Nathan of the FoS wrote:"Such a profusion of obeisances, Brother Crow," the Countess says, smiling and extending a gloved hand to be kissed. "I am entirely charmed to see that there are some among the brotherhood to whom gallantry is not a dead letter."
"If it please Your Ladyship," the bard replies, and bestows the requisite kiss to the Lamordian's silken glove ... tactfully, with perfect decorum and respect --
Kingsley's eyes are upon him, for one -- yet not so briskly as to slight the Countess's vanity. The gesture isn't difficult, despite the spy's distaste for the woman; most cabals he has infiltrated in years past have been more gender-diverse than this one, and he is well-practiced at skirting
this fine line.
(Besides, her
glove is finely made, its fabric exquisite; appreciation for the talent of Her Ladyship's
seamstresses makes such protocol easier to stomach.)
"You yourself are rather in the minority here, unless I mistake the import of your case; how does a dashing pursuivant of the Muses come to find himself among so many academics?"
Crow smiles coyly. "Why, what better venue for a
shrewd devotee of the Muses to expand his horizons than this? 'Muses' -- a captivating allegory ... and deriving from your own homeland's classical mythology, yes? -- were not solely preoccupied with music: the Nine Sisters' purview encompasses history, meditation, astronomy and astrology alike. Past mysteries and future destinies ... knowledge, both scientific and arcane ... the achievement of enlightenment by contemplation of these insights ... all are wholly consistent with the Fraternity's scholasticism. That my own
musical aptitudes align more closely with their siblings' proficiencies need not lead me to spurn the wisdom of Clio or Urania."
The bard's expression turns more serious for a moment, and pensive, as if he thinks his words aloud.
"But moreover, I often question whether the boundaries between artiste and academic are so strictly-drawn as common definitions care to render them. Is it not by tales and songs that mankind's more primitive cultures pass on their collective lore, or by which its youngest of pupils begin their own education in the nursery? Storytellers were humankind's
first professors; for the Kartakans, the Forfarian druids, even the Vistani, they remain so to this day ... and likely hold their students' attentions more keenly than many a dreary lecturerer! Poetry and song, Your Ladyship, are the living libraries of those peoples whose way of life is ill-conducive to literacy, and to disparage such potential sources of insight for a mere failing of penmanship is to overlook vast realms of untapped knowledge which contemporary life -- however comfortable -- has imprudently left to fall by the wayside."
Crow blinks, shakes his head slightly, as if realizing he's let his 'dashing bard' pose of gallantry slip. He grins, nods at Kingsley again.
"In any case," he resumes, stepping back slightly to draw the Zherisian into the dialogue and letting the jaunty air of a rascal reassert itself in his voice. "The professor can surely attest that I
am much of a piece with my fellows of bardic stripe, in that I would sooner be caught being dead than being boring. (The
'cardinal sin', I believe you called it, Madam...?) By my participation with the Fraternity, I can enhance my own stature in
both worlds: amongst the Brethren, I stand out with distinction as a witty and cunning tongue amidst dry-spoken, bookish academicians; to fellow-musicians at large, conversely, I effortlessly win a reputation as a scholar
par excellence, merely by a rumored association with world-renowned experts. Thus, I can reap the attention and interest which is every bard's bread and butter from both these peer-groups ... and
without the unseemly inconvenience of having to make myself particularly
useful, in any practical sense of the word."
He winks at Kingsley, recalling her own teasing remarks during their last encounter, then bobs his head deferentially to the Countess.
"So, Your Ladyship, it would seem that my own 'hidden agenda' has been found out, and by a mere moment's inquiry on your part. But fair is fair, gracious Sisters, and such pictures of courtesy surely would not deny me an enquiry in exchange? Please, do speak to me of your
own progress in breaching the Fraternity's too-antiquated strictures as to its membership ... and whether I surmise correctly, that you charming ladies are now
allied in this endeavor? As another whose status bears an unfavorable mark against it, for my own atypical permutation of Art, I am naturally intrigued by and supportive of any such attempt to improve my colleagues' breadth of perspective."
The spy tilts his head, genuinely curious as to how thoroughly Kingsley has let herself become ensnared by this particular viper's coils ... and, for the nonce, mercifully unaware how deadly-accurate his quip about his "hidden agenda's" discovery
truly is.