Albert de Morcerf (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
assumedposition) wrote2010-07-17 05:39 pm
assumedposition) wrote2010-07-17 05:39 pm
Entry tags:
Memory 2 (Game 97) - Visiting the Count for the first time
What it is
This is actually a fairly long memory, although it actually only happens in a short space of time! There is just... a LOT of conversation /)_(\. IDEALLY I would have liked to split this memory into three separate ones, but I originally ended up with 80-something memories when I first did Albert's memory write-up instead of 44 (which is still ... a lot), soooo some of them had to be condensed. This was one of the first most logical ones, since everything kind of happens all at once anyway.
Albert: [On the Champs-Élysées outside the Count's mansion, looking at his address book with everyone else behind him] You sure this is it...?
Franz: Yep. Number 30 Champs-Élysées, no doubt about it.
Beauchamp: It's a lot more plain than I expected it to be, considering the Count. I was expecting the sort of place that would drive a commoner into a rage if he saw it.
[THE DOOR OPENS. CREEPILY AND SLOWLY.]
Baptistin: Welcome, messieurs. We have been expecting you. [Bows and leads them in to what seems like a well-decorated sitting room.]
Beauchamp: [Looking around] Early Rococo, huh? And not Revival, either.
Albert: [Also looking around] Wow... [to Max] it's great, isn't it?
Maximilien: [Looking uncomfortable] Well, it's a bit too far removed from my world...
Baptistin: [Entering again] Please pardon the delay. Allow me to show you to the Count.
[THE DOOR CLOSES BEHIND HIM... AND THE ROOM STARTS MOVING!]
Albert: What the--?
Maximilien: We're going down?
Albert: Baptistin! Where are we going?
Baptisitin: [SMIRK]
[About a minute later, the creepy room-elevator stops]
Maximilien: We've stopped!
Bertuccio: [Opens the doors from the outside and bows] Welcome, messieurs. The Count awaits.
Albert: That's...
[They all step out of the elevator into the most fantastical looking place you've ever seen. The place is covered with gold, floor to ceiling. They walk through the gold hallways.]
Beauchamp: Even the floor and columns are gold. The man has expensive tastes. Where could he have gotten this much gold?
Franz: That's exactly why I think there's something suspicious about him.
Beauchamp: [Taking photos of everything] At this rate, I bet his bed and pillows are gonna be solid gold, too. I'd never be able to fall asleep with all this glare!
Franz: [Pointing] Oi! Look at that...!
[Everyone rushes over to him]
Albert: That's...!
[In the distance there seems to be a sea with some cliffs in the background, and an artificial sky with mechanical constellations humming around in it. Keeping in mind that THEY SHOULD BE UNDERGROUND?!]
Beauchamp: [Taking more pictures] This alone would make one hell of a story!
Albert: [Wandering away from the main group in his own world a littlWhae, admiring everything] This is so beautiful... [looking out at the vista of the sea] ... Wait! I know this view! [Flashing back to a familiar painting...?]
Count: [Coming up behind him :')] That look suits you quite well, Sir Pirate.
Albert: [Turning around and smiling] Count!
Count: [POINTS A SWORD AT HIM LOL :'D]
Albert: Wha?! [Just stands VERY VERY STILL for a few seconds]
Count: [Chuckles and then sheathes the sword, and then holds it out for him] If you don't mind, I would like you to have this, Sir Pirate.
Albert: [Taking it very carefully]
Count: I was given this blade by a certain ship's navigator. Perhaps it will serve to protect you, as well as carve a path for you.
[SCENE INTERLUDE]
[Presumably, sometime between the end of that scene and the beginning of this scene, the party all got on a boat in the artificial sea together. It's clear that not very much time has passed. They float along the water gracefully.]
Albert: [IS STILL LOOKING IN WIDE EYED WONDER AT EVERYTHING \o/]
Beauchamp: [Is still taking photos of everything \o/!]
Franz: [Is still looking skeptical of everything :|]
Maximilien: [Is still hilariously looking out of place.]
Count: [Is still trolling :')]
Albert: I can't believe I'm really seeing sights like these underneath the Champs-Élysées. It's like a dream.
Beauchamp: [Leans too far over the side of the boat taking a picture, and nearly falls out, if it weren't for Maximilien's quick reflexes catching the back of his shirt]
Count: Perhaps this truly is but a dream. At times, I find myself forced to consider that possibility.
Beauchamp: [Hanging over the edge of the boat while Maximilien holds him there] In that case, here's an eye opening question for you. Exactly how much money did you sink into this? How much did this dream house of yours set you back?
Baptistin: [LULZ] We stopped bothering with hassles like keeping track of the money halfway through construction!
Beauchamp: [Recovering from his stint over the side] ... Thanks for that reply. That'll make a great headline.
[Suddenly, the sound of a harp reaches their ears]
Albert: [Standing up] Where's that music coming from?
Franz: [Looking around] Ah! Over there!
[They look. Haidée is on the shore playing a harp. Albert has a flashback to the first time he saw the Count with her at the Luna Opera House in the distance.]
Albert: She's the girl from that time...
Maximilien: She is beautiful.
Beauchamp: [To the Count] You're not gonna try and tell us that she's artificial too, are you?
Albert: Don't be rude! She's--
Count: --a doll named Haidée. A poor puppet who still lives, even after her soul has been stolen away. Haidée obeys my every whim, and should I wish it, would not hesitate to take her own life.
Albert: You're joking...
Beauchamp: Don't be so surprised. This is the Count of Monte Cristo we're talking about. He renounced his soul ages ago :'). [To the Count] Am I wrong?
Count: [Dips his hat in acknowledgment]
Albert: You're going too far, Beauchamp!
Franz: How else could a man amass a fortune like this in one lifetime?
Maximilien: I'm afraid... I must agree.
Albert: Why are you all acting like this? Listen, the Count isn't as cold a man as you think he is. Isn't that right, Count?
Count: I would not know. I cannot see myself. [:')]
[They arrive at the shore.]
Haidée: Welcome to our home. I am called Haidée.
Albert: [Blushes and bows] N-Nice to meet you.
Beauchamp: [Takes a picture of her, then notices someone hiding behind a pillar] Who is that?
Count: He is Ali. Like Haidée, he is a noble doll that I own.
Albert: [Starts at hearing that]
Count: Haidée. The Viscount Morcerf seems perplexed as to what you are to me.
Haidée: I am but a humble twig that the Count allows to bloom.
Beauchamp: A graceful girl like her is the twig, and the Count is the flower, huh?
Albert: Are you... happy like this?
Haidée: [Looks at the flower garden and smiles] ... I know the joy of making the flowers bloom.
Albert: But...
Haidée: [Plays a few notes on her harp] Does my harp's music sound gloomy?
Albert: No.
Haidée: The notes of a harp are the notes of the heart. The strings do not respond to a timid or hesitant heart... and a tense heart will cause the strings to break. ... Being with the Count makes me happy.
Albert: But... I assumed that you and the Count were in love with one another...
Beauchamp: In love with each other? Could you be any more naive?
Albert: [>(] What's that supposed to mean?
Beauchamp: Just think about it. Marriage among aristocrats is just a strategic alliance with the goal of cementing fortunes. In point of fact, that's why Franz and Valentine are engaged, right?
Maximilien: [SHOCK] Is that true?!
Franz: [Startled] Well... I won't deny it... right, Albert? Isn't it the same with you and Eugénie?
Albert: Well... yeah, I guess.
Beauchamp: In other words, love is something that doesn't exist in the privileged class.
Maximilien: How can this be...
Franz and Albert: [Look very awkward :x]
[They all get back on the boat in silence and travel further along the water. After a while:]
Beauchamp: What's the matter, Maximilien? Is what I said too hard to swallow?
Maximilien: No.
Beauchamp: Even so, everything I said was the truth. The only thing that's important to them is keeping their family fortunes from shrinking. [Extending his hand to indicate Franz and Albert] In other words, you two aren't the product of love, you're the product of financial interests.
Albert: [>|] I wouldn't be so sure. For my parents at least, they say their marriage was out of love.
Beauchamp: I find that hard to believe. A notorious player like General Morcerf?
Albert: Are you trying to insult my father?!
Beauchamp: [Snaps another photo] Seeing you get so mad about it makes it seem even more dubious! Is there something about your parents' relationship that you're unsure of?
Albert: [Looking uncertain] ... Of course not. [Flashing back to watching his mother look at a mysterious photo of somebody not his father.] ... There's no possibility of that.
Franz: Oi, Beauchamp. I don't care if you think you're a journalist. You should drop this subject.
Beauchamp: Hey hey, what's this? You're clamping down on freedom of speech, now?
Maximilien: [A bit apart from the others, he seems to be deep in thought]
Count: [Approaching Max] "How wretched it all is," is that not what you are thinking, my good Captain Morrel?
Maximilien: [Nods] ... To think that loveless marriages are allowed to go unquestioned... [downs the rest of his wine glass in one gulp]
Albert: Is something the matter, Maximilien?
Maximilien: ... The people of Paris are corrupt!
Albert: Maximilien! You're going too far! [Standing up] I demand you take that back!
Maximilien: I can't do that.
Albert: Paris has more than it's fair share of honest and upright people! Take back what you said!
Maximilien: I can't do that.
Albert: [In a rage, draws his sword and elegantly cuts off just a couple of the petals on the flowers sitting in front of Max] Take it back!
Maximilien: I can't.
Franz: [Moving to intercept] Stop this, Albert!
Beauchamp: Hey now...
Franz: Stop it.
Albert: Tch. [Makes no move to withdraw his sword]
Maximilien: Viscount Morcerf. Do you realize what it is you are pointing at me? I am a soldier.
Albert: [DOES NOT WITHDRAW HIS SWORD >8(]
Count: [Putting hispimp cane staff in between the two] This will not do. It is unseemly for one party to draw his sword while the other does not.
Albert: Count?
Count: It appears to me that each of you is steadfast in your opinion. As we are at sea, perhaps we should act the part... and have a duel as pirates?
Albert: A duel?
Count: On the sea, strength counts for everything. He with the better sword arm makes the rules.
Beauchamp: ... Are you serious?
Franz: What are you suggesting, Count?!
[A STRANGE MIST ENVELOPS THEM ALL and for a moment, it seems to be only Albert and the Count in the one space. The Count points his staff at Albert.]
Count: Come, now is the time to demonstrate your conviction. Prove to them that you hold your parents' marriage to be sacred. The blade in your hand is invincible.
[The Count turns around, and then in the strange mist it seems Maximilien has reappeared.]
Count: And you, monsieur? All men have a blade in their heart. The purer the heart, the keener the blade.
[The scene skips forward a little]
Baptistin: [Much like an announcer] The time is high tide, the place is the ship's bow, and the weapons are bare blades! Come on, gentlemen! Let's see you go at it, pirate style!
Albert: [Raises his sword in the ready position]
Beauchamp: It's hard to believe that there are still some people in this day and age who'd fight a duel over the concept of love...
Franz: Is this any time to be joking?! Those swords are real!
Baptistin: And the water down there is teeming with sharks that are thirsting for human blood!
Franz: [Takes a look and makes a horrified sound] Count! What are you thinking?!
Count: Sea voyages are accompanied by their own entertainment. [:')] I expect that Monsieur Albert is thirsting for stimulation of this sort.
Franz: [Grits his teeth]
Bertuccio: [Blows a big-ass horn]
Albert: Let's do it!
Maximilien: [Raising his sword as well] Whenever you are ready.
[THEY RUN TO EACH OTHER WITH SWORDS DRAWN \o/]
[SCENE INTERLUDE with Albert's mom, thx Gonzo.]
[Anyways. Back to the fight! BOY THEY SURE ARE DOING SOME SWORD FIGHTING. I'm not going to type out every move, but it's clear that while Albert is certainly skilled with the sword and seems to be holding his own, Maximilien does seem to have the upper hand in terms of strength. Albert's anger also makes him aggressive and rash in his fighting /o/;;.]
Albert: Take back what you said!
Maximilien: I can't!
Albert: Why, you...!
[Eventually Albert's fighting forces Maximilien back to the edge of the ship. Albert holds him at sword point.]
Albert: How about now?!
Maximilien: [Evaluates the situation] ... You poor, sad people. [Then he does a massive flipping jump over Albert's head and lands behind him, holding Albert's BACK at sword point.] The purer the heart, the keener the blade. You aren't capable of defeating me.
Albert: [Grits his teeth] Shut up! [Turns around quickly regardless of the sword, letting his unarmed arm get cut by the blade] Understand this. No matter what you say, no matter how it is with other families... my parents' marriage is a sacred bond!
Maximilien: [Readying himself again] I didn't expect you to turn to your unarmed side. I admire your agility. Nevertheless, the insincere will be smitten (lol)... by righteous anger! [Charges at Albert again, and now it's Albert's turn on the defensive. DESPITE the massive strength behind each blow, Albert still somehow manages to block them, though with difficulty.] I won't stand for it! I won't!
Franz: ... What in the world's gotten in to Maximilien?
Beauchamp: I... guess he's the scrupulous type?
Count: [:')]
Maximilien: [Pushing Albert back to the edge of the boat now where Albert had him earlier] You're finished!
Albert: [Holding their swords locked] Why do you have such disdain for the aristocracy?!
Maximilien: That's none of your concern!
Albert: The hell it isn't! Tell me why!
Maximilien: In that case, there's something I want to ask you too! Is it true that you really don't love your fiancée?!
Albert: [Taken off guard] Well, I...
Maximilien: I demand an answer!
Albert: I don't... know!
Maximilien: As I thought... I can't abide by this! [Gets their swords out of the deadlock, and delivers a finishing stroke which deftly throws the sword from Albert's hands. It goes flying in to the water.]
Albert: [Just kind of... stands there, shocked. And bleeding.]
Maximilien: [Holds his sword up to Albert one last time, but looks at the nobles watching on as he says the next line] ... You have lost.
Albert: [Still too stunned to speak]
Maximilien: [Walks away back towards the others]
Albert: [Unfreezes] Oi...! Wait...! [Runs up to tackle Maximilien]
Maximilien: [BIO-ENGINEERED SPACE SOLDIER REFLEXES KICK IN AUTOMATICALLY as he catches Albert in mid-air and throws him. Unfortunately, his throw is a little stronger than necessary, and he throws Albert over the side of the ship by accident :'D. He runs to catch him but of course is too late.]
Franz: ALBERT--!
[All the nobles run to join Max at the side of the ship.]
Albert: [YELLING AS HE FALLS DOWNNNN INTO THE WATER... SPLASH 8D]
Franz: Albert! [Looking as if he's about to jump over the edge himself]
Maximilien: [Restraining him] Stop! There are sharks down there!
Franz: This... This is a bad dream.
Count: Indeed it is! This is a dream. All is but a waking dream. [DIVES IN TO THE WATER LOL :'D]
[Meanwhile, down below...]
Albert: [CLEARLY CANNOT SWIM. Sinking, he hears a woman's voice calling his name.] Mother... Mother, I did it because you had that look on your face... [Flashing back to her looking lovingly at the photo of another man again. He nearly blacks out, when the Count's figure appears above him to take his hand and rescue him.]
Count: One cannot fight destiny. (HOW THEY ARE TALKING UNDER THE SEA, I DO NOT KNOW. lol ~metaphors~)
[Then Albert really does black out, as the Count takes him back to the surface.]
[END SCENE]
(... So... belatedly. If anyone else wants to uh, critically analyze the amount of WTF that goes on in that scene, be my guest. OH GANKUTSUOU YOU ARE SO FULL OF CRAZY THAT I DO NOT UNDERSTAND.)
What he learned
WHERE DO I EVEN START.
- The Count lives at number 30 on the Champs-Élysées (ftr, Paris' most expensive street). And underneath that mansion is an AMAZING ARTIFICIALLY CREATED WORLD.
- Still gay for the Count.
- Still don't actually know the Count's name. (lololol)
- The Count's servants-- Baptistin, Haidée, Ali and Bertuccio (whose name he doesn't get)
- Franz's name! And that he and Franz seem to be fairly close.
- He is engaged to someone called Eugénie he's not sure he's in love with :'D. Franz is engaged to someone called Valentine.
- His title is Viscount, his first name is Albert and his last name is Morcerf. However I don't think his full name is ever said at once, so lolariously he's missing the "de".
- He believes his parents married out of love, but he wonders if his mother had an affair once.
- What his mother looks like! Although only from the side. Still, even from behind and the side, she is very beautiful. He's full of loyal feelings towards her.
- Beauchamp! Who is a journalist!
- Maximilien! Who is a soldier!
- His father is a General?
- HE CAN FENCE. WELL.
- He can't swim :'D.
What this means
First things first-- nothing terribly traumatic or different to his usual behaviour in Sabra occurred, so no major behavioural changes. However, his life in Sabra is preeeeeetty damn different to his life back home, he's learning. He led a privileged life. He was fairly high-ranking aristocracy, seems to have a fairly easy life... etc. It will increase his antsy-ness over his past and his unwillingness to take any more memories, because at this stage the only two conclusions he could be drawing as for his reason for being here is either that A) his former self was a terribly fucked up or stupid person, or B) something incredibly bad must have happened. And he won't really want to face either of those!
He'll be increasingly curious about the Count, though-- this mysterious person who he seems to have a lot of trust in and has so much loyalty for. He won't know why, but he'll want to know more, so eventually I think his curiousity may get the better of him.
Lastly and most importantly, he CAN fight. He won't be getting all his sword fighting skills back with this memory, that'd be too easy :9. Save the rest of them for if he ever gets a large childhood memory back in the future. But in any case, it'll be clear to him that he has enough confidence in his own ability to challenge a soldier who is built like a tank and nearly a foot taller than him, even if he did lose in the end. He might not be as strong but his reflexes are fast AS FAR AS normal humans go. He'll need to train to get back to the level he was previously at, but his muscle memory, fitness and speed should all still be there, since it hasn't been too long since he came to Sabra at all :|a. All he needs after that is to practice and re-learn the skills. He emphatically doesn't want to hurt people, but he also knows enough by now to realise that he might be stuck in a situation where he'll have to protect himself or someone important to him again, and he doesn't want to fail at that a second time.
... SO. THAT SAID.
Anyone want to volunteer to help him train/spar in the future \o/? (After he actually takes the memory anyway. THAT COULD BE A WHILE 8D. Boy still hasn't taken his first lololo.) I don't think... Hydra has any swords... or other people who can use them, for that matter, lulz. 8D?!
Taken on: Day 151
This is actually a fairly long memory, although it actually only happens in a short space of time! There is just... a LOT of conversation /)_(\. IDEALLY I would have liked to split this memory into three separate ones, but I originally ended up with 80-something memories when I first did Albert's memory write-up instead of 44 (which is still ... a lot), soooo some of them had to be condensed. This was one of the first most logical ones, since everything kind of happens all at once anyway.
Albert: [On the Champs-Élysées outside the Count's mansion, looking at his address book with everyone else behind him] You sure this is it...?
Franz: Yep. Number 30 Champs-Élysées, no doubt about it.
Beauchamp: It's a lot more plain than I expected it to be, considering the Count. I was expecting the sort of place that would drive a commoner into a rage if he saw it.
[THE DOOR OPENS. CREEPILY AND SLOWLY.]
Baptistin: Welcome, messieurs. We have been expecting you. [Bows and leads them in to what seems like a well-decorated sitting room.]
Beauchamp: [Looking around] Early Rococo, huh? And not Revival, either.
Albert: [Also looking around] Wow... [to Max] it's great, isn't it?
Maximilien: [Looking uncomfortable] Well, it's a bit too far removed from my world...
Baptistin: [Entering again] Please pardon the delay. Allow me to show you to the Count.
[THE DOOR CLOSES BEHIND HIM... AND THE ROOM STARTS MOVING!]
Albert: What the--?
Maximilien: We're going down?
Albert: Baptistin! Where are we going?
Baptisitin: [SMIRK]
[About a minute later, the creepy room-elevator stops]
Maximilien: We've stopped!
Bertuccio: [Opens the doors from the outside and bows] Welcome, messieurs. The Count awaits.
Albert: That's...
[They all step out of the elevator into the most fantastical looking place you've ever seen. The place is covered with gold, floor to ceiling. They walk through the gold hallways.]
Beauchamp: Even the floor and columns are gold. The man has expensive tastes. Where could he have gotten this much gold?
Franz: That's exactly why I think there's something suspicious about him.
Beauchamp: [Taking photos of everything] At this rate, I bet his bed and pillows are gonna be solid gold, too. I'd never be able to fall asleep with all this glare!
Franz: [Pointing] Oi! Look at that...!
[Everyone rushes over to him]
Albert: That's...!
[In the distance there seems to be a sea with some cliffs in the background, and an artificial sky with mechanical constellations humming around in it. Keeping in mind that THEY SHOULD BE UNDERGROUND?!]
Beauchamp: [Taking more pictures] This alone would make one hell of a story!
Albert: [Wandering away from the main group in his own world a littlWhae, admiring everything] This is so beautiful... [looking out at the vista of the sea] ... Wait! I know this view! [Flashing back to a familiar painting...?]
Count: [Coming up behind him :')] That look suits you quite well, Sir Pirate.
Albert: [Turning around and smiling] Count!
Count: [POINTS A SWORD AT HIM LOL :'D]
Albert: Wha?! [Just stands VERY VERY STILL for a few seconds]
Count: [Chuckles and then sheathes the sword, and then holds it out for him] If you don't mind, I would like you to have this, Sir Pirate.
Albert: [Taking it very carefully]
Count: I was given this blade by a certain ship's navigator. Perhaps it will serve to protect you, as well as carve a path for you.
[SCENE INTERLUDE]
[Presumably, sometime between the end of that scene and the beginning of this scene, the party all got on a boat in the artificial sea together. It's clear that not very much time has passed. They float along the water gracefully.]
Albert: [IS STILL LOOKING IN WIDE EYED WONDER AT EVERYTHING \o/]
Beauchamp: [Is still taking photos of everything \o/!]
Franz: [Is still looking skeptical of everything :|]
Maximilien: [Is still hilariously looking out of place.]
Count: [Is still trolling :')]
Albert: I can't believe I'm really seeing sights like these underneath the Champs-Élysées. It's like a dream.
Beauchamp: [Leans too far over the side of the boat taking a picture, and nearly falls out, if it weren't for Maximilien's quick reflexes catching the back of his shirt]
Count: Perhaps this truly is but a dream. At times, I find myself forced to consider that possibility.
Beauchamp: [Hanging over the edge of the boat while Maximilien holds him there] In that case, here's an eye opening question for you. Exactly how much money did you sink into this? How much did this dream house of yours set you back?
Baptistin: [LULZ] We stopped bothering with hassles like keeping track of the money halfway through construction!
Beauchamp: [Recovering from his stint over the side] ... Thanks for that reply. That'll make a great headline.
[Suddenly, the sound of a harp reaches their ears]
Albert: [Standing up] Where's that music coming from?
Franz: [Looking around] Ah! Over there!
[They look. Haidée is on the shore playing a harp. Albert has a flashback to the first time he saw the Count with her at the Luna Opera House in the distance.]
Albert: She's the girl from that time...
Maximilien: She is beautiful.
Beauchamp: [To the Count] You're not gonna try and tell us that she's artificial too, are you?
Albert: Don't be rude! She's--
Count: --a doll named Haidée. A poor puppet who still lives, even after her soul has been stolen away. Haidée obeys my every whim, and should I wish it, would not hesitate to take her own life.
Albert: You're joking...
Beauchamp: Don't be so surprised. This is the Count of Monte Cristo we're talking about. He renounced his soul ages ago :'). [To the Count] Am I wrong?
Count: [Dips his hat in acknowledgment]
Albert: You're going too far, Beauchamp!
Franz: How else could a man amass a fortune like this in one lifetime?
Maximilien: I'm afraid... I must agree.
Albert: Why are you all acting like this? Listen, the Count isn't as cold a man as you think he is. Isn't that right, Count?
Count: I would not know. I cannot see myself. [:')]
[They arrive at the shore.]
Haidée: Welcome to our home. I am called Haidée.
Albert: [Blushes and bows] N-Nice to meet you.
Beauchamp: [Takes a picture of her, then notices someone hiding behind a pillar] Who is that?
Count: He is Ali. Like Haidée, he is a noble doll that I own.
Albert: [Starts at hearing that]
Count: Haidée. The Viscount Morcerf seems perplexed as to what you are to me.
Haidée: I am but a humble twig that the Count allows to bloom.
Beauchamp: A graceful girl like her is the twig, and the Count is the flower, huh?
Albert: Are you... happy like this?
Haidée: [Looks at the flower garden and smiles] ... I know the joy of making the flowers bloom.
Albert: But...
Haidée: [Plays a few notes on her harp] Does my harp's music sound gloomy?
Albert: No.
Haidée: The notes of a harp are the notes of the heart. The strings do not respond to a timid or hesitant heart... and a tense heart will cause the strings to break. ... Being with the Count makes me happy.
Albert: But... I assumed that you and the Count were in love with one another...
Beauchamp: In love with each other? Could you be any more naive?
Albert: [>(] What's that supposed to mean?
Beauchamp: Just think about it. Marriage among aristocrats is just a strategic alliance with the goal of cementing fortunes. In point of fact, that's why Franz and Valentine are engaged, right?
Maximilien: [SHOCK] Is that true?!
Franz: [Startled] Well... I won't deny it... right, Albert? Isn't it the same with you and Eugénie?
Albert: Well... yeah, I guess.
Beauchamp: In other words, love is something that doesn't exist in the privileged class.
Maximilien: How can this be...
Franz and Albert: [Look very awkward :x]
[They all get back on the boat in silence and travel further along the water. After a while:]
Beauchamp: What's the matter, Maximilien? Is what I said too hard to swallow?
Maximilien: No.
Beauchamp: Even so, everything I said was the truth. The only thing that's important to them is keeping their family fortunes from shrinking. [Extending his hand to indicate Franz and Albert] In other words, you two aren't the product of love, you're the product of financial interests.
Albert: [>|] I wouldn't be so sure. For my parents at least, they say their marriage was out of love.
Beauchamp: I find that hard to believe. A notorious player like General Morcerf?
Albert: Are you trying to insult my father?!
Beauchamp: [Snaps another photo] Seeing you get so mad about it makes it seem even more dubious! Is there something about your parents' relationship that you're unsure of?
Albert: [Looking uncertain] ... Of course not. [Flashing back to watching his mother look at a mysterious photo of somebody not his father.] ... There's no possibility of that.
Franz: Oi, Beauchamp. I don't care if you think you're a journalist. You should drop this subject.
Beauchamp: Hey hey, what's this? You're clamping down on freedom of speech, now?
Maximilien: [A bit apart from the others, he seems to be deep in thought]
Count: [Approaching Max] "How wretched it all is," is that not what you are thinking, my good Captain Morrel?
Maximilien: [Nods] ... To think that loveless marriages are allowed to go unquestioned... [downs the rest of his wine glass in one gulp]
Albert: Is something the matter, Maximilien?
Maximilien: ... The people of Paris are corrupt!
Albert: Maximilien! You're going too far! [Standing up] I demand you take that back!
Maximilien: I can't do that.
Albert: Paris has more than it's fair share of honest and upright people! Take back what you said!
Maximilien: I can't do that.
Albert: [In a rage, draws his sword and elegantly cuts off just a couple of the petals on the flowers sitting in front of Max] Take it back!
Maximilien: I can't.
Franz: [Moving to intercept] Stop this, Albert!
Beauchamp: Hey now...
Franz: Stop it.
Albert: Tch. [Makes no move to withdraw his sword]
Maximilien: Viscount Morcerf. Do you realize what it is you are pointing at me? I am a soldier.
Albert: [DOES NOT WITHDRAW HIS SWORD >8(]
Count: [Putting his
Albert: Count?
Count: It appears to me that each of you is steadfast in your opinion. As we are at sea, perhaps we should act the part... and have a duel as pirates?
Albert: A duel?
Count: On the sea, strength counts for everything. He with the better sword arm makes the rules.
Beauchamp: ... Are you serious?
Franz: What are you suggesting, Count?!
[A STRANGE MIST ENVELOPS THEM ALL and for a moment, it seems to be only Albert and the Count in the one space. The Count points his staff at Albert.]
Count: Come, now is the time to demonstrate your conviction. Prove to them that you hold your parents' marriage to be sacred. The blade in your hand is invincible.
[The Count turns around, and then in the strange mist it seems Maximilien has reappeared.]
Count: And you, monsieur? All men have a blade in their heart. The purer the heart, the keener the blade.
[The scene skips forward a little]
Baptistin: [Much like an announcer] The time is high tide, the place is the ship's bow, and the weapons are bare blades! Come on, gentlemen! Let's see you go at it, pirate style!
Albert: [Raises his sword in the ready position]
Beauchamp: It's hard to believe that there are still some people in this day and age who'd fight a duel over the concept of love...
Franz: Is this any time to be joking?! Those swords are real!
Baptistin: And the water down there is teeming with sharks that are thirsting for human blood!
Franz: [Takes a look and makes a horrified sound] Count! What are you thinking?!
Count: Sea voyages are accompanied by their own entertainment. [:')] I expect that Monsieur Albert is thirsting for stimulation of this sort.
Franz: [Grits his teeth]
Bertuccio: [Blows a big-ass horn]
Albert: Let's do it!
Maximilien: [Raising his sword as well] Whenever you are ready.
[THEY RUN TO EACH OTHER WITH SWORDS DRAWN \o/]
[SCENE INTERLUDE with Albert's mom, thx Gonzo.]
[Anyways. Back to the fight! BOY THEY SURE ARE DOING SOME SWORD FIGHTING. I'm not going to type out every move, but it's clear that while Albert is certainly skilled with the sword and seems to be holding his own, Maximilien does seem to have the upper hand in terms of strength. Albert's anger also makes him aggressive and rash in his fighting /o/;;.]
Albert: Take back what you said!
Maximilien: I can't!
Albert: Why, you...!
[Eventually Albert's fighting forces Maximilien back to the edge of the ship. Albert holds him at sword point.]
Albert: How about now?!
Maximilien: [Evaluates the situation] ... You poor, sad people. [Then he does a massive flipping jump over Albert's head and lands behind him, holding Albert's BACK at sword point.] The purer the heart, the keener the blade. You aren't capable of defeating me.
Albert: [Grits his teeth] Shut up! [Turns around quickly regardless of the sword, letting his unarmed arm get cut by the blade] Understand this. No matter what you say, no matter how it is with other families... my parents' marriage is a sacred bond!
Maximilien: [Readying himself again] I didn't expect you to turn to your unarmed side. I admire your agility. Nevertheless, the insincere will be smitten (lol)... by righteous anger! [Charges at Albert again, and now it's Albert's turn on the defensive. DESPITE the massive strength behind each blow, Albert still somehow manages to block them, though with difficulty.] I won't stand for it! I won't!
Franz: ... What in the world's gotten in to Maximilien?
Beauchamp: I... guess he's the scrupulous type?
Count: [:')]
Maximilien: [Pushing Albert back to the edge of the boat now where Albert had him earlier] You're finished!
Albert: [Holding their swords locked] Why do you have such disdain for the aristocracy?!
Maximilien: That's none of your concern!
Albert: The hell it isn't! Tell me why!
Maximilien: In that case, there's something I want to ask you too! Is it true that you really don't love your fiancée?!
Albert: [Taken off guard] Well, I...
Maximilien: I demand an answer!
Albert: I don't... know!
Maximilien: As I thought... I can't abide by this! [Gets their swords out of the deadlock, and delivers a finishing stroke which deftly throws the sword from Albert's hands. It goes flying in to the water.]
Albert: [Just kind of... stands there, shocked. And bleeding.]
Maximilien: [Holds his sword up to Albert one last time, but looks at the nobles watching on as he says the next line] ... You have lost.
Albert: [Still too stunned to speak]
Maximilien: [Walks away back towards the others]
Albert: [Unfreezes] Oi...! Wait...! [Runs up to tackle Maximilien]
Maximilien: [BIO-ENGINEERED SPACE SOLDIER REFLEXES KICK IN AUTOMATICALLY as he catches Albert in mid-air and throws him. Unfortunately, his throw is a little stronger than necessary, and he throws Albert over the side of the ship by accident :'D. He runs to catch him but of course is too late.]
Franz: ALBERT--!
[All the nobles run to join Max at the side of the ship.]
Albert: [YELLING AS HE FALLS DOWNNNN INTO THE WATER... SPLASH 8D]
Franz: Albert! [Looking as if he's about to jump over the edge himself]
Maximilien: [Restraining him] Stop! There are sharks down there!
Franz: This... This is a bad dream.
Count: Indeed it is! This is a dream. All is but a waking dream. [DIVES IN TO THE WATER LOL :'D]
[Meanwhile, down below...]
Albert: [CLEARLY CANNOT SWIM. Sinking, he hears a woman's voice calling his name.] Mother... Mother, I did it because you had that look on your face... [Flashing back to her looking lovingly at the photo of another man again. He nearly blacks out, when the Count's figure appears above him to take his hand and rescue him.]
Count: One cannot fight destiny. (HOW THEY ARE TALKING UNDER THE SEA, I DO NOT KNOW. lol ~metaphors~)
[Then Albert really does black out, as the Count takes him back to the surface.]
[END SCENE]
(... So... belatedly. If anyone else wants to uh, critically analyze the amount of WTF that goes on in that scene, be my guest. OH GANKUTSUOU YOU ARE SO FULL OF CRAZY THAT I DO NOT UNDERSTAND.)
What he learned
WHERE DO I EVEN START.
- The Count lives at number 30 on the Champs-Élysées (ftr, Paris' most expensive street). And underneath that mansion is an AMAZING ARTIFICIALLY CREATED WORLD.
- Still gay for the Count.
- Still don't actually know the Count's name. (lololol)
- The Count's servants-- Baptistin, Haidée, Ali and Bertuccio (whose name he doesn't get)
- Franz's name! And that he and Franz seem to be fairly close.
- He is engaged to someone called Eugénie he's not sure he's in love with :'D. Franz is engaged to someone called Valentine.
- His title is Viscount, his first name is Albert and his last name is Morcerf. However I don't think his full name is ever said at once, so lolariously he's missing the "de".
- He believes his parents married out of love, but he wonders if his mother had an affair once.
- What his mother looks like! Although only from the side. Still, even from behind and the side, she is very beautiful. He's full of loyal feelings towards her.
- Beauchamp! Who is a journalist!
- Maximilien! Who is a soldier!
- His father is a General?
- HE CAN FENCE. WELL.
- He can't swim :'D.
What this means
First things first-- nothing terribly traumatic or different to his usual behaviour in Sabra occurred, so no major behavioural changes. However, his life in Sabra is preeeeeetty damn different to his life back home, he's learning. He led a privileged life. He was fairly high-ranking aristocracy, seems to have a fairly easy life... etc. It will increase his antsy-ness over his past and his unwillingness to take any more memories, because at this stage the only two conclusions he could be drawing as for his reason for being here is either that A) his former self was a terribly fucked up or stupid person, or B) something incredibly bad must have happened. And he won't really want to face either of those!
He'll be increasingly curious about the Count, though-- this mysterious person who he seems to have a lot of trust in and has so much loyalty for. He won't know why, but he'll want to know more, so eventually I think his curiousity may get the better of him.
Lastly and most importantly, he CAN fight. He won't be getting all his sword fighting skills back with this memory, that'd be too easy :9. Save the rest of them for if he ever gets a large childhood memory back in the future. But in any case, it'll be clear to him that he has enough confidence in his own ability to challenge a soldier who is built like a tank and nearly a foot taller than him, even if he did lose in the end. He might not be as strong but his reflexes are fast AS FAR AS normal humans go. He'll need to train to get back to the level he was previously at, but his muscle memory, fitness and speed should all still be there, since it hasn't been too long since he came to Sabra at all :|a. All he needs after that is to practice and re-learn the skills. He emphatically doesn't want to hurt people, but he also knows enough by now to realise that he might be stuck in a situation where he'll have to protect himself or someone important to him again, and he doesn't want to fail at that a second time.
... SO. THAT SAID.
Anyone want to volunteer to help him train/spar in the future \o/? (After he actually takes the memory anyway. THAT COULD BE A WHILE 8D. Boy still hasn't taken his first lololo.) I don't think... Hydra has any swords... or other people who can use them, for that matter, lulz. 8D?!
Taken on: Day 151