"Maybe. I have to think about it first."

He laughs. "Well, yes. It's hard to be clever without that step."

"Is that what people we aren't supposed to talk to too much about stuff are doing? Trying to be clever but skipping that step?"

He thinks about that for a few moments.

"No, I think they're doing a good job of what they really want to do. They're pretending things they don't want to have to stop pretending."

"Why do they want to pretend?"

"Because they want other people to like them, I think."

"Does it work?"

"Mostly. I guess it works better than not doing it."

"Well I don't like it but I guess we already knew I'm weird."

"It’s probably for the best. They pretend they’re good people and I guess they’d be worse if they stopped pretending."

"Yeah, probably.

"How do people decide what the best way to pretend that is?"

This brings Feris up short.

After a while, he shrugs. "I guess they act like good people unless nobody is watching. But kind of stupid people, so they 'didn’t notice' anything that'd make it bad to act how they want, unless it's really obvious. I guess maybe if they stopped being able to do that then they could act like good people who weren't stupid, but I don’t know if they'd do that or just admit they’re all horrible garbage people and do whatever they want."

"I mean more like... how do they figure out what it looks like, to be a good person, so they can pretend that."

Feris is just going to bluescreen while he silently contemplates this.

"...I don't know, they... learn... from their parents... but I don't know who invented pretending to be good people." He starts speaking faster now as ideas come to him. "Maybe it’s because a good person is really convenient to live with, so someone started telling people that good people did whatever would be convenient for them - that’s why a good person is generous and polite and it's why soldiers need to be brave and die for our families and - yeah. A good person has to be whatever other people around you want. And you'd get the idea because people tell you and then they punish you for being bad and reward you for being good."

"Huh!! But - then if somebody was brought up on a pirate ship - would they think being a pirate was good? Are some of the pirates pretending?"

That thought kind of blows his mind. "Yeah! I guess it’s like how the soldiers in Iral and Azan are supposed to fight us!"

"Well, then I guess maybe the most important thing in the world is to change what people think they're supposed to pretend."

"Yeah. I like you. I'm glad you didn't freeze to death."

Giggle. "I like you and I'm glad I didn't freeze to death too!"

He’s feeling sappy and no one outside the household is watching so he'll offer her a hug.

Awwww hug.

Later Zizu finds Mile.

"I need to know stuff about how to act in a city. Because we're out of books I haven't read here."

"Well, that's a very broad question. It's a good one, I just don't know where to start."

"I asked Feris and he told me some things but said I should also ask a woman."