Annotated 32-24
Well, that was a fun little diversion! What did we miss… oh, some bureaucratic paper-pushing and party planning. Nothing to see here!
This probably won’t be the last time I say, “This scene hits different after 1/6.”
Kur’Ik is, I think, the most completely organic character to be technically part of the Peacemakers. By this, I mean that we never planned out an arc for her or made her a priority when outlining chapter plots. We just kept finding scenes like this which she improved by her presence. There’s something to be said for that approach, because this scene is clearly greatly enhanced with her in it and trying to do it with some new face (maybe Persson’s secretary?) wouldn’t resonate nearly as much.
Ardaic is an honest man by nature; he’ll lie out of perceived duty but won’t be that good at it. But reader ArchmagusSilverweb had an interesting point: if he hadn’t gotten Kur’Ik out of there, she might have overheard something, and the conspirators might have seen her overhear something. In effect, he may have purposely saved her life just now.
And what if they indeed were just planning the birthday surprise? :D
“Only for heads of house” Ardaic last I checked you weren’t a head of house either
Ardaic has been taking order directly from the Head of Houses from his introduction on. He is their ideal soldier; blindly loyal. The later Silver Centurion role putting him in lackey trope territory.
That doesn’t change the fact that his lie is built on “only for heads of houses” while he is not one. Heck the head of house he is under is in the meeting while Kur’ik is standing in for hers. So given his lie’s reasoning she should have far greater claim to stay then him.
Given how she acts in the last panel, she can definitely tell it’s a lie and that she will probably be better served (read: live longer) than if she doesn’t simply go along with it, flimsy as it may be.