"It's all right, mostly."

"I watched a couple of the videos, it's an interesting skill - a bit hard to categorize -"

"I have been asked what caste magic is and nobody seems satisfied with 'it isn't'."

"Not any more than, like, writing is."

"I thought writing was green. Or do you mean literally -"

"Yeah. Fiction writing is green, research writing is green, but every school will teach the skill because it's just fundamental that way, looks like magic will be the same."

"Mm-hm."

"Course, we don't stop the reds from writing. Hey Aitim, there's an idea. Can't complain about their treatment if you execute them for literacy!"

"The guests can't tell if you're serious, Telkam."

"Is that so. Who built a country so fucked up that could be ambiguous, because it wasn't me."

"You caught me, I singlehandedly designed the planet. Before I was born."

"I'm told it has very swimmable oceans, congratulations."

"There's been lots of social justice progress. Just - unevenly."

"...from what?"

"Abolishing slavery, enacting population controls everywhere, wars are way down, universal access to birth control and abortion, universal vaccination. Or do you mean on reds in particular. We got rid of the social workers and got 'em cameras to stop police brutality and arrest people who take advantage of them. They have internet access and can lead the same online lives as anyone."

"I did mean the reds." Sigh.

"That one's hard."

"I still like the idea of a magic that cleans them. I liked the idea even before we had magic, and you'd think magic would make it easier. - Maurabel's not credible on it, though -"

"Got someone executing little red mages so they'll have the legitimacy when you need it?"

"No. I don't."

"I assume my red students aren't either. Some of their classmates are better than others."

"It needs to come from someone who cares about pollution a lot, which isn't exactly the same thing as caring about reds or not. I'd be looking for someone with - benevolence at a distance and absolute scrupulousness about cleanliness - over someone who's friendly with them."

Sigh.

"Shapat'll see the benefits and has the connections, but I'm not sure it'd take in Cene, they're not a particularly socially innovative place."

"Who's Shapat?" asks Isama.