...Leareth's people also seem unsure how to react to this, but there's some back-and-forth discussion and people asking Carissa questions until the end of the meal when everyone peels off to bed. 

(Calib appears at one point, glances at Carissa from another table, but doesn't try to come over to her.)

- she just told Leareth that it's contemptible to not do things you want to do because you're embarrassed. 

She's not sure what she wants to do, but.

She heads over to him after dinner. "Hey."

"Uh. Hey." He looks uncertainly at her.

"A buncha stuff happened, I want to catch you up on it, come back to my room with me?"

"- Sure." He reaches to take her hand before he starts walking. 

Hand-squeeze. 

And she flops on her bed. "You heard the kid got rescued?"

Calib flops next to her. "Pexa, you mean? Yeah. Leareth was so panicked about it! Nayoki spread the word as soon as he found out she'd just gotten, er, picked up by the other Leareth."

"I'm glad, of course. It seems better for her to be around people who love each other. And - for them to have her back. Whoever they are. Whatever they're up to.

Leareth talked to the other Leareth. He said the other Leareth said he should try to - trust me? Lean on me? Fall in love with me? He doesn't seem to know what he actually wants."

Calib shifts his weight on the bed. "- Leareth doesn't? ...Huh. He - always knows what he wants." His voice is slightly tense. 

"Yeah. It's really disconcerting. - he doesn't want to fuck me, he did clarify that. But it's still, uh - if he were Chelish and wanted something from me he'd probably reassign you? And I think that's not how people do things here but I don't really know how they do things here?"

Calib is quiet for a bit. 

Finally he props himself up on one elbow. "I mean, I don't think Leareth does things - the way anyone else does. But also I sort of doubt he's got some protocol squirrelled away for this? I'm...not sure this would've come up for him before." 

"He said not in a while, at least, not that he remembers." 

Nod. "Uh, what do you think about it?"

"....confused? Obviously Leareth is a - really really good person to have on my side? If he's offering that? I want him to - think I'm worth whatever it is he's measuring me against..... I wish he knew what he wanted and could just tell me it and then I could figure it out from there. But - I don't know. It feels like trying to dance in the dark, and every time someone steps on your toe you don't know if it was your mistake or theirs."

Calib frowns. "...Does it matter? If, uh, it was metaphorically your mistake or his? I mean, I - can't see Leareth holding it against you. Especially not when he knows he was, er, unclear to you, but - just in general, too." 

"....I don't know? I mean, I assume that it will cause him to draw some conclusions, and that's stressful, even if those conclusions are right, if they're - negative about me."

"I'm sorry." Calib's voice is a bit stiff. "I - I don't know that I have advice for you. On this particular problem. It's - not like, er, like I've had it myself, before." 

"I am not sure anyone has ever had this problem before!

So, uh. What do you want to do?"

"...I'm not sure. Nothing, yet? Wait and see. It - doesn't sound like it makes sense to - change anything. just yet. Er, about - you and me." 

"That's what I was asking about, yeah. That makes sense." Hug?

He hugs her. Chuckles weakly. "Your life seems to bring up such strange problems." 

"Well. They're better problems to have than being a statue forever."

"- Right. I'm glad you're not a statue." Calib falls silent and just hugs her. 

This doesn't seem like it has resolved anything and that feels very unfair, she went to all that effort to have a conversation and then everything is not resolved. She is grouchy about this for a seriously childish length of time and then manages to remember she should instead be telling Calib everything she can remember about Shavri's research interests.

This is a much less awkward topic, and Calib is eager to hear all of it and ask questions.