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[mansuetus]

Audentes fortuna iuvat.

Does fortune favors us, Tranquility?

Caesar himself was quite devoted to boldness and fortune; alea jacta est he said and the goddess of fortune favored him for many years.

in the end, she did not. it is a tricky thing, fortune and quite a riddle to guess.

[ that aside ]

An assistance is needed! For baking a cake to a friend whom I favor greatly and who, I decided, celebrates his birthday today.

Comments

[text]

[nebbish]

Also baking powder and salt, and butter, which is VERY important. Here, if you give me a moment, I can type up a recipe for you.

[text]

[mansuetus]

salt for a cake, truly?

[text]

[nebbish]

Yes, truly. That one's really important, actually. You've put salt on food before, yeah? And you've noticed how it doesn't make things taste salty, just more vivid?

[text]

[mansuetus]

the same can be applied to cake! are you one with a gift to cooking?

[text]

[nebbish]

[He considers his reply quite modest.]

I'm not bad. Like I said, I do more cooking than baking, but I'm rather good at both, yes.

[text]

[mansuetus]

What is your name?

[ he. or she are curious to her. like many others on board. Lucrezia's urges are always to know and understand and question in her own way. ]

[text]

[nebbish]

George Sands. Yours?

[text]

[mansuetus]

[ she speaks his name out loud, tastes the syllables before giving him her own. ]

Lucrezia Borgia.

[text]

[nebbish]

[Uh]

Right. Are you making fun of me, or were your parents a bit sadistic?

[text]

[mansuetus]

[ if she could see her disapproving frown. ]

certainly not. they are both loving parents and well honored. Vannozza dei Cattanei and Pope Alexander VI, known to some as Rodrigo Borgia.

[text]

[nebbish]

Look, my name really is George Sands. The writer is George Sand. I'm named for my father. There's no need to make fun.

[text]

[mansuetus]

And my name is truly Lucrezia, named after Lucretia from the tales, of house Borgia.

[text]

[nebbish]

[A pause.]

You're Lucrezia Borgia, the daughter of the pope, from all the histories. The historical figure, Lucrezia Borgia.

[text]

[mansuetus]

I am her. She is me.

[text]

[nebbish]

[His next text was going to be "is the cake poison" but he thinks better of it - thank God - and then types instead:]

Right. Did you know that people know about you?

[text]

[mansuetus]

People knew of me of Rome already. I am a Borgia, signore George.

And I do. I have been told.

[text]

[nebbish]

[He starts to pursue that line of thought, but then remembers that "So about your famous sluttiness" probably isn't the best...topic...of conversation. So...]

Right. So, cake.

[text]

[mansuetus]

[ WOW GEORGE SHE IS NOT A SLUT. ]

cake!

[text]

[nebbish]

[HISTORY THOUGH]

Shall I write you a recipe?

[text]

[mansuetus]

[ LIES. ]

Please. If it will not steal too much of your time.

[text]

[nebbish]

No, it won't. This all must be very unsettling for you.

[text]

[mansuetus]

why unsettling?

[text]

[nebbish]

Because at least I knew about space travel before coming here. You didn't know that the sky wasn't made up of spheres.

[text]

[mansuetus]

that surprises me until now but I think the idea is charming. I have thought it when I arrived here too.

[text]

[nebbish]

What, it's not earth-shattering? Without any pun intended.