"I don't think they have any way to get here but it's definitely a consideration in favor of stabilizing the population somewhat higher."

"You think we could fend them off?"

"Could look less tempting, could be valuable allies, could make sure the public relations side is 'casteless springless people, read their books and watch their theatre and buy their amazing pets who never do gross things' instead of 'nearly empty planet with primitives living in their own sewage!'"

"The amazing pets who never do gross things would be a selling point, wouldn't they."

"They'll be so popular!"

"Do you keep pets less often than we do?"

"By a lot but I don't know how much that's having less space per person and how much is the stronger disgust response and how much is that they'd be so much more convenient if you could pet them."

"It does help a lot. I don't have any but I've considered it."

"If I couldn't accumulate babies I might accumulate kittens, here, but no one minds if I accumulate babies!"

"Kittens count?"

"No, but they're better than nothing."

"Gotcha. I'm glad you can festoon your home with all the babies you want."

Snort. "Know somewhere where we could get dessert?"

"Yeah, this way." They have cookies.

Oooooh, cookies. "Do you know what you want to do once you have your talking golem?"

"Not sure. Why?"

"I'm thinking of founding a city once railroads are feasible, making it easy to get there, trying to make it straightforward for inventors to collaborate on things."

"You want my talking golems to build it for you?"

"That'd be convenient. I mostly wanted to know if you see yourself being interested in that and subsequent projects."

"Talking golems'll take a long time, but assuming nothing else comes up seems likely."

He looks delighted.

...aww.

Kiss?

Kiss!

"You have a really cute smile."