Wanda the Tool

[SteveMB]

With the exception of her being surprised and impressed by Parson's strategizing, Wanda usually seems to know much more than she lets on. Her explanation to Parson, for example, of how to handle Stanley sounds uncannily like the way she got Stanley to agree to summon Parson in the first place. What was it, exactly, that she told Jillian about Parson in that mood of fake ease in her torture dungeon before the spell was broken? Why does she hide her knowledge of fate magic? I am wondering, has Wanda been planning all along to get the arkenpliers?

They seem to be a good fit for her, having as they do some exceptional power over the uncroaked. Her training of Jillian provides her a powerful weapon in her arsenal given Zamussels' proximity to the pliers. Talk about subtlety, though, Wanda is far, far cannier and dangerous than even Parson supposed if she can pull this off.

I've speculated (or maybe somebody else speculated and I agreed with -- see Scientivore's comment on keeping all this straight ) that Wanda gives Jillian the impression that she (Wanda) is covertly working against Stanley. That would fit her revealing some (albeit possibly incomplete and misleading) information about the summoning, and referring to Stanley without using any suitably respectful term (and indeed rather flippantly describing him as "yelling all this garbage at me"). If so, it might be that during the session Jillian's "perceptions" are that Wanda is only interrogating her just enough to maintain her cover, and that the post-interrogation friendly chat reflects Wanda's real loyalties.

Perhaps it's not entirely an act, and Wanda does have some long-term plan that involves kicking the Tool to the curb.