R.S.V.P.
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Slimeworld & Galaxy Magazine -- All rights reserved -- |
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Chapter XXXII
by General (Uncle Claude) Xxaxx
& General (E.J. Gold) Nunan PFC 1st Class Ret.
Walking away from the audiophone, Professor Woo’s foot steps echoed distinct and certain off the freshly washed walls of New Jaij district. A very definite plan was forming and some of the chaos and uncertainty of this morning was lifting. The task no longer looked impossible. It had alleviated itself to the realms of most improbable. Depending on the results of this evening prospects could even rise to highly unlikely. If that was to be the case there were a few people Woo needed to see before night and this was just the area to find them — the untamed districts of New Jaij. It was here that she would find the performance artists that she needed.
Note Text: Performance art in the early days was a revolt against convention — and revolting it was. Bodily fluids, and the exchange there of, played a major role in performance art. If it did not have anything to do with body fluids than you could bet that it had something to do with anger and/or destruction — irrefutably identifying it as a bio-cybernetic (i.e. human) invention.
Subnote: Given today’s vision of performance the older forms were more than crud, they were naive.
Main Text (continued): In present time performance artists are lifezoids. They have no life of their own maintaining a careful discipline of no wants, no aims, no plans, no preferences, no pet peeves, no ax to grind, no sex to lust, nothing that could define a life. (Admirably close to cybernetic standards) Lifezoids are devoid of distinguishing characteristics — like cultural Pillsbury dough boys. The artistry in a performance comes in the role played. Each role is utterly normal. A lifezoid can play any role, but for the most part they play roles that are inspired by the banal characters of life. To bring verve and alacrity into the most banal of lives was at the heart of each performance. Once an artist takes a role there is no official audience as they step into the life that the role calls for? If one plays a shoe salesman, he or she goes to the store and sells shoes. It is not unusual for those peripheral to a performance to suspect one of being a life-artist. (Subnote: Each year there is 13.7% increase of non-artists accused of being lifezoids.) It is definitely considered bad form for a lifezoid to confirm by word or deed that he or she was a performance artist. It is expected that a life-artist will proclaim his or her innocents just as loudly as any non-artist would.
Subnote: There is a rising number of non-lifezoids that are “confessing” to being a life-artist. To keep in form, some lifezoids have been forced to “confess” in order to avoid discovery.
Woo had every intention of speaking with the head of the performance guild. Since a respectable life-artist would never admit to being a life-artist while in performance it was imperative that Professor Woo gain access to their inner sanctum sanctorum as it were.
Note Text (continued): Stark Club, located center of New Jaij district. Rumored to be entrance into the performance underground.
Standing at the bottom of a substreet level stairwell Prorfessor Woo could see a stage and several tables in the mostly empty club. “I’m sorry Professor Woo, I have no idea what you are talking about. There are no performance artists here. This is a respectable club.” The maître was implacable and equally huge. Looking past the maître, Woo could see that the club was mostly empty. Woo was sure that the one she needed to talk to would be one of the first patrons of the evening.
Apart from the fact that the maître was twice the size of Woo, any threat of violence would only show herself to be amateur. Getting past a resistant thug would be easy for Woo. That was not enough, if she expected the life-artist’s guild to even listen to her proposal, she had to make a favorable impression.
Whomping up her most penetrating stare, Woo produced a minor spell to invoke the smell of sulfur. So set Professor Woo addressed the maître, “I will not threaten you, I will simply tell you what I intend to do.”
Smoke screen or no smoke screen, the maître moved into action to expel this young dragon dabbler at the mere hint of a threat. The look on his face was testimony enough to his shock at suddenly noticing that the door handle had literally grown attached to his hand. This made an impression and caused him to pause long enough to listen to Woo’s proposition.
“Not a bad touch, that spell.” Woo thought to herself as she watched the maître pulling at the door discretely. Woo glanced at his trapped hands theatrically, making a point of making the point that she knew his hands were trapped — and there wasn’t anything he could do about it. “If you do not put me in touch with the director of the artist’s guild I will put a dragon spell of true being on everyone in this room.” Letting a small whiff of conjured dragon smoke drift from her left nostril Professor Woo continued, “How would you like to be held responsible for the exposure of fifteen to twenty life-performances?”
She could tell by the stammer in his lower lip that she had him. “Just point me in the direction of the proper table and I will make my own introductions. No one has to know that it was you that led me to the table.”
This early in the evening the room was fairly empty. In the direction that the maître motioned with his chin there was only one occupied table. Remembering to release the maître’s hand from the door as an afterthought, Professor Woo, made her way to the indicated table.
“Well, Professor Woo. Not a bad touch with the door.”
Woo groaned. She had thought the pun would slip by unnoticed, but apparently the powers-that-bee had different ideas. Rather than fall into a stream of one-up-punmanship, Woo closed the door near her head. This person must have spent some time with dragons. They are hopelessly enthralled with puns.
“My name is Kai Four. You may be surprised to learn that I am a third level adept of facial reading and know more than a bit of dragon magic myself.”
Woo smiled to herself. Yep, the puns had betrayed her past.
Kai Four continued, “While doing a performance piece about a young disgruntled scientist I studied with the Tai Gung dragon clan. They had many complimentary things to say about yourself. I don’t pretend to have anywhere near your expertise in dragon magic, but nothing had ever been alluded to about a spell of true being.”
“I am very pleased to meet you, Kai Four. Fortunately for me and perhaps for the whole of the earth our maître friend does not know anything of dragon magic.” Shifting in her seat, giving just the hint of a fifth level bow of respect Woo continued, “There was another young student about whom the dragon clans spoke very highly. I don’t suppose that that was you?”
Acknowledging Woo’s show of deference with a level two show of humility by lowering his eyes under her stare, Kai Four spoke in soft tones one degree lower than hers; “I’m sure my humble self was never alluded to in such glorious terms. My vows as a performance artist preclude me from mentioning anything that could expose a previous performance by admission or denial.”
Glancing about, “Kai Four, asking respectfully, haven’t you given yourself away in this, your current performance?”
“I admire your manners, Professor Woo, but you needn’t be so coy. At the moment, I am playing the role of a rather inept non-artist pretending to be the headmaster of the artist’s guild, pretending to be an inept non-artist. Because you won’t ever really be able to be sure whether I am a non-artist being tolerated by the real head master as harmless or the real head master, I can say anything I wish without risk to my vows.”
Professor Woo was either speaking with the head of the life-artists’ guild or he was speaking with a total whacko who was being humored. Hopefully, if it were the later, the real grand-master was listening from some sekrited vantage point. With a sly smile, Professor Woo winked at Kai Four and whispered in a conspiratorial tone, “I am honored to be taken so closely into your confidence.”
Laughing and slapping the table for a few moments, Kai Four looked Professor Woo in the face and then allowed the barest of non-expressions to pass across his features. “Professor, I think I am going to like you. What is it that the artist’s guild can do for you?”
It was fortunate for Professor Woo that Kai Four was familiar with the dragon clans and, if it was true that Kai Four was the young man that Professor Woo had heard so much about during her brief apprenticeship with the Tai Gung, then she was sure he would quickly understand the situation without the need for a pony-and-dog show. It was important that he appreciate the implications quickly and accurately.
Reference Dragon Apprenticeship; subtext second year rotations: A student undergoing apprenticeship to any of the eight dragon clans will spend a minimum of one month with each of the other seven clans. (Cross reference; personal history Woo: Professor Woo as student to Drak of the Gar Chung clan spent 31 days with the Far Gone clan, 35 days with the Chi Dou, 39 days with the Wei Fo, 28 days with the Fi Fet, 29 days with the Hung Gar, 38 days with the Jei Pei and 33 days with the Tai Gung.)
Not having any need for secrecy or duplicity Woo was able to make quick work of explaining the situation to Kai Four. While waiting for him to respond Woo let her thoughts drift over the time spent with the Tai Gung dragon clan. It is here that she heard of an adept matching Kai Four’s Bertillion specifications. If it was indeed him it should take little time for Kai Four to grasp the magnitude of the situation and come to a decision.
Calling the waitress over, Kai Four ordered a set of contract drinks. “Professor Woo you will be the first non-artist to toast with a guild member. I will take the job. I can guarantee you at least fifty performers. Can you in turn guarantee me that they will remain anonymous?”
“Kai Four, no one knows of my meeting with you tonight. No one knows of my plans or the role that your performers will play. If they play their respective roles well, no one — not even the Cownsil itself — will guess their sekrit. I am the only one that even knows of any lifezoid participation in this affair.”
“I know that you can be counted on to keep your word. To help assure that you do not have too difficult time honoring your agreement you shall pass all orders to them through my office. What you do not know will be even harder for you to reveal. From what you say, I am sure there will be hundreds and thousands of eggheads working on this project. It will not be possible until the last moment, when the snapper is released, to even guess who is and who isn’t. Is this acceptable to you?”
“Yes, that shall be fine. I appreciate your cooperation and thoughtfulness in this matter. I thank you. But I have one other favor to ask of you.”
They sat in silence as the drinks arrived. To order contract drinks so openly, everyone in the club must be a guild member. If things had not gone well, Kai Four could have had tried to have Professor Woo eliminated and no one outside the guild would have been the wiser.
Picking up his glass, Kai Four offered as toast, “To our non-adventure.”
They both drank in stillness and silence.
The drinks were potent, three in all. One for the Voidness of the Void. One for the Unborn and the third for the Uncreated.
After the passage of an eternity, Kai Four broke the silence. “Now then Professor, what of this additional request of yours?”
“There is a matter of which I may not speak until after we have accomplished an effect on the carbon dioxide of the Earth’s atmosphere and reversed the cooling of the mantle. This other matter must wait even though it is of potentially greater impact on our lives.”
This had the attention of Kai Four. If anything could have more impact on the life of mankind than its being totally and completely crushed by a gravity gone berserk from the cooling of the earth’s mantel, then Kai Four wanted to find out what that was.
“Professor you have my undivided attention.”
“There is nothing of this matter that I can say at this time. What I am asking of you is a promise to meet with me after the current affair is over.”
“Professor Woo, if you and I aren’t squished to death by gravity, flat as day-old crepes it would not only be my pleasure to meet with you — I insist.”
Getting up from the table Professor Woo bowed thanking Kai Four once again and finished with a last instruction, “If affairs go well tonight, you will know and can have your people begin at any time. Mostly what I’m looking for is timing and cooperation. Is there anything that you need of me?”
“No, Professor. You’ve already given us something more than we’ve had for quite awhile — a challenge. Given the importance of the task, if we can go through this performance with verve and commitment without becoming identified with the outcome, then we will have jumped to an entirely different scale of performance art. Thank you for that. You had better leave. We have guild business to discuss, and you have a six-thirty meeting.”
The red upholstered door swung shut behind Professor Woo as she left the club. The click of the lock jolted her as she stepped into the night — the door was locked into place — events were moving ahead. Woo only hoped the next phase would go as well. First dinner with Ja Mere, then a meeting with the Cownsil.
Stepping onto the concrete walkways, Woo thought to herself, “It’s good to be back on the streets again.” The programmed drizzle of New Jaij continued to fall, wetting Woo’s hair. It was good to have a few things unchanged and unchallenged.
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R.S.V.P.
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Slimeworld & Galaxy Magazine -- All rights reserved -- |
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