"The Sugar Bowl secret could slip their minds entirely." (LSUA pg 41)
What is this Sugar Bowl secret that could so easily slip their minds?
What I think is The Answer is amazingly simple. Let me give you the train of thought that led up to it.
In the Various Finery Disguises, it's listed as an optional item to use. (LSUA pg 103). When you look up Sugar Bowl in the index, it says "see hiding places" (LSUA pg 217) which all lead me to belive that the VFD-ers have a way of disguising themselves as Sugar Bowls (much the same way Lemony once disguised himself as a Chest of Drawers (Thanks Efogoto)) Now, that would also explain why dinner at the Veritable French Diner would come with a Sugar Bowl, if it was a VFD-er in disguise. (it would work SO much better then sticking a microphone into the conversation and recording right out in the open, as on pg 134-137).
Wait a tic. what if the sugar bowl was there simply to hide the microphone? That would make it a lot easier also, and would eliminate the need for a VFD-er to fit into the disguise, which would be stretching credulity a bit anyway. So, perhaps the Sugar Bwl secret is something as simple as putting a microphone in it, and recording conversations. That would make a lot of sense. And what if the recording/playing back mechanism was actually THE sugar bowl ITSELF?
That would explain why Esme was so angry that Beatrice stole her sugar bowl (or thinks she did (there's some debate about that (It's entirely possible it's Lemony who stole the sugar bowl from Esme).
It's also an unobtrusive way to gather information/take notes, isn't it? No one knows it's there, and if they think they are safe, they would say something more secretive then if someone is standing there holding a microphone in their face.
Unfortunately, Rick writes into partially debunk this theory:
Captain Widdersham (TGG p.121) indicates "It's not the sugar bowl, it's what's inside it. Aye!" So it's unlikely the sugar bowl itself is a recording device. However, Widdershins never says what is in the Sugar Bowl. It could be a document or a microphone, or something else that no one's thought of.
What is this Sugar Bowl secret that could so easily slip their minds?
What I think is The Answer is amazingly simple. Let me give you the train of thought that led up to it.
In the Various Finery Disguises, it's listed as an optional item to use. (LSUA pg 103). When you look up Sugar Bowl in the index, it says "see hiding places" (LSUA pg 217) which all lead me to belive that the VFD-ers have a way of disguising themselves as Sugar Bowls (much the same way Lemony once disguised himself as a Chest of Drawers (Thanks Efogoto)) Now, that would also explain why dinner at the Veritable French Diner would come with a Sugar Bowl, if it was a VFD-er in disguise. (it would work SO much better then sticking a microphone into the conversation and recording right out in the open, as on pg 134-137).
Wait a tic. what if the sugar bowl was there simply to hide the microphone? That would make it a lot easier also, and would eliminate the need for a VFD-er to fit into the disguise, which would be stretching credulity a bit anyway. So, perhaps the Sugar Bwl secret is something as simple as putting a microphone in it, and recording conversations. That would make a lot of sense. And what if the recording/playing back mechanism was actually THE sugar bowl ITSELF?
That would explain why Esme was so angry that Beatrice stole her sugar bowl (or thinks she did (there's some debate about that (It's entirely possible it's Lemony who stole the sugar bowl from Esme).
It's also an unobtrusive way to gather information/take notes, isn't it? No one knows it's there, and if they think they are safe, they would say something more secretive then if someone is standing there holding a microphone in their face.
Unfortunately, Rick writes into partially debunk this theory:
Captain Widdersham (TGG p.121) indicates "It's not the sugar bowl, it's what's inside it. Aye!" So it's unlikely the sugar bowl itself is a recording device. However, Widdershins never says what is in the Sugar Bowl. It could be a document or a microphone, or something else that no one's thought of.