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| Details |
| Author: | inkie |
| Summary: | Admiral Fallon finally finds a moment to write back to the Duchess Esprit. |
| Rating: | T for Teen |
Chain: Siarenne
25 November 29
59°01'01", 34°01'02"
To Her Grace, the Duchess Esprit -
Anamchara, bhaile mo chroí,
I am remiss; I write to you less often than I should, and far less often than I would like. Your own latest letter came as both a joy and a great relief to me. I cannot say how warmly I anticipate your arrival in Pandaria.
The Blanche is moored off the coast of the Krasarang Wilds at present, where we hold the beach against an unexpected advance of Hellscream’s forces. It has considerably slowed progress on the harbor, and I have been obliged to divert people and materiel to the construction of a shore battery on the headland to fend off the Horde. I am resolved to request of Jes-Tereth that she ask Wyrmbane to dispatch a unit of the 7th by airship.
I confess — to you alone — that I am weary.
In more gratifying news: the pandaren produce gunpowder of an extraordinary quality, and I have made arrangement with a merchant consortium from the north of here — the Kun-Lai region — for a deal of it. My suppliers understand that our contract is provisional, and a more formal long-term procurement will be negotiated at the end of the year. The negotiation awaits your arrival, as a project I have set aside for your expertise while my attention is of necessity directed to strategic matters.
In addition, we are carrying out metallurgical and ballistics testing on shot made from ghost iron to see whether we can supplement our ammunition stores from the local materials. I do fear that even if it serves the purpose, the long-term cost of ghost iron vis-à-vis ordinary iron may be prohibitive, but that will naturally depend on the supply chain expense in delivering iron to us from the Kingdoms. This, again, I reserve for your expertise.
Shine has not managed to rid himself of the tanuki that took to following him; in fact he has named the creature and I believe may intend to keep it. (It is called “Bun.”) He and Mrs. Shine are both otherwise well and send their regards. (Shine and Mrs. Shine, that is, not Bun and Mrs. Shine.)
I am obliged to you for forwarding Isla’s prizewinning story and will write to her with my congratulations. I do wonder what, exactly, the criteria were for this writing competition. I am aware Isla is an imaginative child and I am sure she is a capable student of fiction, but the story is so deeply implausible that I wonder whether we should not scrutinize more closely her leisure reading material, and find her some more wholesome. Perhaps she would enjoy Vallier’s Natural History of the Maritime Coasts? It contains a great deal of information about mollusks that might intrigue her. (Or if, as her story suggests, her interest lies more in lakes and ponds, Vallier also has an excellent comparative study of inland freshwater habitats. I cannot recall the title at present but will look it up before I dispatch this letter.)
I include herewith some more pandaren silk from the fields to the north of here, in the Valley of the Four Winds. You will find there is less of it than in my last such gift. I am confident that you will put it to efficient use nonetheless. There is also more of the Kun-Lai tea that you enjoy, and a phial of lotus fragrance; it is not your usual one, I know, but there are blooming ponds in the north of the Valley of the Four Winds where a native species of lotus is cultivated, and the scent reminded me of you.
The bracelets are for Isla, the calligraphy brushes for Finley, and the seashells for Otto and Ery. (We collected the latter along the beach south of Paw’don Village.) You may also tell Ery that her flagship is in good command of the fleet here, and we are all grateful for her leadership.
With warmest regards,
Yr. obt. svt.,
Adm. S. Fallon
P.S. The title is A Comparative Study of Inland Freshwater Habitats.
In the parcel beneath the letter is a bolt of shimmering blue-black silk, with a packet of tea and a small enameled bottle of lotus fragrance tucked into its folds; a silk muslin bag containing a half-dozen bracelets of polished beads, some of colored stone and some of softly-fragrant sandalwood; a bundle of elegant calligraphy brushes tied with a silk cord; and a wooden box containing a jumble of assorted vibrant, banded snail shells.
The nautical coordinates given beneath the date at the top of the letter are nonsense; they are disguised references to Avrenne's Floriography, each one indicating a page number, entry, and definition. Translated, they are sea lavender (I miss you) and dahlia (eternal love).