"An enclave gets destroyed and Shanghai adopts a freshman maleficer in the same three days, it's hard not to try to figure out if there's any connection. But yes, I haven't got one."

Not everything has to do with you, thinks the St. Petersburg senior. "Well. We appreciate the warning about the malificer. What are you planning on doing about it other than running around the library letting everyone know that half the school might blow up again?"

"If we've got a consensus behind us, we'll go to Kyoto and tell them to talk some sense into Shanghai. If everyone's divided and no one wants to stick their neck out, then as a practical matter whoever's the most offended will probably stab him, but it won't be us, that'd be incredibly destabilizing. Frankly I hope it's Jaipur, Shanghai can't make that about 'New York has a grudge', but I can think of some people who might beat them to it."

"After last year I'd think Japiur would stay out of it unless he looked too closely at one of the Indian enclaves," says the Novgorod senior.

"At this point the way you've been running around if anyone stabs him it'll be incredibly destabilizing," adds the St. Petersburg senior. "I guess you could get an indie to do it and hope no one looks too closely, except everyone's going to be thinking that at this point."

"The kid's in Monday morning shop class. Even odds he's dead by mid-semester even if no one tries a damned thing. If Shanghai wants to start a war over that, then they're looking for an excuse and would find a different one."

"- aren't all your freshmen also in Monday morning shop?" says the St. Petersburg senior.

"It wasn't my idea," she says tiredly. "But yes. Most of them, anyway.  Maybe if something also eats three of them it won't spark a war."

"Do you have a plan for when he notices that half the school wants him dead."

This happened an hour ago, Annaka wants to protest. "Not yet."

"Great. I'm telling my freshmen to stay away from him and looping in Kiev. If you want to keep it secret I can tell them not to talk about it but it's a lost cause by now."

"No, I knew that was hopeless as soon as I told anyone. Go ahead and warn off your freshmen and - should I plan to talk to Kiev separately, or do you want to handle that, I thought they all  graduated -"

"They did. Kiev clusters, but they mistimed one so there's a freshman this year. I didn't think we should tell her when it seemed private but it looks like all the decision-making has already been done."

    "I can talk to her," says the Novgorod senior.

"Great. Thank you. Let me know if you need anything or think of anything."

And off she goes.