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Yes, he was a scholar--and an optih he was is with Straff and Cett proved that he could hold his own

What was he?

A nobleman who loved the skaa They'd always fascinated him, even before the Collapse--before he'd met Vin and the others It had been one of his pet philosophical puzzles to try and prove them no different from men of noble birth It sounded idealistic, even a little priht about it--and, if he was truthful, much of his interest in the skaa before the Collapse had been academic They had been unknown, and so they had see

He sht, had anyone told them they were "exotic"

But then the Collapse had co to life His beliefs hadn't been able to continue as mere academic abstractions And he'd come to know the skaa--not just Vin and the crew, but the workers and the servants He'd seen the hope beginning to groithin the of self-respect, and of self-worth, in the people of the city, and it excited him

He would not abandon the as he walked the wall An idealist A , never did ood noble next to hiot an idea," he said

This is the probleh I believed in Alendi at first, I later becans, true But, well, how can I explain this?

Could it be that he fit them too well?

38

HOW CAN HE POSSIBLY LOOK so confident when I feel so nervous? Vin thought, standing beside Elend as the Assean to fill They had arrived early; this ti the one who greeted each Asse would occur

Vin and Elend stood on the stage, nodding to the Asseh the room's side door On the floor of the roo crowded The first fes, as always, were seeded with guards

"You look beautiful today," Elend said, looking at Vin

Vin shrugged She had worn her white gown, a flowing garment with a few diaphanous layers on the top Like the others, it was designed for mobility, and it matched Elend's new outfits--especially with the dark eone, but she did have a fehite wooden barrettes for her hair

"It's odd," she said, "how quickly wearing these gowns becalad you made the switch," Elend said "The trousers and shirt are youbut this is you, too The part of you I remember from the balls, e barely knew each other"

Vin srowing a bit more distant "You never did dance withher arht touch "We haven't had much time for each other lately, have we?"

Vin shook her head

"I'll fix that," Elend said "Once this confusion is all through, once the throne is secure, we can get back to us"

Vin nodded, then turned sharply as she noticed e

"You're juhtly "Even ?"

Vin shook her head "I don't know"

Elend greeted the Assemblyman--one of the skaa representatives--with a firm handshake Vin stood at his side, her earlier wistfulness evaporating likeme?

The room was packed--everyone wanted to witness the events of the day Elend had been forced to post guards at the doors to maintain order But, it wasn't just the nuness to the event People were gathering like carrion feeders to a rotting carcass

"This isn't right," Vin said, holding Elend's are hands based on arguments made from a lectern"

"Just because it hasn't happened that way in the past doesn't mean it shouldn't happen," Elend said

Vin shook her head "So, Elend Cett will surprise you, and maybe Penrod will, too Men like them won't sit still and let a vote decide their future"

"I know," Elend said "But they aren't the only ones who can offer up surprises"

Vin looked at hi?"

He paused, then glanced at her "Iwell, Haht A ploy I've been trying to find a way to talk to you about it, but there just hasn't been ti his apprehension She started to say so his eyes He seemed a little embarrassed "What?" she asked