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[doihavetoexplainmath]

[There's no greeting or anything, just some changing and scraping sounds and a shot of a shadowy, faintly purple ceiling, and it cuts off four seconds later.]

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[doihavetoexplainmath]

[The response is a little while in coming, and is not any better from a visual perspective than the "message" on the inbox, but she's talking even if the communicator is aimed so you can just see the top of her head.]

Hello!

[Being polite to temporary wardens instead of telling them to jump in a lake. Just another way to be pro-social and good at graduating!]

[shamebat]

...Oh, you are a cute one.

[she gives a slight grin despite her most recent bad mood]

You are the little science girl, aren't you?

[doihavetoexplainmath]

[All of those words seem to apply, and she can't think of anyone else aboard that would be true for. She finally adjusts the camera down a bit, gripped in a tendril of hair.]

That's me! All science, all the time.

[shamebat]

It's very good to meet you, darling.

I don't normally do temporary inmates, but perhaps we could work together on something? What do you have left to do here?

[doihavetoexplainmath]

[She's rather enjoying this enthusiasm. The fact that she might have experienced as much at any time occurs to her and she adds it to her notes. Pretty straightforward, but she's trying to make complete records here.]

Just putting together a more complete ethical framework. I think that'll do it.

[shamebat]

[Nadja has no idea what the hell that even is, but she plasters on a trying smile for points.]

O-oh. Do you want help with that? I am not very good at building things but I am exceptionally strong.

[doihavetoexplainmath]

[She's reminded, of all things, of Scorpia. She slows down a little.]

I meant in, uh,moral terms. None of my engineering prospects are very big. Limited raw materials. But since I'm graduating, I need a complete plan and a way to stick to it. People tend to behaviorally revert under stress.

[shamebat]

Oh! Yes. Congratulations on your impending graduation.

What is your plan so far, can you tell me?

[doihavetoexplainmath]

Decision trees! I don't have any natural aptitude for the subject, so a series of if-then statements should be a good substitute for the unconscious calculations socially gifted people experience as instinct. I'm experimenting with weighting, but the coefficients are tricky, and a lot of decisions sort of have to be made in the moment.

[shamebat]

Darling, what decisions trouble you? Tell me, and I can tell you where you are going right or wrong.

[doihavetoexplainmath]

Well, for example, if I want to do an experiment on someone and it hurts them, that's an easy no, but what if the information could stop a major disaster?

[That seems perfectly plausible coming from Etheria.]

And then you have other variables. What if it only hurts their feelings? What if it only hurts their feelings if they find out about--well, no, I've been over that one.

[shamebat]

Hmmn. I hurt people regularly so maybe I am not the best person to ask about this. I kill them for food.

[doihavetoexplainmath]

See, that's interesting, because you're a warden. But it's clearly a very individualized system.

[Stupid subjectivity.]

[shamebat]

It really is. I need human blood to survive. But there are those who want me to put my own life and that of my husband's in danger if only to save a few human lives.

[doihavetoexplainmath]

Well, it does suggest something about the weights I can potentially give self-preservation, since that's apparently not a no-go...

[shamebat]

Yes, self-preservation is very important. I can give you some tips, if you like.

[doihavetoexplainmath]

I actually do have a feedback category for that, but people are usually really non-specific.

[shamebat]

Yes, it's sometimes difficult if you're so young to figure out how they react.

How long do you usually live, darling one?

[doihavetoexplainmath]

Probably human average. I have pretty minor magic.

[shamebat]

And human average is....a hundred years? Two hundred?

[doihavetoexplainmath]

Somewhere in there.

[She's from Etheria.]

Either way, I'm relatively young by pretty much anybody's standards. Plus time's frozen here.

[shamebat]

Oh! So yes, plenty of time to figure out people. You will do just fine.

[doihavetoexplainmath]

Except that I'm bored here and I want to leave. So sooner rather than later.

[shamebat]

Mmn. Boredom can be a double-edged motivator. You can either use it successfully or it can trap you. I know this, I am often bored.

[doihavetoexplainmath]

I haven't been bored for long, and it's not usually a problem I have. But I've come to the end of useful experiments I can do here, so I should probably just head home.