esmeiolanthe: (Default)
[personal profile] esmeiolanthe
The prompt for this story was “Skim milk masquerades as cream (G&S)” submitted by joandsarah77. This story fits into a soon-to-come chapter of Already in Progress, although I’m not 100% sure which one yet. This short could be considered to contain spoilers, if you read carefully. Or maybe just clues…

Rating: G

Dramatis Personae
Chant Couderc, plantsim. Chant had a plantbaby daughter without consulting Phoebe so that their son Nicholas could have a sister close in age. The plantbaby was subsequently cured so she could age normally.
Phoebe Couderc, his wife, who speaks in Elizabethan. Phoebe was very unhappy about the unauthorized plantbaby, and shows a decided preference for her own child.

Setting
The hallway of the Couderc farmhouse, where Chant has pulled Phoebe aside for a quiet word.

CHANT: You really need to start being nicer to Draupadi.
PHOEBE: Aye, nice to thy daughter, that thou dist bear without thy wife. Nay, without even asking thy wife – for shame!
CHANT: Nicholas wanted a sister the same age as himself. It was a perfectly logical solution. But we’re not talking about my daughter. We’re talking about you and the way you act towards Draupadi and Nicholas.
PHOEBE: And what, pray tell, troubles thee about my treatment of Nicholas? He is  my dear, sweet boy and I love him fondly!
CHANT: Yes, you do. You call him “thee” and quite frankly you spoil him rotten. But you call Draupadi “you.”
PHOEBE: Aye, and?
CHANT: And I want you to call Draupadi “thee” too. She’s family.
PHOEBE: Thy daughter is not family as my son is family. “Thee” is for those one is close to and –
CHANT: Will you stop going on and on about my daughter?! Start calling Draupadi “thee” and stop being so corrupted snippy to her! (stomps off)
PHOEBE (musingly, to herself): “Thee” is for those one is close to – and those who are well below in rank. And it does no harm to be gracious to an inferior. Indeed, ’tis the mark of a gentlewoman. (nods) Aye, husband, I think we may both be happy yet.


Note
The prompt for this short was taken from a song from HMS Pinafore, where a poor-but-honest lower-class woman tries to clue in a ship’s captain via metaphor that he may not be what he thinks he is. However, since the ship’s captain is a bit dim, he misses the point completely. You can see a nice version of the duet here.
This account has disabled anonymous posting.
If you don't have an account you can create one now.
HTML doesn't work in the subject.
More info about formatting

Profile

esmeiolanthe: (Default)
esmeiolanthe

April 2019

S M T W T F S
 123456
78910111213
14151617181920
21222324252627
2829 30    

Most Popular Tags

Style Credit

Expand Cut Tags

No cut tags
Page generated Jun. 11th, 2025 07:30 am
Powered by Dreamwidth Studios