The Journal of Bashir Khatara

[Fabulous Secret Powers]

Hziran 31st, IY 7788

Now I have to loan my house to this damn Prince... What an asshole! But what he doesn't know, he doesn't know! So far, diplomacy is requiring far too many sacrifices on my own part, and I'm not going to babysit some spoiled brat... What a way to make a living! If he doesn't actually do anything to help our food supply... then he isn't getting anything at all anymore. I don't care!

For a moment, we thought that Martin had lost the money, again... but he didn't! What was that all about...? Maybe sometimes, Martin's curse only manifests in an extremely temporary fashion... or something. It was really confusing! During a war, I do wish we could weaponize his curse, but there's no chance of that, because it would just turn against us in some fashion.

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Some call was made about orcan movement, and of course, Marcellus runs off to the caravan camp, immediately... and so did the Prince. Why? People around here sure love running into dangers they know nothing about! Myself, I only do it when it's a hole that's mysterious enough, and even then, I don't run, I jump, and only after I've untangled some of the mystery, because there absolutely can be too much of it!

Another tendency people have here... comparing nearly any activity to slavery. Working is slavery. Not working is slavery. Not getting paid enough for a board job to crash a goblin's birthday party is slavery. Having to sleep is slavery. Having to go inside when it's too hot and sunny is slavery. Someone telling you to eat more healthily is slavery. Someone telling you to not wear shoes full of vomit is slavery. It's so fucking irritating, and I can't really say anything about it, because then people start asking questions. And they usually do that endlessly...

I have to decide who my two remaining cabinet members will be! It's really difficult...

[Fabulous Secret Powers]

Tammuz 1st, IY 7788

The Qadiran affair is incredibly frustrating! This prick of a Prince has constant slips of the tongue, making his absurd demands sound at least somewhat conceivable, on some level. Perhaps he does so on purpose. His frustrations with Ephia's Well are understandable to some extent, yet the man does not seem to carry any respect for the Wheel, either, debasing both the Waters of the Mother, and the shrine in the Qadiran embassy. Absolutely abhorrent!

And for what we have already given him... which really is just me, in the end... we have nothing. And that will most likely continue, as I have nothing but doubt left, at this point. He probably won't sign anything. His father most likely doesn't even respect him on any level. I wouldn't be too surprised if he's just a wandering bastard, borne out of some syphilis-ridden affair, and the Banda's intel is just complete horseshit.

As much as I hated some things about being just a Scribe, at least it felt like I was doing a lot of different things. Lately it's felt like I have to constantly attend to this prick and his incessant mewling. At least my cabinet is full of capable people... They're probably better at this than I am, really. I wish I could just be a beautician, or a tailor...

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The day only really had only two joyful occasions, one of which was a surprising one... Zain is giving lessons on the usage of siege weaponry, and so, he taught me, Eclair and the new Soldier, Valerja, how to operate a catapult. Firing one is surprisingly simple, but what surprised me the most was how fun it was! Which is a troubling thing to admit, considering that it is a weapon of war. But it's such a fun one!

The second was a history lesson from Alejandro... Quite a lot of juicy morsels about orcan history. I already knew most of it, surprisingly enough, but I did still learn quite a lot of new things, as well... History is annoyingly cyclical, or at least it seems to be. If it is, I think being ignorant of it would be more fun, at least when it comes to everyday life... There'd be more surprises!

Tonka gets so bored at the office... She just takes naps here, really. At least she doesn't mind being in my bag, every now and then... Sometimes, I just let her run around the rest of the Pyramid. So far, nobody seems to mind. She's the only... thing... I had to move away from my home, really. Some have wondered if the Prince wanted access to important documents through my home, and well... I don't keep jack shit there. Hope he likes sketches of kitties and squirrels!

[Fabulous Secret Powers]

Tammuz 2nd, IY 7788

Zain has a fancy hat, now... He looks simply darling in it! With it? Whichever. I hope I get to sit next to him at the Council, so that we can form the Fancy Hat Coalition!

Triffi makes strange, magickal drawings in the air... She drew a bookerfly. Which is a book butterfly. It was kind of amazing, but also highly terrifying, since the pages of the book had countless rows of teeth! That's disgusting! Inky's little cousins are so weird!

THAT FILTHY CREATURE IS NO COUSIN OF MINE.

It isn't? Could've fooled me... Anyhow...

I bought Richo some coffee, but then he bought about a dozen cups more, himself... He really likes his coffee! Too much, I'd say... Anyhow, apparently him and the Dervish are planning to build a gompa! I want to see it when it's finished... But with the war and all, I'm not sure if that'll actually happen... I hope it does, anyhow. Also, Richo can make dragon blood from sausage! It's weird.

Samton has a chicken now. He insists that it's just following him around, despite the chicken appearing after he read a book about magick. I'm pretty sure it's a magickal chicken. A lot of wizardly types have chickens... Like Boris "Two Chickens" Amoramagus!  Or is it Aromagus? I'm not sure, I don't get wizard names, not even famous ones... I do hope Samton doesn't actually try eating the poor bird... I'm pretty sure that would hurt himself, due to uh... familiar bonds... or something...

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Aaisha has a lot of work! I wish we had more Junior Scribes to help her... I promoted Horton, because he's so capable! I'm kind of wondering why he sharpens his quills to such an extent, though. Oh well... I'm sure he won't puncture any important documents...

My work has me so stressed lately! So, Alejandro invited me to one of our rooftop conversations... which was soon interrupted... by more work... I think we just need to start meeting elsewhere to stop that from happening. Maybe a wizard's tower. The Vizier's tower in Kha'esh reaches the very skies, so, if I was good buddies with him, I could have intriguing conversations in peace, atop it! Too bad he hates me! Anyhow, Alejandro was able to calm me down a little...

The stress was giving me the shakes, still, so, I smoked some mizzar before going to bed, even though it gives me headaches! That was a complete mistake! I had this horrid fever dream, that was full of absolutely horrific sights, and people were yelling about creepy things, and it was all so horrible... Which isn't unusual in the Well, but it was kind of just uh... a multiplication... of it all. Thankfully, now that I'm awake, I'm far, far away from all that nightmarish shit, and I can focus on the nightmarish shit that is the reality that I live in!

SERIOUSLY. I AM BEING EARNEST. NOT EVERY LIVING INK IS AN AGNATE OF MINE. MOST OF THEM ARE. BUT NOT ALL OF THEM. JUST THE PREPONDERANCE. BUT NOT ALL OF THEM. NINETY NINE PERCENT. BUT NOT ALL OF THEM. THIS IS HIGHLY DISRESPECTFUL.

[Fabulous Secret Powers]

Tammuz 3rd, IY 7788

Athelia's been feeling a little down, lately... She's got the moody blues! I wish I could do something to help her! But playing matchmaker is really difficult... Especially between the ladies! Maybe that beach vacation would cheer her up... if this Qadiran matter is ever solved... Maybe we can have a beach vacation in Yaxatan, instead! At this point, the locals there are probably more pleasant!

Apparently, Alejandro can almost understand Alzhedo...? But only almost. Maybe he's just figuring it out through tone... He said that it's similar to Common. I'm not too sure about that! Anyhow, the less people that understand Alzhedo, the better, because then I can swear like a sailor without anyone realizing it, and I can keep writing my journal without worrying about someone else reading it! Not that anyone can find it, anyhow...

Also, why does everyone want to see Alejandro's sock drawer? Such curiosity over socks is most uncouth! People should be given some sock privacy!

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All the tall folk in the Well were talking about how tall Domergue is! I just thought that she bought new shoes, with higher heels! Then I took a closer look, and turns out that she really was slightly taller than usual. Somewhat tall. All tall folk look about the same height to me, though. I wonder what caused her growth spurt...? Narwen suspected myth magick! Anyhow, Elias and Pang were teasing Alejandro about his height, too... which I don't get at all! By comparing their heights, which required all of my focus and complex heightonomics, I figured out that Alejandro is at least a head taller than Elias!

I really don't understand this obsession with height... I think a man of any stature is worthy of respect! As long as they're at least 185 centimeters tall if they're a human, because that's the average height for them. I think. If you're below that, then you're worthy of slightly less respect! For a human!

This diplomacy stuff is a bit weird, at times... First, they insist that they're in an awful hurry, and that they must meet someone immediately, while we're all busy handling other diplomatic matters and a bunch of other work, then, when I've handled my own work and am available, they're nowhere to be seen, because they're doing boardwork! If you can just run off to do board jobs like that, then your issue probably wasn't actually important at all, and you should stop pestering people!

Also, Tonka jumped atop the Stele, and took a nap there! It was really cute. I don't think she's the first to do that, though. I'm pretty sure Martin does that a lot.

[Fabulous Secret Powers]

Tammuz 4th, IY 7788

I think one of the things that I'm realizing far too late is that during war, you've kind of got to prepare to say goodbye to a lot of people, but the goodbyes are all weird and indirect... You can't ignore the possibility of people dying, but you can't really expect that it'll happen, either. It's terrible...

Even Sephidra has a card game, now. I think everyone's going to have one by the end of the year... Anyhow, it was pretty simple. You just had to guess what color is the majority for five cards... I guessed black and lost! Naelin won! Oh well... At least it was fun. Turns out that Naelin also has good taste in tea. I like my tea potent and flavorful, instead of being just water with a little bit of leaf residue in it! People who can't handle truly potent tea are kind of sad!

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I thought I had signed up for some late night diplomacy, but then it turned out to be late night legislature, instead... It was awful! I could barely stand at the end... And I'm pretty sure I messed up the wording, somehow, on those laws, as I was fixing them up based on the initial drafts... Oh well! Even got the first complaint... something about "constitutional basis"... I don't even know if we have a constitution... I guess that's the Accord? Kind of.

I think the Builders were fixing something in Marcellus' office too, there was an awful lot of racket, which gave me a headache...

I was so tired that I went to the Krak for a nightcap out of sheer reflexive confusion! I could've just taken the elevator to the Ambassador's Rest, instead... So I ended up being even more tired. I ran into Mr. Pepper again... and I swear someone was talking about "hog cranking". I don't know what that is. Knowing Ephia's Well, it's something absolutely horribly disgusting, and probably involves animal abuse, by the sounds of it...

At least I got to sleep in peace! Martin didn't wake me up or anything... Which might be a bad sign, actually. At the very least for him. He might've been stuck outside on some rooftop again...

[Fabulous Secret Powers]

Tammuz 5th, IY 7788

I cried the whole night.

There wasn't much privacy to be found, so, I just hid in one of the locked corridors of the Pyramid and sobbed my heart out. With these ancient walls and pipes, it probably echoed about, but I am not sure if I care. It really wasn't about making sure that nobody knew, but more so about ensuring that nobody would touch me.

Friendship is a curious thing.

I did not truly know it, before I came here. Prior to the Well, I merely wandered from one lap to another, in search for some momentary warmth, something to make me forget how broken I was, even if just for a moment. Yet every single relationship was just as broken as I was, doomed from the start to be a mere matter of comforting convenience...

Akna. I would not hesitate for even a moment to call her a friend, though I'm not sure if I was a good one to her, in the end. I tried to. Maybe it's the street rat in me, forcing me to care about my own survival before something far more meaningful. Or maybe that's just a convenient excuse. I did care though. Genuinely. I wanted to be her friend, and I wanted to help her with her dreams... Yet I'm stuck on this road. I'd blame myself for that, yet it'd mean overestimating my own competence. Which there is very little of.

How much is a friend supposed to give without expecting anything in return? I've no fucking clue. I don't think I ever will. I wish I could.

Maybe we did share the same dream. I'm just taking the coward's path to it. Or trying to, anyhow...

Roads, paths... As if any of this was so clear or coherent. It's a bunch of vague bullshit, in the end. Conceal. Improvise. Mimic. That's all I do. Hopefully I pick the right things to emulate from her...

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And what is there to say about the others...? Mevura was an irritating presence. Constantly barging into meetings, getting offended by the most minor of slights, even if he himself was at fault more than anyone else... And so, so, so paranoid. Yet he was also very brave. Far more brave than I was at his age. Far more brave than I am right now, I suppose. I don't even know what the Astronomers will be like without him.

Lightdew... That same sort of paranoia, yet directed at something that I could actually understand. How many times did one of her hunches turn out to be actually true, despite seeming preposterous...? Far too many. I do wish she had had peace of mind, at times, as competent as she was at her labor... I do hope my minor contributions helped her with it at least on some level.

Baako. I didn't know him well. Had a morbid sense of humor, seemingly. Good fit for a Recluta. I'd say something about him doing his job, but... Even if it's the truth, being fodder is just... not something anyone's designated role should be.

How many times will I have to write like this...?

[Fabulous Secret Powers]

Tammuz 6th, IY 7788

Yesterday, I had barely any energy... and so did everyone else, seemingly. A very quiet day, all in all. I don't even know what to write about!

WRITE ABOUT THE METAPHYSICAL DIFFICULTIES THAT NORMATIVE ETHICS FACE IN A DYING WORLD.

No!

There was some Balladeer art event... thing... Tempo had an essay about what it's like being a hero...? It was mostly a list about heroic traits and his thoughts about them. It was kind of weird. I didn't know that heroes have to write essays. If they have to do that, I don't want to be a hero! I'd rather just be... a good person... of another sort... instead! Niranye talked about art as a form of history, but I missed most of that because there was a work matter that I had to attend to...

Firestorm. I'm surprised there are any left... A horrid affair. Felt like locking myself in a room and just staring out of the window. For at least a few hours.

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Anyhow, folk want me to chronicle the war, now...? Why is it always me...? I just wanted to speak from the heart, and all I get is "wow Bashir, that was really good, you should add another labor to your gadjillion badjillion other ones"... What do speeches have to do with chronicling, anyway? "The Scribes should do it" when we barely have any not assigned to something already! Horton's on vacation, too! I think Lucky Ferry was one of his destinations, which is just a really weird choice... I don't want any ghosts present in my own vacations, personally...

Also... what's the difference between cascara and qishr? I think I prefer cascara... It's fruitier! I like fruity things! I shouldn't drink either before bed, though...
 

[Fabulous Secret Powers]

Tammuz 7th, IY 7788

This war certainly is forcing a lot of people to dress properly... Which is good, because usually folk wear garbage bags with literal vomit on them, around here. It's horrible...

I was offering my honest opinion on Eclair's dress, and Triffi wasn't having any of it... She asked me who taught me to talk to others! Me, myself, of course! I don't know why she got so mad about it, because the truth of the matter is that Eclair's green dress really looks like the outfit of a frog witch... Some crone from the swamp who specializes only in frogs and frog-based magickry! Her other dress is much, much, much more fabulous, and perfectly compatible with her complexion and stylish hairstyle!

Miro speaks about philosophy and struggle and such... I don't get it! It's so confusing, especially the stuff about contradictions... Doesn't help that they were talking about "hog cranking" at one point, and that confused me even more! I'm not sure at all what "hog cranking" is, anymore, if even philosophers talk about it... It must be some really complex concept, that also happens to be vulgar and gross, judged by how people react to talk of it!

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Also, there's a circus in town... They supposedly have the Disc's biggest baby. I only saw the fancy fop and the clown, though. They also said that they have an invisible man with them, but I'm kind of uninterested and skeptical of that. I meet Zuli each and every day, so invisibility is not that special... Plus this supposed invisible man didn't speak at all, so... It was probably just air.

And now I can't get my Krak walk-around done in peace, again! I need those rosters, and I need my wine! I'm going to get a Junior Scribe to get those names for me... If we had any. Alric wakes up so late! And nobody even attempted saving me from such a horrid situation... I've done that for people before! Goes to show how much people care about me, in the end! AGAIN!

[Fabulous Secret Powers]

Tammuz 8th, IY 7788

Qadira seems kind of desperate, coming to us for mercenaries to help them find lost ships... Which makes the evident even more so! They don't really give a shit about any of this... The folk who went didn't even make a peep about it! It must've been a really boring affair!

Eclair said that my rainbow rod is cursed! But that is simply impossible, as rainbows are the most blessed of the Wheel's creations... Eclair has a lot of strange inhibitions! She even tried claiming that she still likes rainbows... Yet if she doesn't like my rainbow rod, she can't possibly like them, because my rainbow rod makes exemplary rainbows! I don't get knights! I can call her a knight now, without her getting all weird about that!

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Sephidra said that elves don't really eat cheese... That sounds pretty miserable! Triffi, on the other hand, assumed that the Cube is made out of cheese... I guess because gnomes have an abundance of cheese, instead...? The cuisines of different cultures can be so different! Yet I still think that everyone should have cheese... At least just a little, as a treat!

There was some sort of commotion at the Gate of Coin... Turns out that it was a new Preparator coming to town, with some terracotta guardians... He seems nice enough? From the five minutes I spoke with him, anyhow. Ivraine's kind of old... kind of, I don't get human aging... so, it's good that he has an extra pair of hands. I wish I could have terracotta guardians... Though, I'd make my guardians out of garnets! Then, I'd be fashionably protected!

I wonder if there's a correspondence course on geomancy...? I hope so! I want to learn bijou magicks!

[Fabulous Secret Powers]

Tammuz 9th, IY 7788

What an awful day... The past few weeks have been full of stressful work, and now I pretty much don't have anything to show for it. It's all thrown into the trash...

And I couldn't contain the anger or stress anymore, so, I pretty much exploded at the Assembly, and started yelling... I don't really like doing that, but when people start throwing accusations at me, of doing nothing, when most of my days have involved this awful affair and multiple attempts at beginning communication with our other neighbors... And that's common, for a lot of people. "Oh, Bashir doesn't do anything!" For some, whatever happens to be in their direct line of sight are the only things to exist and occur...

Yelled at Argent, too. I don't even really mind him, that much. He's just an annoying dumbass. Which is far less worse than some... I regret getting angry with Daoud, the most, though. I think that's the first time I've gotten angry with him... I just don't like questions to the effect of "why didn't you do the obvious thing that you obviously did do"... A lot of people assume that I'm a fucking idiot...

Anyhow, Gedwyr and Zalthar seem like good people... Well, to the extent that they've been nice to me. I have enough trust issues as to not trust so blindly... Zalthar even offered to make a sculpture of me. I wouldn't have any place to put it, though... And after dating a few sculptors, I've kind of realized that having a statue of myself is kind of weird...? I'm very beautiful, but even then, committing that beauty to stone and leaving it around for folk to gawk is just... odd. I do want to give them some work, though.

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Then I just spent the rest of the day with Naelin, Eclair and Azimi, and Margarine was there, too... That was much more pleasant, even though the Tower has a notable lack of crackers! Isaac did give me some delicious mujaddara, however... Azimi classifies her court in a weird way, and apparently, I'm an "Archivist"... I had the potential to be a Witch, though, so I'm really disappointed, because I don't like archiving much, because you have to do it alphabetically, and that's just dull, I prefer doing it based on the color of the cover or the dust jacket... Also, I want to know witch magickry! I haven't had much luck with taming the Big Heron, so, a flying broom would be grand...

Then, we just played cards for a bit, and Domergue was there, too, but she wasn't slightly taller, anymore, so she could fit inside... Also, Margarine had been eating some chocolate macadamia nut ice cream, and I think that gave her a tummyache, because she ran off, at one point... I don't have that problem! I can eat as much ice cream as I want, as quickly as I like! I don't do that very often, though, because I have a figure to maintain, and that figure is petite!

I had okay luck with cards! I even got a Royal Dragon!

Also, I think Elias is smitten by a darkly dressed mysterious stranger. Poor Alejandro...

Also, also, someone drew a cute little hamster at the card hall! It's really grumpy, and tossing its tiny paws into the air, as if to go "I'MA MESS YOU UP"! I wonder who drew it...?

[Fabulous Secret Powers]

Tammuz 10th, IY 7788

I gave Aaisha some fashion assistance! Now, her toga and headdress look most tasteful! I like helping people with their outfits... Though sometimes it can be a challenge! This time, the problems arose from the names of the dyes! Turns out that "icy black" is everything but black! If you call something "black", then it obviously should be black! It didn't even resemble black ice on any level!

Argent apologized to me... With a box full of stuff! I liked the bijoux the most! One of them  was a big ol' diamond... I'm going to find some use for it that goes beyond simply laying in my bijou pouch for me to smile at! There were also some stylish outfits... I'm pretty sure I know who actually made them, because it wasn't Aurelio alone! Anyhow, that was a proper apology... So I'm going to forgive him! For now...

Sen Mo-Nor works so hard, each and every day, but yesterday, his work was truly astounding! His broom swept across the Plaza at such blazing speeds that no dirt or dust was safe from his zealous cleansing! I've never seen the Plaza so clean! He should be paid far more than he is currently! Also, he was chasing Narwen around too, all because he wanted to return a potion that she had dropped... What a gentleman!

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Eclair's ascetic lifestyle is just plain weird... She doesn't use any spices, and she only eats food when it's either boiled, or raw! I think this might explain some of her other strange behavior... Everyone needs to eat salt and pepper! There's important salt and pepper nutrients within, so, going completely without them will have you ending up with a bunch of deficiencies...

ALSO, SHE DRINKS EGGS!

There's a parasol merchant, now! I immediately bought the cutest little pink parasol! I also bought a red one... But the pink one is far cuter! Now, the harsh light from hateful Pra'raj, and the far-less-hateful Lunar Disc, and their cousins, the tiny little stars, won't be ruining my complexion any time soon... I'm still going to do my moisture routine each and every morning and evening! Looking this good takes a lot of work!

Also, Eclair bought the exact same design, but because I've really matured lately, I don't care, at least not on an aggressive level, I'm actually really happy that she makes such good fashion choices, whereas previously, in my pettiness, I'd have set fire to her parasol through a cunning plot of some sort!

Anyhow... I also have some pepper spray now! Nobody better mess with me or they're getting sprayed right in the eyes!

[Fabulous Secret Powers]

Tammuz 11th, IY 7788

Parasols are the latest fad! Now, so many people have them... Like Isaac, who has a blue one! Even Marcellus was thinking of buying a purple one...

Triffi loves cheese so much that she thinks that the moon is made out of it! My argument against this was that the moon isn't always yellow... But I was soon reminded, my many people, that cheese comes in many colors! However, it makes absolutely no sense... Why would the moon shift between different types of cheese, instead of just staying as one absolutely delicious one...? I think the moon is just a colossal chunk of salt, myself...

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I got my favored aspect on my most exquisite bijou from the Sultan, on the first try! Well, maybe it was the first try... I can't really remember... What I do remember is that I seem to have really good luck with prisms! However, like with any game of chance, you have to know the rules, first! You can't just break a prism and that's that... Luck is a curious thing! There's a lot of skill involved!

Washing my laundry is so weird, now... I can't do it at home, so, I've just been loaning the Pyramid's basement! Drying them is more annoying, though... I was thinking of using the landing platforms, or balconies, whichever you want to call them, but I don't want one of the Princesses or the Majordomo to see my unmentionables... So, I have to improvise. A lot! Also, I still want to clean, because I enjoy it, so, I've just been cleaning the Torchbearer Hall... But in a way that isn't annoying! I put everything where it was originally, afterwards!

And then there's the laundry grix... Borrowing everyone's socks and leaving them in strange places! Is that why everyone wants to see Alejandro's socks...? Are they just making sure that they're all there...?

[Fabulous Secret Powers]

Tammuz 12th, IY 7788

I hear a lot of tales about the Lunar Disc... Some say that moonfolk live there! Yet according to Alejandro's tales, it's just a lunar hare and a lonely woman up there... And according to Triffi, it's just cheese. If there are moonfolk, I think they would've just eaten the moon ages ago, if that were the case... Salt makes far more sense, because you can't eat that much salt in one go! Though I guess the moonfolk might be built different and they just eat salt...?

Naelin and Sephidra fight a lot! They must've been married for a long time! But not long enough to reach that point where married couples usually calm down and just kind of sit around quietly, reading books or knitting... Anyhow, they have a butler now, too. Natasha! Well, she wants to be their butler. I'm not sure if they're going to go for that... She seems kind of bummed about life! And by bummed, I mean totally depressed! She reminds me of myself during the first few months after being freed... which is really sad. I hope she can forge a better life for herself, here!

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Otherwise, it was a strangely quiet day... Even the markets of Kha'esh were empty! Quiet days can be dull, but I just have more time for my hobbies during them... Like knitting and reading! Which I occasionally do at the same time... But only for patterns I know by reflex! Which isn't that many yet, but I can certainly knit a few socks while reading one of my novelettes... The one I'm reading right now is about this cute elf, who finds hot springs atop Mount Kulkund, and he starts a resort, and he gets all sorts of curious guests... And boy, does the story ever get steamy! And not just because of those hot springs!

I still can't manage jogging, knitting and reading at the same time, though! One day, I will!

[Fabulous Secret Powers]

Tammuz 13th, IY 7788

Balstan's really mad about Alejandro's raffle! He thinks that it makes a mockery of his exam... I don't really get it. I think it might just be politicking, and he's pretending to be offended, because I don't know what raffles and exams have to do with each other... For one, raffles are really exciting, whereas exams are really boring! So, they're pretty much the exact opposite of each other... At least as far as mood goes!

The Pink Parasol Pals are the fastest growing group of folk in the Well! At first, it was just me and Eclair, but now it includes Narwen and Zuli, too, and some of the Sukaitza company, and the Krak's bouncer, and so, so many others... People keep telling me to put away my parasol while indoors! But I like it so much... so much that I kind of just forget that I have it! When you really love doing something, it kind of just becomes a habitual reflex... Also, I think that those people are just jealous because they can't look nearly as good as I do!

Moving on from fashion staples to fashion crimes... Sephidra had designed some armor for Eclair... It was absolutely and completely hideous! It was supposed to be the armor of a dark knight... I don't know why... But instead, it made her look like a bouncer to some bordello. Also, Sephidra was trying to give her a whip, too! Which is just... weird. I think with the whip, it would've been to Pang's tastes... I hope that she never wears that armor, ever again! A knight should look representable!

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Anyhow, later on, there was yet another lecture at the College of the Balladeers... It was about knightly virtues! And Caddick surprised us with some audience participation tasks... We had to pick one trait related to prudence... So, me and Eclair picked promptness! We had to explain what promptness means to us! To us, promptness was all about efficiency, and showing up on time to agreed upon meetings, especially dates, because knights have a lot of romance in their lives, so, time management skills are important, Lynneth was a great example of this... I think we did pretty well on this assignment!

Antikos wished to host another game of Camel Racing, to help Narwen's fundraising! So, I helped, too... I named the camels, made some announcements, and gave away my fashionable Modini mask as a prize! I did try to get some ice cream from Margarine, too, but she just slammed the door in my face when I asked... She's really mean and rude! I think people really would've liked some ice cream as a prize... Anyhow, at first, it seemed that not many were interested in playing, but then, there were so many people that we had to have seven camels instead of six!

The games got so heated that in the last race, people were putting down paper curses in order to win! Well, it was Kellyn's idea... In the end, she was countercursed and lost! Also, Pang stole Camel (Baby)... for some reason!  So, Camel (Baby) had to be replaced by Business Card... People certainly get attached to paper sheets that I scribbled some funny names on!

Also, Caddick thinks that Aryarael is a lady? I don't know why. He's so masculinely brusque that it just seems obvious to me that he's a feller!

[Fabulous Secret Powers]

Tammuz 14th, IY 7788

The circus was in town! Well, they've been in town for quite some time, now... And their show wasn't inside the Well, but in the Tablet... Anyhow, they had a clown! His jokes were pretty funny! They had a monkey! It pretty much just carried a banana around. That's it. Then, there was the Disc's Biggest Baby! It truly was the biggest baby I've ever seen... besides Qari! Also, the baby was strangely violent and kept hitting his papas and the monkey, too. That was weird! Then, they had the sword swallower... who did just that. Kind of gross. For some reason, sword swallowers are among the most popular circus performers, besides the strongmen and the strong ladies, when it comes to the field of romance! I don't know why. They just get a lot of dates.

Oh. I get it, now...

Also... why was Kellyn part of the act? Is that something that the Sisterhood does? They help circus performers...?

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Triffi said that I can never achieve the lazy, feline energy that cats have! But that's bullshit, because I've languidly surged with that energy for the entirety of my life... A lot of people think they know me just because they've talked to me for like... an hour at most! Then she got really mad when I told her that weasels are really smelly... and she started throwing paint at me. None of it hit me though, because I'm so quick on my feet, due to years spent dancing! I don't know why she got so mad, because I was just telling the truth. I had far better reasons to throw paint at her! She insulted and questioned my very being! I just stated some facts about the horridly smelly state of being that weasels exhibit! If I had questioned that, then she would have had an actual reason...

Zaheera performed in honor of our city's defenders, atop Elossi's Lounge! There weren't a whole lot of people... I think a lot of folk we're doing boardwork, again. Or consecrating their home. The latter is at least important on some level... Anyhow, Zaheera has a really beautiful voice, and  she plays a mean tambourine! By "mean", I... mean... that she plays it really well. She doesn't beat it with ill intent, or something. I loved the show! Even though any talk of "soaring herons" makes me really wary, these days, for obvious reasons!

Also, I got my sticker, again! It's a nice cerulean blue. I love it! Sometimes, I wish that I could be a Sticker Scribe... It seems far less stressful work than what I do... even if people get really mad when there's delays... but each job has its stressful parts! Even taste testing!