"Um, a lot of them, but once Sing is here it can handle getting them to everyone better than I can."

"...It sounds like Sing can do a lot of different things. I don't suppose it's the kind of tool where you can easily list all the things it can do?"

"A person can do more things than an animal, because of being smart. Sing can do more things than a person, because of being smarter."

"...So you want to make a mind that is to us as we are to animals. I think you don't need to clear that with magic scheduling, I think you need to clear that with the government. Uh, does everything interesting you can do pretty much start with 'step one: make a super-entity to rule over us' or have you got alternatives if they won't go for it?"

"...um, I can do some things without it but only much much slower and worse. I'm from a place with the super-entity and it's very good though!"

"What's very good about it?"

"We don't die. We have nicer things than you and more space and no one has to do magic for it."

"Did Sing make the extra space or was it just there waiting?"

"It was there but far away and hard to get to. I can draw some things?"

"Sure, I think there's got to be chalk around here... yeah, here."

Tarinda draws the solar system. She can't label anything because they don't have flat writing but she can point at stuff and then sign about it. "This is Earth, where humans are from," she says of the earth. "I drew some things a little bigger and closer together so you can see them all. Humans started existing here on this ball of water and rock. It goes around this sun. This other planet Mars also goes around that sun. I am from Mars. There is no air between Earth and Mars."

Nod. "They say the lost world was like that. That's something people do want, but it won't be urgent for another few generations. And you mentioned having nicer things - I imagine your Page counts but I bet there are other things you're thinking of."

"We have a bunch of ways to fly, and to talk to people far away, and if I get injured it heals itself - I can show you if you want. And I don't do chores, I have things that do them for me."

"Tell me more about the things that do chores for you?"

She draws a little dragon. "Mine look like this. They can talk and are smart the way Page is smart but they are not people. Other people have different kinds. They cook and clean and bring me things. They can guess what I want."

"That's..." Sam reconsiders how much language exposure Tarinda's had and edits out some slang. "...impressive and I want one. I think I have a good enough picture of your technology, at this point. Want to check if you're also ahead in math or the social sciences?"

"I don't personally do math for fun but Page can answer your math questions and I can relay what it says. Same with social sciences."

"...I want one of those, too, that's convenient." And Sam can ask a few questions on those topics, too, like whether they've been able to do anything about the weaknesses of self-report surveys and what's considered cutting edge math where Tarinda's from.

"Cutting edge" is a weird topic with a superintelligence around but here is some stuff about where mathematicians working independently have gotten. Surveys aren't exactly obsolete but they mostly fill a "straw poll" role; before Sing they had, say, the trick where you tell people to answer honestly unless a die comes up 1, in which case they should answer whatever the socially undesirable answer is.

"Okay. I think - I don't want to overstate this but I think you may be the second most important thing to ever happen to this world and you should talk to the government about how cautious they'd like to be in taking advantage of that. You are really important but not that time-sensitive so I don't know if you'll be able to do that tomorrow - probably? I can talk to some people, and in the mean time, do you want to stay at my place or try to find a room for rent around here?"

"I think it's kinda time sensitive but I guess tomorrow works if the whole government is asleep or something. Your place sounds good, thank you."

"No problem." Sam stands and starts to head for the door and then hesitates and adds, "I know every minute you spend here without your dragon servants you're leaving your friends to worry or missing appointments and I'd say I appreciate you bearing with us but I've always found it infuriating when people thank me for enduring things I had no choice about."

"I appreciate the thought."

They can make it to Sam's place without anything terrible happening.

Sam's bedroom is locked and the curtains are closed; the rest of the place is neat and minimalist with neutral décor so void of personality it loops back around into being a statement. There's a living room couch that's long enough and deep enough to be comfortable to lie on, a couple of little embroidered throw pillows, and a spare sheet and blanket. It's apparently a very small apartment, like a studio as reimagined by someone who hated open floor plans.

"If you make yourself comfortable I can go drop off a note about Sing and we can see how long it takes them to get back to us."

"Is there dinner?" she asks.