Marlatia is suddenly casting a larger international shadow than it used to. They have surpluses of everything and interesting technology they're building up a base to homemake-and-customize and alien visitors and islands that were not there before and it is rumored that the King and Queen and those closest to them have powers beyond those of mere spellbinders.

For example, a decent fraction of the royal household now has Allspeak and Cricket is under strict instructions to confine his yowling to moments when no one who is not supposed to know what he's yowling about is present.

Accordingly, he has crashed this game of Governor that Iobel and Mitros are playing on Loki's suggestion and muttering from Iobel's lap about how isn't it appropriate that he should play GAMES with her because he PLAYED GAMES with her HEART.

"Kitty, you sound ridiculous. Also, you said the same thing when it was a fourteen-person game of card chips."

"I do not care."

And that is when someone knocks to let them know that there's a petitioner with an unusual story; he's willing to wait, but they might want to hear about it sooner?