names

Hawashko (“sour”), the youngest Scarecrow brother, played by Kip;

14th Anticipation (cont’d)

Sonata sits about Perdix’ castle gardens as a flock of birds. Jerry arrives, and waits outside the spell to grab a tiny Gi. (Gi, seeing this, goes back into the castle to drink.) Matt’s serving girl is delighted to discover that her doll-thing doesn’t shrink when it follows her across the boundary. The doll tears up a portion of the gardens, trying to follow her (much-smaller) steps; the Chatelaine yells at her and sends her back to the kitchens.

Ishkin’s holding Nil’s spectacles. Jerry heads inside to speak with Gi briefly. Ishta decides to drink one of her levitation spells and float up off the balcony; she crosses the line and floomps back up to normal size. Sonata reassembles herself, and steps across the line, then dissolves into a flock of teeny-tiny birds.

The priests do attend, and it’s something of a hit with them. Woochi is impressed with the spell, and immediately starts thinking of ways it could be applied to pickling. He enthusiastically questions Perdix about it. Woochi also brings his kids; they love Chittery, and Chittery loves the attention. (“That’s cute,” says Gieron, noticing. “Why the fuck haven’t you gotten pregnant yet?” “You have a kid,” says Woochi, walking past.) Fohi’s impressed with the gardens.

Tully, Ishkin, Calvus: they don’t cross the line. Gi and Nil end up out there soon enough. Gi’s drinking, and asks Nil about his spectacles. —Walking out into the halls, they discuss Perdix’ fascination with minaturization; Nil suspects it’s a childhood fixation gradually devouring Perdix’ psyche. So it’s not just escaping from the world? says Gi. Yes, says Nil, but there’s an important component of infantilization. What? says Gi. Nil points out that the twins played with dollhouse stuff before the Incident. Gi’s fascinated with the idea of the two of them apart. Nil allows as how he’d known Shotik longer, as a colleague, but Abakoshi was an actual friend. —Calvus wanders past, and asks to speak to them the next day, not necessarily together, covenant business, you know. Nil allows as how he and Calvus’ brother were close. Ah, yes, says Gi. They still talk about it at Bethelion. —Some little flirtation. Gi goes in search of more wine. Discussions of parentes, and differences in Cristoférian and Manérean educational styles. Also, Gætani and Order politics, giant balls of flame, and friends in the Order.

Sonata and Perdix fall to a technical discussion of the spell. If Sonata flies out of the spell, her bird-form returns to “normal” size; if the normal-sized bird then crosses back into the spell, it doesn’t shrink. What would happen if she were then to reassemble herself? —Some discussion of timing, and metamagics. Perhaps an experiment? Not here, about the castle, but in Calvus’ new spell-bunker?

Jerry’s wondering what giant wine would taste like. Ishta finds Gi and Nil and throws her arms about their shoulders and asks if they want to go to the bar. —At the bar, Nil interviews Hawashko, who doesn’t answer the question about who’s the least responsible, or the one about what his one wish would be.

Perdix and Cameron discuss hashish, and its availability.

Nil talks to Ishta about optics. —Nil, Ishta, and Gi discuss parentes. There’s four hours left till dawn, and fasting begins. Nil’s annoyed; he meant to set aside food for his post-fast feast. Gi offers to help, but Nil’s just going to grab something from the pantry, later. They drop Ishta off at the whorehouse; Murry’s walking out as she walks in.

Ilba asks Perdix what they’re going to do next. Perdix tells her she has a season of independent study, while they’re working with Nil’s thesis and their own work. Ilba goes down to supervise the cleaning. Waakimbala’s still there, with his kids, eating cheese with Chittery.

On their way back to the covenant, Nil spies a ghostly woman walking along the cliffs. He figures it’s a problem with his specs. Nil suddenly notices they're on the edge of the cliffs, asks Gi if he's planning a murder. Gi laughs, he finds Nil’s paranoia kinda cute. After pushing Nil back from the cliffs and into the gallery, Gi kisses Nil, which flusters him terribly. They’re in the half-ruined gallery. Nil says, you’re most certainly drunk, and walks away quickly. Gi runs after him, throws an arm about him, apologizes. He’s sorry he’s not sorry. They walk up together. They talk at Nil’s door, about communicating with the land and then say goodnight. Gi knocks immeadiately after the door closes, kisses Nil again and tells Nil he’s not that drunk. What was that? Omphale wants to know. You’ll understand when you’re older, says Nil. —Some discussion of sex, and other snakes, and water-children. Don’t change the subject! says Omphale. You could ask him yourself, says Nil.

There’s someone behind Cameron’s reflection in his mirror. He turns but there’s no one there.

Ilba comes to ask what the fast is going to be like; Perdix, groggy, tells her to sleep; she tells them Waakimbala’s still there. He’s between her and the door. So Perdix hauls her up on the sill of the window on the near side of the tower, mutters over her, and shoves. She floats lightly down, shrieking, you jerks! Perdix asks if what they were doing wasn’t obvious. She’d thought they were just going to kill her. Concerned, Perdix floats down after her, assuring her that’s not going to happen. They go down together in search of something to eat before dawn, and someone to show Waakimbala back to his rooms.

15th Anticipation

Calvus talks to Gi about Jerry in regards to his plans to export metal goods and Jerry’s wife in regards to having her teach at the new school. Calvus also discusses the magical twins who are being brought to the covenant, and whether they (as the two magi most ready for apprentices) are to train them directly, or pass them on to another covenant. Gi’s concerned about the possible insult to Illuminata’s uncle, who’s sending the two. A servant interrupts; the magus they’re expecting to arrive has arrived. He’s brought a (very) small army, forming up outside of the gate: a bunch of horses, a couple of blacksmiths, his apprentice and project staff. The chatelaine’s trying to move up the schedule, since he wasn’t expected for another week or so. —The Pickler’s staff is running naked about the walls, so they won’t have to fast.

Calvus is speaking with Nil. He wants to know if Nil is ready to take on an apprentice.

meta

“Illuminata’s a mean drunk.”

“I think ‘wicked’ is the more appropriate term.”