"I guess we might as well see how he is. Even though there is some chance that this makes the situation worse. I just - if he's as scared as she is then I don't really want to watch them taking in that parenting this kid in this way is expected and that they had better do it if they don't want the powerful aliens mad at them."

"I'm all in favor of presenting it some way that makes him feel free to say he doesn't think of it as his kid, if he doesn't."

"Okay."

"I don't want to make it harder for her. But - if it were me -"

" - okay. Good to know, I guess."

"If you want a say about your kids you had better marry women before you get them pregnant."

"I mean for us this is literally metaphysically necessary. But - he didn't just have sex with her and run off, if he had I'd agree with you -"

Nod.

"I mostly want someone to talk to her about how she and her people see relationships and parenting before anyone pushes their model too far onto her. - probably Valentine, Valentine's good at doing nonthreatening. And doesn't claim to have any moral high ground."

(She glances back at them and sees that the new Imrainai is, in fact, talking to Valentine right now.)

"Oh good."

"Hopefully that does her some good."

She's actually explaining the fairy rules. They seem important. 

" - so you can't lie at all?"

"Yeah. No sarcasm, no technically untrue metaphors, no lies for social convenience, no misreporting your feelings. It's hard but you get used to it."

"I'm not even sure that's possible."

" - I mean, we can try to keep you unentangled? But I think you can probably learn how?"

"I'm a Liar. Not even just any Liar, I'm - the only particularly useful skill I have over other people is being a poet. That's all lying, that's all it can be. Even if I didn't say anything, ever, I'd still lie to myself constantly, I don't think that's avoidable."

" - I think probably that doesn't count."

"Then I don't know that I can successfully draw a line around - ugh - I don't know that I can determine which things are members of the category."

"That makes sense. I'm sorry. We'll just - keep you far away from Rana and the other fairies, I guess. Rana's mad at us anyway because we brought down so much misfortune on him before Elizabeth learned to make people forget each other's names."

"She sounds very powerful."

"Yeah. And getting more powerful all the time. She's - trying to use it for good. Like you would."

" - I don't know if you really know me well enough to say that."

"Maybe not, but - I know you're being careful with the powers you do have, and I know you're planning to use them to rescue your people from slavery. That's admirable."

"Only if I don't get my priorities shuffled arou - uh, only if I manage to stay adequately focused on that in spite of - complications."