"I still think he poisoned him when he made him inhale the stuff," Autor says, gratefully accepting his tea.
"You're just stalling now," the masked man tells Vizzini.
"You'd like to think that, wouldn't you?" Vizzini cries, pointing at him. "You've beaten my giant, which means you're exceptionally strong. Which means you may be relying on your strength to save you, which means I can clearly not choose the wine in front of you. But you've also bested my Spaniard, which means you must have studied, and in studying you must have learned that man is mortal, so you would have put the poison as far from yourself as possible, so I can clearly not choose the wine in front of me!"
"You're trying to trick me into giving something away," the masked man says. "It won't work."
"It has worked! You've given everything away! I know where the poison is!"
"Then make your choice."
"I will! And I choose... What in the world can that be?" Vizzini says, pointing over to the distant mountain.
"What? Where?" the masked man says, turning to look.
Vizzini switches the cups, giggling.
"What's so funny?" the masked man says.
"I'll tell you in a minute. First, let's drink," Vizzini says. "Me from my glass, and you from yours."
They lift the goblets and drink.
"You guessed wrong," the masked man says.
"You only think I guessed wrong, that's what's so funny!" Vizzini says. "I switched glasses when your back was turned! You've fallen victim to one of the classic blunders. The most famous is never get into a land war in Asia, but only slightly less well known is this: never go in against a Sicilian when death is on the line!"
Vizzini cackles, giving himself fully over to laughter--and keels over.
"Well," Autor says, tilting his head. "That didn't take long."
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2015-11-12 05:25 am (UTC)"You're just stalling now," the masked man tells Vizzini.
"You'd like to think that, wouldn't you?" Vizzini cries, pointing at him. "You've beaten my giant, which means you're exceptionally strong. Which means you may be relying on your strength to save you, which means I can clearly not choose the wine in front of you. But you've also bested my Spaniard, which means you must have studied, and in studying you must have learned that man is mortal, so you would have put the poison as far from yourself as possible, so I can clearly not choose the wine in front of me!"
"You're trying to trick me into giving something away," the masked man says. "It won't work."
"It has worked! You've given everything away! I know where the poison is!"
"Then make your choice."
"I will! And I choose... What in the world can that be?" Vizzini says, pointing over to the distant mountain.
"What? Where?" the masked man says, turning to look.
Vizzini switches the cups, giggling.
"What's so funny?" the masked man says.
"I'll tell you in a minute. First, let's drink," Vizzini says. "Me from my glass, and you from yours."
They lift the goblets and drink.
"You guessed wrong," the masked man says.
"You only think I guessed wrong, that's what's so funny!" Vizzini says. "I switched glasses when your back was turned! You've fallen victim to one of the classic blunders. The most famous is never get into a land war in Asia, but only slightly less well known is this: never go in against a Sicilian when death is on the line!"
Vizzini cackles, giving himself fully over to laughter--and keels over.
"Well," Autor says, tilting his head. "That didn't take long."