"Costumes encourage conduct which otherwise might be repressed," said Milo.
"Don't ask me how I know; the idea just came to me."
Wayness said: "I've always assumed that people picked out costumes representing parts they wanted to play."
"In many cases, that's the same thing," said Glawen.
"There are always more demons and half-naked maenads strolling around the Quadrangle than nice little birds or baskets of fruit."
Wayness asked mischievously: "What is your costume to be? A nice bird?"
"No," said Glawen.
"I shall be a black demon, sometimes invisible-which is to say, when the lights go out."
"I'll be just a thing in a sack," said Milo.
"In that way I escape, or at least confuse, all attempts at psychoanalysis."
"You'd be more comfortable as a Pierrot," said Wayness.
"Also less conspicuous." She told Glawen: "Milo feels that ostentation indicates an insipid personality."
"I'll have to give the matter some thought," said Milo.
"Now, if you'll excuse me, I think I will be off to bed."
"And I as well," said Wayness.
"Goodnight, Glawen."
"Goodnight."
Glawen went to his own chambers. Scharde looked him over and said: "You seem none the worse for your ordeal."
Glawen spoke with nonchalance: "It wasn't as bad as I expected especially when I thought of Aries marching on patrol around the compound fence."
"That compensates for a great deal," said Scharde.
"What do you think of your seven-foot Naturalists?"
"They're not an embarrassment."
"That's a relief."
"At first it wasn't all that easy. I thought they would want to talk about ecology and the most nutritious kinds of fish oil, but when I brought these subjects up, they showed very little interest. Eventually I opened a bottle of Green Zoquel, and the talk went more easily. I still find them a bit stiff."
"Away from home and in new surroundings they probably feel uncomfortable and shy."
Glawen gave his head a dubious shake.
"Why should they be shy? They're well-mannered and nicely dressed, and even handsome, in a quiet sort of way. Though the girl is a trifle plain."
Scharde raised his eyebrows.
"Plain? I had a different impression. Agreed, she's not buxom, but her face glows with intelligence; she's a pleasure to look at... What did you finally find to talk about?"
"I told them about Sisco and the stolen gear. They were very much interested much more than I had expected. It seems that at Stroma the Yips are a major political issue."
"So I am told," said Scharde.
"One faction is ready for changes; at least, it renounces force and violence as instruments of policy. The second faction is made up of old-fashioned Naturalists, who aren't all that squeamish.
They want the Yips either to stop breeding or to leave Cadwal, or both. The Conservator must be neutral, but privately he seems to lean toward the Chartists."
"Milo put it even more strongly, especially after he heard Chilke's theory."
"You're ahead of me there," said Scharde.
"What is Chilke's theory?"
"He thinks that the Yips have been stealing flyers from us a piece at a time. He says that the inventory records, even though they are a mess, indicate something of the sort."
"That's an interesting notion."
"Milo put it this way: "If the Yips steal flyers, it means that they want to fly somewhere. If they steal guns, it means that they want to shoot someone."" Scharde rubbed his chin.
"And all because you pulled the trigger on an empty gun."
