How nice to see a new chapter of the TR series so soon! A great deal is revealed about Raven and Xelloin in Chapter 14! It confirms much we already knew about Raven: his generosity and kindness come as no surprise; nor does his ability to assume bird form, even though the transformation takes Xelloin totally off-guard. That his consideration toward Xelloin should extend to his absenting himself from the War Division event (by sharing, in effect, her unwelcome status) is rather extreme… it's no mystery that Jacob is unconvinced by his assertion that he'd be "bored". It reveals a willingness to go above and beyond for her, one that she has a great deal of difficulty comprehending.
Xelloin displays three major frames of mind during the course of the chapter, two of them all too depressingly in character. Her initial impulse, to break Raven's funk by dragging him to Black Sorrow's event (regardless of his good intentions), is laudable, even if exercised with a fair measure of the bullying that's second nature to her. It bespeaks an intricate understanding of her friend: that he probably did want to attend this social event… that he certainly needed the diversion… but that concern for her feelings (along with an innate diffidence) stood in his way. The accidental breaking of the shoe heel and subsequent gift bring about a crisis that Raven was unprepared for; Xelloin's hysterical suspicions of obligation (born from her Hellish Daughnight tenure, in which every worst assumption is justified) reveals an inability to comprehend unselfish acts. Her loyalty toward Raven seems tenuously grounded, liable to disruption through a simple misunderstanding. Her idea of a return gift (the revelation of her animal persona) is tainted by her lust for advantage and will to dominate. The image of a cat hungrily pinning a bird to the floorboards is a most disturbing one; the reader is compelled to wonder if Xelloin can ever see compromise as anything other than weakness. The basis for their eventual falling out is firmly and distressingly established.
The personal crisis between these allies seems ever more fated; factor in Dr. Dabaille's pernicious influence, and it becomes an eventuality. Tensions are rising admirably (from a dramatic perspective); I eagerly await the latest development! The fatal moment would not appear to be far off! I ache to learn just how exactly it will play out!
