"Just on the same principle that researchers in general are allowed to find authority less compelling."

"How do the authorities have to be?"

"It varies quite greatly depending on level."

"I suppose that stands to reason. At least people can check and make sure they're how they're supposed to be, so perhaps they'd know to freak out if one managed to somehow be even less prosocial than the existing starving-seven-year-olds level? - ugh, sorry, I used to be more, uh, diplomatic, but I was like - coached, on that, before we got to Ibyabek -"

A bit wryly: "I'll give you another try, if you'd like."

Sigh. "It's probably a useful anti-corruption measure that everyone can scan their leaders for the traits that are supposed to be there."

"It is.  . . . Please don't mention - that - to anyone else; my leaving myself in a state to tell you that story was itself a bit of an autonomous operation, though - obviously something I believe was best for the country - "

"Don't mention - what, starving seven-year-olds?"

"Yes."

"Do most people not know?"

"It isn't - common - "

"So you just disappeared for presumably days and none of your friends or your parents' friends wanted to know where you'd gotten to? And you hadn't made a big stink in advance about not wanting the traits?"

"I've told people, just - not - to them it's a youthful foible, and it's a little surprising and sad that it had to happen but was fundamentally my own fault.  You're reacting very strongly to this and I - at least mostly predicted that - and so there's a narrower viewpoint which expects I shouldn't have told you in particular.  Please, please do not decide not to help us with technology about this."

"I wasn't going to do that, no."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"It's come up in front of foreigners before and they didn't react as strongly as you have either."

"I'm not sure what cultural characteristics would explain that. Maybe it's just the sort of thing that somebody obviously has to be doing in Creta if you spend a while living next door."

"That sounds - plausible.  Or, I don't know whether starvation normally has long-term effects but it doesn't for us; I was fine immediately afterward.  They even gave me a cookie."

"I did guess that starving would not have long term physical effects for you."

"Maybe it was just what you said, then."

"Or they're worse somehow, or they're glad that the most especially contrary children and their families aren't being selectively filtered out of Creta and into their countries, or something I have no way to think of on account of being from another planet."

"I suppose I could find you a foreigner to ask at some point."

"Are there many around? I don't know how you tell, nobody would have to look or sound different from anyone else."

"There are quite a few!  There are limitations on how long they can live here but with most countries of origin those are on a scale of years and we get plenty of visitors.  - By our standards; it might not be that many compared with societies which have trains and the like."