=== Clanne & Louis ===
--- C ---



[Clanne]
And how fare you today...Prince Alfred?
Thank you...ever so much...for inviting me.
[Clanne]
Mmm. No, that's too stiff. I should try to
sound warmer.
[Louis]
Is something amiss, Clanne?
[Clanne]
Bwah! Where did you come from?!
[Louis]
My apologies. I thought I heard someone
mention my prince's name.
[Clanne]
You heard right. Prince Alfred invited me to
work out with him today.
[Clanne]
But I've never spent time alone with him before,
so I'm nervous about saying the wrong thing.
[Louis]
A private exercise session for the two of you?
[Clanne]
That's right.
[Louis]
Hm. Not a solo or a group session. What could
this signify?
[Clanne]
I don't think it signifies anything.
[Louis]
Ah, but pay me no mind. So, then, you are
practicing your greetings to the prince?
[Clanne]
Yes! I don't want to embarrass myself by being
accidentally rude.
[Clanne]
Maybe you could be my sounding board, Louis?
[Clanne]
I'll talk to you like you're Prince Alfred, and if
anything seems off, you can correct it.
[Louis]
A capital idea. When it comes to manners, you
have turned to the right man!
--- B ---



[Louis]
Yes...it is plain to me now. At last, I have a
firmer grasp of the situation.
[Louis]
Within Clanne's slight frame, there lies a
discernible core of strength.
[Louis]
The prince, noticing this, took the Lythian under
his wing with a private workout. How grand!
[Louis]
There's still a piece of the puzzle that eludes
me, but I'm one step closer to understanding!
[Clanne]
Uh, Louis? Are you OK? I thought I heard you
muttering to yourself.
[Louis]
Uh, I'm fine, I'm fine. You heard nothing.
[Louis]
Tell me, how was your workout session with
the prince?
[Clanne]
It was fun! And with your help, I don't think
I embarrassed myself.
[Clanne]
Prince Alfred was even nicer than usual. He was
very patient and taught me a lot about exercise.
[Louis]
Even nicer than usual?!
[Louis]
The prince is always so kindhearted, I struggle
to imagine that. Might I ask you to elaborate?
[Clanne]
Uh, sure, if you want.
[Louis]
Do you think he was being nicer because he
considers you a friend, or was there more to it?
[Clanne]
Oooh, I see what you mean.
[Clanne]
Yeah, he did have kind of a different energy.
It felt almost like he wished we were brothers.
[Louis]
Brothers, you say!
[Louis]
A pair of brothers...one from Firene, and the
other from Lythos. A rare occurrence indeed!
[Clanne]
Are you feeling well? Do you need to sit down?
[Louis]
Merely a minor epiphany. Pay it no mind.
[Clanne]
Oh, right! We had plans to work out again.
Would you be interested in joining us?
[Louis]
Not at all. You two go ahead. I would never
dream of interfering in something so sacred.
[Louis]
May the two of you have a productive workout
as I contemplate the vision you've shown me.
--- A ---



[Louis]
This is a dark day indeed.
[Clanne]
Louis? What's wrong?
[Louis]
I am heartbroken to learn that your workout
sessions with the prince have concluded.
[Clanne]
How did you know about that?
[Louis]
I overheard it all from my position not far away.
[Clanne]
You were there?! I didn't notice at all.
[Louis]
I happened to come across the two of you, so
I took the liberty of standing guard nearby.
[Clanne]
Oh, that makes sense. Thank you.
[Louis]
You two have a truly unique rapport.
[Louis]
The juxtaposition of the hearty Firenese prince
and an attentive lad of Lythos struck me.
[Louis]
Your warmth and brotherly goodwill─they set
my very heart alight!
[Louis]
In all my years of people watching, those
workouts were in a class of their own.
[Clanne]
Well, if it helps, Prince Alfred is going to give
workout lessons to someone else now.
[Louis]
Is this true?!
[Clanne]
It is. And I'm going to look for someone else to
pass on what I learned from the prince.
[Louis]
Then it isn't over.
[Clanne]
Pardon?
[Louis]
What I thought was a finale was, in truth,
a prelude. And the cast has doubled in size!
[Louis]
How many more voices will be recruited into
this muscular chorus? Who can truly say?
[Louis]
And I shall be there for all of it─a connoisseur
of the human condition. I eagerly await my role.
[Clanne]
Umm... Are you...OK?
[Louis]
Er, yes! Of course!
[Louis]
I hope you will keep me informed as to when
your next workout session is scheduled.
[Louis]
I support these endeavors wholeheartedly.
[Louis]
I hope I may continue to find a place in them as
your appreciative audience.
[Clanne]
Thanks for the support, Louis!
--- S ---