"Dreadfully bland. And not enough fish-- although I understand that is different in India and you miss curry instead."

"I'm from Bombay, I miss cumin more than curry-- but yes."

"Sinope is an unusual name. Is it from an Indian language I haven't heard before?"

"--ah. No, it's-- I'm Marathi, usually you'd take your father or husband's name? So I'd be Inaaya and then the name of whoever I married? Except, when I left Bombay, in the absence of a father or a husband, I just-- picked something out. Sinope is the most recently discovered moon of Jupiter."

"In a sense you are married to science." He laughs.

Smile. "In a sense. Inaaya Ramanujan Sinope. After the moon and the mathematician. --I was twelve."

He smiles. "You were a charming child, Miss Sinope."

He returns to showing her the star charts.

Blushing is forbidden and not allowed but star charts are excellent.

When the star chart book has been concluded, Sano says, "I do have a certain amount of common feeling for another... stranger in a strange land."

She nods, slightly cautiously.

(Inaaya's seen his office; she's not sure they have much in common at all.)

(...except for love of the stars. And that part's important. But.)

"How may I contact you if I have another book of interest?"

"I live at--" and she gives her address, which is actually Joan's address, which is a boarding-house mostly populated by dockworkers. "Or I spend most of my time at the library, if that's easier."

"Thank you, Miss Sinope."

Inaaya kind of thinks she's clearly the person benefitting, here. She doesn't say that. "Thank you, Mr. Sano."

Meanwhile--

Oscar sends Simone a note apologizing profusely for his bad behavior and inviting her to the shop to pick out a book-- her choice. "I can't help but feel that I added to what you were going through, and I'm sorry for that". It's a somewhat vague note but overall sincere.

He makes a mental note to apologize to that kid-- Sal?-- the next time he sees him around the shop, if he hasn't scared him off. He has a new edition of Shelley he thinks Sal will like a lot.

Simone doesn't answer. Some things are better not to poke at.

The next time Sal is at the shop he is very appreciative of the new Shelley edition. "I hope you're feeling better."

"I hope you're feeling better! You all fled a riot and then had to put up with me. Thanks, though, I am. Never had that kind of attack before, and knock on wood I don't think I will again. --You haven't, uh, happened to hear from the others?" Oscar asks, hoping he sounds casual and conversational. In fact it's both ridiculous and boorish to ask; this kid is virtually always alone when Oscar sees him.

"Just Simone. She might not be in for a while, I don't really know, she's always got something going on. Conspiratorially: "I keep thinking about asking Terrence about the play but then, well, I'd have to talk to Terrence about the play." About the second half in particular, as she didn't manage to catch any dialogue, but Oscar seems more at ease being mean about people than discussing things he missed out on.

"Simone seemed like it was pretty rough on her. I hope she's doing better." And that's all he's going to allow himself to say about Simone! "Don't ask Terrence about that play, I doubt he understands it. Some people like to feel like they're in on something special, you know."

"He does go on and on."

"How else will he let the masses know he's one of the elect? --Sorry, I promise I'm kidding. Terrence is a perfectly nice guy, no doubt a brilliant academic mind." He's smiling. "I just get the sense that the first act is nothing and then the second act is a different, more pretentious flavor of nothing. Maybe it's a good thing I passed out?"

"Maybe. I'm not sure I could even tell you what happened. It was very dark and I couldn't make out the words at all, the sort of thing you get when you're trying for a very artistic effect and forgetting you have an audience."

"'Very artistic effect' sounds maybe generous. So the riot was the most exciting thing that happened, eh? I think that violence might have gotten to me, unconsciously... I woke up and had this feeling that something terrible was going to happen. No idea what! I guess it must have been convincing enough for me to embarrass myself in front of everyone."

Meanwhile--

Terrence wants to go see the King in Yellow again.