heeeyyyyy

- well known and liked

- well known and disliked

- obscure and liked

- obscure and disliked

(my two blorbos are the opposite of each other. one is known by everyone and well loved and the other is easily forgotten and hated by the fandom)

In addition to what this dinner party actually accomplishes I am absolutely fascinated by what it is Maia actually does to get a good grade in dinner party (both normal to want and possible to achieve, as it turns out).

There's a couple of specific exchanges Maia has here that are really distinct from how he has previously been interacting with the court.

Firstly, this rule that the emperor has to open the conversation is incredibly brutal when applied to Maia. Maia is only eighteen, even by Ethuverazhaise standards he's a very young adult. Expecting a very young, inexperienced man to be the one leading the conversation with three people who are so much older than he is would be brutal for any eighteen year old. But one of the (long list of) things the crown has deprived him of is the chanced to be mentored in the normal way. And its doubly brutal for Maia specifically, because he's spent the past decade being punished for being talkative or opinionated!

Maia specifically, has tried to bring, prepared conversation topics to this, because he's terrified, but he doesn't use them. He sees Lanthavel's embroidered stole, and he's genuinely interested, and he asks about it. And that gives Lanthavel an opportunity to share his own interests and then they can have an actual conversation. This is the first time he does that in public. He doesn't talk at court dinners and he doesn't talk to Nurevis's friends because he's uncomfortable. But the result of that, is that he's total cipher. No one knows what he likes, or what he's interested in, because he won't tell them, his personal history is a total mystery, because he wasn't at court.

We know why that is and have infinite sympathy for Maia being forced to lead the conversation. But as far as Lanthavel, Pashavar and Orthema are concerned, when Maia shows up at the door, they're having dinner with a white brocade mystery who could have them thrown in jail. Once he actually starts talking they have one (1) topic that they can have a conversation, instead of an imperial audience about. And that pays off. Because not only is the conversation now open but because that gives Lanthavel an opening to talk about his own interests and bicker with Pashavar about them.

And I actually think the bickering is the crucial part of the conversation.

Prior to this we've seen Maia deal with genuine hostility from Chavar, from Sheveän, etc. And we have seen Maia handle rude, snappy remarks from Thara, but he handles that in this very specific medical/chaplaincy context doesn't translate well into regular conversation.

But then we get this exchange:

"But what do you study, Lanthavel?" Pashavar interrupted. "You'll talk all night and still not have answered the emperor's question." "Have some more wine, Lord Pashavar," Lanthavel suggested. "Your disposition hasn't mellowed yet." Pashavar laughed, like a crack of thunder; Maia realized that these two men were genuinely friends, and they were doing him the honour of letting him see their friendship.

I think this may actually be the first time Maia has seen genuinely friendly bickering, but almost right away Maia gets to try out this brand new skill.

"If Edrahasivar wished to start throwing people in the Esthorameire - or, better yet, the Nevannameire - we are not where he would start." He gave Maia a sidelong glance that was angry and mocking, but not entirely unkind. "Are we?" "No," said Maia, "but we could always change our mind." There was a moment of arrested silence, and Maia worried that he had judged Pashavar incorrectly; then Pashavar and Lanthavel burst out laughing, and Pashavar saluted Maia with his glass. "So the kitten has claws after all."

Ken Sample and his cougar character, origin of the fursona.