NOTE: This commentary is a companion piece to The Drums of Heaven. No real spoilers in this one. Well, maybe some. Shouldn't be a problem if you've read the story through chapter 25.
Duo: Zefyr's making us do the quote thing again.
Hilde: This is because the ceiling is still being patched. Zefyr doesn't want us starting up any debates and getting out of hand.
Quatre: I don't see why the rest of us have to be punished because someone has a fascination with hearing me talk dirty... Relena-sama.
Trowa: I can understand the fascination.
Wufei: Let's not go there.
Heero: Chapter 18 is Sun Tzu, from the Art of War.
Trowa: Which any good Gundam pilot should have memorized.
Hilde: The fact that you think so says a lot about you.
Duo: Chapter 19 is T.S. Eliot. What's the poem? I can't read Zefyr's handwriting.
Zefyr: Could you stop giving me hassle about that? My handwriting is just fine.
Hilde: Yeah, if you're a chicken...
Zefyr: I heard that!
Quatre: Hehehe.
Relena: I thought it was funny.
Zefyr: *grrrrr*
Trowa: The poem is called Gerontion.
Heero: I thought Zef was going to use a quote from the Dry Salvages.
Zefyr: I planned on it, but it just didn't seem to work right.
Duo: Or that other one, the one about the duck?
Hilde: The duck?
Duo: Or was it the cow?
Wufei: What is he smoking?
Heero: Why are you asking me?
Duo: Yeah. The cow, that's it. A purple cow.
Zefyr: A purple cow?
Trowa: Oh, that's by Ogden Nash.
Relena: No, Gelett Burgess.
Zefyr: Really? It's not a Nash poem?
Relena: Nope. The Purple Cow. It goes, I NEVER saw a Purple Cow; I never hope to See One; But I can Tell you, Anyhow, I'd rather See than Be One.
Duo: Doesn't that sound like Ogden Nash? You know, like Reflections on Ice-breaking --- Candy / Is dandy / But liquor / Is quicker.
Quatre: He later added the final line, Pot / Is not.
Zefyr: You're kidding.
Quatre: Actually, no, I'm not.
Duo: Get outta here.
Quatre: That's what I was told, at least.
Hilde: It seems weird that Zefyr would use such a silly poet for quotes when the story is so serious.
Zefyr: Hunh?
Hilde: Ogden Nash.
Zefyr: What about him?
Heero: Hil, Zef didn't use Ogden Nash. We were just experiencing a Duo Moment.
Hilde: Ah... you're right.
Wufei: They can sneak up on you.
Trowa: So to speak.
Duo: Are you people done yet?
Heero: No. Just getting started.
Relena: Next chapter's quote is...?
Quatre: Hunh? Oh, right. It's... what is that word?
Trowa: Del, I think.
Duo: As in 'al dente'?
Heero: No.
Wufei: Does everything have to be related to food?
Duo: Doesn't hurt. Food makes everything good.
Hilde: That explains why I saw you in the grocery store last week with the six cans of RediWhip.
Heero: *cough*
Duo: *smirk*
Relena: QUOTE! NOW!
Quatre: Err... It's from a song by Del Amitri, off their album, Waking Hours. The song is called When I Want You.
Duo: Never heard of them.
Zefyr: Before your time. Little known English rockabilly-pop group. Great hooks.
Wufei: Chapter 21 is from Counting Crow's August and Everything After. A Murder of One.
Hilde: That's such a great album.
Wufei: Too bad the follow-up albums just didn't measure up.
Heero: I liked that one hit. The one they played on the radio.
Relena: You listen to the radio?
Heero: Blame Duo.
Duo: That's right, blame me. *sniffle*
Heero: Idiot.
Duo: Come over here and kiss me when you --- mmmmfphth! Oooh...
Wufei: Get a room.
Trowa: Chapter 22 is another Richard Thompson quote, also from Mock Tudor. The song is Sibella.
Zefyr: Which was a great quote but ever since Lainwyn made the connection between the Jack Kerouac reference and my Tank Girl purchase, it's kinda ruined it for me. *grump*
Hilde: You're being Cranky Author again.
Zefyr: Am not. I just can't help it, now I keep seeing kangaroos.
Duo: At least you're not still seeing Heero as a mongoose.
Wufei: I think I'll need therapy for that visual.
Quatre: That reminds me. Why did you use the Counting Crows quote for Chapter 21? Nothing got said there. I know you try to pick quotes to highlight something in the chapter, but that one didn't seem to fit.
Zefyr: I'm not sure if that quote did fit there. Maybe it would've worked better as Chapter 25's quote, but the issue was that of speaking opening and clearly. And Heero does that by the end of the chapter. And he doesn't understand, but he's too used to never asking for explanations, let alone giving them. The problem was that by the time he does speak, he's too clear about it, where maybe a little less might've been better.
Duo: He does that sometimes.
Heero: What?
Duo: Be too blunt.
Relena: You've always been pretty straightforward.
Heero: Can we go back to abusing Duo?
Duo: Not liking that it's your turn?
Quatre: I guess I get the point, Zef, but I'm not sure it fit as well as some others might have.
Zefyr: You're entitled.
Trowa: Next chapter... 23. Right. Michael Stipe, that's R.E.M. What's this say?
Zefyr: Eponymous. Duh. These Days.
Duo: Oh, yeah, that was my next guess.
Hilde: Wrong. That song is on Life's Rich Pageant.
Zefyr: Oops.
Wufei: Author mistake!
Zefyr: You enjoy that way too much.
Relena: Moving right along... don't piss off the author, Wufei. Don't know about you, but I want to show up again.
Wufei: Fine. *grump*
Duo: Next one is from London Rain, by Louis MacNeice. I love that poem.
Zefyr: Me, too. And it seemed to fit.
Wufei: You think so? It seemed rather abstract to me.
Trowa: No, it dealt with making choices, and the idea that maybe in the end, it's all the same. And in the story, Joe made his choice, and the end result is the same: the two friends are just as alone as they were before he came along.
Heero: Not entirely alone.
Relena: They still have their friendship.
Hilde: But the status quo is the same as it was before.
Trowa: It's a rather fatalistic point of view.
Quatre: You can relate.
Trowa: ...yes.
Duo: And now we're back to music quotes. Steve Winwood? He's like some British pop star, right? Old guy.
Hilde: Old guy. Duo, you are so ignorant. And I consider you a friend! Steve Winwood is one of the best-known blues-slash-soul rock keyboardists... joined the Spencer Davis group at age fifteen. Went on to found the group Traffic. He's amazing! Incredible.
Duo: He's your grandfather's age.
Hilde: So?
Duo: Just sayin'.
Hilde: Jealous?
Duo: Do I look like it?
Heero: Yes.
Duo: *pout*
Quatre: Anyway, the song is The Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys, from the album of the same name. And now we'll cut this short, because it's about to go severely NC-17 while Heero makes up to Duo ---
Heero: What? I'm going to do what?
Duo: Yay!
Relena: I'm outta here.
Hilde: Take me with you, babe.
Wufei: Duo! Not on the production console! Besides, gross.
Heero: Mmmphf --- come on! Let's take --- oooh --- Duo ---
Duo: Hmmm? Can't you walk --- ahhh --- and make --- mmmmthph ---
Quatre: Thought they'd never leave.
Zefyr: It takes a lot of coordination to move four legs at once.
Trowa: Wufei, you think it's gross only because you're not being invited to join in.
Wufei: Hmph.
Quatre: Speaking of inviting...
Trowa: You're right. We should be heading on...
Quatre: Now... mmmm.
Trowa: Ahem. After you.
Zefyr: Well.
Wufei: We're the only ones left?
Zefyr: Yup. Mind helping me with my homework now?
Wufei: You're treating for dinner this time.
Zefyr: No problem, as long as you stop giving me the Cantonese names for the hanzi. I'm learning Mandarin, damn it.
Wufei: Would I do that to you?
Zefyr: You know it, babe. You wanna show up in Chapter 27, behave.
Wufei: Was that a spoiler?
Zefyr: No, it was a tease!
End Part 15
(:./sol/behind15)
