(no subject)

[sythyry]

Invitation [12 Thory 4261]

I shall not be feeding Anoof any hat. Indeed, I think I might owe him a bottle of brandy.

First things first. The milliner was able to fix the romatical conical hat the cheap way, by adding a few coils of thin sticky cloth on the inside. Well, it's not sticky with glue kind of sticky. It's more sticky the way that wool is sticky. Anyways, the hat stays on pretty well -- if I have to do a power dive, it will fall off, but I daresay I will have more to worry about than just the hat.

And, alarmingly, it worked. Though I suspect unfoul play on Anoof's part.

Ilottat, sixth of Estrario slipped me a note, via Anoof.

I haven't mentioned Ilottat before. He's an Orren boy, about two years ahead of me. He's in Leap into this Pool of Boiling Acid with me this term, and Notable Magical Catastrophes last term. He's rather shy. He's the sixth child of the Count of Estrario, in Daukrhame, which means that he can be called Count as a courtesy title, now, but once his eldest sibling inherits the title, he'll be down to esquire of nowhere-in-particular. (You can't simply be called Count one day and entirely title-less the next.) He's tall and lanky, but usually stooped.

He talks very fast, with pauses at odd times. He dresses well -- he cuts a very nice figure in a Daukrhame dress uniform. He changes his personal name regularly, though not as casually as Strenata does. Since he has only the one name (um... or he uses only the one name?) this is very confusing, so he tacks "sixth of Estrario" on. His name for most of last term was Caddug.

And that's a little bit more than I knew about him before now.

No, that's not quite true. He and I had a bit of a disagreement about Llezcaryg's Disaster last term -- he insisted that Treeset had to have been a Zi Ri, 'cause, how could anyone as famous and respected and scaly as Llezcaryg have a different-species lover? I maintained that it was possible, and, indeed, probable: historically, emotionally, and physically. Someone whom I did not scorch noted that I would scarcely refuse a Herethroy (which Treeset was). Someone else, whom I did not sufficiently scorch, pointed out that if she had been an Orren I would most certainly have not refused her. The matter was dropped amid some giggling.

I wonder just how he got from there to an elegant little calling card scribbled with:

To the found-mainly-in-the-sky Sythyry:
I request the honor of your company at the Oblique Room at Darraden's tomorrow, at five hours after noon.
Ilottat, sixth of Estrario

He used an ambiguous and somewhat poetic word for "found-mainly-in-the-sky". It ordinarily means "found mainly in the sky", but in that sense is applied mainly to astronomical bodies rather than people -- I suppose I am found in the sky more often most people are, but not that high. It could also mean "wide and flat" in a very happy sense, though it is generally applied to tracts of land rather than people. It could also mean "gently arcing", as in, what a waterfall does, or "elegantly capering", as in what a fine horse might do.

It's not used for people anymore, really. But when it was, it meant "beautiful".

Hmm.

Also, for those monsters who aren't familiar with the Oblique Room at Darraden's ... I'm not familiar with it either. It's one of a handful of private rooms on the second floor. The common rabble such as myself and, say, Yarwain (a mere Great Baron), are generally only permitted to dine on the first floor. The Oblique Room is on the second floor.

Maybe Prince Nestrune could get a reservation there. I don't think I know anyone else who could.

Well, actually, since Ilottat did, and Nestrune outranks Ilottat, I'm sure Nestrune can.

For that matter, I'm sure Levande could, though she didn't when she took me for dinner there. If a foreign courtesy-titled count can, then surely a native real-titled count can.

And, for that matter, Hezimikkinen could as well.

Well, OK. I know plenty of people who could. I don't think I know anyone else who would invite me to a second-floor room at Darraden's.

Actually, I could certainly imagine Hezimikkinen taking ~mother~ and me there when zie gets around to visiting.

I wish I could erase things in this journal.

In any case, it's quite a surprising offer from Ilottat, and a flattering one.

This is indeed a mighty and powerful hat. Ilottat hasn't even seen it. Unless he was scrying the milliner's shop or something.

[Poll #393992]

Comments

[redbird]

If your local customs for formal dining allow it [ours vary depending on the gender of the person dining, and on whether the person is hosting the meal in zir own home], wear the romantic hat.

[sythyry.livejournal.com]

Um ... right! Very important!

[terrycloth.livejournal.com]

He sounds harmless enough... and if he tries anything you can always turn into a sleeth and eat him. Or if he doesn't try anything, and you wish he had?

[sythyry.livejournal.com]

As the sixth child of a count, he is surely considered expendable.

[cattitude.livejournal.com]

One caution: be careful of any action that might leave you wide and flat. (I'm assuming that would be as uncomfortable for you as it would for me.) He is, after all, in Leap into this Pool of Boiling Acid with you; he may be doing lab work. For that matter, you might want to inspect the soup tureen for boiling acid.

[sythyry.livejournal.com]

It's not a lab course so far as I know...