"Stressful how?"

"Because he hates me and all our cooperation basically runs off my ability to read him well enough to catch if he's undermining me."

"He's motivated to avoid this problem, I think; is there something he could do to head it off?"

"Yes, and I think he'll do fine at it, but you asked how it could go wrong and that's how."

Nod. "Is the second part nonnegotiable?"

"Would be if it could be but I take it it's also going to be nonnegotiable for everyone else."

"I'm not certain there is nothing that would qualify as wiggle room but, yes, it's a problem if as a standing feature of your relationship it's a disaster should he turn you down."

"I suppose I could tell him he can and see how often it comes up."

Nod.

"I'll talk with him."

"Good skill."

Nod.

And she leaves him be.

"Midnight has a spare necklace," he says idly to Cam while designing a setup for potionmaking with the minimum necessary human intervention.

"Oooh."

"Do you think Kib would appreciate it?"

"Uh, prrrrobably not. Not that the effect wouldn't be nice, it'd just represent an intrusive level of mindfuckery he doesn't already know we have handy."

Sigh. Nod. "In that case I think I will steal it."

"Awwwww."

"You could probably look so sad I decided to give it to you but you would have to look terribly sad, I really want it."

Cam pouts but not very convincingly.

He is not very convinced. He waves over Midnight to open the door and Accios the necklace and - "Oooohh."

He quickly closes the door. "I'll have more of them made."

"I should really try installing a chip anyway. Probably in Sanity so the competent Valar can be sure I'll get the forking protection."

"Have we checked that it still works when they're outside Sanity?"