Re: Found you at last!
To: Austela Arsaeria
From: Kai Loreli Wyn
At: Y 23,984SRB, M 08, D 05, H 06:48 2SC/3+4.5
Austela,
Surely you know the importance of a name by now? A few years from now, people will be crying out for yours – but you do need to own it before it sticks.
As for me twiddling my thumbs, I’ll have you know, thumb-twiddling is a highly prized occupation on Benazen nowadays. If I twiddle them hard enough while staring at people in audiences, the people who don’t really want to be there tend to get up and leave. I’ve not managed to clear my schedule yet, though. Clearly, I must twiddle harder. And you can forget whatever you’re saying about my office – I put rushmat over the carpets and brought a brood of spatterhens in to make it feel like home, so you couldn’t possibly call it palatial.
What to say about Rythe? If you hadn’t gone into the arts, I’d accuse you of being melodramatic. Enjoy it, my friend. I hear the wine is sweet, even if the people are a little archaic. Travelling there will be a good experience for you, I’m sure. More importantly, consider it a testing ground. You have a new name now, and a new voice. Neither are yet known to our people. So try it out on theirs. If whatever image you conjure for yourself works, so much the better. If not, you have the whole trip back to think of another one.
On the subject of renown, I heard from a friend of someone who owes me money that Sub-Consul Nessus is away on a long voyage at the moment. Does he happen to be with you? There’s nothing in galactic news about the delegation, and it seems your messages are coming through with enforced encryption. Odd that it’s not got more publicity – perhaps the Magister doesn’t have much confidence it its success.
Now if you excuse me, I have some exciting itineraries to pour over. You weren’t joking about the colour coding. I feel a strong urge to project them onto my view screens (in my office that is not a palace) for ambience.
Anywhere but a palace,
Crow
Apparently possessing ‘strong ankles’,
Austela