Most loved Zann,

The broadsheet I usually read is the Woodchuck. It has that writer I like, Emeraldo, and sometimes they have good comic drawings. Here’s what was in today’s.

• a story by Emeraldo about a roosttower with a new lauran landlord who is ignoring complaints
• an obviously made-up story by that pissard Mardle, trying to drum up hate against Amaydyans
• lyrics to a new tavern song, “Blood in the River”
• descriptions of new fashions for women, using gauzy lauran fabrics
• a comic drawing of a cat sharpening her claws on one of the new black spires
• a description of yesterday’s longball games out at Sarpan Field
• a description of the execution, at Blackfloors, of a man and a woman for “great crimes” that weren’t specified
• the latest chapter of a romance. It’s about a human man and lauran woman who have to travel to Omhelos together. I haven’t been following it closely. Every time I look at it there’s a storm that forces them to stay in some roadside hostelry where there’s only one bed available
• and of course the usual nonsensus in the personal column. “7 TBC m.” “Alleycat? Come to RR 12. Look for the red shoe.” “Clock flourish slow which.” Must mean something to someone

Not to get into parts of my past that I don’t want to talk about, but I do hear a lot about these broadsheets being used for political purposes, to build up support for this faction or that one, or to send secret messages. And it’s obviously true. I don’t care about any of it and I’m not going to join a faction, but it is nice to be able to read these things and remember what I used to care about. It’s one of the only things about younger Ybel that I can stand to think about.

Love,

Ybel