Summary

In Chapter 9, Violet meets Perpetual. He presents himself as a scholar and recites a poem he claims to have authored that brings Violet to tears. He tells her his wife, Azure, died five years ago. When Violet sings Perpetual’s poem, she gets more gifts and invitations to more parties than she has in years. Violet tries to get him to give her more poems but he recites nothing on the level of the first poem. Meanwhile, Violet is stooping to less wooing time and more banal role-play, decisions she believes are signaling the end of her career.

Rioters hit the city and Perpetual seems angry with Violet after one attack she is not more relieved he is still alive. When he returns, he comes with another poem that Violet thinks is good but Magic Gourd believes is pretentious. She voices her...