Move 22 Recap

Ashari, Iawa, Mikodez, Sasha, and Sulen

Sasha asks, "Why didn't you report that Istradez was hurt, Mishka?" Ashari, whose eyes are entirely rose-blue, makes a tiny, approving nod. Mikodez smiles, squinching up his eyes, and declares, "Oh, that. Because I was. Trying to murder him! You see, he reminded me of a school rival of mine, who I wanted to one-up, so I tried shooting him with a pattern from the matter printer that Sasha lent me. When afterwards it turns out he'd hit his head, I took him to the visitor quarters to rest, and monitor, just in case he turned out to be an alien from foreign parts who would eat my face." He then asks Sulen, "Are you planning on letting the moths stay in the heptarchate?" Sasha tells Ashari, "He didn't have any ammunition. So he's either lying or mind-numbingly incompetent." Ashari says, with some curiosity, "Lying I can almost forgive, but mind-numbing incompetence is another matter." Mikodez simply says, "Yes," adding, "Then I yelled at him until he fell over." Sasha explains the ammunition problem, then asks, "When did Istradez tell you he was your brother, Mishka?" Sulen, who has been scrying, points out that Mikodez is lying: "Didn't you learn in school not to lie to Rahal, Mikodez?" Ashari warns Mikodez, in their gentlest and thus most threatening voice, that he has one more chance before they enthrall him into answering questions and doing some chores. Mikodez, who thinks he has created sufficient confusion, simply remarks, "I'm great at arranging placemats." Sasha realizes that Ashari's treatment of her has demonstrated comparable restraint.