"They could pay us anyway, when we're not also spending on a war," Aza points out.

This mostly gets titters from the boys and thoughtful looks exchanged between the girls.

"You know, that's a good point," one of the girls who expressed wanting to coparent babies with her friend says.

"Back on the topic though I wonder if drafted soldiers have a high rate of desertion? I'd expect them to."

"Probably depends on working conditions?"

     "And whether all your friends would JUDGE you about it."

"- I dunno, I'd rather have someone judge me than die."

"I wonder if anyone's ever kept figures on how many soldiers desert," Ma'ar suggests, but this thread is not taken up by anyone else. Oh well. Maybe he can see if the library has any books on it.

"There're non-combat positions in the military, logistics and Gates and stuff, which is less awful to force people into maybe, but if you didn't put the draftees in combat that might actually get you fewer volunteers."

"- Oh, what an interesting point!" the teacher acknowledges, smiling at her. "Hard to know without trying it both ways, I figure, but - what do people think about it?"

This topic, and some further digressions from it, occupy most of the rest of the class.

It's a really interesting class! She almost runs out of notebook.

Ma'ar is smiling as they walk out. "I think I like this class."

"Me too! And nobody in it seems like a huge idiot so that's good."

"I know! It's so much less frustrating than the other class before. I like the teacher too."

"He didn't say much, but I guess he did warn us he wasn't going to."

"I thought he did a good job. He - I don't know, he smiled at people at the right times? I think he made people feel more like they could say interesting things and not get weird looks about it."

"I wasn't really paying attention to that very much, but good for him!"

Shrug. "Anyway I'd better go practice more for combat class."

"Have fun! Maybe!"

"We'll see!" Smiling a bit to himself, he peels off back to his room.

Aza doubles back and asks the teacher if there's a list of topics so she could maybe do some reading in advance and have better prepared remarks.

"Oh! Yes, of course. I prefer not to-  run it on a fixed schedule, I look to see what sort of mood the class is in, but I can give you the usual list."

The usual list includes:

- What the laws and enforcement should be on un-Gifted people faking mage-gift, or on weaker mages passing themselves off as much stronger than they are.

- Relatedly, whether Tantara ought to use more credential systems for mages. Or fewer. Apparently this is controversial.

- The ethics of creating species. Hertasi and gryphons as examples.

- Whether and how young untrained mages ought to be punished for accidental use of magic causing harm or death

- Whether there are ever any ethical uses of Final Strike

- Whether there are ever any ethical uses of various magics classified as "dark" and illegal in Tantara, like demon summoning

"Do you recommend any books about these in particular?"

"Hmm. There's a whole legal section in the library, if you want to know what the laws are for those topics, but to be honest they are quite dry. I could recommend you these books on the history of hertasi and their creation - there are not any on gryphons, Urtho's notes on that are unpublished." He gives her some titles.

"Huh. Maybe I should go ask him about them."

"You could do that! He is very proud and fond of them. I think he feels a little like he is the father of their whole species. He would probably not share the technical details of it, he is secretive about it, but he might well share other things."

She nods and thanks the teacher again and wanders in the direction of Urtho's office till she expects a hertasi will know whether he's very busy.

There is a hertasi! "Miss Azabel! Are you looking for Master Urtho?"