The new plate was thin enough for Ysabet to see light through it.
She held a piece of white cloth behind Pip, waiting while it inspected her sleeve. Along the left side of its body, three loose folds had drawn together beneath a translucent skin. The shape curved outward like a shallow bowl. Its upper edge remained soft.
Pip turned to look at the cloth.
Ysabet lowered it. “That’s all.”
The creature followed the cloth with both eyes. It seemed pleased by the attention. When Chaska came into the store, it gave her three clear notes and lifted the forming plate toward her.
“Very fine,” she said. “What does it do?”
Suth stood in the doorway. “That may depend on who is answering.”
Nobody laughed.
