Cansellarion's standing there when they're done, looking a bit awkward. "Congratulations. It's very impressive, for a machine with no magic… How many more iterations before it can fly a teleport like you talked about?"

Alfirin laughs. "Oh, hundreds. It won't be soon and I'm not getting there on my own. But it's not going to be a secret project. No reason to keep it small, we can hire everyone who's smart enough and wants to be an aerospace engineer."

"On Earth it was…I'm not sure, sixty, maybe eighty years," says Iomedae, "from the first flight to a world where millions of tons of cargo moved by air and the median American could afford to fly across the continent for vacation. It might be faster because we know some of what they got wrong, it might be slower because we have fewer of the prerequisites. I bet you could supply the Worldwound by plane inside a decade, if all the cleverest people in the world decide this is the coolest thing they could possibly do with their lives. And hopefully lots of them will."

"Not much faster, probably. This is about the limit of how much of an airplane I can build from memorized facts. Maybe we'll get fancy aerofoil wing shapes sooner just for knowing they exist."

"A decade isn't bad. I look forward to seeing one. Iomedae, I have to go deal with some other matters, but can you find me in my office in the city when you're done here?"

Oh no. Iomedae in her delight at her own cleverness failed to contemplate that succeeding would take the form of getting scolded. "Yes, sir," she says.

Alfirin giggles when he leaves. "Valentina wants to lecture me. Wanna bet on whether they coordinated to have one person on each of us, or whether we're gonna get any more?"

"...I think they coordinated," says Iomedae consideringly. "I think they had a very panicked emergency meeting about this terrible situation and how best it should be approached and selected people, and if we hear from anyone else it'll be someone who wasn't in the emergency meeting. …I am going to tell Cansellarion we were troublemaking on purpose."

"Of course you are," she says fondly.

"This means you should talk to Valentina first so we can get their reaction when they don't know we are troublemaking on purpose."

"Mm. I suppose I ought to get going, then. Enjoy your adoring crowds."

"What exactly are your intentions toward Iomedae?"

"Pardon me?"

"Iomedae. Freedom. What are your intentions toward her? It's what I'd ask any, erm, young man in my command, who had a sweetheart... I realize you're not in my command, exactly, but I don't know who else would advise you on these matters."

"Are you asking if we're sleeping together?"

"No - Well - I'm asking if you intend to. Without marrying her. I know Americans are…licentious…"

Really, she thought it was abundantly obvious that she and Iomedae were sleeping together, but she supposes in their eyes it maybe doesn't count.

"Well if that's the concern you should keep in mind that I'm Sarkorin-American, not an American by birth.  I wasn't under the impression that I could marry her, on this planet."

"Well, it's a bit unorthodox, but - well, the reason it might not be a concern for two women normally doesn't exactly apply here -"

'Can men usually get off in three minutes?' she doesn't ask, because she's not actually trying to avoid being pressured into marrying Iomedae. "Well. I'll think about it, then. I probably will, I imagine I'd be wronging her quite badly if I didn't."

"Yes, exactly." says Xiomara, clearly relieved. "It'll raise eyebrows, if you live together without any announced intention to marry…"

It hasn't for the last two years. "I see. I'll think very carefully on that. Is that all?"

"Yes. Good work on the airplane."

"Thank you, ma'am."

"Iomedae. Look, I know I haven't really been very active in - guiding you -"

Iomedae is reaping the consequences of her actions and she does not actually like it. The scheme is working perfectly but it turns out that having all the people you respect frustrated that you are being irresponsible and promiscuous is actually kind of upsetting. 

"You expected me to have better judgment and to see the difference between having Alfirin as a lover openly six months ago and doing it now that she has Alter Self."