"Huh."

"Returning to the subject of the Queen's flawed governance, in what other ways do you expect to do better than it?"

"Having avoided attracting her attention since I started I don't have a lot of details on how she actually runs things but if books are anything to go by I am infinitely more opposed to torture. Speaking of which, the phrasing 'you may without extraneous action or violent motion assume and remain in a sitting position' is probably fine."

"I can offer you plenty of information about how the Queen runs things. And I agree with your assessment of that order."

Tea repeats the order.

And now Arcane is sitting up with his wings neatly folded instead of all over the floor.

"I'd be fascinated to know what you have to say about how the Queen runs things."

"She is extremely effective at enforcing only and exactly the sort of good behaviour she cares about while leaving people otherwise free. There are some prisoners kept in conditions such as eternally drowning in a bowl of water, and she sometimes uses torture as a deterrent to bad behaviour, but she does not use torture for entertainment or encourage her vassals to do so. She is very standoffish even with highly valued vassals."

"Why is someone eternally drowning?"

"That is the sort of thing that happens when one personally upsets the Queen to a sufficient degree."

"Aha. Bad behavior such as?"

"Well, for example, if I were to assist you in attempting to overthrow the Queenscourt this would be voluntary disloyalty from a Queenscourt member and would not be viewed kindly."

"For that matter, attempting to overthrow the Queenscourt will probably not endear you to her either."

"Well, yes, but I'm not being wedged into a choice of that or being turned into a small animal and kept in a box, am I."

"It's true, you aren't."

"So for whatever it's worth I'm sorry you found my gate."

"Thank you."

"Maybe I should have just stayed here and checked it more often..."

"Perhaps. I don't know how long it sat open before I found it. And I might have been curious about the midair gate even if it had been closed, although it would not have been so glaringly obvious." Pause. "I can force open a closed gate."

"Yes."

"That's amazing."

"I did mention I was the Queenscourt's best sorcerer."

"I had been figuring that meant you were - fast, that you knew all the usual things and maybe some weird stuff, I didn't know anybody could open a gate that wasn't theirs."