"Less frustrating than spending an indefinite amount of time trying and failing to weasel it out of me? Yes."

"Fine," says Bella grouchily. "I'll find out some other way."

"You really don't like not knowing things," says Libby.

"I really, really don't," Bella agrees.

An apparent non sequitur: "Lazarus seems very convinced you don't want to destroy the world."

"Lazarus is not a stupid person," Bella says, "that's probably why."

"I don't disagree with him. But until I met you, I wasn't sure."

"Have you been comparing notes on me with Lazarus lately, then?"

"Mm?"

"Asking me disingenuous questions doesn't help your case."

"I realize that you have already thoroughly implied that you've been comparing notes on me with Lazarus, but English has a lot of phrasal curlicues to move conversations along that do things like retread past content," says Bella.

"So he hasn't mentioned anything about our conversation to you? I'm surprised."

"Either that, or I don't have his permission to reproduce the contents of our exchanges to third parties," Bella says pleasantly.

"I see," says Libby. "Maybe I should go ask him."

[You've come up in conversation with Libby,] Bella informs Lazarus. "What, right now?"

"I wasn't planning on it, no."

[Um?]

[I have no idea, I'm just generally nervous.]

"I noticed that, yes."

"So," Bella says conversationally, "should I just operate under the assumption that you can read everyone's email, or are you not quite that spy-ish?"

"I can read everyone's email. I usually don't."

"Do you read my email?"

"Nope."