who needs disguise self when you could make a whole ass costume

Nott!!!! The Bravest Girl!!!!!!!!!

it's been a while

they’re frequently coded by the fandom as being best friends. it’s clear there’s a strong connection between them, and occtis considers thimble one of two people in the world who cares about him. BUT.

how long has it actually been since they’ve seen each other?

in the overture, thimble remarks to occtis, ‘you grew up.’ she comments on not knowing how in with his family he still is. she is frequently surprised by his capability with magic. so how long has it actually been since occtis and thimble have spent a real amount of time together? it seems more like a ‘childhood friends’ kind of deal, but also realistically how often was occtis truly in thimble’s company?

and it’s actually so heartbreaking that despite however much time has passed, occtis doesn’t have anyone else he considers that close other than thaisha. no one from the penteveral, no one from just being in the city of dol-makjar. how much of that is that people avoided him because of his name and his family?

Detect Evil and Good

The older characters, established professionals in their middle age, are very aware of the relative youth/inexperience of certain other characters and consequently protective of them. This plays out most directly between Murray and Demodus Blix, but is also visible in the way other characters behave towards Occtis at times- Thaisha, sometimes, but also Murray, who seems to have a high degree of sensitivity towards this dynamic, as a teacher.

Azune, while fully an adult (described 27-28) and only relatively young, was forced to grow up quite early and IMO clearly covets the protection and feeling of personal responsibility extended towards the youngest ones. After release from an acutely high-pressure situation, Azune frequently falls apart and, consciously or no, seeks comfort from an authority figure. I can't remember the episode, but the main instance of this conversation occurs around the testimony to the Einfasens, when he breaks down to Murray and directly says "I can't do this anymore," to which she essentially responds, "I know, but you have to bear it a bit longer."

It's interesting to watch, because Murray clearly understands that Azune is crying out for help, but also knows that he is essential and that they (they being the Magpies, and the larger nascent rebellion) cannot afford to relieve him. Concurrently, Murray is expressing her reluctance to expose Demodus to any of this- he's just a boy, and her student. She feels the weight of her obligation to keep him safe, and while she wishes she could help Azune, it is not a duty she feels in the same way. In his fellow Schemers, Azune has friends and even a pseudo-father figure, in Hal, who he can lean on, but he is an adult who is ultimately responsible for himself, and there is nobody in the world who is obligated to keep Azune safe. His yearning for a certain kind of protection can't be fulfilled.

Wick is the reason Halandil had as much freedom as he did with his plays and Hal was using Wick as a worth a shot attempt to parden Thjazi in the Prologue,

And for Wick Hal seems to be somone he strongly respects and cares for with Wick being shown to openly support Hal and was semi willing to blow his cover/standing with his family for Hal twice with him advocating for Hal during the Play scandal

Their relationship has a very weird power dynamic between them with Hal having everything to gain by cozying up to Wiccander Halovar but Wick has everything to lose by endorsing Halandil Fang brother to the most infamous man in Dol-Makjar