Yep, that's the idea. Edie confused at the idea she'd make demands of them in exchange for help - Edie trying to thread the needle of the horrible war -

Tyelcormo telling her he was in love with her--Tyelcormo feeling love at her--

He can do that!

You were right, this is amazing, she gasps.

Best chip feature - marriage involves this sort of emotional feedback loop thing that means sex gets you really high for several days until you figure out how to manage it -

Marriage is chip-supported?

Yeah, of course - I guess not of course, sorry, Maitimo obviously wouldn't have had it loaded and you got your stuff from him -

That's really cool. How does it work, exactly, none of the ones I have rely on anyone else having anything...

Yeah, you have to both load and activate it, it gives you this automatic knowledge of the other person's emotional state and things that people describe as new senses and unlimited range on osanwë - though not FTL communications -

Wow. So is it unambiguously monogamous? Is forking going to interact weirdly with it?

Dad's married, Curvo's married. I guess they might have deactivated it, dunno. It's not unambiguously monogamous, but the King had two wives and that was a fucking disaster so most people keep it low-key if they're trying something clever.

How was it a disaster?

He remarried when my grandmother was dealing with some serious postpartum depression after my dad was born, because he wanted more kids and she didn't, and the double bonds affected everyone badly and she killed herself and he had her brought back and she killed herself again after making it clear she was going to keep on doing it-

...Seriously? Marrying someone else if you want more children and your partner doesn't makes some sense if your partner's okay with it, but he couldn't have waited? It's not like you guys have ticking biological clocks or anything!

My grandfather was a really good king in some ways but he was a pretty lousy father. He improved with my father's half-siblings, but the very fact he'd improved so much itself caused some pain to my father.

I'm sorry to hear that.

I kind of ignored it most of the time. Politics. Guess everything'll be different once we come out of here anyway.

If nothing else your dad probably outnumbers his half-siblings now.

He does! And I don't know if they'll want to fork - maybe - they're not bad, really, just happen to overlap badly with my dad -

Yeah, I'm not inclined to blame them for their dad being a dick.

He messed up really badly but I don't think my father's helped by hearing that. For what it's worth. 

Okay, I won't call his dad a dick in front of him.

Thanks.

She kisses him again.

What a preferable activity.