Annotated 25-16
Jarvis and Ardaic don’t know Annunziata’s plan for tonight. But they do know about certain pre-existing plans involving Annunziata, and they know Annunziata is likely to keep doing and saying things, in general, that will justify those plans. That’s the long and short of it.
(Writing this chapter, we figured out those plans first, but we knew it’d be too straightforward if we didn’t give Annunziata himself something to do. So then we came up with bringing back Embraisch’Nj for this purpose. Hopefully, he keeps this plot lively and not too predictable.)
Self-Evaluation’s Eve, like many things about Gastonian government, seems like a genuinely good idea that’s just been pecked away at by people and their pettiness and their power ploys.
As before, I cannot immediately sense the significance of the penultimate panel, and there was some debate about it the first time around as well. The explanation that makes most sense to me is that she unintentionally snubbed Jarvis by saying (joking) that Ardaic was the only one there to protect her.
But what the heck is that JPG from?!
I figured it was a much more basic, “Oops, I forgot my perfectly businesslike manner and started joking with him in front of his boss. Who is and remains a gargoyle.”
I think Jarvis’s expression is saying “I don’t think you understand what is probably about to happen.” And Sry’Nj’s is more of a “Oh, so this is more serious than I thought.”
Google image search says it’s from Batwoman.
Yep. Prison guard-turned-vigilante. Planned to kill a corrupt judge but was interrupted by both Commander Kane and Batwoman, IIRC.
Thanks!
I just got to say, I love panel 3. Because all though not a word is exchanged, both characters are speaking volumes with their expressions.
See now, if I were in Ardaic’s shoes, comments like Syr’Nj’s here may lead me to believe there was a possibility of something there.
And I parsed Jarvis’s look in that context. In a word: “Decorum!”
“Education.” Heh. Well, someone’s about to get schooled, anyway.