thefarshore | Deux ♔ Heaven’s BBS ♔ Video

[ I. Sparkling Knight ]

Posted: June 21
From: Anonymous

[ It’s the most peculiar thing. Without anyone’s willing it, or any clicks on the thread topic, a window pops up on the BBS of its own accord.

At first, there’s just static. Then, a countdown, grainy and jittery on the screen:

Followed by…darkness. Pure, unadulterated darkness, for several seconds more. The darkness lingers, undisturbed and silent, for several seconds, and is interrupted only by - a voice. It’s not yelling, it’s not whispering. It’s simply speaking, as if you and it are sharing an intimate moment together. It’s a sultry, deep voice. Regal, too. ]

Stellar nurseries. Cradles in the darkness of forsaken galaxies. Nestled to their bosom, a single gleam is born.

[ A flicker of golden light flashes in the center of the screen, then twinkles out. ]

To this world deprived of true radiance - appearing, lo, now on stage.

[ A trail of purple sparkles and rose petals streams through the darkness. ]

A new era dawns.

[ Lights up! Music up, immediately - the ringing of bells, the sounding of trumpets.

And the show begins. ]

Watch on YouTube

[ Lyrics are here. ]

[ When the performance is finished, the lights go down again, replaced by a sign written in ornate letters, with a sunburst in the corner: CELEPARA TALENT AGENCY, by SHIKYOIN HIBIKI. NOW SCOUTING.

And then the video switches itself off. But don’t worry. As Hibiki's very first boon to the world as a god, it's listed on a message board.

You can watch it as many times as you want. ]

[ II. Private to Natsuru, Felicia, & Maria - From Apollo ]

[ Hibiki’s sitting at a desk with a laurel pattern on a door behind her. She’s got her crown of golden laurels tucked behind her ears, too, except instead of wearing her usual purple jacket and trousers, she’s wearing a business suit. ]

Senou Natsuru. Felicia. [ A pause. ] Maria Cadenzavna Eve.

I have something to discuss with all of you. Please accept my invitation.

[ And Hibiki sends along a little attachment. It’s a purple envelope with a pink heart on it that shows you a fancy invitation if you click on it. Apparently she wants you all to stop by this afternoon.

Also, since the “paper” the invitation appears on is monogrammed, it looks like Hibiki took the time to program this herself. ]

I await your presence.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Hey, #NotAllBugs. Butterflies, for example, are quite acceptable! Such ethereal grace!

Hibiki sniffs. Heeeere's smug back. ] Things that crawl are beneath my notice.

Why are you asking, anyway?

[ In case you hadn't noticed, she ~~gave herself a headache overdosing on illusions~~ flew, there, sir. ]

[ He hasn't met a butterfly Rider, how about bees/wasps though? ]

That sounds like you're asking to have shredded ankles.

[ There are many things which crawl that are pretty dangerous, fellow sun god. ]

You just reminded me of somebody I used to know.

[ And resembles more by the moment. ]

[ That gets an arrogant scoff. Remind you of someone? Nonsense! ] I'm inimitable.

[ That

sure is true.

There sure is only one Shikyoin Hibiki.

Thank anything above all of them that might be listening. ]

There is, of course, only one of everyone in this world.

[ Yes, including Shikyoin Hibiki. ]

There's no use being anyone else. But some of us are more unique than others.

[ Like, for example, Tendou Souji. ]

Grammatically incorrect. [ "unique" already implying "completely unlike anything else" ] But, I can't deny it.

[ But enough of your strange conversation openers. ] Did you enjoy the performance?

[ Tendou can't believe he's taking this from someone who sings about Pure Love Love and flowers redder than red, but in the end, if she's agreeing with him, he can't be bothered to fight it. ]

I'm not in the market for a prince, [ so he's not in the target audience unfortunately ] but grandma said this: "Fancy food doesn't taste good. It only serves to hide true cooking."

[ Which is to say, he's not terribly impressed by pure spectacle and sensory overload. ]

How unfortunate for her.

[ A razor-edged smile. They're on her battlefield now. ]

To have never experienced a feast encompassing both.

Grandma did also say not to spoil the dreams of children, but in this case I might have to make an exception.

[ Because nobody insults his grandmother. She's given far too much to him for him to be able to stand for that. ]

The highest level of performance is bringing forth the natural flavour of the performers. Props, flashing lights, and horses merely serve to distract from what is there. Or perhaps that distraction is needed?

[ He's smiling back, but there's no joy in his eyes. ]

Distracting only for those unable to comprehend the message, I suppose.

[ Did it suddenly get really dark in here? ]

Was there a deeper message than an ode to your own attractiveness? You must enlighten me.

[ Of course not. The sun must keep shining. Even if it burns everything else away. ]

That would be foul play.

[ Figure it out yourself. That her own attractiveness is, in fact, a depth which you can never plumb with your limited mind.

If nothing else, you should be able to comprehend your own insufficiency. ]

Grandma said this: "All women are equally beautiful." That only leaves what is inside to draw me in, and it seems that's been quite a failure.

[ It may very well be that Hibiki is a very handsome person! But it goes against Tendou's philosophy to even try and figure out if she is. And looking at her personality, well...

It's certainly a personality. ]

What a pity.

[ Can't win 'em all, it seems. Not immediately, anyway. Though, from what Hibiki's seen of this gentleman thus far, failing to capture his heart right off the bat is hardly a great loss.

Well, it's not like she doesn't have time. Even she can hardly expect her plan to succeed immediately. The most exquisite flowers take the most time to cultivate. ] I trust my next performance will strike you enough that no one else's words will be sufficient.

[ She, for example, requires no such crutch. Even without a script, Shikyoin Hibiki performs flawlessly. ]

I rather doubt it. Grandma's teachings are quite comprehensive.

[ Applicable in every situation! In fact, almost once an episode! ]

I could come up with a saying of my own, but that sounds like the kind of effort best reserved for people who deserve it. I'm sure you'll try.

[ ....try to deserve it or try to come up with her own saying? Because both are, indubitably, true.

And yet, the way he says it...

He doesn't deserve it. He doesn't deserve a metaphor slipping from her lips, concocted by her brilliant mind. So instead, Hibiki just smiles one of those effortlessly polite smiles people smile when they're pardoning someone at the steps of the guillotine.

She said that one just to herself. So it doesn't count. ] Your trust honors me.

Deux ♔ Heaven’s BBS ♔ Video

i just got really bad deja vu so apologies if i've used a similar line before idr

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