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"Ah, pardon e of the porcupine before realizing that they were already acquainted "Why, Miss Dair!"

"Goodness me, Lady Maccon? Should you be in public in your condition? You are looking enuinely surprised to see her

"But it is a lovely evening to be out, as you obviously realize, Miss Dair"

"Indeed, the , what on earth are you doing strolling the streets of London with a zo the company of my new pet?" Miss Mabel Dair, renowned actress, was exactly the type of original female to elect to keep a pet porcupine, but Lady Maccon would have none of it

"New pet, indeed! A whole herd of those nasty creatures attacked me and my husband only recently"

The actress paused, a look of defensiveness suffusing her pretty face "Perhaps the inside of your carriage, Lady Maccon, ht be a better place for this conversation?"

Mabel Dair boasted a stylish figure, if a little round, with an arrange a specific class of fashionable gentlemen And, if the rumors were to be believed, one very fashionable woman, Countess Nadasdy Miss Dair had risen to pro of the West End via the Wested in no less than three continental tours and garnered a considerable amount of popularity in the colonies as well She had copious blond curls done up in high piled coques of the very latest style, and her face was pleasingly sweet She gave off an entirely unwarranted air of innocence, for Miss Dair was a wo character--an excellent rider, a dab hand at cards, and a personal friend to the countess as well as being her drone She also had very good taste in evening dresses A wohtly, porcupine or no

She and her pet cli her escort to shadow them on the street Lady Maccon turned her attention from the actress to the porcupine It looked very like those that had attacked her husband, which is to say, not exactly alive

"An undead porcupine," insisted Lady Maccon with conviction

"Ah, yes, I see how you ht make that kind of assessment, but no That is not possible, as it was never alive" The actress settled herself in the facing seat next to Alexia, sown as she did so

"It can’t be netic disruption e resulted"

"Oh, did you? Well, it’s worth knowing Albert here has been field tested against one of the best I should like to see the eer you would" Alexiawhatsoever about her parasol or its arestured at the porcupine, which had settled into a kind of crouch at the actress’s feet "May I?"

Mabel Dair considered the request "If you must" Then she bent and lifted the little creature up to the bench between them so that Lady Maccon could exae, it became clear rather quickly that there was no way it had been, or ever would be, alive It was a construct of sos covered over in skin, fur, and spines that ht mechanimals were outlawed"

"This is not a mechanimal"

"It has been made without any ferric parts? Inspired, indeed" Lady Maccon was duly impressed She was no Madame Lefoux, to be able to understand the construct’s makeup fully in the space of only a few h versed in scientific literature to know she held sorasp

"But why use such skill ant little own "The extermination reea to anything, of course, but those first porcupines were highly experimental They were not as effective as we had hoped, so she has let enious technology" Lady Maccon continued her examination of the little creature There were small clips behind each of its ears that, when pressed, popped open to reveal sos in the brain area

"I supposed it would have been far erous had it been a real African zombie" She tapped at one of the faux bones "Remarkable I take it the hive has filed all the appropriate licensing with the patent office? Must be one of the countess’s pet scientists, since I haven’t read anything froned specifically to withstand a netic disruption?" Then she noticed that the porcupine had cera and sinew, greased with some kind of dark waxy liquid Alexia had misinterpreted this as blood, but closer inspection revealed it to be of exactly the same type as that found in the Hypocras Club’s autoet hold of soht BUR put a lockdown on those"

"Only you, Lady Maccon, would draw such a connection" Miss Dair was beginning to look a little nervous

At that juncture, it occurred to Lady Maccon to ask, "Why are you in e, Miss Dair?"

The actress recovered her poise "Ah, yes, well, Lady Maccon, there has been a breach in social etiquette, and it was only when you accosted me in the street that I realized it I know the countess would want me to rectify the situation You hts you were otherwise occupied or we should never have neglected you"

"What are you on about?"

"This" Miss Dair handed Alexia an e place later that night