Haik did as told, leaning against a side wall, below a lamp that cast a yellow, flickering glow. Because she rarely thought about her appearance, she did not realize how she looked, her red fur and green eyes shining. Half the women in the audience wanted to have sex with her; half the men wished she were male. How could a woman of her age be so naïve? By thinking too much and living too long in the glum family Tulwar became after the Drowning.
The play was about a sulwith an enormous penis. Dapple played him in an animal mask. The penis, of which he was so proud, was longer than she was and limp, so it dragged on the ground. The sultripped over it often, while he bragged about his masculine power and the lovers he’d had, all men of extraordinary beauty and talent. Once he was established as an irritating braggart, a tliappeared, played by the company’s second actor. The two animals got into a betting contest, and the tliwon the sul’s penis, which struck the audience as funny. Getting it off was a problem, which struck the audience as even funnier. Finally, the sulstormed off, bereft of his male member and vowing revenge.
Now the tlidelivered a soliloquy, while holding the huge limp object. Fine to win, the tlisaid, but he had no use for a penis this large. His own was adequate for his purposes; and the sulwould come back with friends and weapons to reclaim the penis. This was the problem with giving in to irritation. What was he to do? How could he escape the vengeance of the sul?
At this point, Dapple reappeared, wearing a sleek blue mask, the open mouth full of sharp white teeth. She was a pesha,she announced, an early version of this species. She lived in shallow water, paddling and catching fish. She wanted to move into the ocean, but her tail was too small; she needed a new one, able to drive her deep into the water or far out over the waves.
"I have just the thing," said the tli,and showed her the sul’s penis. "We’ll sew this on your backside, and you’ll swim like a fish. But in return for this gift, you must carry me to safety; and once you are able to dive deeply, I wouldn’t mind having some of the treasure that’s sunk in the ocean."
The peshaagreed, and the two animals attached the penis to the back of Dapple’s costume. Then she did a dance of happiness, singing praise of the ocean and her new life.
The other actors joined them with blue and white banners, which mimicked the motion of water, through which Dapple and the tliescaped, dancing and singing.
When everyone was gone, and the stage was bare, Dapple returned as the sul,along with two more sulin. "Foiled!" they cried. "We can’t follow. Your penis is assuredly gone, dear relative. You are not going to be socially popular in the future."
That was the end of the play, except for a final dance, done by the tli,surrounded by the rest of the cast, waving golden banners. These represented the treasure he had gained. As for the grateful pesha,she was happy in her new home, and with luck the penis would not retain any of its old qualities.
The audience stamped their feet and made hooting noises. Clearly, the play had gone over well.
Haik thought, yes, she was certain that things could turn into other things. But not, in all likelihood, a penis into a tail. And change was not a result of trickery, but time.
People came to talk with the main actors. Haik helped the carpenter and costume maker clean up.
"Ettin Taiin," said the carpenter. "I didn’t know he was in town."
"Who?" asked Haik, putting the tlimask in a box.
"The lame man."
She looked around and saw a short fellow limping toward the stage. His fur was grey, turning silver over the shoulders and on the face. One eye was missing; he didn’t bother to wear a patch over the empty socket.
"He is the foremost war captain among the Ettin," the carpenter said. "And they are the most dangerous lineage in this part of the world. Dapple calls his mother ‘great-aunt.’ If you find him scary, as I do, then you ought to meet the old lady!"
There was no way for him to reach Dapple, surrounded by admirers. He greeted the carpenter and the costume maker by name, without glancing at them directly. Good manners, thought Haik.
"Is Cholkwa with you?" asked the costume maker.
"South, among the savages of the Cold Ocean Coast. I sent men with him for protection, in case the savages didn’t like his comedies. May I ask about your companion, or is that rude?"
"We can hardly object to rudeness, after the play we’ve done," said the carpenter.
"I laughed so hard I thought I would lose control of my bladder," said the one-eyed man.
The costume maker said, "This is Tulwar Haik the potter. She’s Dapple’s new lover."
The man lifted his head, apparently in surprise. Haik got a glimpse of his sunken eye socket and the remaining eye, which blazed blue as a noon sky. His pupil had expanded in the dim light and lay across the eye like an iron bar. "The Potter of Strange Animals," he said.
"Yes," said Haik, surprised to be known in this distant place.
"The world is full of coincidences!" the soldier told her. "And this one is pleasant! I bought one of your pots for my mother last year. She can barely see these days, but she likes the texture of it. She especially likes to feel the animals you have used for handles. Birds with clawed hands! What an idea! How can they possibly fly?"
"I don’t think they did–or do," said Haik.
"These birds exist?" asked the soldier.
Haik paused, considering. "I have found their remains."
"You don’t say. The world is full of two things, then: coincidence and strangeness. Considering the Goddess, this can’t be called surprising." He glanced toward Dapple. Most of the admirers had gone. "Excuse me. I want to give her news of Cholkwa. They just missed each other. His ship left two days ago; and I was planning to ride home, having stayed with him till the last ikun. But then I heard that Dapple had arrived."
He limped away.
"He and Cholkwa are lovers," said the carpenter. "Though the true love of Cholkwa’s life is the actor Perig. Perig’s old now and in poor health. He lives on Helwar Island with Dapple’s kin, who are my kin also, while Cholkwa still travels. Male actors are as promiscuous as women."
Haik finished putting away the masks. The peshamask was new, she realized. The blue paint was still tacky, and the shape of the head had been changed, using cloth and glue.
"We keep blank masks," said the carpenter. "Then, when Dapple has a sudden idea, we can add new animals."
"This is something I can do," Haik said. "Shape the masks and paint them." She glanced up at the carpenter and the costume maker. "Unless the work belongs to you."
"We all do many things," said the costume maker. "If you stay with us you’ll find yourself on stage."
When everything was packed up, they went back to the inn, sat in the common room and drank halin. The Ettin captain, who came with them, had an immense capacity. He left from time to time to urinate, but never got noticeably drunk. The idea of coincidence was stuck in his mind, and he talked about how it worked in war, sometimes to his benefit, sometimes against him.
There was the time he went to attack the Gwa and met their warband on the way, coming to attack Ettin. "We both picked the same exact route. So there we were in a mountain pass, staring at each other with mouths open. Then we fought." He spilled halinon the table and drew the disposition of troops. "A bad situation for both of us! Neither had an advantage, and neither had a good way to retreat. I knew I had to win and did, though I lost an eye and a brother; and enough Gwa soldiers escaped, so we could not surprise them at home. A nasty experience, caused by coincidence. Doubtless the Goddess does this to us so we won’t take our plans too seriously; a good captain must always be ready to throw his ideas away."