CD-RATP05 (Oct 27, 1988)
Puzzle
"Pardonnez-moi, moi. Je ne l'ai pas fait exprès."
Baltimore Trivia | 1 Word
Clue
Hover over the clues if you require!
Clue 1: As with most things in a foreign language, it should probably be translated into a known language first.
Clue 2: There's one difference between the clue and the widely-believed last words of Marie Antoinette.
Clue 3: She accidentally stepped on the executioner's foot, prompting this response. Substituting "monsieur" for "moi", and how does the meaning change?
Clue 4: Mr. Baudelaire and his evil flowers would know all about self-torment.
Answer and Explanation
Answer: L'Héautontimorouménos
Explanation: The puzzle is a reference to Marie Antoinette's last words, modifying the original statement ('pardonnez-moi, monsieur') to the puzzle's variation. This was in reference to Marie Antoinette accidentally stepping on her executioner's foot. The puzzle's change to this quote implies harm to oneself, instead of someone else - a reference to Charles Baudelaire's poem 'The Self-Tormenter', or in the original French, L'Héautontimorouménos.
Summary of Receipt
Summary
Transcript
AND RECEIPT
RECEIPT NUMBER: RATP05
RECEIPT DATE: 10 27 1988
MANAGER TITLE: BALTIMORE
RECEIPT NOTES:
I thought it best to share my findings on both Madeline and Saturn with my Trusted Associate. Initially, I assumed the surname "Saturn" had been assigned by the Agency. However, after further digging, it seems Saturn was an independent development. The Agency erased whatever surname Madeline once had, along with her final ties to her birth parents.
Subject PRM-05-M…
Saturn has been searching for them, her birth parents, who she was, where she’s from… I offered to help, though… whether Madeline should reunite with them, if we find them, is a question for a later day—and likely, a later night.
Trusted Associate: I’m sorry she said no, mon nouvel ami.
Baltimore: Madeline said no—Saturn said yes.
Trusted Associate: What do you mean?
Baltimore: She is “…an individual of two or more distinct personalities.” Here.
[Baltimore tossed the DSM-III-R to his Trusted Associate.]
Trusted Associate: “…the original personality has no knowledge or awareness of the existence of any other personalities… stress most often precipitates the transition…” Are you saying she has multiple personality disorder?
Baltimore: Look. Here. Onset during early childhood with predisposing factors of child abuse. It’s rare, but—
Trusted Associate: It fits, doesn’t it? Could it have something to do with her powers? Or perhaps Lima’s attempt to control and harness them?
Baltimore: What—like a possession? No. Slippery slope to assume everything has a supernatural cause, wouldn’t you agree?
Trusted Associate: Ah, quite true. So, one is Madeline, and the other is Saturn?
Baltimore: That’s what I believe. At least, that’s how Saturn introduced herself to me. Madeline is the woman you know—the one you rescued from the Agency. Saturn is the more talkative of the two, more willing and eager to join the Cafe. She’s keen to use their shared abilities to maintain balance in the grander scheme of things.
Trusted Associate: Well, if Saturn is eager—
Baltimore: I won’t hire them until both agree. Madeline will come around, I’m sure.
Trusted Associate: Does she… speak to Saturn? Does she even know? Do either of them know?
Baltimore: I don’t have an answer to that yet. Saturn clearly knows Madeline exists, as far as I can tell. But Madeline may be unaware of Saturn. Even if they could communicate, I doubt Saturn would push Madeline one way or the other about joining us. Pure speculation, but Saturn seems very protective of her. I can imagine why.
Trusted Associate: Is there anything we can do—or should do—to help her?
Baltimore: She seems fine to me. Both of them do. You removed her from the Agency, and I suspect that’s more help than either could have asked for.
Trusted Associate: I see. Though… if this is all as you say, did I truly even rescue her? Isn’t it just a memory constructed from the prior Universe?
Baltimore: No, you actually did that. I don’t know exactly what went wrong when I rewound the Universe, but something is off. Everything feels slightly misaligned, like a flawed copy. In the prior Universe, you never saved Madeline from the Agency. In fact, I’m not entirely sure Madeline even existed in that version of events. But you remember saving her—and so it happened. No need to overthink it, mon vieil ami.