"Yes, from what I've seen they have a similar--indifference to social mores."

"We can only hope they don't come back already married, that'll be hard to smooth over."

"Yes, yes it would."

"I don't think he would but I wouldn't be astonished -"

"I think Ahya would be opposed to the concept of marrying someone without letting me know first but I wouldn't be shocked if there were circumstances where she'd do it anyway, yeah."

"It'd be specifically to avoid involving us in any respect that'd motivate him. But - I don't think so -"

"Yeah, it probably won't happen."

"Sorry, didn't mean to worry you."

"I'll live. And it is in fact highly unlikely so I will cease to worry after a little while."

"I worry continually. I should probably come up with a better plan sometime."

"I don't think there's a lot of point to worrying? There's nothing we can actually do until they get back, so worrying about it until then wouldn't be productive. Coming up with a plan might well be, though."

"Ride out to reach them once they're in range, so if there are problems we have a day to think about them before the whole city knows?"

"Yeah, that's a good idea. And maybe we could convince them to shoo a little longer to give us more than a day."

"If needed, yeah."

"Yeah. Do you think there are likely to be problems other than the hypothetical impulsive marriage?"

"I can think of lots of things but none likely and we should perhaps not insult them by preparing too aggressively for implausible kinds of silliness."

"I think it depends on the kind of silliness? Ahya goes around wearing the clothing Tyelcormo adorned with bright pink lace."

"Does that require preparing for?"

"That specific example, no, but there are probably things that would require preparing for that if I told her I was preparing for them she'd go, 'yeah, fair enough' whether or not she had done them."

"Fair enough. Let me know if you think of them."

"I will."

"And stop by every once in a while, won't you?"

"Of course! Who else could I talk to when your dad's being exasperating?"

"Lots and lots of people find my dad exasperating!"

"Yeah, but most of them will assume I don't like him if I complain to them, and also it might get back to him and your brothers, and then I'm sunk."