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Post by HENRI ROQUEFEUIL-BLANQUEFORT on May 23, 2013 11:38:28 GMT -5
Chauvelin seemed polite enough to Henri, but he knew better than to trust the respectful tone he seemed to have taken. Henri supposed he might do much the same if he found himself in an analogous situation, though he doubted that would ever occur out in the woods in an irregular encampment unless the government were to begin using partisans of its own.
“Odd?” He frowned, still embarrassed by how much information he had let slip. He would have to consider punishment if one of his men had let as much be known to a government agent, and yet he called himself their leader. He was glad that most of the encampment was out of earshot of what he had said. “Perhaps. I do not think it is so unusual.” He was in no mood to continue discussion of his reasoning and background, especially not when he knew that he would likely have to execute the man.
He did not relish the idea, but it might be necessary. He was functionally a spy, Henri was almost certain—even if he had not come to be a spy, which was unlikely he supposed considering it was they who had intercepted him, he now had all the information to become one. Most probably the king—or the king's advisers, more likely—would reward him for such information. “You yourself can quote from any number of wealthy men with ideals that ran against their governments.” He was sure of that, given the earlier tone of the conversation.
“You've called yourself a traveler, what was your mission out here?”
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PAUL CHAUVELIN
French Government
Spymaster
Posts: 200
Joined: Jan 25, 2013 11:17:51 GMT -5
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Post by PAUL CHAUVELIN on Jun 15, 2013 18:15:50 GMT -5
[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 380px; border-left: 20px solid #595454; background-image:url(http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a223/Achillea/texture_zpsaf0bcd80.jpg); padding-left: 10px; padding-bottom: 20px;]
Paul-François [style=text-align: right]DARKNESS, DARKNESS LONG AND LONESOME, IS THE DAY THAT BRINGS ME HERE I HAVE FELT THE EDGE OF SADNESS I HAVE KNOWN THE DEPTHS OF FEAR DARKNESS, DARKNESS BE MY BLANKET, COVER ME WITH ENDLESS NIGHT TAKE AWAY THIS PAIN OF KNOWING FILL THIS EMPTINESS WITH LIGHT |
[/font][/size][/style] chauvelin 
The old spymaster took a few moments to consider what Henri had said about wealthy republicans. It was interesting that the young man didn't refer to them as members of Chauvelin's class -- which inconveniently also happened to be his own. Paul felt a moment of sympathy. He knew firsthand the internal conflict that contradiction inspired ... not that he was going to admit it.
"True," he allowed at last. Then added with a pointed glance around, "Though I don't recall them taking up arms themselves, let alone assembling revolutionary armies against that government."
He wished his hands were free. Quite apart from the discomfort and general unpleasantness of having them bound, he could speak quite eloquently with his hands. More to the point, he could also distract and deceive. Most men's judgement of other men -- and especially of women -- was influenced by gestures and motions far more than they knew.
Might as well wish for a fine cigar and a featherbed, while he was at it, Chauvelin thought sardonically, pushing the regret aside. Arching an eyebrow at Henri's question, he replied, "Well ... traveling, mostly, if you can call that a 'mission.' I was on my way to Essonne to deliver the letter you stole."
[/left] TAG -- Henri
NOTES – None at present.lyrics from DARKNESS, DARKNESS by ROBERT PLANTmade by ANYA of caution 2.0 [/td][/tr][/td][/tr][/table][/center] |
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Post by HENRI ROQUEFEUIL-BLANQUEFORT on Jun 17, 2013 21:31:55 GMT -5
“Different times call for different methods, perhaps.†Henri's eyes drifted to the forest around them for a moment. The forest and philosophers... it made him feel nostalgic. I'm such a child, and I have every reason to be a grown man already. He suspected his father would have tried to get him a commission in the army, made him grow up a bit. It was in God's plan that he die before this began.
“Why Essonne?†He had the letter, of course, but that didn't answer all of his questions. What did some clerk need with a gunpowder mill? Unless there was more to the situation than met the eye... The whole situation was extremely suspicious.
((apologies for the brevity))
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PAUL CHAUVELIN
French Government
Spymaster
Posts: 200
Joined: Jan 25, 2013 11:17:51 GMT -5
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Post by PAUL CHAUVELIN on Jul 8, 2013 22:41:33 GMT -5
[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 380px; border-left: 20px solid #595454; background-image:url(http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a223/Achillea/texture_zpsaf0bcd80.jpg); padding-left: 10px; padding-bottom: 20px;]
Paul-François [style=text-align: right]DARKNESS, DARKNESS LONG AND LONESOME, IS THE DAY THAT BRINGS ME HERE I HAVE FELT THE EDGE OF SADNESS I HAVE KNOWN THE DEPTHS OF FEAR DARKNESS, DARKNESS BE MY BLANKET, COVER ME WITH ENDLESS NIGHT TAKE AWAY THIS PAIN OF KNOWING FILL THIS EMPTINESS WITH LIGHT |
[/font][/size][/style] chauvelin
M'sieu Henri looked pensive, glancing around at the encampment, and Chauvelin was reminded once more of how young the Vicomte was. Of course, in a way, it didn't really matter -- 17 could kill you just as dead as 27, and Paul himself had become a revolutionary even younger. Still, it reminded him of those heady days. The blacks and whites had seemed so much sharper then, the colors -- now faded and dulled by so many intervening years -- so vivid.
In answer to the question, the old spymaster shrugged as best he could with his arms tied to the post behind him. "Because Essonne was where I was told to go," he replied. "Not for me to know the reasons, just to follow orders."
A certain wistfulness lingered in the young man's expression, and Chauvelin wondered what he was thinking. Remembering happier, more peaceful times studying the the philosphers they were discussing? Reflecting on whatever had happened to bring him to this revolution? Curious about that himself, the old spymaster decided it couldn't hurt to ask.
"What about you? Why ... " he tilted his head to indicate the rebel camp, "this?"
[/left] TAG -- Henri
NOTES – s'okay, some of mine have been pretty short lately.lyrics from DARKNESS, DARKNESS by ROBERT PLANTmade by ANYA of caution 2.0 [/td][/tr][/td][/tr][/table][/center] |
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Post by HENRI ROQUEFEUIL-BLANQUEFORT on Jul 14, 2013 19:36:59 GMT -5
The old man's question both surprised Henri in that it was even asked, and filled him with suspicion of him yet again. As harmless as he looked, it was more dangerous to believe that he would do nothing than it was to suspect him of anything. It might be possible to move him out of the pigsty, and perhaps it would be for the best to arrange for that—but it was certainly more dangerous. But then, safety was not the reason he had chosen to take to the forest in the first place, and it was certainly not what kept him there.
“Maybe I'm here to avoid following orders,” he finally dared. “Maybe this is worth more than an estate full of dusty rooms and disused furniture covered in cloths.” The estate house was far too large to be occupied only by himself and his mother, and even if he considered all of the servants in his count, the place had been built for a much larger family. It had been too big even when his father was alive. He tried to study the man's face and read his thoughts, but there were days Henri doubted anyone was really capable of doing that. “The world is changing, and it's better to help to forge it anew than it is to cling to crumbling pieces of the old one.” Morally better, and—if he believed in the power of Providence to bring success to the revolution—perhaps even safer in the long-run.
“It may even be wise for men such as yourself to consider the wisdom of that,” he added. “When your government falls, where will you be left?” Surely there would be no time nor patience for low-level bureaucrats and clerks who carried messages to gunpowder mills that would soon either be captured or blown up. “God is on our side, certainly not on the side of the tyrants.” Or, for that matter, of most of the priests—so many were too comfortably bedded down beside the tyranny itself. It was mostly up to those men of the cloth who had come from the peasant classes, from something less than wealth and aristocratic birth, to carry the true spirit of the Church into the new republic.
"It seems a horse was lost in this little debacle. Perhaps, in the spirit of republican equality, I should offer you the opportunity to make your bed there instead. In straw, rather than in mud."
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PAUL CHAUVELIN
French Government
Spymaster
Posts: 200
Joined: Jan 25, 2013 11:17:51 GMT -5
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Post by PAUL CHAUVELIN on Jul 23, 2013 18:10:48 GMT -5
[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 380px; border-left: 20px solid #595454; background-image:url(http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a223/Achillea/texture_zpsaf0bcd80.jpg); padding-left: 10px; padding-bottom: 20px;]
Paul-François [style=text-align: right]DARKNESS, DARKNESS LONG AND LONESOME, IS THE DAY THAT BRINGS ME HERE I HAVE FELT THE EDGE OF SADNESS I HAVE KNOWN THE DEPTHS OF FEAR DARKNESS, DARKNESS BE MY BLANKET, COVER ME WITH ENDLESS NIGHT TAKE AWAY THIS PAIN OF KNOWING FILL THIS EMPTINESS WITH LIGHT |
[/font][/size][/style] chauvelin
“Maybe I'm here to avoid following orders,”
Oh, touché, Chauvelin thought, raising an eyebrow -- along with his opinion of the younger man -- upward a notch. The kid wasn't quite as much of an idiot as he seemed, even if he did follow up his solid hit with a load of silly Deus vult religious pap. It was a pity his little group had decided to take in the wrong refugee. And more so because they probably didn't know the girl's significance. He was pretty sure even the girl herself didn't.
Still, their deaths wouldn't be the first he'd arranged, and doubtless wouldn't be the last, but the thought made him tired and, if he were to admit it to himself, a little sad. It would be nice to stop orchestrating a symphony of betrayal, blackmail, and knives in the dark, but somebody had to be the conductor and it might as well be him. It certainly beat being one of the people bleeding on the floor.
At the offer of a change of confinement, Chauvelin tilted his head, looking up at Henri as he considered it. Trying to suborn him was a clever gambit on the young man's part. It wouldn't work, but still, it was a good try. "You asked where would I be when my government falls, but I cannot predict the future. All I know is I won't be standing in the shoes of a man who betrayed his oath and turned his coat for a bed of straw in place of slops."
[/left] TAG -- Henri
NOTES – another short one, sorry.lyrics from DARKNESS, DARKNESS by ROBERT PLANTmade by ANYA of caution 2.0 [/td][/tr][/td][/tr][/table][/center] |
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Post by HENRI ROQUEFEUIL-BLANQUEFORT on Aug 22, 2013 10:58:37 GMT -5
It seemed incongruous to even attempt statements of pride while standing in a pigsty. Henri reminded himself that he would hope to be able to do the same if stuck with the livestock of some monarchist, though why they would have a pigsty in the woods was incomprehensible to him. Better not to think that way, then.
Still, to judge by Chauvelin's expression, he had made the man think. Maybe it's easier to make people like him think than it is to make peasants do the same. That was practically sacrilege to the Cause, though, and he didn't want to drift too far in that direction. Irritated by the man's apparent rhetoric on government loyalty, the simplest answer was just to leave him in the pigsty.
“Very well. If you choose not to accept my offer of hospitality, you may enjoy your night here in the sty.”
(Very short, but there's probably not that much more for this thread to cover?)
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