Well, it's not a reply, but it's, I will expect you in my office at 7pm this evening for what I hope will be a more productive and calmer discussion.

Okay, it's... something. They email Lorica asking if she still thinks it's a good idea to come with them, still wants to, and will be available at the time.

Yeah, I can be there.

Then they email Yates to ask if Lorica's allowed to come. Surprising her will do no good.

She may attend, but don't get any ideas about ganging up on me.

It's more about her controlling me.

No reply.

A bot lets them in. Lorica is, for a change, reading a book. "Hi Glam."

"Hellooo. How are you?"

"I'm okay, you?"

"I am very nervous and this is not a feeling I am used to and I do not like it."

"Sorry."

They shrug. "Not your fault, nothing to be sorry about, and I understand that's not how you meant the word but it relaxes me to say this anyway." Pause. "It doesn't relax me much, mind." They sit on nothing.

"How much do those facial expressions correlate with what your face actually does?"

"A lot. At the moment they're pretty accurate, except for lacking eyebrows and such that might give them more context. And there's the aesthetic of it as well, being clearly very nervous is underlined by the smile I think."

"It's not a detailed enough smile to have a quality like 'nervousness'."

"Exactly, it's the voice and the words. Sort of like typing 'Life is horrible colon right parenthesis' on the internet, you know? The words give the context the rest of the face lacks."

"Sure. Anyway, any last minute brainstorms to present to Yates to avoid having to be two people?"

"Haven't thought of any she wouldn't dismiss out of hand."

"Okay, so that's plan A is two of you."

"No no, plan A is mysteriousness and a secret identity thing."

"Okay, and plan B is two of you and plan C is 'whatever you say Ms Yates'?"

"...yes."

"I'll do my best, but be advised that my best means making my first pass at the pitch as good as I can get it and definitely doesn't look like trying again if that fails."