Editing Summer Break 13.2

{{infobox chapter
| work       = Pale
| book       = [[Summer Break (arc)|Summer Break]]
| number     = 13.2
| dateposted =7th August 2021 
| link       = [https://palewebserial.wordpress.com/2021/08/07/summer-break-13-2/ {{PAGENAME}}]
| previous   =[[Summer Break 13.1]] 
| next       =[[Summer Break 13.3]] 
}}
'''{{PAGENAME}}''' is the second chapter of [[Summer Break (arc)|Summer Break]]. In it [[Lucy]] performs the [[Alcazar|Alcazar Ritual]] and sees what life was like for the [[Carmine Beast]].

== Plot ==
As the ritual begins [[Lucy]] asks to see “actions and associations related to Kennet”. It shows her as the [[Carmine Beast]] just after she’s taken the throne, a golden mouse is asking her if she wants council but she dismisses it. We lean about the carmines powers and the arrival of European colonizers.

We follow the story of [[Edward Lehman]] and [[Henrietta Belton]], a practitioner and hedge witch with knowledge of herbs. Henrietta serves as a maid and is expected to marry one of her masters sons but  is deeply unhappy about it. Edward offers to marry her instead and she accepts. She is unable to be intimate with Edward so uses herbs to create a more promiscuous alter ego named [[Arietta]].

She makes promises as Arietta and writes them down but one day her home is ransacked and the papers stolen. Her former step-brother learns of the promises she made and as these contradict the promises she made as Arietta, he declares her forsworn.

Lucy is shown different potential outcomes she can choice and their consequences. She see what will happen if she rules that Arietta’s words are not Henrietta’s, Arietta will become her own individual and eventually kill Henrietta. In addition practice will be weaker across the region. If she stops all forswearing entirely then outsiders will come and remove her.

Lucy asks to see what the carmine decided, forswearing Henrietta and having Arietta take over Henrietta’s body and attack the step-brother.

The next example is of leather men, [[Animus|anima]] created from leather, they offer three bundles as a test, two of herbs and one a weapon. If they pick the right bundle they are given prosperity but if they pick the weapon they will become murderers. Lucy changes it so that they have a selfish existence she also tells it to offer something to the girls.

The next scene is of someone challenging the throne of the Golden Mouse, they have to play a dice game where they guess what bindings might work. The game is tied and the judges have to decide the outcome, the Alabaster goes for the mouse, the Sable with the newcomer leaving [[Lucy]] the deciding vote. She chooses the new contender and the old one is killed.

She presides over the [[forswear]]ing of a [[Scourges|scourge]] by a respectable business man who sides with Nazi Germany. She wants to forswear the businessman but has no chance beofre he dies decades later.

At another point of time the Alabaster talks to the Carmine, it tells her she needs to eat and mate is she is to persist. The carmine contemplates attacking the Alabaster or her flock but finds the prospect to easy to be a challenge. She finds a hunter Other and tries to rut with him but he refuses, then she tries to attack him but he fends her off and ignores her. She could use her power as a [[Judge]] to get what she wants but it would be too easy. In the end she is alone.

She sees [[Arietta]] being bound, a violent Other that had killed multiple times. She could save her by taking her as a lieutenant but doesn’t want to. By this point the spirits have become so accustomed to her will she doesn’t need to direct them. Arietta is bound in chains, put in a box and drowned.

Lucy see the other judges asking [[John Stiles|John]] to become the next carmine, they offer him an enticement and he asks for something unknown. Her and John talk, he says if she knew about his deal with the sable was she would try to stop him.

The two of them talk together, [[Lucy]] confides in him that she fells as if she's unable to steer events, either as herself or the Carmine. She compare the Carmine to John says the Beast lost itself and can't return to heing her. Lucy says it's horrible to actually act on your anger and that the lack of justice in the world makes her angry.

The next scene is of [[Charles Abrams|Charles]] and [[Edith James|Edith]] making their [[Hungry Choir|Red Heron Inveiglement]], the conspiracy only comprises the two of them at the moment and Edith is acting out of loyalty rather than ideology.

Lucy sees different outcomes of what her action will do. In one the 'inveiglement' is created, [[Seth Belanger|Seth]] and [[Nicolette Belanger|Nicolette]] both die investigating it, then [[Rad Ray Sunshine|Raymond]], [[Lawrence Bristow|Bristow]] and [[Reid Musser|Musser]] also died, the only one that escaped was [[Alexander Belanger|Alexander]]. Next Lucy sees what actually happened, the Carmine interfering with the ritual, turning "cheat" to "eat", acting out of anger at being dismissed by the Other Judges.

The next scene is of [[Charles Abrams|Charles]], [[Edith James|Edith]] and [[Maricica]]. Maricica says it started with Charles and will end with him.

Maricica says that Edith will have Kennet and [[Matthew Moss|Matthew]] and that two Others will come to Kennet to help and a third will be steered their way. Maricica says they’re to recruit [[Gashwad]] and [[Bluntmunch]] as the two of them resent [[Toadswallow]]. She orders Charles to approach them towards the middle of summer, this is simply to give them confidence in the plan.

The last scene is [[Maricica]] in front of the [[Carmine Beast]], taunting her. [[Lucy Ellingson|Lucy]] hears [[Zed Sadler|Zed’s]] voice, says she might have been counting wrong, She sees Maricica blind the beast, cursing her whilst Zed says their pulling her out. Lucy manages to surfaces and Zed tells her that the Sable punctuated one scene with another and that she failed to count it.

Lucy says that [[Charles Abrams|Charles]] was meant to take the throne, Zed checks with [[Rad Ray Sunshine|Ray]] that he’s safe and that he still has Charles.

They’ll do the final ritual after dinner with [[Jasmine Ellingson|Jasmine]].
==Major Events==
* Lucy sees and appreciates the Carmine's Career
* Lucy almost ends up going over the time limit.
*They decide to grab dinner
==Characters==
{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable"
! scope="col" |
|-
|
===Kennet===
*[[Verona]]
*[[Lucy]]
*[[Avery]] & [[Snowdrop]]
*[[John Stiles]] (Figment)
*[[Charles Abrams|Charles]] (Memory)
*[[Edith James|Edith]] (Memory)
*[[Maricica]] (Memory)

===Blue Heron Institute===
*[[Zed]]
*[[Brie]]
*[[Jessica]]

===Judges===
*[[Carmine Beast|<span style="color:#960018;">The Carmine Beast</span>]]

*<span style="color:#f2f0ea;">The Alabaster Doe</span>

*<span style="color:#292100;">The Carcass in Sable</span>
*[[Sable Prince|<span style="color:#292100;">The Sable Prince</span>]]

*<span style="color:#aa6f0a;">The Gold-Furred Mouse</span>
*<span style="color:#aa6f0a;">The Aurum Dame</span>
*[[Aurum Coil|<span style="color:#aa6f0a;">The Aurum Coil</span>]]

=== Miscellaneous ===
*[[Henrietta Belton]]
**[[Arietta]]
*[[Edward Lehman]]

|}

==Trivia==
* Henrietta is an example of a [[Hyde]] while Arietta is an example of a [[Fraward]]
* Wildbow had to rewrite the meeting between the Alabaster and Carmine multiple times to ensure readers didn't interpret it in some sort of romantic way.
{{Reflist}}