“I’m certain it will,” the Benevolent said. He held the glass up to his left shoulder, watching with casual interest as one of the symbiont’s tendrils slipped in and sampled the liquid. “Yes, I imagine the premier might occasionally wish to move back and forth between public and private events. I personally find it more interesting that the passageway between the two rooms is too long.”

“What do you mean, too long?”

“Longer than it should be, given the design of the area,” Yiv said. “I trust you aren’t offended by my little pet?”

“Not at all,” Thrawn assured him. “A poison detector, I presume?”

“Poisons and other inconveniences,” Yiv said. He pulled the glass away from the tendril, watched a moment as it continued to undulate, then took a sip of the drink. “They’re faster and more precise than most inorganic tests for such things. They also provide an interesting topic for conversation when all others lag.”

“Interesting that you say they.” Thrawn said. “I would assume the correct term was it.”

Yiv chuckled. “You see? Already it offers opportunity for discussion. Why would you guess the premier needs a too-long passageway?”

“I’m sure I don’t know,” Thrawn said. “Perhaps a hidden door built into the corridor wall leads to additional quarters or a sanctuary. Or perhaps the extra space is for a guard station to prevent others from using the shortcut. Tell me, what do you see in the design of the tapestry?”

“I’m hardly an expert,” Yiv protested mildly.

“You asked my thoughts on the premier’s private comings and goings,” Thrawn reminded him. “It only seems fair for you to indulge me in turn.”

Yiv took another sip and studied the cloth. “Symmetrical pattern,” he said. “Contrasting colors. Different sets of contrasting colors, becoming brighter and tending toward red and blue as it flows from top to bottom. The fringe on the left-hand edge seems shorter than the corresponding fringe on the right.”

“Shorter, and the threads are also slightly thicker than those on the right,” Thrawn said.

“Are they? I can’t tell from this distance.”

“I studied them earlier from a better vantage point.”

“Ah,” Yiv said. “The hanging itself is clearly old, which probably explains the inexpertise of its design and construction.”

“It’s certainly old,” Thrawn said. “But I would submit that the design irregularities are deliberate. It was clearly created by two different weavers working in both coordination and contrast. That suggests the Vaks honor both aspects, working for unity while at the same time celebrating difference and uniqueness.”

“I would say that’s a fair assessment,” Yiv said. “Interesting. And you determined that solely by studying a single hanging?”

“Hardly,” Thrawn said. “There’s a great deal of other artwork here. All of it displays and defines the Vaks’ cultural ethos. What do you see here?”