"So, you enjoying being back?"

"It's fine. It's more white than I remember."

"Is white bad?"

"White is fine. I am not used to seeing it outside much. This much."

"There's not much in the library that's white."

"Outside." Alieka gestured non-noncommittally at everything. "Mm. No. Nevermind. I'm outside."

Jiiji decided to ignore what was becoming a frighteningly normal lapse in sanity. "So, how are your two dadali friends and you getting along?"

"Oh," Alieka said. "It's fine."

Jiiji clacked her beak. "Oh, come come, you never gossip with us! We never know! It's so scandalous, a young gemere shacking up with two dadali! You have to share!"

"It's... fine."

Jiiji was so close to getting something out of her.

"Every relationship has some problems, Alieka. You don't need to hide it! That's part of life."

No, maybe the wrong words.

"It will be fine," Alieka said. Without inflection. Ah. She'd lost her. Darn! So close.

"Well," Jiiji tried again. "I really have to thank you for coming with me all the way to Central to help. We got this done in half the time! Good work, team!"

Alieka smiled, a tiny bit. So there was still a person in there somewhere.

"I was wondering, while we're here, if you want to help me with something else?"

Unfocused eyes sharpening.

"You see, Gardenwall is conducting a series of interviews--"

"You brought me here to throw me into the Void study."

Well, at least there was some emotion in that.

"You've been--well, your work has been fine, as usual, but you've been--"

"It's just a phase. I'll swing back."

"I know you say that--"

"I know what I'm doing." Firmly. Yes, there was the person again. "I'll drop back down in a bit. My release is fine, I have control over my shell. You wouldn't und--"

"I'm an Academic, Alieka, and so are you. I certainly hope you can communicate something to me in a way I can understand."

An attack. Not a subtle one, but Alieka'd become so thick she couldn't play about the fluff.

"I'm just taking a step back for now." It worked. "I just." Alieka slumped forward, catching her face with the shadow of her long-removed arm. "I don't want to be a part of this. I don't like where this is going."

"Alieka--"

"They're going to outlaw me. I've been reading the rainbow." Actual emotion in Alieka's voice! A rare delight! "Most of Central is pushing for Seat Balcurr's proposal."

"The one that outlaws Void corruption over fifty percent. It's a premature bill, until the Gardenwall study is complete--"

"It's going to pass. I know what it's--doing. It doesn't matter what study you come up with, the Ocean will find an excuse to get rid of us. You weren't born a gemere, Jiiji. I remember having my horn. I remember feeling how... loud it all was. In every direction, forever, unending. It's so--loud. It doesn't matter what justification it uses, it's going to force it through. The Ocean doesn't want us here."

Jiiji never bought into the World Soul theory--that was an exclusively Brinnelandisch philosophy and it was dreadfully deterministic--but she reminded herself she had to accept that Alieka's ontology was the one she was dealing with here. You had to work within other people's systems!

Okay but what if their system was tainted by a horrifying expanse of destructive nothing?

"Alieka," Jiiji tried. "Do the study. They need more samples. They're expanding outside of Central's holdings, but the bulk of the numbers are still from volunteers. If you're so worried about the vote, you can be part of it. Do something for it. If you really, really wanted to just, zip, fly away, give up everything--you wouldn't have come to Central to help me! You wouldn't have two lovely--" Oxi actually kept noising up the library and Jiiji didn't like it and she'd only meet Yihiri once and she'd been just as off as Alieka was "--dadali companions. If you really want to be done with this world I don't think you'd even be having this conversation. You still want something out of it! You're, goodness, you're afraid of the bill being passed! That means you care about it! So do what you can for it! I know it's scary, but--"

"You convinced me already," Alieka said. Sighed. "How invasive is it?"

"Physically or emotionally?"

"Both?"

"I don't think you even have to get naked for it!"

"... so very emotionally invasive."

"Well, you're an Academic, you'll understand."

"Mm."

"... it counts as degree points."

"I'm not even pursuing a higher stage degree and I feel oddly compelled by that."

"Oh yes, that conditioning will never wear off! I'm at the fourth stage and I keep hoping they invent a fifth, just so I can keep going up..."

"Going up. Mm. All right. Back to the University."