...That's almost funny. Almost.

"I've heard of Mahan one of my friends knows him but I meant, uh, you?"

"I would love that but I can't get anyone pregnant without magic. I really wish I could, I'm honored that you asked."

"Oh..." He looks sad - she almost moves to hug him but that would be kind of off given the current topic-

"...Well. That's not - sorry if it's painful, for bringing it up. But. I have never done - that - before - and I still want to anyway. So I can... Learn. So I won't do something weird and wrong. And maybe also get over all the embarrassment. And also I like you. If you want."

"I can do that! I'd love to. Tonight?"

!

"Yes! For sure! I - ah. Thank you?"

"No, I should thank you, it'll be my pleasure."

"I am. Very nervous. But I'm already looking forward to it! I just need to know, uh, where and when and I can get out of your hair."

He lets her know where he lives and when he expects to be done with work today.

And she knocks on his door at that time! Still nervous. Butterflies in the stomach.

That goes well.

Not long later, Katherine's police officer friend would like to talk with her when it's convenient. She can even bring human-suitable snacks if Katherine would like that!

She has snacks of her own but appreciates it. Perhaps at four today? Wherever is convenient.

Anywhere hidden would be convenient and four works.

Iralan has a gift for her when they meet. It's a necklace with a pendant that changes from red to blue and back to red at a constant rate, about ten seconds for a full loop, for timekeeping.

Her office is hidden and less than sixty seconds' walk from one of the subway stops. "Oh - thank you. I can see this being useful for relaxation or breathing exercises. We actually have timekeeping devices as well, perhaps I should get you one in return some time."

"Oh, tech timekeeping, I'll have to take a look at those some time. So! Have you been able to get all these people registered to vote yet?"

"We've been a little busy, to be honest. I'm sure plenty of them have gone off and registered on their own."

"Okay. The deadline isn't until a week before the election, but sometimes there's a last-minute rush and you have a lot of people. - Let me be honest with you, my cousin is running for imperial chief justice and I think you have every reason to want her to win. You can let me know if you need help getting people registered or anything else."

Aha. "I think we can organize a voter registration campaign. I like your take on law, of course, but I do think I'd like you to elaborate a bit. And perhaps she'd want to visit and make a campaign presentation here? I know we're a very small voting bloc, but we are one, and if you're that sure we want her in office I'm sure all of us will enjoy such a thing."

"That might be a good idea. It might be tricky to make it work, since she doesn't speak English yet and I don't think all of you speak Ilan or Hari. But whether we can make it work or not I'm available to answer questions. I mainly expect you to vote for her because she wants to simplify criminal penalties so they're the same across species and that would mean humans would be subject to lighter punishments overall, compared to now."

"Lighter punishments is not precisely the thing we're most concerned about with imperial law, but it's probably a good thing... Live translation is notably difficult, but there are a couple of people who might be able to manage Hari into English with a bit of delay, for everyone who doesn't know Hari."

"If you're willing and able to provide translation I'll let her know and get back to you with some times when she'd be free to come here. Is there anything else I can do for you now?"

"Nothing I can't look up myself. I wouldn't want to impose on your time. Thank you for the visit - I'll look into getting a translator and let you know if we have anyone who feels confident to translate a live speech and questions-and-answers."

"Okay! Thank you for your time, you can let me know if you'd like any help."

"Have a good afternoon."

It turns out they don't have anyone who feels confident translating a speech into English live. It takes several years to become fluent enough in a new language to efficiently translate it live, apparently.

A while later, internet connectivity launches! You need to buy this telescoping receiver thingy and give it a clear view of the sky and plug it into the computer, or plug it into a wi-fi device and also plug one into the computer. And also pay a monthly service fee, later, but it's totally waived for the first six months!

You can register a free electronic mail box and give people your email address and send encrypted messages with the computers now! You can look at the electronics store catalog online and find great online-only deals! (You need to have a special code and give it to the cashier to get the better price.) You can post online ads for a small fee (inquire in person)! You can stream a variety of freeware-ish videos Nik accumulated or negotiated for, for the low price of occasionally being interrupted with an advertisement! You can play silly little online games! You can go to a dozen or so private websites that have been set up, such as this one about Nimo's security and privacy consulting! You can read a somewhat limited selection books at this free online library! You can use these free internet messaging boards Nik set up! You can search the entire not-very-huge-yet contents of the internet from this handy website which also tells you about how you can set up your own website or hire Nik's company to do it for you!

Some people start buying the receivers.

Valanda puts up an official site listing the state laws of Ira Sani, the name of the current governor, and the date of the next state election. The site is in Ilan and Hari. He looks for someone who can translate it into English. It claims there will soon be a way to contact the office of the governor through the site, but there isn't yet.

Lanisal claims her clan's name before anyone else can and turns that into control over the Vesairel clan's official website.

The message boards attract spam.