"I am here because I don't expect Andoran to start any more wars."

That one is clearly intended to be reassuring but isn't because it's too obviously nonsense. "I'd heard the claim, ma'am, that Andoran intends to end the international slave trade," on the radio from Reclamation-affiliated people, even.

"Believe it or not, I expect that to be achieved without any wars. More piracy than I'd like, probably, but I think most of what will be actually instrumental there will be economic leverage." 

That sounds a lot like "we're planning to not have wars because we don't think anyone will be stupid enough to fight back" which is possibly even true. "I understand, ma'am."

"Did you have any questions for me?"

She doesn't want to talk politics. There is no upside and nearly arbitrary downside. She is a wizard and she is not interested in politics and she has no questions -

no, better -

"...how do airplanes stay up?"

"The air around us is always pushing in every direction, you just don't notice because it's pushing the same amount in every direction. An airplane's forward motion and the angle and the shape of its wings make it so that there's more air underneath the wing than above it, so the air pushing it up from below is stronger than the air pushing it down from above. Would you like to ride in one?"

It half makes sense and she can review the rest later in her own head. She does not understand it well enough she can ask a clever followup question.

"...yes."

"I think you're next free during daylight hours on Oathday. I'll ask my wife if she wants to take you up then."

Carissa is puzzled by the word briefly before she realizes that Alfirin is conveying that she prefers women, and that she wants this known about her. Which is a good thing to know before she accepts the job offer though hardly a problem. Her affect changes slightly. Gentler, more cheerful. "Thank you, ma'am."

"You are free to go. Please let Jandi know if you have any more questions for me or have made your decision about working for me."

She'll decide before Oathday, because she's not going to accept a favor from Alfirin's woman if she's not in fact prepared to join her. She has…no idea what she'll decide. It feels like too big a question to even start to tackle. Of course she wants to learn from Morgethai and build factories of headbands, she wants that more than she thinks she's ever wanted anything, but- she is Chelish, and this place isn't, and apparently that does matter -

The Lord Marshal wanted her to tell her supervisor the offer, in case they could match it. She intends to start by doing that. "Thank you, ma'am. I will."

"Alfirin proposes that I get training in wondrous items and rings manufacture and then figure out factory production of magic items. I would…like to do that very much."

In the short term they really do want their own arms factories. In the long term… Magic item factories would be very good to have, and very good to have in Cheliax as long as there's not another successful attempt by Hell to take the country. "Do you think you could do that here?"

Carissa haaaaates the way paladins do loyalty tests, even though she knows it is the virtuous and correct way to do loyalty tests and also you're not even supposed to think they're loyalty tests and also they're not. 

"I don't know," she says carefully. He doesn't look angry so she got that part right, at least. "I wouldn't have thought of - any of the things I saw today - but now I've seen them. ...Andoran has Morgethai, and Alfirin herself. It would probably go faster there. I'd rather do it in Cheliax if it could be done in Cheliax."

"It would be better for Cheliax for it to happen here, but we don't have an archmage and we don't have Alfirin," Except for the sense in which they have both but he doesn't expect her to help and isn't allowed to plan as if he knows she's here.

Carissa has no idea how to make decisions like this and wishes someone would just give her orders so she wouldn't have to. She is aware this is pathetic. "Alfirin claimed Andoran is helping with the Worldwound now," she says, despite having totally failed to explain even to herself why she cares about this.

"I think they are."

"I'm to decide by Oathday." 

"...I wouldn't have expected her to set a deadline like that… Did she offer you more pay or just the different project?"

"She also offered to double the pay. I -" Carissa would have expected to care more about that, really. "She said I would probably decide based on how interesting the work was, not who had more spellsilver, and I think she was right about that."

"Well, we're willing to give you the same work but probably can't give you as good collaborators."

And no airplane to fly in. "I understand." It is bizarre how little they are trying to persuade her. Alfirin was at least trying to persuade her, though Alfirin was enough of a bizarre alien that only some of the trying landed. It would be insane to feel rejected that her superiors haven't told her she had better come home but she kind of feels that way a little. "I'll…think about it, then?"

"It's your decision…If it matters to you, it's better for you to succeed in this project here than to do it in Almas, but probably better for you to succeed in Almas than to fail here. So from my perspective it matters a lot how much you think the resources Alfirin's offering you there will matter."

Carissa nods vigorously, which is a mistake because it makes her existential dizziness get coupled with normal dizziness. "I would rather come home, if I can succeed at this in Westcrown. I will…try to figure that out."