(urth) Short Sun notes: Remora

[Andrew Mason]

OK, this one is very speculative, and may seem round the bend. In the trial
scene in Dorp, Windcloud says  ‘I was one of those who boarded your whorl
when it neared our sun. In the Whorl, I made the acquaintance of many of
your race.’ This has given rise to speculation that some people we know
from _Long Sun_ may be Neighbours.

There doesn’t seem to be any suggestion that Neighbours can change shape,
like inhumi, so if they are manifesting as humans it is probably by
projecting their spirits into humans in a way akin to possession. We know
that they were able to convey Horn’s spirit into a new body, so it is
likely that they are able to do the same with their own spirits.

This got me wondering about Remora. There are three interesting facts about
him.

a. He is well placed to observe Quetzal, and one of the reasons Neighbours
are on the Whorl is to observe humanoid inhumi.

b. Horn says, when talking to the Neighbours, that he suspects Remora knows
more about them than he had previously realised.

c. When Remora is first introduced he is referred to by a strange title –
the Prochain Ami – which even becomes the title of a chapter. This is said
to refer to his status in relation to the Prolocutor, but it is not used
again. And why is anyone in Viron, whose heritage seems to be Latin
American, using French? But one possible translation of ‘prochain’ is
‘neighbour’.

So, might Remora be a Neighbour (without ceasing to be human)? One
interesting consequence of this would be that we should see the Neighbours
as confirming Quetzal’s decision that humans should go to Green (which
means that there must be more to it than his just wanting humans to be
eaten).
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