I can't decide if the red-haired lady is supposed to be Catherine Eddowes, a red-haired victim of the Ripper. Probably not, as the murders took place in 1888 and the book would have to be set in 1887. It's probably just a coincidence.
On returning home, Snuff finds a new companion in the house, Bubo the rat. Snuff takes him by surprise, tells him that "entering another player's home without invitation lays you open to immediate reprisal."
Bubo replies that he had heard that Snuff would sometimes trade information. Snuff asks him why Bubo didn't approach Nightwind.
"Why didn't you trade directly with Nightwind?" "I've never met Nightwind. Owls scare me. Besides, I heard he's pretty closebeaked. Keeps everything close to his feathers, and keeps his pinions to himself." He chuckled at that. I did not.
Heh heh.
Bubo offers to trade the location where the Count sleeps for a list of the other players and their locations. Snuff agrees, but wants to see the Count's lair first.
"And what may I call you?"
"Bubo," he replied.
I backed away.
Also heh heh.
They go the ruins of an old church, but it's too dark for Snuff to make out anything clearly, so he provisionally takes Bubo's word for it until he can investigate further.
For the first time, Snuff mentions that he can speak to Jack between midnight and one. I always interpreted this as a trait unique to Snuff, but the other authors who have written Lonesome October stories tend to treat it as a universal trait of all the companions. It's possible I've overlooked some evidence, so I'll be reading the story seeing if there is any definitive word about it.
Snuff fills Jack in on the events of the day and after that is done, he mentions Growler for the first time.
I listened to his retreating footsteps. It was time to visit Growler, for a workshop in advanced stalking. Soon the world went away.
Nothing wrong with this chapter. Fun and fast-moving, just like the rest.
You know, it never even occurred to me that the "talking at midnight" thing might be unique to Snuff. Although, now that you mention it, I don't recall any of the other companions talking to their masters in the book.
ReplyDeleteSo you may be right. And, in that case--whoops. I definitely gave that speech ability to my animals in my first Lonesome October story.
And it never even occurred to me that it might be a universal ability. So I'm not particularly clever, but rather I may be someone to whom the obvious may not have occurred. (I figured all the companions have some means of communication with their masters, otherwise they wouldn't be too useful, but the specifics probably varied by tradition.)
DeleteI had assumed midnight was Snuff and Jacks thing, but later there is a suggestion of talking to a plant...
ReplyDelete