I love Cenedi's apology! That it was an accident, that neither Ilisidi nor Cenedi knew and that Bren thus wasn't totally stupid not to wonder, made me feel a lot better about Ilisidi et al, even though I'm not sure it should have...
"There's a strong stimulant involved, which the dowager considers healthful, or at least bracing" -- it makes me wonder whether human herbal teas might harm atevi!
I despise drinking milk and can't imagine drinking it warm, especially if it tasted like something that just poisoned me. Gahhhh.
Once again Bren puts his foot wrong, repeatedly wrong, when he's thinking rather than just reacting; he horrifies Djinana, does the same probing into man'chi that he did with Jago, and then goes ahead and writes an "in case I am dead" note for Tabini!
On the other hand, just like the first time I read it, I am... really, deeply horrified at Banichi and Jago just vanishing. I'm not sure if it's because their man'chi isn't to him, if it's because they have other orders, or if it's because they see him being child-sized and acting childlike (showing emotions on his face, swearing) and have a hard time remembering he's an adult and needs an adult's level of security.
And then Bren uses the word for prefering a specific kind of salad or cold drink for Banichi, Jago, and Tabini - as silly as it might be, it's also really sad, because he has this emotion that no one around him has, and he can't explain it any better than I'm sure Ian Bretano could explain it. "It means the feeling I have for my mother and my brother and my job, I have for Tabini and for you and for Jago." Oh, Bren.
Aha! The midedeni show up, finally! And I did remember them more or less accurately - they think you're supposed to Associate with everybody you meet - because everybody should be favorable in the way that normal atevi find their associates favorable. And they're apparently even farther east than Malguri, which thinks of itself as "the East". Interesting.
Ah, the wonderful (safe) breakfast, the offer of a tour - there has to be a way for a gentleman to say that he will not go without at least one of his own security, but Bren obviously doesn't know it. Still, once again, he seems to be doing okay as long as he's just reacting.
And the mecheita! <3 I had forgotten how big they are - a head as long as a man's arm from shoulder to fingertip? That's a big, uh, riding-monster. I did remember that Bren didn't have the best first experience with Nokhada... poor Bren.
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branchandroot
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Date: 2011-06-14 04:07 pm (UTC)"There's a strong stimulant involved, which the dowager considers healthful, or at least bracing" -- it makes me wonder whether human herbal teas might harm atevi!
I despise drinking milk and can't imagine drinking it warm, especially if it tasted like something that just poisoned me. Gahhhh.
Once again Bren puts his foot wrong, repeatedly wrong, when he's thinking rather than just reacting; he horrifies Djinana, does the same probing into man'chi that he did with Jago, and then goes ahead and writes an "in case I am dead" note for Tabini!
On the other hand, just like the first time I read it, I am... really, deeply horrified at Banichi and Jago just vanishing. I'm not sure if it's because their man'chi isn't to him, if it's because they have other orders, or if it's because they see him being child-sized and acting childlike (showing emotions on his face, swearing) and have a hard time remembering he's an adult and needs an adult's level of security.
And then Bren uses the word for prefering a specific kind of salad or cold drink for Banichi, Jago, and Tabini - as silly as it might be, it's also really sad, because he has this emotion that no one around him has, and he can't explain it any better than I'm sure Ian Bretano could explain it. "It means the feeling I have for my mother and my brother and my job, I have for Tabini and for you and for Jago." Oh, Bren.
Aha! The midedeni show up, finally! And I did remember them more or less accurately - they think you're supposed to Associate with everybody you meet - because everybody should be favorable in the way that normal atevi find their associates favorable. And they're apparently even farther east than Malguri, which thinks of itself as "the East". Interesting.
Ah, the wonderful (safe) breakfast, the offer of a tour - there has to be a way for a gentleman to say that he will not go without at least one of his own security, but Bren obviously doesn't know it. Still, once again, he seems to be doing okay as long as he's just reacting.
And the mecheita! <3
I had forgotten how big they are - a head as long as a man's arm from shoulder to fingertip? That's a big, uh, riding-monster. I did remember that Bren didn't have the best first experience with Nokhada... poor Bren.