Cheerleader v. Cheesemaker

The Cheerleader, a bit traumatized by the killing, takes pains to wipe away the blood near the hole on the chest of the Chaplain’s black uniform. She crosses his arms over his chest and stands watch as Pepple arrives.

Don’t rifle through his pockets like that, she says sternly.

Pepple frowns. He makes to take off the Chaplain’s boot.

Don’t take his boots!

Pepple sighs. He looks at her, then looks at the body of the Chaplain. Finally, after a few seconds, he drags him off and buries him—clothes, boots and all.

When the Cheesemaker arrives the next day, the Cheerleader sits reading the instructions the Bellmaker wrote on the deck of playing cards. Next to her, on the table, sits the Bhikkuni’s alms bowl—now filled with hardened clay. She explains everything to the Cheesemaker and they decide (on the Cheerleader’s urging, really) to repeat the first few steps of bell making.

After a brief search—instructions on the 2 of clubs maps where the best blue clay is found—they come across the fork near the road and the stripe of blue. The Cheesemaker begins digging with a stick he found by the oak. Eventually he digs enough to fill the alms bowl as high as it was before with fresh clay.

They return to the oak and turn the 4 of hearts. This instructs them on how to shape the interior mold. The Cheerleader, who considers herself somewhat craft-oriented, shapes the interior mold per the specifications on the card.

The 5 of diamonds explains the proper way to build a kiln.

They raise their guns. Their guns go off.