"That's a long story. Does anyone have summaries of everyone written up? Maitimo, do you have summaries of everyone written up or something?" she asks Circle.

"Yes, but a lot of it's chip-locked computers only. Not that bit, of course."

"Chip-locked--does this have anything to do with the bits of metal in your head?"

"Demons can make stuff, that includes files and notes and stuff. There's a way of making sure they can't read your notes, but it's - well, this."

"Huh. Probably a good thing you already know one of me, then."

"Would you be inclined to tinker with the metal in our heads otherwise? My kind of Elf has a second kind of chip, too - though we're so easy to resurrect that murdering us is barely annoying -"

"I wouldn't tinker with something in your head without asking about it but if you already know one of me I can be confident enough that you're not going to freak out over the fact that I have the capacity to rip either of those out of your skull that I don't have to panic about what you're going to do about being afraid."

"I do already know two of you, and also there are unbound daeva running around and I am used to the idea that most of the people around me could kill me in a heartbeat if they so pleased. Please don't worry about it."

"...Most?"

"Well, your angel alt and Edie's demon alt and Cam. And Idaia and Imliss probably too, come to think of it. They are not by numbers most of the people here but they're most of the ones I see around."

"Fair enough."

"It would probably take more than a heartbeat."

"Well, if there's ever a really good reason, I'm retrievable but the Bar expels people for murder."

Idaia considers situations that would be worth it. They mostly involve Thaurons. She very deliberately stops thinking about it.

"Anyway, nice to meet you both, please feel free to throw around powerful magic.... Lodestar, can your sister alter magic-Elf oaths?"

 "Dunno, depends how they work."

"We need to test that as soon as she wakes up, my evil rapist alt has his boyfriend under oaths not to run away from him and to self-destruct if we kill the evil rapist alt."

"I'm going to need some context."

"So. My species can swear binding oaths. Both chip-Elves - that's us - and magic Elves, which is what we're calling the kind that come from shiny tree Ardas. So far there've been two shiny tree Ardas and two normal ones. Binding oaths can affect your psychology. In particular, if you swear to believe something, or to feel something, you - will. Evil rapist alt liked keeping his boyfriend under variously restrictive oaths. We talked him down to less restrictive oaths, which is how we got the current set."

"How was evil boyfriend getting him to swear oaths in the first place?"

"He had him woken up in the middle of the night with the news his parents had been murdered but his siblings were still alive, had him dragged before him in public, and asked him if he'd rather have an oath or an execution. And then bootstrapped off that one, I think - their world also has other forms of mind-control..."

"Fuck."

"Yes. It would be lovely if your sister could erase them."

"She'll do her best."

"I don't doubt it."