conversation, but Isaac could not help
himself. He was utterly in the throes of a new project. Lin felt a
familiar melancholy affection for him. Melancholy at his
self-sufficiency in these moments of fascination; affection for his
fervour and passion.
"Look, look,"
Isaac gabbled suddenly, and tugged a piece of paper from his pocket.
He unfolded it on the table before them.
It was an advertisement
for a fair currently in Sobek Croix. The back was crisp with dry
glue: Isaac had torn it from a wall.
mr. bombadrezil’s unique and wonderful fair, guaranteed to astound and enthral the most jaded palate. The palace of love; The hall of terrors; The vortex; and many other attractions for reasonable prices. Also come to see
the extraordinary freakshow, the circus of weird. monsters and marvels from every corner of Bas-Lag! seers from the fractured land; a genuine weaver’s claw; the living skull; the lascivious snake-woman; ursus rex, the man-king of the Bears; dwarf cactus-people of tiny sizes; a
garuda, bird-man chief of the wild desert; the stone men of
Bezhek; caged daemons; dancing fish; treasures stolen from the
gengris; and innumerable other prodigies and wonders. Some
attractions not suitable for the easily shocked or those of a nervous disposition. Entrance 5 stivers. Sobek Croix gardens, 14th
Chet to 14th Melluary, 6 to 11 o’clock every night.
"See that?"
Isaac barked, and stabbed the poster with his thumb. "They’ve
got a garuda! I’ve been sending requests all over the city for
dubious bits and bobs, probably going to end up with loads of
horrible disease-riddled jackdaws, and there’s a fucking garuda on the doorstep!"
Are you going to go
down? signed Lin.
"Damn right!"
snorted Isaac. "Straight after this! I thought we could all go.
The others," he said, his voice dropping, "don’t have
to know what it is I’m doing there. I mean, a fair’s
always fun anyway. Right?"
Derkhan grinned and
nodded.
"So are you going
to spirit the garuda away, or what?" she whispered.
"Well, presumably
I could arrange to take heliotypes of it, or even ask it to come for
a couple of days to the lab...I don’t know. We’ll
organize something! What do you say? Fancy a fair?"
Lin picked a cherry
tomato from Isaac’s garnish and wiped it carefully clean of
chicken stock. She gripped it in her mandibles and began to chew.
Could be fun, she signed. Your treat?
"Absolutely my
treat!" boomed Isaac, and gazed at her. He stared at her very
close for a minute. He glanced round to make sure that no one was
watching, and then, clumsily, he signed in front of her.
Missed you.
Derkhan looked away for
a moment, tactfully.
Lin broke off the
moment, to make sure that she did it before Isaac. She clapped
loudly, until everyone at the table was staring at her. She began to
sign, indicating Derkhan to translate.
"Uh...Isaac is
keen to prove that the talk of scientists being all work and no play
is false. Intellectuals as well as dissolute aesthetes like us know
how to have a good time, and thus he offers us this..." Lin
waved the sheet, and threw it into the centre of the table where it
was visible to all. "Rides, spectacles, marvels and coconut
shies, all for a mere five stivers, which Isaac has kindly offered to
underwrite..."
"Not for everyone, you sow!" Isaac roared in mock-outrage, but he was drowned out
by the drunken roar of gratitude.
"...offered to
underwrite," continued Derkhan doggedly. "Accordingly, I
move that we drink up and eat up and hightail to Sobek Croix."
There was loud, chaotic
agreement. Those who had finished their food and drink gathered their
bags. Others tucked with renewed gusto into their oysters or salad or
fried plantain. Trying to organize a group of any size to do anything
in synchronicity was an epic struggle, Lin reflected wryly. It would
be some time before they set off.
Isaac and Derkhan were
hissing to each other across the table in front
himself. He was utterly in the throes of a new project. Lin felt a
familiar melancholy affection for him. Melancholy at his
self-sufficiency in these moments of fascination; affection for his
fervour and passion.
"Look, look,"
Isaac gabbled suddenly, and tugged a piece of paper from his pocket.
He unfolded it on the table before them.
It was an advertisement
for a fair currently in Sobek Croix. The back was crisp with dry
glue: Isaac had torn it from a wall.
mr. bombadrezil’s unique and wonderful fair, guaranteed to astound and enthral the most jaded palate. The palace of love; The hall of terrors; The vortex; and many other attractions for reasonable prices. Also come to see
the extraordinary freakshow, the circus of weird. monsters and marvels from every corner of Bas-Lag! seers from the fractured land; a genuine weaver’s claw; the living skull; the lascivious snake-woman; ursus rex, the man-king of the Bears; dwarf cactus-people of tiny sizes; a
garuda, bird-man chief of the wild desert; the stone men of
Bezhek; caged daemons; dancing fish; treasures stolen from the
gengris; and innumerable other prodigies and wonders. Some
attractions not suitable for the easily shocked or those of a nervous disposition. Entrance 5 stivers. Sobek Croix gardens, 14th
Chet to 14th Melluary, 6 to 11 o’clock every night.
"See that?"
Isaac barked, and stabbed the poster with his thumb. "They’ve
got a garuda! I’ve been sending requests all over the city for
dubious bits and bobs, probably going to end up with loads of
horrible disease-riddled jackdaws, and there’s a fucking garuda on the doorstep!"
Are you going to go
down? signed Lin.
"Damn right!"
snorted Isaac. "Straight after this! I thought we could all go.
The others," he said, his voice dropping, "don’t have
to know what it is I’m doing there. I mean, a fair’s
always fun anyway. Right?"
Derkhan grinned and
nodded.
"So are you going
to spirit the garuda away, or what?" she whispered.
"Well, presumably
I could arrange to take heliotypes of it, or even ask it to come for
a couple of days to the lab...I don’t know. We’ll
organize something! What do you say? Fancy a fair?"
Lin picked a cherry
tomato from Isaac’s garnish and wiped it carefully clean of
chicken stock. She gripped it in her mandibles and began to chew.
Could be fun, she signed. Your treat?
"Absolutely my
treat!" boomed Isaac, and gazed at her. He stared at her very
close for a minute. He glanced round to make sure that no one was
watching, and then, clumsily, he signed in front of her.
Missed you.
Derkhan looked away for
a moment, tactfully.
Lin broke off the
moment, to make sure that she did it before Isaac. She clapped
loudly, until everyone at the table was staring at her. She began to
sign, indicating Derkhan to translate.
"Uh...Isaac is
keen to prove that the talk of scientists being all work and no play
is false. Intellectuals as well as dissolute aesthetes like us know
how to have a good time, and thus he offers us this..." Lin
waved the sheet, and threw it into the centre of the table where it
was visible to all. "Rides, spectacles, marvels and coconut
shies, all for a mere five stivers, which Isaac has kindly offered to
underwrite..."
"Not for everyone, you sow!" Isaac roared in mock-outrage, but he was drowned out
by the drunken roar of gratitude.
"...offered to
underwrite," continued Derkhan doggedly. "Accordingly, I
move that we drink up and eat up and hightail to Sobek Croix."
There was loud, chaotic
agreement. Those who had finished their food and drink gathered their
bags. Others tucked with renewed gusto into their oysters or salad or
fried plantain. Trying to organize a group of any size to do anything
in synchronicity was an epic struggle, Lin reflected wryly. It would
be some time before they set off.
Isaac and Derkhan were
hissing to each other across the table in front
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