why don’t you just ask her

[Long description:

A strip, opening on Redmond and Cai in the attic of her saloon. It’s a tiny space, but cozy– Redmond is bent over her messy desk, surrounded by scrolls and texts stacked in piles whereever there’s free space. The Cai leans against the doorframe, watching her.

Cai: God’s blood, girl. Have you slept? What are you even doing at this hour?

She circles around Redmond for a closer look. Redmond barely regards her, chewing a stalk of whetrice as she negotiates with a scroll.

Redmond: Research.

Cai furtively peeks at a bookmarked segment in one of her tomes. She starts reading it aloud:

Cai: “But many Ka-Sarikote theologians refute this, asserting the Hakouian Thaumat is without a functioning heart. (i.e. Absent of love and hate, good and evil, and other such dualisms associated with the Church’s devil.)”

She continues, illustrating in her mind’s eye images of hellfire and brimstone as a very Jesse-like figure clutches a very Redmond-like figure.

Cai: “Despite this, the ‘Devil-as-Husband’ archetype persists. Indeed, the famous ‘Absent Stars’ parable recounts, in grisly detail, the ritualized calamity that would be the wedding of the Thaumat to his hypothetical bride…”

Cai trails off, leveling a coyote grin at Redmond.

Redmond: Don’t.

Cai: I’m not!]