closed post: in the eye of the beholder

[tallyyoungblood]

Tally's had a lot on her mind since the death and the wedding. Life, love, the fragility of those things--but, of course, she is who she is, so her mind comes back to what it always does: beauty.

As much as she'd judged that strange man for his disheveled robes, everyone else had looked gorgeous, and happier than she'd ever seen a room full of pretties look. Most notably, they'd all looked legitimately different from each other, in just about every way possible. That the effect was beautiful instead of overwhelming is a new experience for Tally.

Tally feels like she knows what Claudius might say about the wedding. He'd heap effusive praise on everyone, and tell her that of course he wanted everyone to be uniquely themselves. She thinks he understands the halo effect better than anyone else she knows here, but also, as a former pre-Rusty king, understands how to deal with a crowd of adult uglies. Galahad, though, has never been someone Tally could guess at the thoughts of. He'd clearly been too happily overwhelmed to really talk at the ceremony itself, so she goes to knock on his door a few days later.

Comments

[tallyyoungblood]

"Like... trying to control people just for the sake of controlling people, I guess. Being a huge dick, for sure."

[onthewillowsthere]

Galahad considers this. "Yes. I understand."

[tallyyoungblood]

"With my city, they're controlling us for a reason. Like, people having too much freedom might destroy the earth, if people were allowed to be as greedy as Rusties were. Maybe that's our version of this sin thing. But it has real consequences, unlike stuff like having sex and looking pretty and feeling good. Besides, I still think it's wrong to control people like that, even it is for a good reason. I don't really know what should be done instead to limit human greed, but..." Tally shrugs. "All of it is totally confusion-making."

[onthewillowsthere]

He's mildly overwhelmed himself, so he just nods -- he doesn't have an answer for those things either, but he thinks Percival might have; Percival always understood the earth and the cycle of natural things more than he can imagine doing.

[tallyyoungblood]

"At least there's not enough of us here to cause a giant overpopulation problem."

[onthewillowsthere]

"Do you think that could happen?"

[tallyyoungblood]

"It doesn't seem likely. Unless you and Claudius are about to have a billion children, or something." She smiles at him to show that she's joking.

[onthewillowsthere]

Galahad's expression barely changes, but what subtle markers there are are ones of mild horror. "No."

[tallyyoungblood]

"I'm joking. I don't think you can do that without city doctors, anyway."

[onthewillowsthere]

Good is what Galahad's blank expression says. He can't imagine having children, and he doesn't think Claudius wants them either -- Claudius likes children, he thinks, but not as a parent. But perhaps they should talk about it.

[tallyyoungblood]

"I don't want them, either. Sunny is nice, though, it's kind of cute having a littlie around."

[onthewillowsthere]

"Sunny is okay," he agrees.

[tallyyoungblood]

"Sagramore really wanted kids, so it's nice he got one."

[onthewillowsthere]

Galahad is silent for a long, long moment. He doesn't care what Sagramore wants. He doesn't care whether Sagramore is happy, except as it makes Claudius happy, and Claudius inexplicably loves Sagramore in spite of how much Sagramore has failed him. Galahad would not have cared if Sagramore had never gotten the child he wanted, but he thinks saying so might be one of the thoughts he shouldn't say aloud.

Finally he says, "I'm glad for Sunny." That's not a lie.

[tallyyoungblood]

Galahad is full of long silences, so Tally doesn't notice anything special about this one. "Me too. I was thinking... it's nice she gets to live here from the start. That way she doesn't miss anyone."

[onthewillowsthere]

"Yes." This is much easier to answer. He is also glad that Sunny won't be alone the way he was, that she won't have to wait until she's of age to loved.

[tallyyoungblood]

"I wonder what she'll grow up thinking is pretty. Me, of course, but she won't have many pretty adults around."

[onthewillowsthere]

"Is there anyone else you think is pretty?"

[tallyyoungblood]

"Not really pretty. Luo Binghe is a natural pretty, though."

[onthewillowsthere]

His face tightens minutely. "Luo Binghe is my enemy."

[tallyyoungblood]

"Your enemy?" Tally raises her eyebrows. She's always thought of Galahad as peaceful. "Um, why?"

[onthewillowsthere]

"He tortured Claudius with his power and made him believe he would die. When I asked for his apology, he told me it was impossible." His voice is absolutely toneless, and the words are clipped short. "He is a cruel man on a power trip."

[tallyyoungblood]

"Um, whoa," is all Tally can think to say. This doesn't square at all with the perfectly nice guy she'd met at the party. "I guess this was before I got here? He's not still torturing people, is he?"

[onthewillowsthere]

Galahad's heart sinks. She's not going to think it matters. She's going to excuse it-- He can feel his blood rushing in his ears, sweat prickling his skin (he used not to sweat; he used not to feel exertion. He can remember Claudius pretending to dab at his brow with a handkerchief when he was moving tables for Sagramore and Laertes' wedding dance, and it seems like unreality).

"No," he says.

[tallyyoungblood]

"Are you okay?" Tally asks. Clearly, it's a stressful topic for him, which, duh! "I mean, obviously not. That is so beyond bogus." She has to imagine that lots of people know about this and something's been worked out, or Luo Binghe would be as dead as Aornis, but fear makes her tattoo pulse and nausea rise up. It feels wrong that someone so beautiful would do something so bad. "Claudius is okay now?" she asks, concerned.