he's such a prude though

[if_at_first]

Sylvi settles in very thoroughly. She makes a point of going out on her wooden horse and wandering the city every day or two, even if she has no specific errand to run (although she does also place orders for lenses and very fine-tipped pens and new notebooks). She hugs Avedan when he has bad dreams and he hugs her when she does, if they successfully wake one another despite the long pillow between them on the bed. And she plows through piles and piles of old notes, and condenses her childhood for inclusion in the same library for future 'bels.

As of this moment she is up to her specialization in shines. Write write write.

Comments

[if_at_first]

"And you'd send your little medical golems after me?" she teases.

[do_over]

"Yes. Yes I would. Beware, your injuries would soon be covered in gauze, and you'd given helpful medicine for any sicknesses you have. Fear me and my medical golems of terror."

[if_at_first]

Aly laughs again. "And I could be imprisoned for my mind-control crimes - I mean, quarantined - in the comfort of my own home and therefore have much less temptation to break quarantine and infect people with my sinister ideals, since little self-cleaning golems would bring me groceries through the window?"

[do_over]

"Mhmm. And local authorities could be informed of the quarantine and warned that no other actions are necessary."

[if_at_first]

"How -" She shudders dramatically. "Humane. I'll have to be very sure that you don't find out what I'm really up to."

[do_over]

"Darn. And my sales pitch was so great, too. 'I'll help with whatever this is if you don't tell me, but if you do there's a chance I might try to convince you not to do it if it's particularly nasty, thus giving you an incentive to not tell me whatever it is.'"

[if_at_first]

"You're an immensely skilled negotiator. I'm just too stubborn, apparently."

[do_over]

"You are. Alas. That's okay, I try not to be judgmental. You can be stubborn."

[if_at_first]

"I can? Oh joy. Thank you ever so. Kind sir. I will treasure this moment forever."

[do_over]

"I'm glad, I'm sure no one ever told you that it's perfectly all right to have a personality. Please, take a minute, it's all right."

[if_at_first]

"I was badly failed by my creche and teachers."

[do_over]

"You poor soul. Would you like me to say it again? Would that help?"

[if_at_first]

"It might take up truly unreasonable amounts of your time to really get through to me. I can't impose like that. You have little medical golems to invent."

[do_over]

"That's very nice of you. Thank you. But it's really rather easy to say, 'You're allowed to have a personality. Along with preferences about things.'"

[if_at_first]

"Gosh! Preferences, too? Entire vistas of possibility open up to me."

[do_over]

"They do, I'm quite disappointed that no one's told you before, they're somewhat important."

[if_at_first]

"I have fallen through the cracks in the system."

[do_over]

"You have. But it's all right. I'm here. In my fortress of books."

[if_at_first]

"It's quite a fortress. How far along in your project are you?"

[do_over]

"Researching, still, but I've almost got it entirely planned out."

[if_at_first]

"Cool. I don't have a prototype yet - well, I have the chassis, but not instructions."

[do_over]

Aydanci nods. "I can probably help with instructions, but." He motions to his own books for his project, then adds wryly, "And also, I have no idea what your instructions are. Something of a damper on helping write them."

[if_at_first]

"What a pity 'do whatever Aly has in mind for you' isn't a legitimate instruction. It'd speed things up tremendously."

[do_over]

"Just a bit," snickers Aydanci. "But, that would make them mind readers, and that would have all sorts of horrible effects that we've already gone over. So maybe it's worth it."

[if_at_first]

"Well, it would only matter if it was a smart golem. I wouldn't mind a really dumb one being able to figure out what I wanted of it. But the underlying principle would probably adapt to other situations."