weakness and it was their turn to wage war on him. He asked for help from his court magician, who gave him a golden cockerel. If any enemies approached, the bird would crow, and because the tsar was pleased he promised that he would give the magician anything he asked for.

Dadon's people lived peacefully for two years. The bird did its job whenever there was danger. One day, the golden bird cried out louder than ever before, so the man sent a great army under the command of his eldest son. Eight days passed. When the bird crowed again, his son and their army weren't back, so he sent out his younger son and another army. There was no news again for eight more days.

He was worried. The bird crowed again, so he went to go investigate this personally, with an army of his best warriors. After several days, he came across a battlefield where both armies and his two sons lay dead. At the edge of the field, he saw a tent with a woman of stunning beauty inside. Her name was—

[ A beat. ]

—you know, I don't think I remember. Her title, though, was the Queen of Shamakha. She invited him inside his tent and Dadon fell in love with her. He took her home, back to his kingdom.

When he did, the magician was waiting for him at the gates. He asked the tsar to pay for the golden bird by giving him the Queen of Shamakha. Angry with the request, Dadon hit the magician with his sword, wounding him fatally. At that moment the bird swooped down and pecked Tsar Dadon to death. And the Queen of Shamakha disappeared, as if she had never been there.

[ Natasha huffs out a laugh. ]

Sorry. Maybe that was too obvious a moral. [ And just like that, the audio abruptly ends. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

( there are a number of morals to this story, lydia thinks. the words 'trust no bitch' pop into her head, and she chuckles to herself, but the way this woman ceases her storytelling so suddenly is too much for her to simply ignore. ) I'm not sure there's only one moral tangled up in that story. There's something to be said for ruthlessness and greed, for selfishness, and for trusting too easily in something... Mm- shiny, so to speak. I'm curious to think which moral you consider most prominent.

I think they're all important.

[ There's something simple in her tone that's directly at odds with the fact she chose to tell the story at all. ]

Or I wouldn't have said it.

Oh, I don't disagree. ( she does note that the tone is... different. she wonders, for a moment, if this woman has been under some sort of magical influence. it wouldn't surprise her. ) Funny, though - the timing of your story.

You think so?

[ Open-ended. Lydia can take it, if she wants to. ]

Mm. Given the state of things between kingdoms and the behavior of royalty, on both sides? Perhaps they'll hear your story and think about their differences in a more humbled light. ( she's not holding her breath, though. ) - I'm Lydia, by the way.

I don't know. I'm not that good of a motivational speaker. [ As if that's the point. The story is more than a little telling in the first place anyway — Dadon learned too late that the greatest enemies come from within the walls, not beyond them. ]

Natasha Romanoff.

You don't have to be a propaganda-class motivational speaker to make a point. I think you've articulated a number of things here, and very well. ( subtleties are often more effective. they creep into the subconscious. lydia wonders if this woman knows that. )

Seelie, or Unseelie? Inquiring minds, all that.

[ Her mind doesn't work in trajectories, but Natasha's been listening long enough to figure out a few things. She huffs out a laugh, and though it sounds a little dry it's not entirely unkind. ]

Guess.

[ There are a few personality traits made all the more obvious that way -- aesthetic choices aside. ]

( is she serious? lydia's not too bad at reading people these days, though. she's quiet for a moment, save for a soft hum through her nose. this woman doesn't seem the type to be... compliant. )

Unseelie?

[ Oh, she's serious. Sort of. The obtuse sort of mystery has a point to it, like everything else Natasha employs. The responding noise is a little amused, a little wry; the answer is right and obvious and that was half the point. ]

I must have one of those faces. [ Because it's audio! Haha. So funny. ]

o1. spider | audio; both courts.

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