Annie shrugged. "Don' get me wrong, she's one helluva gal...it's just...well, thing've always been a li'l tense in Vienda, an' even the good gollies tend t'keep their feelin's an' intentions under wraps when they're out in public, ye chen? It ain't nothin' pers'nal, it's jus'...keepin' up appearances, ye might say."

The reporter turned to Shi, set down her mug and put her hands to her hips.

"Aye, I'm with Venadi on this 'un. What's this about a writ t'enter Vienda now?"

Finding the attention of the two women on her at a time she didn't expect it, Shi made a small gesture with the stick of fish cubes in her hand, indicating her mouth was full.
She hastened to swallow so she could answer.
"I heard that from Yellow Eyes." She had been asking a lot of questions about Vienda at the beginning of the Festival. Before she had understood this morbid curiosity wouldn't solve anything.

"After the riots, they decided the mess was the fault of the wicks, and that they didn't want any in the city." Not that I can fully disagree with them on that. Clocking tsuter kov pulling knives for just a strong word. "Then someone, I think I've heard about the Queen, remembered some tsat really had their home in the city, and authorized those to come back."
Was that really the Queen? Some parts of Anaxi politics still baffled the green-eyed witch, even after twenty years roaming the country. High Judge and Low Judge, King and Queen not being married, Brunnhold headmaster controlling them without controlling any... She'd like to have someone to clarify all that one day. But the only people able to do that were probably galdori. And she had learned quite long ago she wasn't worthy of asking them, whatever she thought she was.

"So now, wicks have to prove they're resident. Something about having a writ to prove you are. Or maybe you have to ask for the writ when you are? I didn't catch this one." It meant she wouldn't go to Vienda any more, that was the only certainty. Not that she cared much, now. She shrugged mentally, reinforcing it with another sip of ale.

She took a breath through her mouth, while her eyes were watering a little. That fish was hot, muching it quickly and adding beer on top had just revealed the full effect. So much for being Mugrobi-trained!

Harlin, in the meantime, had been busying himself at the buffet, and it was difficult to say which was more proportionally full of food: his mouth or his pockets. Small nuts and dried fruits exploded out of his outer jacket compartments while some of the larger items had disappeared into unfathomable depths. It was amazing, really, what he could fit in that thing (though he’d have to do some rearranging later. It might be a little embarrassing to reach for his riffs in a fight only to pull out a kabob). He had even accumulated his own little pile of debris at his feet, and the tankard Venadi had handed him only minutes before was long since empty. He couldn’t help it; talk of people he didn’t know and places he couldn’t go bored him indefinitely.

“They’ll give yeh one if yehve got reason tae be there,” he interrupted finally, still bent over a pile of meat sticks. He said this with a certain amount of disdain, as though the new law somehow constituted as a personal vendetta against him. Which he felt it did. Since, really, he never had a reason to be anywhere.

"Oh. That's why Jerzy said he couldn't come, then." Wendy murmured absently, frowning. "Seems a bit daft of Azmus to do that."

She didn't continue her thoughts, however. Politics had never been her strong point, and although she'd had the privilege to listen in on some of the luxurious dinners, she had found that most galdori didn't really formulate their opinions based on fact.

"I'll just have to pass as human. Me'n Via can do that well enough. I'll get rid of the blue in my hair..." She trailed off. Wendy would miss having blue hair. "At least my hair's grown back a bit."

"Well, that's good t'hear," Annie added. "It just so happens me writ be in me room in th'boardin' house where I used t'stay. I never figgered on needin' it t'get back inter the city, since I weren't filled in ahead o' time on folk what wanted to cause trouble."

Annie's brow creased in thought. Will they let me in t'get me writ t'prove I'm s'posed t'be there, I wonder?

She turned to Venadi. "Aye, ye'd think so. I lived in Vienda fer almost ten years. Wicks make up quite a bit o' the economy in town. Kickin' 'em all out is like...like...like throwin' all yer money down th'drain an' burnin' down yer house t'boot!" Annie shook her head. "Don't make a damn bit o' sense."

Annie tilted her head to the side, looking over Venadi's hair. "Ye might need t'cut it all one length, just t'be safe. That er cut yer bangs shorter. Most humans don't have quite that type o', um, style?" The reporter wasn't entirely sure if that was the right word for it.

Shi frowned when Annie mentionned her writ. She thought her a Red Crow, and now she was a Vienda citizen?
Something was not adding here. The Crow weren't known to be amicable to settling down.

Ah, it's their business. Enjoy the evening. She wasn't sure she was really enjoying it, but listening to these people did sure beat trying to sleep alone in a corner while everybody was rejoicing.
She finished her mug, grabbed Annie's and Harlin's, and went for a refill. She heard the blond witch and the passive discuss politics, and tried to insert a question, but she was too occupied holding three mugs in two hands. Not counting the unfinished fish stick held by her pinky.

Coming back, she pushed the top mug on Harlin's chest for him to take it. When freed, she put Annie's back on her table, and tried to interrupt the conversation on hair.
"I never understood this thing about Anaxi politics. Why do you have two judges? What's the Low Judge doing?"

"Haven't the foggiest." Wendy said cheerfully, eying the fish that Shi had picked up. She wanted some of that... Her eyes scanned the table until she found the sticks with fish on them and she picked one up, taking a bite gingerly. She wasn't sure if she liked eating food that was staring back at her, but it was delicious enough that she was willing to ignore it.

"Maybe he's there just in case Azmus dies? What was his name? Stoopy? Something like that?"

She took another bite out of her fish and licked her lips.