:It's that or - be dead.:

:I think it would be better for the world - given the values I actually have, now - that all of the mes have - if I were dead, rather than alive and - belonging to Asmodeus, serving His will: Shudder. :A - version of me that was not all that different, could be...very good at it...: 

:I am tempted to complain that you're too nice. But that's - the bit that'd be different, probably.

Feels like more than a bit. Though Cheliax is good at making people not be nice.: 

:Yes: 

:....It is still so odd to me that you think 'nice' is one of my notable traits! I do not think of myself as being nice at all - I think I was constantly making people uncomfortable at Urtho's Tower, when I was a student there, by not seeming nice enough...: 

:Well, Urtho is an idiot and I bet his Tower would've been - incredibly hard to navigate - his people were deeply confusing at all times, I liked Predain much better because everybody made sense...I think probably you're getting a lot of mileage out of not being sexist and not being controlling but those aren't traits people end up with at complete random!:

:- I am glad you think so highly of me. I will decide to be flattered, I think: 

Now she is worried that one of those claims seems ridiculous to him though she can't really think which it'd be. Maybe in Predain people are sexist along dimensions that just don't actually come up if you are a fifth circle wizard and he is totally typical but not in a way that comes up. 

If that's what's going on, she doesn't mind.

:Were you under the impression I did not think very highly of you: she says teasingly instead, leaning into him.

:...I mean, I think mostly I am under the impression that I am a fairly normal person in terms of sexism and controlling tendencies? If anything, I would think I sometimes like to be controlling in bed! ...Honestly I am not sure what is wrong with people who are sexist, though, it just seems unstrategic, to not even bother assessing half of the population for their talent. I am not stupid in that particular way and so I assessed your talent and think rather highly of it: 

:I think it's about - if people have less bargaining power then it's easier to get what you want from them? So societies can coordinate to make sure none of their women have any bargaining power and it's inefficient but it's very convenient. 

You're - I don't mind if you like tying me up, it's more like....you haven't changed very much in how you treat me, from when I had Mhalir and an important rank in a foreign empire with spaceships...:

:Why would that change anything? It did not change you: 

:Yes, see, that's what I mean about not controlling. It obviously changes what I'll put up with and that just - isn't very important to you, because you're so nice.:

:- I still think that is missing the point, or something? It is not that I am just trying not to hurt you or make you unhappy - I mean, I would disvalue doing those things, because they are bad in general, but strategy outweighs it... I, just - from a strategic perspective, I want you as an ally. As the strongest possible you, because strong allies are better, right, and - having allies is more valuable than having - people you can just give orders...: 

:That makes sense. I think I would've disagreed. When I was Asmodean. That you make the best allies by making people stronger and not by forcing them into line. But I think probably I was just being lied to, about that.:

:I mean, maybe that is very effective for the thing Asmodeus actually wants! But - I would not say that He wants allies, at least not among mortals. He wants tools: 

Nod. :And it doesn't matter if He's making people worse at being allies.:

:Not in His eyes, anyway. I - suppose we will see, in the end. If Aroden and Iomedae's strategies are better overall than His: 

:I guess we will. I - hope it is.:

He pulls her closer. :So do I: 

The next day, Leareth gives both of them a tour of the Void-ship. Most of the magical controls are designed for Velgarth mages, but he had Aroden's advice on its design, and has a number of Golarion arcane magic cantrips that Carissa can copy into her spellbook, so that she can navigate and toggle the detection wards or shields and otherwise handle the basics while Ma'ar sleeps. 

She can do that. What is the plumbing situation? What is the sleeping situation?

The sleeping situation: there is a rolled-up mattress they can unroll and take turns sleeping on; they both only need two hours a night of sleep, or at least this will be true once Ma'ar has had his Ring of Sustenance for a full week, so this should be fine timing-wise.

The plumbing situation...is significantly less nice than in the Yeerk ship. There's a setup for sterilizing and reusing water, so they can go for a couple of weeks at a time without needing to drop in on some world somewhere and re-supply. The bathing is...limited to nonexistent. There's a privy behind a curtain in the corner. 

It would be so much nicer to have a spaceship but they'll make do.

She brings her spellsilver so she can work on magic items.

Leareth goes over all of their maps with Ma'ar, and also Mhalir's differently-formatted hyperspace mapping on the computer. They're going to have a lot of downtime, he points out; maybe they can work on getting all of his and Urtho's charts entered into the computer as well. 

And, the evening before they're scheduled to leave:

"I think I will take Aroden up on becoming His cleric," Ma'ar says to Catalina-Carissa. "We - might need it." 

"Magic healing's very good to have. And apparently Leareth uses his cleric spells to mostly never get tired, which seems useful given how Velgarth mages work."