Lucius and Algernon Are Dead
With apologies to Tom Stoppard, I come to you with a work most unlike my prior forays into the strange little world of ficcing. Before you press on, yes it is a Pokemon fic and a school fic, but it's got a unique taste to it that hopefully will make it a worthy read.
At this moment, I have no idea how frequently I'll release new 'segments', and likelihood is these segments will be on the short side, but we'll see, oui? Feedback is, as always, much appreciated! It might be a bumpy ride, seeing as I'm going for a completely new writing style here, but all going well, this will be an enjoyable piece.
Thanks for coming this far! And welcome to the tumultuous lives of the Porteau twins...
Lucius and Algernon Are Dead
Fragment One
“Rich.” Lucius hissed, and despite his current surroundings of complete darkness, threw Algernon his coldest, most intense glare to show him his keen disapproval, “Your suggestion is among the most reprehensible things my poor ears have heard in years.” he paused for a pensive moment, “Which is saying a lot, considering most of those other reprehensible things were spewed forth from your foul little mouth, too!”
“Very well then, forget I said anything at all, my dear brother.” Algernon chided with similar distaste, “But when your feeble brain comes up with a better suggestion, you best well tell me quickly, because I doubt I can hold on much longer!”
The Grumpigs had been hanging precariously from that accursed chain for the better part of an hour, and the weaker they became the more disagreeable the cold steel felt against their hooves. Their feet wiggled and twitched, anxious to connect with some sort of solid footing but knowing that the only thing below them was a vast empty space before the unforgiving floor that would seal their doom.
There was a long period of silence before they talked again, the only sound their weak panting, as well as their hooves clicking and the chain rattling whenever one of them adjusted his grip.
“Lucius?” Algernon said finally, in an unfamiliar tone that could best be described as resignation.
“Yes, Algernon?” Lucius said wearily.
“What… will happen to us?” Algernon whimpered, his eyes shut tightly to put an end to the tears that were beginning to well up.
“I don’t know, Algernon.” Lucius replied quietly. “…I just don’t know.”
For a long time now, Lucius was certain he was going to die; there was simply no two ways about it. This certainty was strong within him, and the only thing that kept him hanging on was his not wanting to leave Algernon alone in those moments after he had fallen. He felt as though he owed him that much; he would protect him with his company for as long as he could.
~ ~
“Rich!” Lucius declared, huffing mightily in an effort to make himself look as superior as he felt, “Never before have I heard such a remarkably pathetic remark uttered.” He held a hoof up to his ear, “In fact, I’m certain that I can hear officials gathering to be present at this exciting new world record!”
“If ever I discover exactly how to cease your relentless prattle, it will be cause for celebration.” Algernon shot back, storming off ahead in a huff.
From the day they could talk, the Porteau twins had been butting heads with one another. Lucius, the older of the two, always had an air of superiority about him, just that little bit sharper and with a quicker wit that always seemed to leave his younger brother flustered. To his credit, Algernon was no slouch either, but he lacked the confidence to ever really get the better of Lucius in their arguments. This stemmed from his youth, constantly teased for his unusual yellow skin colour. Even his mother had once described his hue as being unseemly. As a result, Lucius was always the more verbal of the two, mommy’s favourite and a spoilt little brat to boot. Perhaps out of pity more than anything else though, Lucius always felt an obligation to care for his brother and to defend him when others tried to poke fun.
And there was hardly a day that he should be more alert than today, their first day at their new school, halfway across the country from their old hometown. When Lucius had first heard of his parents coming into financial hardship, he had balked at the idea that sacrifices would have to be made. He, the young genius who had always gotten what he wanted, would be rubbing shoulders with common folk in a common part of the world doing common things, in a common public school.
He had noted with disdain that nothing good was ever preceded by the word ‘public’. Public restrooms, public opinion, public display – all geared towards the filthy masses that infested the world like ants.
His father had sharply requested he not be such an elitist pig – the young Grumpig was not amused.
In reality, their situation wasn’t as dire as Lucius had made it out to be. Though the Porteaus were no longer the wealthiest family, they were still quite well off, moving into a nice little town, much smaller and quieter than the ritzy metropolis they had come from. Their father, much more practical and down to earth than his sons, figured the twins would fare well at their new, state of the art school. He also surmised that fraternising with some rougher characters than the ones they were accustomed to would broaden the horizons of the sheltered youths.
“That’s it there, isn’t it?” Algernon called from ahead, rounding a corner past a convenience store and looking back to Lucius. Expecting the worst (a school near a convenience store, of all things!), Lucius moaned under his breath as he approached. When he caught sight of Mt. Istlea College however, he felt a hint of joy that he hadn’t had since first arriving in the town.
It was not in fact, right next to the convenience store – there was a lonely pathway that led up towards the school, the school grounds a good distance away, and completely uninterrupted from view, other than a small park that obscured the eastern side.
The establishment itself was an architectural delight; rising three storey to the sky, separated into at least five main buildings that the Grumpigs could make out, each connected by a windowed walkway. At the front entrance of the central building, there were two enormous pillars surrounding the entrance, as well as other smaller pillars placed about. The purpose of the smaller pillars was a complete mystery, aesthetically pleasing while not appearing to support any kind of structure. There were beautiful trees darting the grounds around the front near a modest parking area, and the entire area was completely unfenced. It simply gave way to a deep wooded area, as though nature had accepted its inclusion into its land. Lucius strained to see through the windows what each building held, and hadn’t noticed his speed increasing dramatically as he pressed on.
Algernon was also impressed, but hadn’t felt as absorbed as his brother and meandered along nervously behind him, his gaze darting between the school, the park and his hasty brother.
“What a splendid-looking compound!” Lucius declared to nobody in particular, figuring that Algernon may have still been within earshot, “I wonder which of those buildings is the library? I suppose the computer lab would be on the second floor; that’s where I would place it, anyway. And my, my! What handsome silverbells…” Lucius gasped at his own bluntness; had he really referred to a tree by anything other than its scientific name? He chortled giddily – he really was broadening his horizons and talking like a commoner, just like his father would want him to. Who was the elitist pig now?
“I think we’ll fit in here splendidly.” He said with a grin. He paused for a moment, before feeling the need to correct himself, “Handsome halesias, of course.” He whispered quietly. He couldn’t just jump into embracing backwoods dialect all at once, after all.
He was up to a jog by this time and turned back towards Algernon, who was roughly twenty yards behind. He frowned in annoyance that his brother felt intent on bringing down his sudden surge of glee.
“Keep up!” he barked, “We mustn’t just dilly-dally, my dear scallywag!”
Algernon didn’t respond, though he did as his brother said and picked up the pace to catch up. Lucius turned back to the school and slowed to allow Algernon to catch up. He breathed in deeply. Perhaps this uprooting wouldn’t have been so bad after all – many of the greatest creative minds in history made their start in humble environments. This was an opportunity to build character, and perhaps there would be some diamonds in the rough, like-minded students whose parents had simply been stricken with temporary fiscal strain just like his had.
Lucius Porteau was prepared for big things. Exciting things.
He simply hadn’t anticipated the ‘things’ that would leave him in the situation he was in now.
~ ~
Larcuff opened the iron door with a single mighty heave. The light from outside illuminated the room with a small but potent burst of light. He glanced up first, and then down. He held his gaze down at the floor below for a few moments, contemplating. His heart felt heavy and his breath was shaky. Exhaling deeply, he kissed the cross on his necklace and wretched the door shut.
He made his way around the complex and back up to the top chamber of the tower where Dellman was waiting for him. He stood before Dellman for a few moments, knowing he should speak but unable to find his voice and deliver his findings. Dellman’s head slowly shifted in Larcuff’s direction, and his eyes met his cohort’s with a calm look of indifference.
“Is it so?” Dellman asked simply.
Larcuff nodded. Quietly and warily, he confirmed that the deed was done.
“Yes, Mr. Dellman.
…Lucius and Algernon are dead.”
Originally Posted by Oslo
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