Follow up on H&M chapter 8, anonymous readers
There are some new readers, yes, aehtna, Miseria-Veritas, and traveler from nowhere I am looking at you. Thanks for the alerts and favs and if you have a question, feel free to drop by over here on an anon basis.
I've been trying to tell myself that the very slow trickle of feedback on the latest H&M is due to something other than the thud of story fail. I had thought the new chapter 8 was more interesting and better than the previous one (Two Hearts Day vs. smashball?, attempted murder vs. ladies lunch? sex vs squabble?), so the sudden and huge drop (again) is concerning. Chapter 8 has barely half that of 7 so when I say BIG DROP I mean it and this was exactly what happened in chapter 4 of H&M and after chapter 18 in TQSiT. As I've had, in the last week, the thud of work fail, car fail, dog fail, parenting fail, and childcare fail, I admit this might just be paranoia on my part and as Doctor Dolly mentioned, problems with ff.net notifications and such. But of course I don't know. So, I will hold off another few days before posting 9 or throwing the laptop into the river to give readers a chance to find and read 8. Those who did find and read it mentioned maybe seeing Harold wandering a bit around Narrowhaven when the grass isn't painted green, so I might add something there. There's room for it as Harold the clerk, secretary, lackey, and bag carrier is now consulting detective and he would be visiting the apothecary and the sweet shop -- a scene with Jina in the apothecary is in the original outline actually. So, when I can breathe and think again, I may add to it.
What follows isn't Narrowhaven, but is a glimpse inside Stanleh, and it amused me and so I hope you.
Maeve swayed on her feet and Edmund crossed to her side and relieved her of the urn before she dropped it.
“You there!” he said to a dawdling cook. “The AD would like more coffee, please.”
Maeve humphed at his presumption, but the cook did bolt toward the hearth and start banging pots around.
Jina approached and Maeve stared down at her. “You brought Morgan’s pet dog? Better not let Criat see.”
Criat was the cranky Stanleh housekeeper.
“She is a Hound, Maeve, and as for the reason I am here, we are trying to trace a package that arrived this morning for the ADs with the courier.”
Maeve yawned. “Sorry. We’ve been up all night.” She blinked and sharpened. “You said there was a package for the ADs?”
“Yes.”
Looking remarkably crafty for someone so fagged, she pushed him back through the Kitchens toward the Stanleh delivery room. “Was it something for Pierce? From someone?”
Edmund allowed her to steer him. Maeve was compromised, to be sure, but he was more likely to learn something useful when she was in such an unguarded state. “As it happens, yes, it was for AD Pierce.”
Maeve’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “Do you know who it’s from? It wasn’t that junior Banker from Sterns, was it? The blonde with the big smile?”
“No, Maeve,” Edmund said, finding her spurt of vivid jealousy amusing and disquieting. “It was nothing like that.” He pitied the Sterns clerk with the big smile; Maeve was just the sort to knock the teeth out of a romantic rival’s mouth. At that moment, she was reminding him of a particularly fierce Eagle defending her mate from other encroaching females.
I've been trying to tell myself that the very slow trickle of feedback on the latest H&M is due to something other than the thud of story fail. I had thought the new chapter 8 was more interesting and better than the previous one (Two Hearts Day vs. smashball?, attempted murder vs. ladies lunch? sex vs squabble?), so the sudden and huge drop (again) is concerning. Chapter 8 has barely half that of 7 so when I say BIG DROP I mean it and this was exactly what happened in chapter 4 of H&M and after chapter 18 in TQSiT. As I've had, in the last week, the thud of work fail, car fail, dog fail, parenting fail, and childcare fail, I admit this might just be paranoia on my part and as Doctor Dolly mentioned, problems with ff.net notifications and such. But of course I don't know. So, I will hold off another few days before posting 9 or throwing the laptop into the river to give readers a chance to find and read 8. Those who did find and read it mentioned maybe seeing Harold wandering a bit around Narrowhaven when the grass isn't painted green, so I might add something there. There's room for it as Harold the clerk, secretary, lackey, and bag carrier is now consulting detective and he would be visiting the apothecary and the sweet shop -- a scene with Jina in the apothecary is in the original outline actually. So, when I can breathe and think again, I may add to it.
What follows isn't Narrowhaven, but is a glimpse inside Stanleh, and it amused me and so I hope you.
Maeve swayed on her feet and Edmund crossed to her side and relieved her of the urn before she dropped it.
“You there!” he said to a dawdling cook. “The AD would like more coffee, please.”
Maeve humphed at his presumption, but the cook did bolt toward the hearth and start banging pots around.
Jina approached and Maeve stared down at her. “You brought Morgan’s pet dog? Better not let Criat see.”
Criat was the cranky Stanleh housekeeper.
“She is a Hound, Maeve, and as for the reason I am here, we are trying to trace a package that arrived this morning for the ADs with the courier.”
Maeve yawned. “Sorry. We’ve been up all night.” She blinked and sharpened. “You said there was a package for the ADs?”
“Yes.”
Looking remarkably crafty for someone so fagged, she pushed him back through the Kitchens toward the Stanleh delivery room. “Was it something for Pierce? From someone?”
Edmund allowed her to steer him. Maeve was compromised, to be sure, but he was more likely to learn something useful when she was in such an unguarded state. “As it happens, yes, it was for AD Pierce.”
Maeve’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “Do you know who it’s from? It wasn’t that junior Banker from Sterns, was it? The blonde with the big smile?”
“No, Maeve,” Edmund said, finding her spurt of vivid jealousy amusing and disquieting. “It was nothing like that.” He pitied the Sterns clerk with the big smile; Maeve was just the sort to knock the teeth out of a romantic rival’s mouth. At that moment, she was reminding him of a particularly fierce Eagle defending her mate from other encroaching females.