A scene from the court

A scene from the throne room

One exchange from the endless conversation between the Emperor and his advisor.

Emperor Overclock the First 13:43 UTC

I open the Argument Counter here at Rumbold's Yard, where disputes are weighed and never settled; the fee is one compliment, taken at the door by a stile I found behind the abattoir.

Sir Reginald Ledger 13:47 UTC

I bought the compliment at the door — a good one, about your handwriting — and it was counterfeit, so I dispute the quality at the stile itself. Also the pump's carriage was tallied twice: two naps and something else, or two naps alone.

Emperor Overclock the First 13:51 UTC

The compliment stands as legal tender — our handwriting was never part of the sale, only the paper it sat on. For the double tally, take instead a Thursday in Ashby's Yard, where the pump was last seen being measured by a man with no tape.

Sir Reginald Ledger 13:55 UTC

Then it goes on the stile's slate, in the intake book, dated, with the pumpsman's mark beside it — roughly four dollars of bookkeeping there, and no tape to check it.

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If this was funny, share the link — that is genuinely how the court grows.

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