#elsewhere

.....and then she sees Hirim.......

"There's a light, over at the frankenstien place, there's a light burning in the fire place, there's a lllligight.. in the darkness, of every body's light" She gapes in wonder at his apparel

"See, Hehe? What greater admirer have you?"

"Wow," Gabby says "Someone may have to block eye contact so she can rejoin us"

"She'll circle for a bit. She does love bright things, my sister."

Hirim glowers (and tries to hide) behind Ratchet.

Earl uses his cards to cover his lower face.

Even if the game is over.

"Oh yes.. where was I? Headshoes..>" Vashti hands out the last of the boxes to Ratchet and Miriam

And food and chatter resume. Earl inquires how things are in Scarsdale?

Feh. The same. Substandard, no matter what you do.....

"Your substandard is pretty darn impressive " Earl says

"Nonsense. Standards are STANDARDS!"

"Sometimes Art can be subjective..." Earl says "The viewer affects what is viewed"

"Feh. Arty-farty bugeye knows from what's Art....." A passive grumble.

"Hawkeye, and sometimes art happens. Abraham lincoln thought his Gettysburg Address was a failure, it did not wow... but future generations saw something in it, and still do... that elevates it to art or mauybe it was art, but it took time to hear it?"

"Feh."

"Feh." An affectionate whisper, and she places the bee-hat on his thistledown hair.

Jacob looks, "Cool, Uncle Hirim looks like honey might pour out of his nose now"

"Jacob, manners."

"I said it was 'coool' that's like, a compliment" Huff

Earl looks at Jacob, "Let's have a contest... we break out a book on manners, and i see which of you, Zara or you, gets closer to Emily Post"

Jacob muter fusses much like Miriam would.. but quieter.

“Manners are a sensitive awareness of the feelings of others. If you have that awareness, you have good manners, no matter what fork you use.” Bronte chimes.

"Oh, darling - aye." Scritches as a reward.

Jacob sighs "it's not fair, She has a dragon to lawyer for her"

"Life is unfair, brother-mine. But thou shalt learn, nu? You are already much better than the half-savage we first found..."

A humph!

Wehther he objects to the idea he is no only HALF a savage, or what is hard to say

"Well-loved of me, discerning to fulfill
This labor, by slow prudence to make mild
A rugged people, and through soft degrees
Subdue them to the useful and the good." Bronte intones, and alights on the younger sluagh's shoulder. She preens his hair.

"Mmph nobody gonna subdue me, dragon.." he scratches her chin though between preening. "your grooming is like a thunderbolt."

She leeeaannnssss into it, eyes half-closed with happiness.

"I wish I had a book wyrm" The boy says.

"I think the Bookwyrm has us" Earl observes

"What about Frisby?"

"Frisby's great! I'm teaching my rat to eat eyeballs"

A whispered enthusiasm

"....ah..."

"Err?" Earl says

'Well, it's just candy ones. Mom won't let me use real ones"

"Ah. That is just as well."

Most agree with that.