Hallowe'en 2008 10

"Congratulations. New piece for the crown jewels?" Nico grinned at the king insolently.

"Oh, sure. Do you think it matches my eyes?" he asked, narrowing them several times - which was, where he came from, something akin to fluttering eyelashes. He'd more or less forgotten his character already. In his opinion, he made a rotten evil king.

"Wait a - hmm," Weft added, putting two and two together for once (he hoped he didn't sound too like Suitov, making thoughtful noises like that). He turned away for a moment, putting a hand in his pocket. He had noticed that that other thing seemed to have been drilled through...

When he looked Nico's way again, he'd threaded the heart acorn onto the chain. He held it out to offer to her, and very funny it looked too, shinily dangling from his midnight death gauntlet.

She lifted a hand to it, not quite grasping it, so that if he'd let it go it would slip into her grip.

"For me? To keep?" She was pleasantly surprised, as well as amused.

"Yep! Well, if you want. I can't keep it."

Instead of letting it drop, Weft started waggling it, just enough to catch the light. He was grinning.

That at least saved him from being asked if it was a flirst this time.

"Thank you." She got up and gripped the bauble in the same movement.

Weft let it go and looked pleased.

Then he took off his own headpiece, since everyone else was doing likewise or had been bare-headed anyway. Besides, the spiked helmet-crown was making his head quite warm. His hair hadn't been dyed, so it was its usual unreflective grey.

He'd have been quite uncomfortable if Nico had mentioned flirting, actually.

"I'm not altogether sure it goes with the snake, though," he added.

Helmine, in the meantime, finally managed to vocalise the words: "What kind of party is this?" She even managed to sound a little confused instead of suspicious... which she was.

"Quite," agreed the magician, who very much wanted to know how somebody had apparently known he was going to be here.

The others might have been invited - even, possibly, that cagey assassin - but he and his dog had most definitely walked in by chance. Or had they.

"Look, if they feed us..." said the very same dog, who had in the meantime acquired a rawhide bone twice as long as his head. He did sound doubtful, though.

Suitov quirked an eyebrow at that impassive porcelain horse-mask.

"An expensive one for the organisers?" Nico suggested, unconcerned. It had been this time of the year, so she'd shown up, and quite enjoyed the treasure hunt - would have, even with just the fireworks. She looked from the floating horse to the fake gentry, wondering what problem the latter saw that she didn't, and back, in case there was something like an explanation forthcoming.

"I was more wondering how it seems to have been known in advance that certain of us would show up here," Suitov gently said.

The servant clicked her heels and said nothing yet.

"I was wondering about the expenses, personally," Helmine muttered, thumping two steps closer to the servant. She had of course closed her fist around the jewel, quite hoping she could keep it. "And who's talented enough to pull off illusions like this, too."

Nico shrugged and looked at Weft, in case he had any question to add. The chain was wrapped around her hand, acorn dangling.

"I was wondering... where Helmine got her boots?" Weft tried, not sure what was expected of him.

After a chuckle, Nico turned to Suitov again.

"So, what are you talking about? That someone had to be able to read that notation to solve the last puzzle part?"

"Yes." Actually no, but he had no intention of listing all the things that had made him suspicious.

The servant made a slight bow in Helmine's direction, then the same to the others.

She said "Naturally, we aim to provide our honoured guests with a good time. I could tell you much more if it were not the answer to this riddle --

"My first begins a Song,
my next's the end of time;
my third's in neck and scratch,
my fourth in sword and prime:
a comb upon its side;
a headless scarecrow-frame;
now put my parts together
and you shall learn my name.

"Enjoy your prizes, ladies and alpha. Good evening, your lordship and good brother." There was a puff of straw and the servants - all of them - vanished.

"Oh, that went well," said Weft. "Next time, leave the talking to me."

Nico found the "comb upon its side"-one somehow familiar, which gave her a start.

"Ends with ee tee... starts with es..." She looked into the middle distance and tried to puzzle out the rest. It would have been easier if she saw things written down.

"Set?" suggested Weft, undoing his cloak of raven despair and hanging it over one arm.

He had no idea what Suitov seemed to be finding so pleasing over there. That particular detached, affectionate smile of his irritated Weft. It generally meant Suitov had seen a joke Weft hadn't.

"No, three letters between es and ee. Though 'end of time' is ee, too." Nico said distractedly.

"Settee," said Weft proudly.

"Ends in ee tee, not tee ee. And the third can't be tee, because that's not in 'neck'. What's in 'neck' and 'scratch' both? Not en, not ee... cee or kay?" She could certainly read this better than spell.