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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.]

Comments

[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.

[shamebat]

Oh, darling. I am proud of you for making that decision on your own. Well done.

[doihavetoexplainmath]

I'm bad at being bored, mostly?

[She actually looks a little bashful. She's not very used to praise, especially for something she doesn't think is particularly stand-out as an accomplishment.]

[shamebat]

That's a good talent to have! Whatever is the matter? Your face is all scrunched.

[doihavetoexplainmath]

Not used to unmotivated compliments.

[shamebat]

Oh! Then let me tell you what to do. You say thank you, and then you keep on doing as you were.

[doihavetoexplainmath]

Is that all? It seemed like it'd have to be more complicated.