Harper grinned. "Well, well, well," he drawled.
"What, little man?" Tyr asked gruffly.
"You know, I read a very similar story once."
Tyr looked vaguely interested. "You have read Nietzschean nursery tales?"
"No, I read it before it became uberized. Funny enough, Ella went to three balls."
"Yeah, and she left a glass slipper, not a blood sample from a dragon mauling," Beka chimed in.
"Is that so?" Tyr looked amused. "And how exactly did she catch the eye of the prince?"
"She danced with him. And made witty conversation," Harper explained.
"'She danced wiv 'im. And made witty conwersation,'" Tyr mimicked. "If that's how your princes choose their wives, I'm not surprised your race has been firmly and relentlessly stagnant for ten thousand years."
"And in most versions, the king awards her all her father's wealth, and after her step-mother and step-sisters are paupers they are quite friendly," Rommie added.
"I prefer mine."
"Tyr, do you really want some queen-to-be told relentlessly night after night that Arcturian carrion slugs are the solution to all problems?" Beka demanded.
"Was it not a human who said, 'There is no problem that cannot be solved by the suitable application of large quantities of high explosive'?" Tyr returned.
"It was also a human that asked, 'How better to vanquish an enemy than to befriend him?'" Rommie interjected.
"Oh, but you are a fine one to speak, Andromeda Ascendant," Tyr snapped. "Dylan! Have you read her entry?"
"What, little man?" Tyr asked gruffly.
"You know, I read a very similar story once."
Tyr looked vaguely interested. "You have read Nietzschean nursery tales?"
"No, I read it before it became uberized. Funny enough, Ella went to three balls."
"Yeah, and she left a glass slipper, not a blood sample from a dragon mauling," Beka chimed in.
"Is that so?" Tyr looked amused. "And how exactly did she catch the eye of the prince?"
"She danced with him. And made witty conversation," Harper explained.
"'She danced wiv 'im. And made witty conwersation,'" Tyr mimicked. "If that's how your princes choose their wives, I'm not surprised your race has been firmly and relentlessly stagnant for ten thousand years."
"And in most versions, the king awards her all her father's wealth, and after her step-mother and step-sisters are paupers they are quite friendly," Rommie added.
"I prefer mine."
"Tyr, do you really want some queen-to-be told relentlessly night after night that Arcturian carrion slugs are the solution to all problems?" Beka demanded.
"Was it not a human who said, 'There is no problem that cannot be solved by the suitable application of large quantities of high explosive'?" Tyr returned.
"It was also a human that asked, 'How better to vanquish an enemy than to befriend him?'" Rommie interjected.
"Oh, but you are a fine one to speak, Andromeda Ascendant," Tyr snapped. "Dylan! Have you read her entry?"