"...I didn't know that. You should have told me. I kind of thought so and I've been thinking about if Lin is a spy for cycles." What else is she hiding. "Are there other things like that?"

Sniff.

"Lin was brave. She got some of the dust so I could yell and breathe. I'm going to heal her once I fix my eyes. I can heal her mouth today I think too. And... I think Calsa is the second kind of person. It's good to have people who are nice. I'm not nice. I'm just fair. I don't have to save people I just can't be the one who hurt them. And if there's more Kaleids it would be kind of like I'm their big brother and I don't want there to be people who I owe so much to. I don't know how to teach about the colors the right way. And they would be so slow to get big until I didn't have to help anymore. Can the other elph take part of Kef even if you don't want that? I think my country told Kelos they quit being part of Kelos and there was arguing but not a war."

"Other things like that? Any other secrets I have?

Obviously anything Calsa or Siki knows will probably get to me eventually through Merta. I sometimes talk to Siki too.

There are two common false beliefs among the people of Kef. I had good reason to lie, I'll set them right soon, and they don't affect you.... hm, actually one does affect you a little, and the reason to maintain it is because the truth will draw attention to you, so if you're already cooperating on staying secret for five more cycles, I can tell you. Please be careful not to let any hint of this slip, or any hint of anything you figure out from it. The waterworks accident was planned in advance. Everyone who got hurt volunteered for it, except for Loud Pavel, who did commit disiniuria and that was not part of the plan. The whole fire crew is okay.

Elves are sort of supposed to be interchangable. At least, that's an ideal that some hold. In practice, we have skills and aptitudes and too much personal experience to fully share. But I, Meikalani, do not own Kef. The Magistrate of Kef owns Kef, on behalf of the country of Sota. And if someone convinces the Counsel of Sota that Kef ought to be split, there's nothing I can do. I promised not to break with Sota."

.......He is confused and incredulous about the fake accident, and it shows on his face even if he can't see right now.

"People can have secrets. I'm not telling you to tell me everything ever, that wouldn't be fair. I only meant secrets and lies that are about me, like how Lin is actually an adult."

"He wanted the waterworks because it was a steady stream of income with no challenges. I made it have challenges.

You wanted to talk about war and bandits?"

"...I forgot what I was thinking about when I said that. I guess maybe that as long as I'm the only kaleid people are going to keep wanting more kaleids, so I can't ever stop thinking about it or ignore it. I'm worried that bandits or war might happen because of me. It feels a little bit like Tomas was my fault. I don't like being so important, it's scary. Do you think I would be any safer if people knew there were other kaleid?"

"Tomas was not your fault, unless there was something you did which you knew at the time made his actions more likely. Of course, there are things we all can learn from it, and do better next time, including a practice of trying to predict how things will go wrong. That's not the same as fault.

Or, in a legal sense, you did nothing wrong, nothing remotely provocative. While the laws for Magistrates and the customs of elves do not lay any blame on me, I consider myself bound to a stricter standard of reliability, where I owe you compensation, and should cease trying to work around you for your own good.

You would be safe if there were lots of kaleids, easily available to hire, and at least one in each of the Lei Empire and Freedom Democracy. I doubt anyone cares about your home, since we can't get there. In the realistic near future, I think the safest options for you are to grow your power in secret, or to publicly ally with the Allheart Alliance.

Starting in five cycles, or really, starting as soon as you'll accept it, what protection do you want? I will allow any of my employees to serve in that role, such as Merta or the tengu, and I will pay for your guards as part of my compensation to you."

"I don't know. Except that I want to do a lie-seeing magic when we are done talking. I know white can do that, but it's always expensive the first time you do something. I want to ask you if you lied to me today."

And accepting expensive things from the Magistrate makes him owe her more, which makes the whole thing even more of an immense pit that he might never get out of.

"I want to learn to fight without doing disinuria? I want to learn more science and math? I want some money maybe so I can get more clothes and supplies maybe? Or some things for Calsa and Merta and Siki and Lin? ...I don't know. I think I'm too scared and sad to think about what I will want next year right now. Oh you should know I told miss Larian and mister Tanno about healing by accident. Calsa can I hug you?"

"Lin can teach you to fight, or recommend someone. I now give you 1000 money of my town to hire tutors and buy whatever else you like. Hm, I'll tell Tanno that teaching you is now part of his job and he may choose between that and his plants as he thinks best. He and Larian are good at keeping secrets, don't worry."

Oh now he likes her -

- it makes sense for him to be suspicious -

"Of course, kiddo, any time." Hug.

"Would you mind if I have the tengu follow you around? Or hire Siki?"

He hugs Calsa.

"I don't mind right now. I'm just really scared so I don't know a lot right now. I'll stay in Kef if I decide I can trust you and everyone. I'll think about more kaleids but that changes everything so I have to think more. I'll talk to you about things before I leave Kef if I decide to leave. Thank you for not talking to me like I'm a stupid baby."

Nod.

"Is there anything else before you do the white magic?"

"I don't think so. Now?"

"I have not lied to you in this conversation. As in any conversation, I adjusted my speech in expectation of your reactions, and to make my points more convincing. I have not - I only once deliberately didn't tell you about options that might benefit you, namely that you could also publicly ally with the Lei Empire or Freedom Democracy. I believe that I am dealing fairly with you."

-She started before he actually had it in place, he was expecting her to say 'yes', and then he'd say 'now' again, and then he went ahead and spent his magic when she started talking so he can't do it over without looking really silly. But everything past the first sentence is definitely the truth. It even wobbled at 'I have not'. She was volunteering extra information. That is... Probably good enough.

He relaxes noticeably.

"-I believe you. Thank you a lot."

He squeezes Calsa a bit tighter.

"Thank you."

She leaves. "Tengu, please keep continuous watch over Nico."

"You okay, kiddo?"

"Not really but I'm better than before. 'M gonna cry again though."

"You're very self aware, you know that?" Hug.

Hug. "I'm sorry. I don't know what I'm sorry for but I feel sorry."

And now he's crying quietly.

Pet pet pet.

"Approaching! Magistrate, catfolk clerk, tengu. Do you need fire?"

"Yes!" He calls from one of the fields. Larian is between Tanno and the town as a precaution.

And after he's back upstairs and the logistics of clearing the air with a good safety margin are done-

"How can we help you today, Magistrate?"

"Tanno, Larian. Several things.

First, your employment with me now officially includes teaching Nico about math, nature, and industry. You may use your judgement on how to prioritize that and your work with the plants.

Speaking of which, how is that going? My budget is tight currently, but I'm hoping to be able to assign you a crew in half a year to experiment with making light in different ways, like the light from the hot metal in the mill.

As you teach Nico, I would like you to keep a record of what he studies. Don't interfere, just record, and if he notices and asks you about it, you can tell him that I requested it of you - I promise not to use the information against him.

Finally, what is your assessment of his character?"

He looks at Larian (currently writing the daily report), who waves at Tanno without looking up. He sighs.

"In order I guess, acknowledged regarding Nico." He makes a complicated face. Torn away from pure science again, eh? But Nico is a good kid and will be good for the work if he stays. The thing he calls 'diagnose' is already fascinating.

"As you know these things are always a long term affair. We're starting to get settled in and I could go into detail on our methodology but as usual for experimental drakefarms it's a slow and luck-dependent process. Mine even more so since we're focusing on unstable strains, hoping for random breakthroughs, less incremental progress on grains that can be planted one percent closer together. Since most of the crops you've managed to grow here are in very different conditions than the chartruse, I've been trying to work with already cold tolerant and low light tolerant plants, though they're not the most optimized strains. I think I might get some more traditional chartruse crops and baby them while trying to adapt them, because Garosmaize that grows down here would produce something like two or three times the food as the fields you have now.

We've produced one possible interesting specimen of gemberries which I've offered to the frogolds to garden, these require high humidity and seem to grow slightly faster. We also learned that Nico's magic produces light that nourishes plants and warms what is shined on, that is in a sense 'real' light unlike whisshoppers, though he can't make enough to be worth farming, I will try to get him to make different colors and confirm observations about catfire at different temperatures... I don't need more budget yet, though I am coming up with ideas that will be expensive- There's experiments by one Ekinosa about keeping plants in rooms of concentrated exhalation that I'd like to take further, but that can wait half a year especially if I'm teaching Nico as well."

Would you like me to try and recall the things he's studied already, as well? As to his character... Hard to summarize."