High Society
High Society was a virtual representation of one of Arno Dorian's genetic memories, relived by a Helix initiate through the Helix Navigator.
Description
After failing to deliver the urgent message to François de la Serre, Arno returned home.
Dialogue
- Arno: (Good evening), Olivier. Has (Mister) De La Serre returned?
- Olivier: (Lord) de la Serre is not expected until late.
- Arno: Ah well. I suppose I'll just pass the time with Élise then...
- Olivier: Don't get your hopes up just yet. (The young lady) is at a private soirée. In her honor. At the palace.
- Arno: A party? I wasn't invited.
- Olivier: Neither were the horses.
- Arno: I'm sure she just misplaced my invitation. I'll find my own way in. How late is "late?"
- Olivier: Perhaps an hour, perhaps three. Perhaps not at all. I do not question the comings and goings of my betters.
- Arno: I'll just wait here then...
While upstairs, Arno checked the time.
- Arno: Élise never enjoyed these high society balls. She'll be home soon.
Arno entered the study and looked at three books.
- Arno: Les Tragiques. Too depressing. (Mémoires de M. d'Artagnan.) Élise's favorite. (Descartes' The World). Never could get through that one.
Arno then went to François de la Serre's office.
- Arno: I could just slip it under the door. He'd see it the instant he returned. I'd best not leave without dropping off this letter.
- Olivier: Hup hup!
Arno slid the letter under the door to François de la Serre's office.
- Arno: There. Safe and sound, and only slightly delayed. And now... to the palace. Eesh. I couldn't sneak through a sewer in these threads, much less a ball.
A servant passed through the hallway, carrying one of François' suits.
- Arno: Here, here, (my friend). Let me take care of that.
- Servant: Thank you, young man.
Arno put on the clothes the elderly servant was carrying and went to the party where Élise was.
- Gate guard: (Mister) Maximilien Robespierre! No guest!
- Arno: Arno. (the... Knight... of Thélème)!
- Gate guard: Invitation, (please).
- Arno: About that, I had one of course, but on the way-
- Gate guard: No invitation, no admittance. Now clear the queue. Next please. Charles Gabriel Sivert! Two guests. Next please!
Arno jumped over the gate into the party.
- Gate guard: Two guests!
(Mister) Chrétien Lafrenière
Monsieur Louis-Michel le Peletier, Marquis de Saint-Fargeau!
(Captain) Frédéric Rouille!
Keep those carriages moving!
Servants may await their masters in the pavilion to the east.
Next, please! - Citizen 1: Quite the turnout.
- Citizen 2: Quite.
- Citizen 3: Let's just put in a short appearance to be polite. I'm tired.
- Citizen 4: As you say.
- Citizen 5: Could this line move any slower?
- Citizen 6: Patience, my dear. We mustn't let the riff-raff in, after all.
Arno infiltrated the Palais de Versailles to find Élise.
- Guard 1: Third Estate practically up in arms and they're having a party....
- Guard 2: What's this party for, anyway?
- Guard 1: Not sure. Some kind of confirmation ceremony for the de la Serre girl.
One of the guards looked out the window.
- Guard 3: Look at that one. Pretty sure his shoes cost more than my rent.
Arno moved from a balcony to another balcony.
- Citizen 7: She does not!
- Citizen 8: She does! Hand to God, her wig had a birdcage in it! Little doves fluttering around.
As Arno reached the other balcony, the gate guard spotted him.
- Gate guard: You up there! Stop! Get down!
- Arno: Will you let me back in if I do?
- Gate guard: What? Certainly not!
- Arno: Well then if it's all the same to you, I think I'll stay up here.
Arno closed the door to the balcony.
- Gate guard: You, come here!
Moving through the party, Arno overheard several mysterious people conversing.
- Sivert: I'll see you in the garden later, yes?
- Roi des Thunes: Of course.
- Le Peletier: Quite the turnout this evening.
- Lafrenière: I can't remember the last time we were all together like this. It must have been that business with-
- Lévesque: And I would thank you not to speak of that.
- Lafrenière: Madame.
Arno entered the ballroom and began to dance with a random woman.
- Woman: (Care to dance, handsome?)
Arno saw Élise.
- Arno: (Thank you, another time.)
Arno then followed Élise.
- Citizen 9: I thought for sure the plebs would riot this afternoon.
- Citizen 10: You heard the King. New taxes and not a word of concession on the matter of representation.
- Citizen 9: Stuff and nonsense. What the lower classes have always needed is a firm hand to guide them.
- Citizen 11: And so I said to her, "Marie"-
- Citizen 12: You call her "Marie?"
- Citizen 11: Of course! I've known her since we were girls. We're practically sisters.
- Citizen 13: Did you see what she was wearing?
- Gate guard: Spread out and find him! I'll not be made mock of by the likes of him!
- Citizen 14: Honestly, I pity her father....
Élise began to run.
- Arno: She always did love the chase.
After luring Arno near a door, Élise grabbed him by his arm and brought him into a room.
- Élise: You seem to have caused quite a commotion.
- Arno: What can I say? You were always a bad influence.
- Élise: You were a worse one.
The two then kissed.
- Élise: Are you wearing one of my father's suits?
- Arno: Are you wearing a dress?
- Élise: Don't even start. I feel like a mummy wrapped up in this thing.
- Arno: Must be quite an occasion to get you so fancy.
- Élise: It's not like that. Truth be told it's a lot of ceremony and pontification. Dull as dirt.
- Arno: Well, when you don't invite me to your parties, everyone suffers.
- Élise: I did try, but father was adamant.
- Arno: Your father?
Arno and Élise were then interrupted by a guard.
- Guard 4: Who's in there? (Open up!)
- Élise: Go! I'll distract them.
- Arno: What? You're kicking me out?
- Élise: It's... complicated. I'll explain later, but for now: out the window.
- Arno: Oh no. No, you're not turning this into a repeat of that apple orchard!
- Élise: Stop being such a baby. I am sure there aren't any guard dogs this time. Go!
Élise opened the door to talk to the guard.
- Élise: Oh my! That wasn't the billiard room at all, was it?
- Guard 5: We are pursuing an interloper, (Miss) de la Serre. Have you seen him?
- Élise: No! I shouldn't think they can climb stairs, not with those little hooves! And how did they get out of the royal menagerie?
- Guard 5: Not an antelope, an interloper. A suspicious person. Have you seen anyone like that?
- Élise: Oh, there was Madame de Polignac. Her hair has a bird in it. I think she stole it from the royal menagerie.
- Guard 5: Please move aside so we may check this room, mademoiselle.
- Élise: You'll find only me, I'm afraid. I've been searching for the billiard room for almost an hour!
- Guard 5: We can show you there, mademoiselle. And we'll lock the door to prevent any further misunderstandings. This way, mademoiselle.
- Élise: Oh, merci, monsieur.
- Arno: ... If I had one-tenth her wit.
Arno exited the room, dropped to ground level and continued on through the palace.
- Guard 6: Could have been on party duty, but no...
- Guard 7: Waste of time... There's nobody out here.
- Guard 8: Who's even going to come out here?
- Guard 9: Ten to one I end the night cleaning a rich man's vomit off my shoes.
Arno escaped into the garden.
- Arno: You all right, (Mister)? Too much of the king's champagne?
De la Serre fell to the ground, dead.
- Arno: (Sir?) (Mister) de la Serre! (Mister) de la Serre!
- Roi des Thunes: Sivert, come away!
Charles Gabriel Sivert came from behind a wall and then framed Arno for the murder.
- Sivert: Guards! Help! Murder!
The palace guards rushed towards the crime scene and one of them knocked Arno out with the butt of his rifle.
- Guard 10: (My God), he's killed Lord de la Serre!
Outcome
On his way out, Arno witnessed the murder of François de la Serre, for which he was framed by the real perpetrators and subsequently imprisoned in the Bastille.
Gallery
-
Olivier telling Arno about the party -
Arno browsing through the book collection -
Arno taking one of François de la Serre's suits -
Arno being refused entry to the palace -
Arno following Élise -
Arno avoiding the guards -
François de la Serre collapsing -
Sivert calling the guards
