"Okay. Well. I don’t t-- Is th-- I’m just trying to think of what would be a good compromise. I want to-- I want to do bargaining, if you will. I'm--I'm willing to punish Tommy. I don't think--you haven't been very clear on what you want, other than that you want me to stop associating with him."

"Well, we were going to use that in--George was going to use it for an artifact. If Tommy made it, using his mana, I'd consider that--I'd say that that's fair. Otherwise--I mean, your group is just--going around causing problems, you know? Wilbur and Tommy both being purposely rude to older enclavers, Wilbur cutting us off from trade and destroying community property, Tommy stealing--I would want to let other people know."

What the fuck!!!! Clay was the one who gave Wilbur the stuff to do that in the first place!!!!!! He does not say "what the fuck" because he is being extremely restrained but he does make some sort of noise about this.

Toby glares at him.

"Sorry, please, sorry! I just--poked my eye, I was feeling pain!" THIS SUCKS. THIS IS SO FUCKING UNFAIR. WILBUR AND TERRENCE WERE RIGHT ABOUT EVERYTHING.

It would be really, really, really bad, for all of them, if Clay went around letting people know that their study group is fine with antagonizing enclaves.

It's also totally infeasible for Tommy, who is (a) a freshman, (b) not artificing track, (c) Tommy, to help in any meaningful way with George's artifact.

Fuck.

"Okay! Okay. I think--that's definitely bad, yeah, our group doesn't--we don't agree with any of that. We can't do anything about Wilbur, obviously, but we've already started working on repairing everything he's destroyed. I really want this to come to--a peaceful resolution, something where we can all be happy."

"The easiest way for you to do that," Clay points out, "is to denounce Tommy. Cut ties."

"Right. And that's--that's an option on the table, right, but it's a last resort. Tommy has--I mean, just recently, he lost his brother, he lashed out a little, you know, it wasn't good, but he's, he's sorry, I really do think he's already bettered a lot as a person, you know? So what I suggest is--we keep him under supervision, which I know would suck for you. We keep him under supervision and we negotiate some sort of, some sort of trade--maybe not the artifact, but maybe something else--and if Tommy so much as breathes in the wrong direction, we cut ties, and you do--whatever you think is best."

"Can I just say--"

"Let the adults speak, Tommy."

"Toby is literally younger than me."

"No I'm not! I'm actually not, as well! I was born 2005, you're 2006!"

"Well, okay, it doesn't really matter. You don't have to specify. It's a month or two."

"Okay."

"Can I--my criticism is that... Look at me, staying calm. Like a-- like a power moth. Like a moth with knives attached to it. I don't--what's a nice way to put this? This isn't--this isn't fair, this isn't right. Clay's going around threatening people and being a huge bitch just because he's, y'know, he's from Tampa--"

"TOMMY! Tommy, Tommy, please, it's going really well--"

"You know what? I actually kinda-- I'm even willing to compromise! Toby, I like your idea. If Tommy does anything in the next four years, if he calls anyone a mean name, breaks anything, steals anything, does anything that could be bad-- then you cut ties. But if he behaves perfectly well, if he's well-behaved, then I leave you alone and don't tell everyone what Tommy did. I'll be reasonable."

"Okay! Tommy, is that--"

There is no way he is going to succeed at that and they all know it. This is incredibly fucking stupid. "I've been up for so long, I'll agree to anything right now. I mean, Jesus Christ. --No, you know what actually, fuck this."

"Tommy, please, you just agreed."

"No, no, listen. Even on four hours of sleep, I am a mastermind among men, I am like the modern-day modern-day Magnus Carlsen! I’m like-- who else is clever?"

"...Albert Einstein? Sir Isaac Newton? I don't--"

"I'm like Newton, bitch! Apples and shit! Physics!"

"Tommy, you've got to stay calm now, please."

"No. No, you know what? I have a plan. I'm not-- you know I can't fucking do that shit! I'm not being crazy, I'm not, I'm not fucking Wilbur! I'm--this is the only thing I could think of that might, that might actually work. Look at me, Clay."

"Yes, Tommy?"

"This morning, you were going around fucking, threatening me, thinking you're the shit. And so I grabbed--a little something."

And out of his backpack he takes his knife as well as a threadbare stuffed horse, or at least what was once a stuffed horse; you can see where it used to have a mane and tail once, before they fell out, and it's missing patches of fur as well as one eye, and it's the sort of uniform grayish-brown that was almost definitely not its original color. "If you leave us be, no, if you apologize, I'll give it back. If not--" He waves the knife.