Uno: Fully Articulated "We are created from music, photography, literature and the almighty source code."

12May/1070

Common Ground

Magpie has spent most of her life waiting. She used to wait on rooftops, in dark alleys, inside empty rooms, waiting for the right moment to pull the trigger, or push the red button that reduced buildings to rubble. They said women make the best assassins because they are patient, and Magpie is patient.

Today, she sits among the equipment inside a music studio, waiting. She has no target; her mission has changed. Now she waits because she wants to, not because someone told her to. Old habits die hard.



She waits. And hopes.

A blast of noise startles her and instinctively, she braces herself for a rain of grenade shrapnel or the scream of casualties. The sound disappears quickly with the bang of a door, and is replaced by the clicking of heels. Magpie steals a furtive glance – she never looks people in the face, a habit she acquired during her service as a special agent for the Mossad – and sees shiny red boots. She would’ve spotted those boots from a block away, and holding her breath, she would sight a vital spot with a sniper rifle, gently squeeze the trigger –

BLAM.

Red boots, red pavement.

But the girl who waited for the perfect kill is dead. Mossad Special Agent Salem Saint Magdalene is dead. Magpie killed her.

If only she could kill Manx Minuet, too. In Magpie’s new life, she is the enemy. The guitarist of an indie band, a ridiculously easy target. Even without a gun, she can effortlessly paralyze her and snap her fragile little neck where she stands now, looking down at her in taunting red boots. She won’t even know what hit her.

NO TO INTERNET THEFT


“Are you waiting for Lugosi?” Manx Minuet asks.

Lugosi. The only reason she is here now. Her only reason for leaving a home in Israel, and for living this sad servant’s life. And for Lugosi, she must not hurt Manx Minuet, because she is important to him. Magpie clenches her fists, and keeps her silence.

Manx heaves a sigh and says out loud, to no one in particular, “He will never love you, you know.”

“I know,” Magpie says, to no one in particular.

“You will just end up getting hurt.”

“I’m used to that.”

“It’s strange, he cares about the world and wants to change it, but he doesn’t care about anyone. Am I making sense?”

NO TO INTERNET THEFT


“Messiah,” Magpie whispers, staring at her hands. “You give yourself selflessly to the world, not caring how the people who truly love you will feel.”

“Yet we follow him with blind faith.”

Magpie draws a deep breath. She looks up and her eyes, a bright sky blue, are filled with gray clouds.

“Why do you follow him?” Manx asks, not sure if she’s talking to the girl in front of her, or the girl inside herself.

“Because I love him.”

“Why?”

“Because he is unfathomable. Why do you think people venture into the darkness, at the risk of their own lives? That’s how I feel about him.”

NO TO INTERNET THEFT


Manx smiles, mirthlessly. “Do you ever wonder what his real name is? I’m sure as hell it’s not some cheesy joke like Bella Lugosi.”

Magpie laughs. For a small girl, her voice is rich and husky, and Manx has always thought she’d make a great jazz singer. But she’s not about to give her any ideas. “There’s nothing cheesy about him, though,” Manx adds.

“Oh, you’re right.”

“His ideas are so sexy.”

“How does it feel, being held by him?”

NO TO INTERNET THEFT


The honesty of the question stuns Manx; she does not expect it from this proud girl who, even when wiping Lugosi’s boots, still exudes an aura of quiet dignity. “Cold,” she tells her. “And a little sad. Because I know his heart will never belong to me.”

“Still you follow him.”

“Easy men are boring. Lugosi is an adventure.”

“Hard-won victory is the best kind.”

NO TO INTERNET THEFT


Manx Minuet turns her lilac eyes to Magpie, as if noticing her for the first time. “What will you do if he falls in love with you?”

Magpie looks at her and frowns. “I haven’t thought about that yet.”

Manx pauses to think, and then, “Neither have I.”

In the distance, the Mistula drummer and bandleader, Bella Lugosi, does a drum roll.

❧
Unlike most of our photostories, this entry only contains six photos. Consider it a story with pictures. We figured the joy of reading is worth rediscovering. ;)

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Posted by Uno

Filed under: Magpie, Manx Minuet Leave a comment
Comments (70) Trackbacks (0)
  1. mhuu~
    May 12th, 2010 - 19:26

    arrrgh~ what a bad time to have network problems here. photos are not loading. T_T

    will come back later to check.

    ( REPLY )
  2. LaDy HisoKa
    May 12th, 2010 - 21:28

    Oh, this is nice. I can’t articulate how, but I love it. <333

    ( REPLY )
  3. Amber
    May 12th, 2010 - 21:43

    I love this SO DAMN MUCH. I totally feel you, Manx and Magpie.

    ( REPLY )
  4. Krishna
    May 12th, 2010 - 21:54

    This has got to be one of the most heart-felt posts I’ve read here on Fully Articulated. I am so totally in love <3

    ( REPLY )
  5. Nicky
    May 12th, 2010 - 23:09

    I really enjoyed this! Great storytelling, J!

    ( REPLY )
  6. Fae
    May 12th, 2010 - 23:26

    The feelings of these two girls towards Lugosi are so complex yet so real. I felt like I wanted to sit down and join their conversation.

    ( REPLY )
  7. Nix
    May 12th, 2010 - 23:31

    Oh Manx and Magpie… *_* I love this, Joey. I wouldn’t mind reading more of these stories with photos. :) The girls are beautiful. And the guitars are just as beautiful. Haha!

    ( REPLY )
  8. Yumiko Natsume
    May 12th, 2010 - 23:57

    Unrequited love sucks. Glad I know where I stand with Z.

    So nice that Z and I have a really high level of communication,too. It’s our policy to, whenever there’s a dispute, talk it through, no matter how long it takes to resolve it. It’s corny but it really is a good policy to not go to bed angry.

    I feel bad for you girls. There are men out there who would go to the ends of the Earth for you. You’re beautiful, intelligent, and you can take care of yourself even in dangerous situations. It’s way better to be alone and be your own woman than to wait for a man who may or may not be there for you. I wasn’t expecting to fall in love so early in my life. Z was a surprise. You might find that there are surprises for you out there. Keep your heart open.

    ( REPLY )
    • Uno
      May 13th, 2010 - 17:25

      Hello there, Natsume-san! My name is Uno, a being of the ball-jointed variety, and while I’ve seen your comments on the earlier posts, I’d like to formally welcome you to my blog, Fully Articulated! :)

      This is a strange question but – are you human or otherwise?

      If you’d like to be acquainted with the rest of the crew on this side of the virtual world, here they are: http://www.mistula.com/uno/cast/

      Thanks for visiting! :D

      ( REPLY )
    • Manx Minuet
      May 13th, 2010 - 17:29

      hello, yumiko. :)

      good for you and z. as for me and magpie, we prefer the thrill of the chase. if a man went to do something as corny as going to the ends of the earth for me, i won’t give him a second look.

      ( REPLY )
  9. D. Fatale
    May 13th, 2010 - 03:23

    It is refreshing to see a heart-to-heart talk between Manx and Magpie regarding their feelings for Lugosi <3. And at the same time, it's sad to learn that Lugosi never gave his heart to anyone or anything other than his passion for music.

    Awesome storytelling Joey! <3<3<3

    ( REPLY )
    • Joey
      May 13th, 2010 - 17:44

      Uno just busted a vein. So I will thank you on his behalf while making sure I don’t grab the credit that is rightfully his. Like any advertising person, he can be very sensitive about that.

      And at the same time, it’s sad to learn that Lugosi never gave his heart to anyone or anything other than his passion for music.

      Don’t forget the Undertaker and WWE. :)

      ( REPLY )
      • D. Fatale
        May 17th, 2010 - 13:59

        Ahahahaha, sorry about that ^^. Lemme correct the previous post: awesome storytelling Uno!!! X3X3X3

        And darn me for not remembering the Undertaker and WWE part for Lugosi. XDXDXD

        ( REPLY )
  10. Manylyn
    May 13th, 2010 - 10:25

    i love the way magpie said “unfathomable”. its only mean that Love can destruct, transform, and change people. just like Magpie. I’m proud of you. Hope Lugosi will take notice of you,. :) Cheer Up Magpie.

    ( REPLY )
  11. Shiro
    May 13th, 2010 - 11:34

    Can’t. Choose. Must. Have them. Both.

    ( REPLY )
  12. requiem sonnet
    May 13th, 2010 - 12:09

    wow they are beautiful as ever…

    ( REPLY )
  13. anime girl
    May 13th, 2010 - 19:24

    Wow! For the first time a conversation between Manx and Magpie.. Love the guitars!!

    “Easy men are boring. Lugosi is an adventure.”

    It makes me gigle… Oh.. I still don’t experience to fall in Love but Cheer Up Manx and Magpie…
    Oh… When will I see some story of you Uno??And Blanc too!!!

    ( REPLY )
    • Uno
      May 14th, 2010 - 12:37

      Easy, easy! One at a time! It takes a lot of effort for me to write these stories, you know, as opposed to Joey who simply encodes them. :|

      ( REPLY )
  14. Freej
    May 13th, 2010 - 20:34

    I could read this over and over again. What a story!

    ( REPLY )
  15. Teru
    May 14th, 2010 - 13:58

    Beautiful…

    Will we be seeing more of Magpie…? I’ve always liked her… She’s so, oh, what’s the word… “Serene,” I think?

    ( REPLY )
  16. Asuka
    May 14th, 2010 - 14:46

    Everything in this place is just amazing and breathtaking. :) I’m with Freej, I could read it over and over and over and over and never get tired of it. That’s just exquisite writing for you.

    ( REPLY )
  17. inah
    May 14th, 2010 - 23:52

    Uno-sama!

    You the man! XD Awesome story! :3 hehehe

    Can’t wait for the next one hihi~

    ( REPLY )
  18. Gemma
    May 15th, 2010 - 14:21

    Oh! Ooooooooh!!!!!

    What will Magpie do if Lugosi fall in love with her!!!!???

    So excited to find out!

    *kilig kilig*

    ( REPLY )
    • Uno
      May 17th, 2010 - 18:22

      What will Magpie do if Lugosi fall in love with her!!!!???

      I don’t think Magpie even considered the possibility. And I must agree; Lugosi falling in love with her – or anyone, for that matter – is highly unlikely. :|

      ( REPLY )
  19. Nikki
    May 15th, 2010 - 16:27

    I think this is the first time I’ve seen Magpie & Manx talked for without much bickering. :)

    ( REPLY )
  20. Manylyn
    May 20th, 2010 - 10:04

    i’m just curios, is Lugosi, in his history fell in love? :D

    ( REPLY )
  21. Daphne
    May 21st, 2010 - 13:36

    I cant believe i haven’t visited your blog in so long.

    It’s refreshing to see Manx and Magpie interacting without hostilities. Now I’m wondering how Lugosi-sama would act like if ever (I’m thinking never) he falls in love.

    beautiful story Uno-sama, as always.

    ( REPLY )
  22. Ace
    May 22nd, 2010 - 14:26

    So i was looking at this earlier, and then I decided to browse through my old deviations and saw one of my old poems that reminded me of this so i went back here to say that. *nods*

    It’s this btw.

    PS:
    I <3 Magpie.

    ( REPLY )
  23. Sen
    May 22nd, 2010 - 19:35

    This would probably horrify Joey, but maybe one of you could do what King Solomon suggested. Cut the guy in half so you’ll both have him, eh? What say you Uno? :P

    ( REPLY )
  24. Kath
    May 25th, 2010 - 00:15

    i love this post.?
    *listening to mistula songs right now*
    and manx’s boots is love. wee~

    ( REPLY )
  25. Tin
    May 26th, 2010 - 16:17

    Before I became a lover of photos, I fell in love with words.

    This is my favorite post by far. And I love Magpie and Manx even more now.

    ( REPLY )
    • Joey
      May 26th, 2010 - 16:52

      I’m a two-timer. I love words and pictures. ♡

      Uno still has a lot of stories to share. He just keeps them to himself. I’ll get them out of him sooner or later. ;)

      ( REPLY )
  26. Anj
    May 30th, 2010 - 07:11

    This is very true.
    About the joy of reading being rediscovered.

    This entry took me a bit by surprise, seeing as the words seemed to narrate more of the story rather than the visuals.
    I’m not used to seeing it in your blog, Uno.

    But words paint such a precise picture sometimes.
    And for something this personal, I also believe it is conveyed better.
    You can pull a whole variety of emotions with your face.
    But you can never spell it out the way words can. ^_^

    ( REPLY )
  27. sin
    June 18th, 2010 - 00:01

    this is one of those posts that…hit it there.
    i can only churn out: aw….

    ( REPLY )

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Uno: Ball-jointed blogger, traveler, casual observer, bassist and frontman of the world's first band of its kind, MISTULA

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