Heavenly Bodies

The third episode of Tremontaine.

## Synopsis

Diane leaves home to visit the Balam compound, taking an unmarked carriage.

Rafe is woken by Joshua so that he can make de Bertel's lecture, as he can't afford to miss any more lectures. He learns that he did an impression of de Bertel the night before, and in front of de Bertel. He has no idea who he had sex with the night before, and Joshua warns him that when he has sex with the same man twice, he'll have no idea what to do. Rafe swears that this won't happen.

Kaab follows Ben, who goes into a tavern briefly. After he leaves, Kaab goes into the tavern, and the barmaid flirts with her. Kaab learns that Tess the Hand is not a prostitute, but a forger, and that Ben is not her pimp, but her protector, and that they are not lovers. She also learns that Ben prefers men, but will sleep with anyone for the right price.

De Bertel baits Rafe until Rafe responds, then informs Rafe that the Board of Governors met that morning and passed the proposal to allow professors to choose which examination committees they will sit on, and de Bertel intends to put himself on Rafe's examination committee, thus dashing Rafe's hopes of passing his exams, becoming a master, and founding his own school. Rafe makes as graceful an exit from the lecture as he can, then runs into William, who agrees to tell Rafe how he voted if Rafe comes to his home.

Diane arrives at the Balam compound at least a day before she was expected. Kaab maneuvers herself into Chuleb's office so that she can overhear Chuleb's conversation with Diane. Diane proposes an alliance with the Balam, offering to help lower the tarriff on chocolate. After Diane leaves, Kaab blunts Chuleb's anger by pointing out where Diane made mistakes, specifically in not realizing that Kinwiinik women have any authority. Kaab also recognizes one of Diane's tells, a tendency to chatter when thrown off balance.

Micah writes another letter home.

Rafe explains to William that he had only one possible combination of instructors that could form a committee that would allow him to pass his exams. He goes on to explain his theories and dreams. They have sex. William explains that he voted for the proposal because he believed that masters produced by the University lacked credibility if students chose their teachers for their exams. He says that he will work to reverse the decision, but that this will take until at least next year.

Rafe leaves the room and encounters Diane. He yells at her, unaware of how he hits a nerve when he says that he hopes she loses everything and has to "wander the streets". Diane's day gets worse when Ben sends her a paper that, as he thought, admits him into her presence. He shows her an object which has to be the locket his father gave him, and leaves it with her, presumably in return for her agreement to give him a large sum of money. Whatever he knows, it threatens Diane with something worse than the loss of Highcombe.

Micah is agitated when Doctor Volney makes a mistake while lecturing. Rafe calms her down with math, but Doctor Volney tells her not to come to any of his lectures. When she does not understand that she has been disinvited, he leaves the room.

Kaab meets Rafe and Micah in a tavern and accidentally reveals to them that the earth rotates around the sun, and that knowledge of this fact is what allows the Kinwiinik to sail to the Land. When Rafe notes that his merchant father would find this interesting, Kaab realizes the mistake she has made, potentially catastrophic, and tries to minimize it by saying that the earth is not shaped like a sphere, but like an ellipsoid.

Rafe leaves to take nightly measurements, but finds himself returning to William instead. Diane receives a letter from Chuleb which indicates that he is willing to consider an alliance. However, Ben is still a problem. Diane givens Reynald instructions, as he is the house swordsman least likely to question her orders. As Diane attends a dinner party, a dead man floats on the river near Riverside.

## Timeline

The night before: Rafe does a de Bertel impression--in front of de Bertel.

This morning: Board of Governors voted about the proposal that
students are not the ones who choose their examination committee.

Kaab follows Ben into a tavern. He's heading to the Hill. Tess is out on a job.

Diane visits Balaams, apparently early. Yet, the student protest was "last week" when it can't have been more than four days ago. Presumably, somewhere in here was the formally end of one week and beginning of the next.

Rafe and William have sex. Rafe meets and insults Diane on his way out.

Ben tries to blackmail Diane.

Doctor Volney bars Micah from his lectures.

Kaab accidentally reveals to Rafe and Micah that the Earth
circles the Sun and that the Kinwiinik know this. Desperately, she tries
to convince them that the Earth is shaped not like a sphere, but like an
 ellipsoid.

Rafe returns to William. Diane reads a letter from Chuleb. She summons Reynald. Later, she attends a dinner party, and a body floats down the river near Riverside.

## Arc / Plot Points

Rafe takes nightly measurements. Apparently, he has an orrery, although it is never shown.

Tess is a forger, the best in Riverside, and Ben is her protector.

The disaster from Kaab's mission in the Tullan Empire is connected with the woman Citlali. This also involved a "forged treaty, the treachery of the Nopalco Court, the desperate flight before dawn". Exactly what constitutes the Nopalco Court is an interesting question, given that last episode established that the Tullan Empire destroyed it.

Diane proposes an alliance between herself and the Kinwiinik, hoping to lower the import tax on chocolate in return for money to pay off the Highcombe mortgage. The Balam are at least willing to consider such an alliance.

Diane does not know much about Kinwiinik culture, but does take chocolate the way they do when she is their guest.

Diane chatters when caught off balance.

Rafe's chance of founding a school depends on his passing his exams. Rafe's chance of passing his exams depends on his being able to decide who was on his committee. Only one combination would work, and with de Bertel putting himself on the committee, Rafe has no chance of passing.

Kaab lets slip to Micah and Rafe that the earth rotates around the sun and that knowing this is essential to navigating by water. On realizing what she has done, Kaab tries to muddy the waters by telling them that earth is shaped like an ellipsoid.

If people from the Land can reach the lands of the Kinwiinik, they might be able to break the Balam monopoly on the chocolate trade. This would not only be bad for the Balam, but also for the Kinwiinik, as it would give the Tullan Empire an opening to attack. Kinwiinik lives depend on the secrets of navigation being kept from the Xamanwiinik.

Ben goes to the Hill and speaks with Diane. He and his locket represent a threat worse than the loss of Highcombe to her. He leaves the locket with her.

After Ben leaves, Diane instructs the house swordsman Reynald, and later that night, a body is floating in the river.

Reynald is the House Tremontaine swordsman least likely to ask questions about his orders.

William and Rafe have become lovers, despite William having voted in favor of the proposal that dashed Rafe's dreams.

## Cultural and World Information

Nine Beans is a Kinwiinik game that requires more than three people to be less than tedious.

Blinded Hunter is a Kinwiinik party game.

The Kinwiinik take their chocolate very spicy.

The Kinwiinik know that the earth is a sphere and revolves around the sun. The people of the Land do not.

The Green God is one of the deities of the Land.

Previous generations' scholars of the land include Rastin, who wrote Considerations and is held in high regard by conservative elements of the University; Chickering, who believed the earth moved and tried to murder his mother because his dog had died; Chesney, who wrote Observations on the Nature of Heaviness and Light as well as On the Velocity of Falling Bodies; Delphin, who mapped the stars; Trevor; Delgardie; and Fontanus.

## Trivia

* Rafe Fenton is writing a book called On the Causes of Nature.
* Rafe asks Joshua if he's "gotten into the Delight again". Presumably, this is Fool's Delight.