Kingmakers
"I greet you in honour, Zim-Starboecks-Zim."
"Zim-Venatori-Zim."
"My sons and my daughter, Doppio Starboecks, Longo Starboecks and Djase Starboecks."
"There are things to discuss, things for ears only amongst our numbers."
"My children are all candidate initiates!"
"I'll welcome them as full candidates, when the time comes."
"All right, Djase, Doppio, Longo, you'll excuse me."
"Sure dad."
"All right, Malakhant, what is it?"
"They've been outmanoeuvering us."
"I know, she's dancing around Imravar Venatori."
"Your whelp could hardly have been thought to dangle her over his knee. She's twice his age, you don't teach an old monkey how to spit."
"Indeed, but he's only a few years older than her adoptive sister's son..."
"Who was older by some margin... And who wouldn't have swaddled your son in waddling and hand him a bib so much as do that and make it sound like it was his idea... We were lucky Amalthéa was younger, and we worked to keep them estranged as much as possible..."
"Lot of good it did us, they had been raised as close as sisters already, whatever degree of estrangement we achieved was minimal. The male sides of The Elemental Ten will laugh at us for our lack of progress, against such mere women."
"Against Advantage, we haven't had a good record, even for quite some years."
"Centuries, it's been quite some time since men have had parity."
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