Terrible terrorbirds are terrible
Chapter 9's up! Courtier silliness and the Chamberlain being...well...Chamberlain. https://archiveofourown.org/works/24350581/chapters/172499146
“Speaking of the Ritual-Master,” the Collector barreled in, “I can’t have been the only one who noticed them and the Emperor both getting up early from supper last night.” They speared one talon apiece into four pommerfruits from SkekAyuk’s plate, then proceeded to gobble each one off its claw in two juice-smacking bites.
“Ah, yes!” agreed the Ornamentalist at once. “The crowning proof. Well, you all know my theory about the Emperor and SkekZok—”
There were groans all round at this, even a very quiet one from the Gourmand.
“No one wants to hear your theories about the Emperor and anyone,” said the Collector.
“Oh, flit-wits, all of you. Anyway. You noticed that too I trust, Scroll-Keeper dearie?”
“Hm?” The Scroll-Keeper seemed surprised to be called on, but they quickly covered it over by taking off one of their spectacles and assiduously smearing the film on it around with the edge of one sleeve. “Of course I did. A little strange.”
“They left at almost the same time, too,” remarked the Gourmand.
“A little strange!?”
SkekOk all but jumped out of their skin and regarded SkekEkt, who was staring at them as if they had just grown a second head, with the air of a hunted thing.
“A little strange?” the Ornamentalist repeated. “And come to think of it, you’ve been acting a bit off yourself.”
“I don’t,” said SkekOk, as their spectacles slipped out of their talons.
“Know,” they added as they almost managed to catch one lens in their other talons, but fumbled it and sent the things bouncing upward almost to muzzle-level.
“What you’re,” they clarified as they made a robust grab for the pair and wound up almost losing a second one.
“Talking about,” they finished decisively as they bent over to retrieve the spectacles from where they had ended up, dangling on the end of their tether somewhere in the fluted folds of their skirts.
SkekEkt just snickered. “You don’t play coy very well. You should be right here with the rest of us trying to solve this little puzzle, and you’re not. You know something, don’t you?”
“If I knew anything, don’t you think I’d be telling you?” sputtered the Scroll-Keeper.
“Fair point,” brayed the Collector delightedly, hawking up another noisy gobbet. “Of all the terrible secret-keepers around here, you’re the worst…”
A distinctly interested-sounding “mmmmMMMMMMmmmmm” rang forth in the hall outside.
