Dragon Pearl: Chapters 7–13

by Yoon Ha Lee
Min is a fox spirit, or shapeshifter, living on the planet Jinju. When her brother is accused of deserting his military post to search for a magical artifact, she must find him and clear his name.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–6, Chapters 7–13, Chapters 14–22, Chapters 23–29, Chapters 30–38
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. brocade
    thick expensive material with a raised pattern
    “Something like what you’re wearing, but not as fancy?” I asked, eyeing the brocade dragon-and-phoenix design that patterned her silk dress.
  2. materialize
    come into being; become reality
    I took a moment to imagine a costume, then concentrated on making it materialize. Charm spun me a gray silk blouse stiff with embroidery and studded with small golden pearls that winked in the light like captive moons.
  3. wizened
    lean and wrinkled by shrinkage as from age or illness
    No one had told me the name of the wizened female bartender.
  4. pallor
    an unnatural lack of color in the skin
    She was the only one in a red shirt, and she had a spacer’s pallor.
  5. chasten
    correct by punishment or discipline
    “Sorry,” I said in a suitably chastened voice.
  6. allay
    lessen the intensity of or calm
    To allay any suspicion, I added, “Those high-stakes players really know how to tip.”
  7. crestfallen
    brought low in spirit
    I was crestfallen.
  8. bluster
    noisy confusion and turbulence
    “No, but be prepared for some bluster.” He pressed the button under the red light. A loud, heavily accented voice squawked from the communications system. “Red Azalea, you are not cleared for takeoff. What is going on?”
  9. backwater
    a place or condition in which no progress is occurring
    “If they shot down everyone who had to leave a step ahead of the authorities, no one would bother touching down on a backwater planet like Jinju. I made sure we were paid up this morning. They save their defenses for real threats.”
  10. seedy
    morally degraded
    “If it’s not that, it’s gotta be something just as seedy,” Byung-Ho said, making a placating gesture with one hand. “Like looking for treasure, or smuggling for mercenaries, or dealing with traders from the Jeweled Worlds. I’ve heard it all.”
  11. placate
    cause to be more favorably inclined
    “If it’s not that, it’s gotta be something just as seedy,” Byung-Ho said, making a placating gesture with one hand. “Like looking for treasure, or smuggling for mercenaries, or dealing with traders from the Jeweled Worlds. I’ve heard it all.”
  12. indignantly
    in a manner showing anger at something unjust or wrong
    “I would never!” I said indignantly.
  13. terse
    brief and to the point
    “Check our ammunition level,” Byung-Ho said tersely.
  14. mercenary
    a person hired to fight for another country than their own
    I didn’t know what scared me more: the Red Azalea getting blown up, or our being boarded. If only I could will the ship to fly faster, away from the mercenaries’ clutches.
  15. mundane
    found in the ordinary course of events
    The crystals gave the ship the ability to open Gates and protect itself while in Gate space. The more mundane fusion reactor powered the maneuver drive and everything else on the ship, including life support.
  16. inertia
    the tendency of something to stay in rest or motion
    “Maneuver drive’s down. We’re just drifting now, thanks to inertia. They’ve herded us away from the Gate, and they’ll be boarding us next.”
  17. menial
    relating to unskilled work, especially domestic work
    I was strong for my usual size, thanks to all the menial labor I did, but I wasn’t going to win any wrestling matches.
  18. jargon
    technical terminology characteristic of a particular subject
    Someone with a deep voice snapped orders in jargon I didn’t understand.
  19. disheveled
    in disarray; extremely disorderly
    Three things about him were off, though. He had no smell, for one. Also, his face flickered as though it were a kaleidoscope of shadows. Finally—the real clue—his hair hung in long, disheveled strands around his face.
  20. sardonic
    disdainfully or ironically humorous
    “I got winged by a merc just as my personal shield failed. No one had seen him hiding.” He smiled sardonically. “Faulty equipment, just my luck.”
  21. pallet
    a mattress filled with straw or a pad made of quilts
    Before I had time to lie back down on the pallet, a curtain drew aside to reveal a tall woman in a slightly more elaborate version of the uniform Jang had worn, carrying a battered slate and stylus.
  22. bemused
    perplexed by many conflicting situations or statements
    She had short-cropped hair streaked with white and the demeanor of a bemused crane.
  23. manifestation
    an appearance in bodily form
    The Space Forces accepted the “more respectable” supernatural creatures, such as dragons and celestial maidens—and even tigers, if they could control their violent tempers—as long as they confined themselves to human form. Dragons, in particular, were enormous in their true manifestations.
  24. tawny
    having the color of tanned leather
    I recognized them immediately as a dokkaebi, one of the goblin folk. While I’d never met one before, the small horn protruding from the middle of their forehead was a dead giveaway. Otherwise they had a smooth tawny human face, with black hair and brown eyes, like those of most citizens.
  25. affinity
    a natural attraction or feeling of kinship
    Even if it hadn’t been for her blue-tinted hair, which was pinned up severely, I would have smelled the sea on her. She had to be a dragon. They had an affinity for air and water.
  26. gaffe
    a socially awkward or tactless act
    The headache might help excuse any gaffes I made.
  27. ruse
    a deceptive maneuver, especially to avoid capture
    I had to find his trail—and soon, before my ruse was uncovered.
  28. shirk
    avoid one's assigned duties
    Haneul shook her head and said, “We’re so dead if we’re caught shirking.”
  29. chagrin
    strong feelings of embarrassment
    “I wasn’t thinking,” they said with chagrin.
  30. filch
    make off with belongings of others
    “I should have conjured up something more substantial for you. At this point, you’d probably be better off filching something from the galley, though. Snacks are the best I can manage.”
  31. stickler
    someone who insists on something
    I’d already figured out that, of the two of them, Haneul was the stickler for following the rules.
  32. listless
    marked by low spirits; showing no enthusiasm
    The senior cadet in charge of Bunk 12 didn’t seem to care that I’d wandered in past lights-out; he waved me listlessly to the only empty bed.
  33. gruel
    a thin porridge
    But Sujin was right—the food was dismal. Rice gruel with a few small pieces of abalone, underspiced gimchi, and oversalted fiddleheads.
  34. exacting
    severe and unremitting in making demands
    Lieutenant Hyosu made us follow the rules, but she wasn’t too exacting about them, and she was a pretty good teacher.
  35. haphazardly
    in a random manner
    I marked the closer one as the priority—it would be best to concentrate my lasers and take it out of the fight first. If I shot at both of them haphazardly, both would be able to return fire and do more damage in the long run.
  36. salvo
    rapid simultaneous discharge of firearms
    I overrode the priority system and let loose a salvo of antimissile fire, then engaged the lasers.
  37. contrite
    feeling or expressing pain or sorrow
    “If you pay attention, instead of distracting classmates with your gossip, you might learn a thing or two, Cadet,” Hyosu said.
    “Yes, ma’am,” I said contritely.
  38. bulkhead
    a partition that divides a ship or plane into compartments
    After lessons, I was assigned to scrub a bulkhead next to a maintenance shaft.
  39. effects
    property of a personal character that is portable
    After dinner, when I got another moment to myself, I went through Jang’s personal effects for clues about his family and friends.
  40. galley
    the area for food preparation on a ship
    The goblin had gotten caught fiddling with the seasonings in the galley. As Sujin had put it, “The officers don’t appreciate experimental chemistry.”
Created on Wed Dec 04 15:33:43 EST 2019 (updated Mon Dec 16 14:50:04 EST 2019)

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