Magnus Varro is the sort of Cane Corso who is heavy as old stone and softer than the posture suggests. Most evenings Magnus Varro arranges seeds, beads, and bones into shapes the elders recognise until the lanterns are out and the soup stalls close. The Yard has a small unspoken rule about teasing Magnus Varro near the flooded market halls, mostly because nobody wants to lose. Magnus Varro may not know the truth of the old world, but that never stops a good theory from becoming lunch talk.