“... how do you make sure that there’s a correct number of people in the world, with the correct set of traits?”

"Oh. We have things to make children not happen, even in the time of year when children happen. You keep those until you have a permission, from the - the people who tell people what to do."

Koyumena looks like she’s processing complex emotions! She fidgets around with a glittery seashell bracelet on her wrist.

”... we... set up incentives so that we overproduce... and then correct after the fact, to historical rates...? - it’s not universally popular, I quit creche work because of it, I understand the arguments in favor but there are ways we could avoid it and it’s so pointlessly awful -“

Nuta stares at her.

“It’s awful! We’re not - I don’t endorse my society, we suck, I don’t eat meat and I don’t like the extreme ends of pet eugenics and we need longer wait times for voluntary euthanasia -“

"- I don't care if you eat meat! But children! On purpose! My country will kill a handful of babies every year to - to make it so parents won't break the rule - and not have them without permission - but babies with permission, never never never -"

“- eating meat is actually a serious social problem, it’s really unethical! Some countries let people sell it and that’s even worse -“

Nuta looks absolutely horrified.

“- sorry, I’m - I’m so bad at trying to be friends with people, I’m sorry, do you need a hug or for me to leave or something else or - I’m sorry.”

"I want your people to stop killing children!" she says shrilly. "By overproducing on purpose!"

“I - it’s not fair to make me personally responsible for my whole society, I bet your world has terrible things that you don’t like! I’m sorry that everything is terrible should I just leave.”

Nuta shakes her head and sits on the nearest soft surface and hugs her knees, starting to cry.

Koyumena sits down on the other end of the soft surface and looks pervasively miserable.

"Is everybody going to be that upset about Amentans eating meat?" Nuta asks, after a while.

“People are mostly fine with it, I’m not - standard - there. Selling it is pretty controversial for everyone?”

"Why selling it?"

“If you can earn money by raising animals then people don’t treat them very well, if a household has a few cows and they have - names and birthday parties - even though they still eat them - then it’s easier to argue that it’s all net positive.”

Nuta is thinking "is that the argument for the babies too" but she's not going to construct a sentence in another language about it. "Amentans mostly buy meat."

Koyumena nods, slowly.

"I don't know if I can eat no meat and be okay."

“... if you mention that to the competent people they can probably figure something out.”

"Okay. I don't think it will be bad for me fast."

“That’s... good?”

"Yeah. If they take a few days to figure it out I should be all right."

She nods, slowly, again.