Chapter 1: Section 6: Page 49: Line 80 (873)

 The Archduke, pouting like a child whose mischief has been interrupted, did not offer comment.

* * * * * * * * * *

The stinger on the entire episode, painting Archduke like the babysittee he's been this whole time. Maybe this entire scene was a parody of Adventures in Babysitting that I didn't recognize because it's been way too long since I've seen the movie. Or maybe now I'm just making connections between various words that I've used in sentences previous because I don't have much to say about any of this! Or maybe I've just been traumatized by knowing and hanging out with a guy just like the Archduke! A guy who, every time you turned around to see what he was up to, you'd wind up muttering, "For fuck's sake." The kind of friend you've never actually punched but fucking hell it was a close call at times! And the worst part is that all those feelings of fun with that guy tinged with feelings of annoyance and irritation and anger are now stained with grief as well since he killed himself about a year ago! Fucking hell, Larry. You were a wild ride of a human being.

Chapter 1: Section 6: Page 49: Line 79 (872)

 "Soon's I learn to waltz, I'm on my way."

* * * * * * * * * *

This could be Lew's way of saying, "Don't hold your breath." Or it's his way of saying, "Sure, I'll take you up on that, though I'm not sure I'm fancy enough for Vienna." Or it could be any number of other meanings I'm not smart enough or imaginative enough to come up with!

Chapter 1: Section 6: Pages 48-49: Line 78 (871)

 As they were speeding along dodging grip cars, private carriages, police patrol wagons with their gongs banging, and so forth, Khäutsch casually offered, "If you're ever in Vienna, and for any reason need a favor, please do not hesitate."

* * * * * * * * * *

Are we almost done with this section? It's my least favorite section. It must be satirizing some genre of story telling of which I'm not a fan. Noir detective stories, maybe? Although I do like the sort of interdimensional, science fiction, Philip K. Dick weirdness of Lew's life. Maybe if I were a bigger fan of world history and World War I, I'd be really into it. I'd probably be all, "Yeah! Teach that arrogant bastard Ferdinand a lesson! Man, I wish I didn't already know he dies in 1917 because I want him to die so badly in this story! At least I know he'll eventually get his comeuppance! Good riddance!"

But this story might be really important! Because Lew has become close with an assassin who now owes him a favor! And since this novel is going to span a couple of decades, Lew has plenty of time to wind up in Vienna and finding he needs somebody killed!

Chapter 1: Section 6: Page 48: Line 77 (870)

 Outside they found Trabant Khäutsch ready with a two-horse hack poised for instant departure, and the Archduke's own double-barreled Mannlicher resting nonchalantly but visibly on one shoulder.

* * * * * * * * * *

Obviously the Archduke is known for the violent troubles he starts among his own people. He's the kind of guy you have to pay people to protect him because if he even had any friends, they'd all just let him get his ass kicked rather than have his back. I've mentioned it before because it sometimes needs saying. Friendship and loyalty only go so far. They aren't a free pass to have somebody defend you when you act like a complete asshole. A good friend shrugs and thinks, "You reap what you sow," preferably in a Maine accent while sort of miming Herman Munster. A bad friend thinks, "Oh boy! I get to beat up on some people who are totally within their rights at being angry with the moron I'm backing up!" I guess, in this world, there are more bad friends than good ones.

At least the assassin Khäutsch seems to be on Lew's side in trying to keep violence to a minimum. Otherwise he wouldn't have pulled up just displaying the rifle, he would have tossed it to the Archduke and cheered him on as he went on a shooting spree. Which he'd totally be forgiven for in 1893. Hell, Stand Your Ground Laws being the horrendous thing they are, he'd get away with it today. Get a bunch of people angry at you and then you get to shoot them in the face if they approach you because you can declare that you feared for your life. And white on black murders like this are what cops call "Open and shut stand your ground cases" because they're mostly racist pieces of garbage.

Chapter 1: Section 6: Page 48: Line 76 (869)

 Sure enough, just before sliding out the door, Der F.F. with a demonic grin screamed, "And when Franz Ferdinand pays, everybody pays!" whereupon he disappeared, and it was a near thing that Lew got out with his keester intact.

* * * * * * * * * *

What did Thomas Pynchon have against Franz Ferdinand that he would libel him so? Being that I'm not one of those people who pretends to do their own research in the belief that it will make their subjective opinions seem more authoritative, I'm going to simply assume that Pynchon read a biography of Ferdinand and realized, at the core of the book, was the revelation that Franz Ferdinand was a gigantic asshole. Which then allows Pynchon to portray him, in a speculative fictional piece, in a way that says to the reader, "This never happened. Don't even for a second imagine this ever happened. But knowing Franz Ferdinand and how huge an asshole he was, it could have happened!"

At least this final sentence to the scene puts all of my confusion about Franz's previous actions to rest. He never intended to make peace with the locals. He never intended to make a gesture of goodwill. He never intended to do anything except be a huge disruptive prick.