"We have no idea who does or doesn't know about the rift lady moon thing.

And -- so last night Montgomery specifically said that the ritual shouldn't fail, but if it did we have the rituals of self-denial as a backup. I don't know she meant herself but given the existence of a suicide note I am making an educated guess."

"...If we do this we're not going to get a chance to deal with the moon maw opening afterwards, are we. So either we wait until after whatever's going to happen with that has happened or we leave Malta without figuring out what's happened to Portia."

"I don't think we can delay closing the Mouth for something we barely know anything about. We can maybe wait past the next new moon."

"We don't actually have any reason to believe it's going to happen on the next new moon, or in any sort of timely manner at all, we thought it was going to happen on the last new moon and then it super didn't. --we could probably ask Montgomery and the Emporium about it, I bet they'd know more than we do."

"That's what I'm saying, we can maybe wait until the next new moon but we can't afford to wait indefinitely. --I think the Emporium is the next thing we need to discuss, it's the major part of the plan that we haven't discussed how to pull off."

"And then I think go to Donovan with this and ask her about security concerns and if she'd be willing to work with the Emporium on keeping people out."

"Yeah. As for the Emporium -- they don't know Zoe exists, they know you as that guy Anchisa likes, and they know me as Inaaya's weirdly sincere and bizarrely friendly boyfriend; I think I should invite them to some reasonably neutral location and then hand them the instructions to cast out the black pharaoh and offer whatever proof they need that we mean what we're saying. This plan is kind of stupid but I think any plan is going to be kind of stupid."

"And then if Montgomery agrees we can ask them to make sure people stay out and if she doesn't then she knows more than us about security. I think that's... all we're going to get before going to her."

Mordred presses his hands against his eyes. "Right. Cool. So... I'm going to go write to Donovan and tell her we'll get back to her in a couple days, and then I'm going to write to Mariam and invite the Emporium to, uh, a park or something tomorrow. Sound good?"

"As good as it's going to be."

"If the Emporium doesn't know I exist, should we keep it that way, or are you planning to introduce me?"

"I was thinking we'd introduce you? We could also not if you'd rather they not know you exist but it seems simpler to be lying as little as possible."

"It feels like it keeps some kind of option open if they don't know about me? But I don't know that we need it and lying as little as possible definitely does seem simpler."

"Anything else we need to figure out before we leave or are we good?"

"We're good, I think."

It is a lovely day in the park. An old couple plays chess; the woman makes a joke in Maltese and they both laugh and smile.

Inaaya is reading a book.

Mariam looks very calm and not at all tired.

Joan is very irritated that she can't open-carry guns in a Maltese park because that's "suspicious." She's concealed-carrying but it's the principle of the thing.

"Hi, James! James's friends!"

Zoe gives a tentative wave.

Oswald nods to them. "Hello."

"Hi! This is Oswald, this is Zoe --" Mariam might recall that Oswald was introduced to her as Michael, the first time, and that Zoe is the guard she talked to at the party not two days before -- "and guys this is Inaaya she's wonderful."

^_^

Mariam does indeed recall this.

"You had a message for us?"

"Yes! You might already know it but if you don't you should."

He has two copies each of the instructions to Cast Out the Black Pharaoh and the Rituals of Self Denial, which he hands to her.

"I am agnostic as to which of you and Louise can verify that these do what they say they do but I'm guessing at least one of you can."

"Louise. I don't have a head for magic."

"Captain Walker has decided to give Savitree spells? We didn't believe him to be a... metaphysician."