The nicest thing about graduation, Bea thinks, is that in the brief window after breakfast and before the flames burn through, most of the mals are migrating down to the graduation hall. So it's possible to let one's guard down slightly more than usual and not feel too bad about it. And if you go two to a room instead of separately to wait for the cleansing to finish... it's not like curfew's being enforced.
Apparently the obstacle course is trying to kill people this year. London wants their help.
"London's not a charity case, and they're definitely not indies. What's in it for us?"
"Could bring more without London along. Coordinating a lot of people's gonna be hard enough as it is."
"Plenty of indies need our help, too. More than a 'couple' of alliances."
"I'll stick with whatever you guys pick, even if I complain. But I think we should be focusing more of our efforts on helping other indies - especially anyone with younger siblings who could join that not-enclave you guys are putting together, or anyone who'd have an especially shit chance without us."
"I think we should do at least the first run with them. To see if it is as bad as they say. Then we can be better prepared to help groups that might struggle more."
"I do think we should help people. But London is still people, and it's only the first day still."