Edie was perusing the latest correspondence from her fork. She still should have been paying enough attention to realize that the door didn't go where it ought before it swung shut and she couldn't sense anyone else anymore, but she wasn't.
After opening and closing the door a couple times to make sure she hadn't just been abducted somehow, she looks around.
"It's interesting how he's parsing everybody here but him and Findekáno as 'yours'."
"And probably useful, so I haven't disabused him of the notion. He must realize Nechar's not or else think I'm really on his side, since if I had the influence with him I could just get the oaths cleared myself..."
"Point, yeah." Anything new in the transcript, is he running back to tell Findekáno all about it...?
They are not obviously inconsistent with his claims. Humans who serve in the military retire at 24. Internal documents suggest this is because population growth was a goal and pensions are tied to family size for the same reason, and that they've experimented with which other policies affect the population growth rate, and that it's not a pleasant society to be a disabled human in, but if he hadn't known his alt was evil he wouldn't have found him so from this, just - very focused on winning the war.
"Yeah. He's competent. How hard he'd be to improve on still mostly depends on what we have to play with."
"I'm debating whether I should get my chip changed so I can swear falsely."
"If he asks for anything when 'swearing to general aligned intentions' isn't good enough - if there is a loophole I spot and he doesn't, for instance, I wasn't planning to tell him..."
"Yeah. Might be wiser to encourage people to get rid of oaths but keep it myself so I can continue promising I'm not secretly a rapist..."
"I mean, assuming nothing happens to retroactively call into question your previous protestations I don't expect you to suddenly start..."
"You're not the only person who's going to want assurance, and saying I swore it to you doesn't do anything..."
"No one's going to find it implausible I convinced you to lie for me. They could all go bother my cousin but that's a little unfair to him, and also doesn't fully lay the question to rest - I should probably keep it -"
Sigh.
Hug.
It is a week before he is less mopey and disinclined to spend all of his time with Cam downstairs. It is two days after that before Edie and Tyelcormo can be located to supervise the Bar. But then they can go up to Cam's room and kiss without him thinking immediately of the evil alt.
"Silly to say 'missed you' when I spent most of the time cuddling with you but -"
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