Leareth looks faintly nonplussed about this. “…Not especially, no. I mind it less because at least when I am assassinated I come back. I am by far not the person whom Vkandis has harmed the most.”

Nayoki raises her eyebrows, but lets this slide. “Does anyone like being horribly murdered? In a sexual way?”

"There are people who are into anything you can think of. ...your world doesn't have the internet. There are people who are into anything you can think of and a million things you can't."

Leareth's eyes refocus on her, sharply. "What is the 'Internet'?" 

"Something that people who aren't supervillains get."

"Is it mostly about having extensive records of - all possible variations of human sexual interest? Or does it also do other things?" 

(Industrializing medieval planets: probably good, right? Except tell them not to do it with coal lest they kill themselves from climate change down the line? Or maybe the people are right who think the coal was worth it and the climate change is "only" going to kill a hundred million people which is not worse than never industrializing in the first place? And definitely don't tell them to do it with nuclear plants, it's only through sheer luck humanity survived that, except are nukes obvious once you teach people chemistry. Probably not, right, Earth might not have figured that out if there'd never been a Hitler...and then there's the people who think factory farming more than cancels out every benefit of industrialization and will never stop once it has started, because it's just so hard to come up with anything more efficient than nature at growing meat fast. And if she decides she doesn't care about animals enough to let everyone be poor FOREVER for them (is it forever? presumably they'll industrialize eventually and she's just speeding it up?) it seems kind of likely that most industrial civilizations destroy themselves, one way or another. Fermi's paradox, except maybe some scientists solved that? But some others found their solution unpersuasive and she's not smart enough to know who's right.

(And if they're going to industrialize anyway and then destroy themselves anyway then the question is whether the hundreds of additional years being extant but medieval are net positive or not and it feels unfathomably arrogant to even take a guess, so she won't, she can't, though she is acting like she has a guess, isn't she, when she decides whether to give her local ambitious supervillain access to the internet.)

And all of that before thinking what magic has to do with any of this.)

"I heard it's mostly porn."

Elfyn is still not shielding her thoughts at all, which - almost has to be deliberate, she has all the Gifts, she's been in Velgarth long enough to know what they mean, and she's modelling Leareth as a 'supervillain' which ought to result in anticipating that he'll be even more ruthless than he will in actuality. 

So it's on purpose. Presumably because either she, or the mysterious force behind her sex powers - which seems to act a little like Foresight - predicts that this will result in seducing Leareth more quickly? 

(Leareth pauses, briefly, to check his own thoughts for any anomalous urges to have sex with Elfyn. He still doesn't think he wants to? He wants to talk to her.) 

"You know," he says gently, quietly, "I would not put it on you to make sure that our world's technological progress goes perfectly? I have been thinking about this for a very, very long time. You have power far beyond what I do, power that could - transform Velgarth, that might be able to fix all of our deepest problems at almost zero cost - but I am confident I have vastly more experience at - considering complicated questions and difficult tradeoffs. If you want to check my judgement, since I am a 'supervillain', I am happy to explain all of the reasoning behind various predictions, but - what you said before? That people are not meant to do this alone? If that holds for me, it holds for you as well." 

He lets out his breath in a little gust, feeling suddenly way more emotional than he was expecting. He's not sure what the emotion even is. 

"On another note. I think Velgarth is not, in fact, especially on a path to 'industrialize' sooner or later anyway. Not unless I - carry out my plan, which you would think is very evil and you would not even be wrong, just - I judge that even a huge one-time cost is preferable to the world continuing forever to be a place where children starve to death in winter. And our gods are deeply against progress and change, and - do not really seem to be the sort of entities that can perceive or care about the wellbeing of mortals. That is the deepest problem that needs fixing, here. I...think it is a simpler one, though, in some ways." 

"Have you considered that maybe they're right?"

"- It seems likely They could have some kind of information that I lack? Which is why I tried talking first. I - suspect that rapid change genuinely does harm Their interests; my best guess is that this is because it blurs Foresight, which would leave Them half-blind. I have a plan that would address this and - and if They were ever willing to, to let me try to convey it so They could see if it suited Them, I would obviously do that instead! But - I think that They do not especially weight the flourishing or suffering of mortals; I think it is not one of the ways that They can even parse the world. And as one of the mortals– well, not technically mortal but I am still human - I am not, actually, willing to let that stand forever. Even if beings that are individually far more powerful than me stand in my way." 

....Why is he so emotional about this??? Oh, right, it's probably the mind-affecting sex magic??? Leareth was just....expecting that to be mind-affecting on the dimension of sexual desire, not just - all of his completely unrelated feelings. 

- hug?

Leareth will take a hug! It sounds really nice and probably it won't make the mind-control worse and if it does he's already delegated to multiple outside layers of his staff to keep an eye on this and intervene if he's acting in ways that are uncharacteristic and also obviously stupid. So it's....fine. Probably. 

Hug. 

This isn't not worrying, in terms of Leareth behaving in notably uncharacteristic ways? But it's also adorable and Nayoki personally feels that it's really good for him, so she just tries to make herself as invisible and unobtrusive as possible while she watches. 

"'m not going to stop you. From doing your best whatever it is once you're not a supervillain. Stopping you would be - just as much the kind of decision I don't know how to make as anything else. 

But - 

- I think maybe most human civilizations wipe themselves out. So just, you know, either be careful or be sure you're fine with that."

How many human civilizations has she personally watched wipe themselves out??? Because that - kind of sounds like personal bitterness, there. 

Leareth has watched exactly one (1) civilization wipe itself out. More accurately, he was one of the main participants in the events that wiped it out. 

If he had never existed, would the civilization Urtho had helped build in Tantara never had a reason to destroy itself, and would that just have been better 

"...I am trying my best to be very careful. I will admit that my best was - not always very good, when I was young - but I have spent a thousand years on my current plan. And - I do not, actually, very much get the impression that the gods are - better at being careful and avoiding unintended wasteful consequences." 

"Leareth is the most careful person I have ever met or heard of in my entire life," Nayoki confirms cheerfully. "I am pretty sure that if he does manage to learn more about your magical powers, his default response would be to immediately put all of his operations on pause so he could think through all of the implications for a century or two." 

"Well, good for him. I hope that works." I guess if it doesn't I can warn the next guy in more detail.

Leareth feels suddenly very tired, and like he wants something about this interaction to be different, but he has no idea what, or what to do about it. 

(Nayoki feels like somehow she managed to say a thing that made it worse and less adorable? Gah.) 

"Do you mind if I go track down a staff person who'll want to beat me up and fuck me, now?"

"...No, I do not mind at all."