TQSiT Chapter 6, Tools of the Trade

Well, it's up, FINALLY!!  Tools of the Trade, 9,700 words, and a full two months since the last update.  Ugh.  I promise I won't start anything new.  Really.  Well, except maybe this retelling of Horse and His Boy. and inserting the Trickster into the pantheon of Calormene gods. 

So fun links
The Rider-Waite Tarot Deck from which Agnes reads
The Astrologer that British Intelligence really regretted hiring
A little bit about Saint Agnes, patron saint of young girls, virgins and rape victims
A little bit about the Trickster, Anansi, and Aunt Nancy

Insofar as De Wohl is concerned, this is an example of the sort of time compression that I use in the story.  He was actually most active in the U.S. through December 1941.  I'm bumping up their use of him about 6 months cause how can you possible leave out astrologers and Rat and Crow rumormongering in Narnia story?  Right?

In fact, the beginning of this chapter harkens back to Chapter of TSG, Part 1, in which Ed and Su are starting to figure some of this out. 

( Excerpt from Chapter 8, Lions' Business, Part 1 TSG )

I wish I could say that I knew I was going to do what I just did here when I wrote that way back 6 months ago or whever I posted it.  Nope. 

As for the lengthy note at the end, yes, I'd like to know what you think.  These things are an uncomfortable part of US history; to paint it as normal or ignore it would seem dishonest.  Yet, maybe fan fic shouldn't go there at all.  My solution was to show things that today would be denounced as stereotypical, yet align them with the positive connotation of Narnia.  I do not align Narnia with the frivolity and class-based Washington society in which Susan is also moving.  

So, thoughts?  Fire away!