Peter Lukas is in SO many newspaper articles. He apparently LOVES being in newspaper articles. Here he is at a charity gala for the Hospital Superbissima. Here he is at a meeting of the Malta Chamber of Commerce. Here he is as a founding member of the Malta Committee for the Protection of Morals. He is in SO many pictures and his eyes always look incredibly uncomfortable

Zoe's problem with libraries is that there are so many things that are totally irrelevant to what she cares about and she always gets bored before she finds something important. Having someone talk to her about whatever they're reading makes it less painfully boring.

"Or I can read the ones you aren't working with," Mordred says. He's excruciatingly polite, for a definition of polite most often used by university students; he's careful to take up less than his share of the available space and not to take an article the man is currently reading. He's friendly. Legitimate. There is no reason to object to his presence.

"Oh, no, it's fine? I don't want to inconvenience you? Here, take a look and see which clippings you need?"

"It's fine, really, you were here first. What are you looking for, I might have found something that'll help?"

"Oh, I'm just looking for information for my article about Malta's response to the Abyssinia crisis."

(He is in fact doing this, he's looking at articles about the Abyssinia crisis and Malta's foreign policy.)

"Sounds interesting, I'd like to read it when it's published?"

"Of course! It'll be in Il-Berqa? I don't know if you read Maltese?"

"I don't, unfortunately," and Araari knows Italian and some Arabic but that might not be enough to usefully translate. "I don't know what the etiquette is for asking about people's research around here, with other grad students I'd say 'pretend I asked the question that would get me the most interesting answer' but that might be horribly rude."

"Oh, I wouldn't call it research? We're just near Italy, you know, so there's a lot of questions about what our foreign policy is going to be what with Mussolini and all? I sure hope there's not a war."

"I hope so too. -- sorry, I don't think I got your name?"

"Adam Vizarri."

Smile. "Lucas Marsh. Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Vizarri."

"Pleasure to meet you too. What are you researching?"

Oh god now he has to figure out what he could be researching that it makes sense he'd want to read clippings on the Abynissia crisis and also that he can talk about if asked without sounding incredibly stupid to someone who lives here.

"Oh, I study linguistic development, nothing particularly relevant, but my friend is writing a paper on historical sailing routes in the Mediterranean and I owe her a favor."

"That doesn't sound very related to the Abyssinia Crisis?" Probably because I'm a moron, Martin's voice implies.

"I imagine it's not! But I'm trying to give her notes on approximately everything and she can sort out what she needs, it's really not my area."

"It's not my area either. I guess you knew that. Sorry."

"'S alright. Good luck with your article?" This is an awkward place to end a conversation but he needs to get out of here before he can lie in a stupid way again.

"Do you want me to make you a cup of tea? I'm getting one myself."

Aha that sounds like a great opportunity to trip himself up again. "No, but thank you."

He puts all of the articles and clippings he was using back where they belong and joins Oswald outside.

Meanwhile--

Oswald has gone outside for some air. It's stuffy in the offices of the Times of Malta. 

"Hello! Fancy seeing you here. Anchisa will be so excited."

"--I could say the same to you! Hello." He feels vaguely like he should tip his hat or something? And also like he should definitely run away.

"I guess our bosses had the same idea."