[Dragaera] Interesting answers, thanks.

[Davdi Silverrock]

Dzur spoilers, still:

The
birds
betook
them
all
to
peep,
it
would
have
made
a
grown
man
weep,
Fa la la-n-fa,
da-n-da da-n-fa,
lanky down dilly.

On 8/27/06, Steve Rapaport wrote:

> > Davdi sez:
> > Oh, and in addition to everything else I posted about, I think there
> > is also the psychological  aspect of saving "face".  Cawti has a
> > certain status in the Jhereg, and respect from potential associates
> > based on her reputation, and self-love based on her strengths and
> > integrity.
> >
> > Giving in to the Left Hand on the matter of South Adrilankha would
> > lessen all of those, causing her to lose face.
>
>
> Nope, this one I don't buy, since having Vlad come in to save her is equally
> a loss of face for her, as she makes quite clear both before and after.

No, it's embarrassing to her to need help, but it's a minor and
personal and quasi-private loss-of-face. It's nowhere near as huge as
a public failure to maintain some control over South A would be.

>
>  If it weren't, she would have asked for help from Vlad before.
>

Well, he was entirely incommunicado until he showed up.  And it *was*
an embarrassment to need his help, as you note.


>
> > But it might be more generally that Daymar (and Aibynn, come to think
> > of it) are just so alien to him in the way they think.  And yes, he's
> > had some time to get used to the difference in thought processes, but
> > I think it still confuses him, and throws him off balance.
>
>
> Yeah, yeah, yeah, but.  Since his early experiences with Daymar he's
> accustomed himself to alien thinking like Morrolan's, Sethra's, and even
> made some progress with Verra.  I felt he should have Daymar nearly solved
> by now.
>

Perhaps the point with those you mention is that Morrolan, Sethra and
Verra understand Vlad's modes of expression, and can adapt themselves
to it.  They understand his dry humor, irony, sarcasm, and outright
snarkiness, and sometimes respond in kind, or at least cope.  Sethra
especially adapts well to almost all personalities and modes of
communication; and of course Verra is already pretty damn snarky
herself.

Aibynn & Daymar have an outlook which is far more alien to Vlad; they
don't have a strong understanding of humorous inversion and absurdity.

In brief:  They don't banter.  Vlad loves to banter.  Vlad tries to
banter with them.  A&D don't get it.  Vlad gets annoyed that they
don't get it.

Now that he has Teldra, he may adapt better to their mode of communication.

But also note that in /Dzur/, Vlad is already nervous and annoyed
because Loiosh was being tracked. Humor and banter relax him, but
again, Daymar, when he shows up when Vlad is in that nervous state,
doesn't get the banter.  Which annoys Vlad and leaves him unsoothed.