"I like the way you think!"

"Thank you! I like the way your metabolism works, it's fascinating and unprecedented and probably actually unique!!"

"He has been very excited about your biochemistry," says Callida, dryly.

"It keeps not doing what I expect!"

"Yes, it's a source of immense ongoing frustration for all my other doctors."

"Well I mean it's a little frustrating but mostly I just want to know why!"

"I wish you the best of luck in finding out!"

"Thanks!" Tap tap tap at the datapad. "Okay so I think this high level of energy will wear off eventually, an hour or two maybe?"

"Is he likely to collapse in ten minutes?" asks Callida.

"Hmmm. Probably not? But I don't think I want to discount it."

"If I collapse in ten minutes, you're still my favourite," he says to Callida.

"Favorite of what, I wonder," says Callida, amused. "Of everything?"

"Not sure. Haven't decided. Suggestions?"

"Sith Lord?" offers the doctor.

"That's not very flattering. I'm the only one here," snorts Callida.

"Well, are there any other Sith Lords at home I should like better?"

"No," says Envee and Dr. Gelrath, at the same time, in the exact same tone of voice.

"Darth Occlus isn't bad," says Callida, mildly. But she doesn't otherwise challenge the assertion.

"I feel very vindicated in my favouritism!"

Lord Callida snorts. "Well, thank you. Shall I find you a doctor, or find out what's keeping your mother?"

"Yes, one of those, not sure which, maybe both, you decide."

"Mother before doctor, I think," she decides. He does, after all, already have a doctor on hand.

And off she goes, to look for her.

There she is, on her way into the hospital.

"How is he?"

"A bit - let's go with energetic, but fully healed and declaring that I am, quote, 'his favorite.'"

"I'll bet you are. He probably hasn't had this positive a medical experience in his life."

"Ah. Well, I'm happy to have provided it." If kind of sorry that he hasn't had a positive one in his life.

"And as you can see, he's very grateful. As am I."

"Happy to have been of service," she says, and she is.

Her life's been a long string of trying to decide which evil is lesser, or what she needs to compromise. Or how she needs to twist a situation to have something be shaped in a way she doesn't find inherently offensive. And it's - nice to just do something unquestionably nice. For once.

Not that it isn't politically advantageous as well, but. She is Occlus's apprentice. And something can just be unquestionably nice and also politically advantageous, both. She's not against the principle. Incentivized niceness is a thousand times better than incentivized evil. She should know, she lived in an empire that did so.

Cordelia smiles.

Callida smiles, too.

"Now! Let's see if Miles is going to collapse in - I believe it's something like five minutes, now."