Appointments

A proper chapter! It's about 20 pages. Stuff happens and everything! Thank God! I mustn't get too excited, though. Dave giveth and Dave taketh.

In style it's much the same as many of the preceding ones. Focus is generally on the speaking character and backgrounds are minimal to non existent.

It begins with Therese speaking to Weisshaupt. Astoria's former protege has plenty of juicy gossip about the political player's past history. Astoria was at one point a committed Cirinist, she was to take over from the Matriarch and even married Cirin's son Sir Serrik. This is where things got interesting. They married before the planned lavish state ceremony and once Astoria was pregnant she disappeared. She returned without the child and refused to confirm whether or not it was born and what in fact she did with it. All the hints seemed to suggest that she was guilty of infanticide and if the child had been female of killing a mother, which in Cirin's church is the most heinous of all crimes. During her conversation there is an interesting, well drawn scene of two bird fighting outside the window. One is a white bird and the other is black with white wings. We don't see the conclusion to the fight, but I think it's symbolic of something, although knowing Dave he may have just felt like drawing birds.

Before Therese can finish the story Groucho and Chico Marx....sorry Dukes Julius and Leonardi enter. As usual the two men speak complete nonsense, mostly to each other and frustrate Weisshaupt. Therese leaves with her story incomplete.

While Weisshaupt tries to dismiss the two men Scorz (he of Famous the Aardvark from High Society) enters trying to lobby for the sewage contract in Iest.

Weisshaupt is soon forgotten as the other three babble to each other. Weisshaupt bellows for his butler to find out how Scorz even got in and is informed that Bishop Powers has announced the candidate for the Eastern Pontiff and it's the Prime Minister of Iest, Cerebus the Aardvark.

Now the cat's among the pigeons.