Mr. Stroud, what do demons actually do in the Other Place. It seems kind of boring. Don't they have fun? Or do they just float around?

I think that was answered in the reading. You read what they did when Kitty entered it. They regenerate themselves, and they just swirl and float. The other place does not like order as Bartimaeus told us, so how could they do anything but swirl and the like?

In the Other Place, it's all about being.

Hi Ptolemy,

Well, the trouble with the Other Place is that it is essentially alien to us humans, and so it's pretty hard to get our head round it, me included. From our point of view it might seem a bit tedious, but Carrot's right essentially - it's about being, while our world is all about doing (and a lot of that doing involves conflict). One of the underlying issues going on in Ptolemy's Gate is that Faquarl, Nouda et al have gone over to a more human way of looking at things - they are no longer interested in retreating to the peace of the OP. Bart, despite the enjoyment he gets from interacting with (some) humans and his obvious pride in his escapades, has not been alienated from his true self. He knows where he ought to be. Ptolemy and Kitty, by visiting the OP, actually confirm him in this knowledge.

Cheers,

Jonathan