Starling

Fanart by Shyranno

Starling is the Jolly Good Person's former servant. Although they are mentioned several times, they do not appear in *Cakes and Ale*. They left the Jolly Good Person's service due to The Incident (scandal selectable) a month before the start of *Cakes and Ale*. They provided only one week's notice (contractually allowed in cases of grave scandal). They are humorless, punctilious, officious, moral, respectable, old-fashioned, polished, and somewhat smarmy.

Starling provided polish and culture to the Jolly Good Person's life. They advised their employer on "all matters olfactory," approving of the citrus fragrance and discarding the beetroot-and-fermented-tea fragrance sample. They recommended Virginia Woolf novels to the Jolly Good Person.

## Cakes and Ale

### Chapter 1

The Jolly Good Person recalls the events leading up to Starling's resignation. Starling resigned as soon as their employer's scandal became public. When the Jolly Good Person calls the Cadbury Club, Millicent Chamberlain reveals that Starling has spoken ill of them. If the Jolly Good Person attempts to complain to her about Starling's behavior, she insists that "Starling's reputation is sterling."

The Jolly Good Person may recall Starling thinking that boxes of factory-made cereals were gauche and reflected poorly upon their character. Starling once warned them about there "being limits to comfort when one goes about in public." At *Ducks and Drakes*, Fitzie reveals that Starling did not like working for the Jolly Good Person and told unflattering stories that went back years. Fitzie claims that "nobody got on with Starling." The Jolly Good Person may recollect that they were "a meticulous stickler for the truth."

### Chapter 2

Starling may have taught the Jolly Good Person how to pick locks after they bought a locking diary, lost the key, and asked Starling to pick the lock for them every time. The Jolly Good Person notes that Fitzie is not as tidy as Starling was.

During the interview, Jill Bitterberry reveals that Starling said they regret the unfortunate nature of how they left the Jolly Good Person's service, took some pride in working for them, and given evidence of them amending their ways, would consider returning to their employ.

### Chapter 3

If Fitzie approaches the Jolly Good Person to share a dream, the Jolly Good Person reflects that Starling would never have sat next to them on a couch or put their feet on the table. If Fitzie and the Jolly Good Person walk side by side, the Jolly Good Person recalls that Starling always walked one pace behind them.

### Chapter 5

If the Jolly Good Person once befriended Periwinkle Wigglesworth, Starling disapproved.

### Chapter 6

The Jolly Good Person may recall Starling making them take their tea steeped at 95.5 degrees Celsius. They may also recall that Starling used to maintain premises on Round Hill Road, a side street off of Hill Round.

Starling did not approve of the Jolly Good Person talking on the phone as they felt it sapped their energies and would instead encourage them to go outside and take a stimulating walk and attend improving lectures.

### Chapter 7

Upon waking, the Jolly Good Person may call for Starling and remember how attentive they were.

### Chapter 8

If the Jolly Good Person goes to Rory Wintermint's place for tea and Rory employs Snood, Snood's officiousness, judgment, and formality remind the Jolly Good Person of Starling. The lower the Jolly Good Person rates Fitzie on their evaluation, the better Starling likes the Jolly Good Person.

## Starling on the Jolly Good Person

Starling said that the Jolly Good Person was "at best a haphazard flosser" (Millicent Chamberlain, Chapter 1)

Starling said that the Jolly Good Person's nose sometimes made a sound "like a slide whistle" when reading or thinking (Fitzie, Chapter 1)

Starling considers the Jolly Good Person "someone who is prone to poor decisions, who needs a firm hand at all times, lest [their] more impulsive nature get the best of [them]" (Jill Bitterberry, Chapter 2).

## Quotes about Starling

"*Starling was most unsuitable. The Cadbury Club prides itself on servants that stick with one through thick and thin, demonstrating loyalty and innovative solutions to knotty dilemmas. Starling's response to my getting involved in a difficult situation was to depart post haste. This is not what I call the Cadbury experience*." (The Jolly Good Person, Chapter 1)

"*Nobody got on with Starling. Don't get me started on Starling. No sense of humor*." (Fitzie, Chapter 1)

"*Starling was a pip. Always banging on my doors and windows and telling me to please 'decrease the volume of that so-called musical entertainment.' Sometimes we would turn the music way up and then place wagers about when Starling would arrive*." (Periwinkle Wigglesworth, Chapter 5)

"*Starling is one of our very finest servants*." (Millicent Chamberlain, Chapter 6)