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>Worm mode
At the same exact time, though, you can't just <span class="mu-i">not</span> say any of it. You have a pure and honest heart, for one. And for two, Eloise is scarily inquisitive. If she catches a whiff of you withholding something from her, she'll be hounding you for days. Or, worse, she'll write up Arledge and get <span class="mu-i">his</span> (misleading, biased, pagan-y) side of the story.
Better to throw her something that doesn't lead back to you, then. Something provocative enough to grab her attention, but that can't be construed as damaging for you in any way. Easy. "Uh, he was... fine. You didn't say he was going to turn into a giant worm."
See, there. She's stopped mid-roll, glaze dripping down. "He what?"
"Turned into a giant worm? Uh, I guess it was for a good cause, not just randomly. And he was a helpful giant worm. I guess." According to what Gil said. You don't actually remember this in any detail. "So you can tell him thanks, but also, I just think it's a little weird to go around turning into..."
"When you say giant worm," Eloise says passively, "how giant are you talking?"
Alas, poor Annie. It hurts to think about. "...20 feet? 25?"
"Wow!"
"Well, that's how big they get." You lean onto one foot, then the other. "Does he normally turn into, uh, smaller worms? You know you didn't mention anything about him turning into any worms? In my opinion, that feels like a really big thing to leave out—"
"If I had known there were going to be worms involved, I would've told you! But no, that's a... <span class="mu-i">25</span> feet? I'm sure that had to be for very good reason. Was it strenuous? I can't imagine that's good on the body, 25 feet— sheesh!"
So the worm thing is a surprise... but the idea of Arledge being capable of it isn't? You probe. "Did you think other things were going to be involved? Non-worm things?"
"If you're asking if we discussed anything beforehand, Charlotte, we really didn't! I figured he had a broad enough skillset that he'd come in handy somehow. Which he did, didn't he?"
You snort. "A broad skillset including pagan magics—"
"Well, yes. Was that an issue?" Eloise redips the paint roller. "If you're going to be that persnickety, I knew he was a magician of some stripe, yes. But he's very private about it all, and we're not— I told you he was an acquaintance, didn't I? Not my business to share, since it really isn't my business, period... even if I'd prefer it otherwise. The worm, though! 25 feet! Do you think that's a record?"
So she did know, and hid it. You scowl. "How should I know? I don't involve myself in <span class="mu-i">pagan</span>—"
"Does putting that stuff on take any special technique?" Gil interrupts.
"Huh? Oh, no, not really. Mixing it, yes; applying it, no."
"Would i-it go faster if we pitched in, then? Assuming you had extra paintbrushes..."
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