AlterAsmodia would be tired, after all this, and would be found in her bedroom trying to take a short break herself, not sitting beside Sevar.  So Asmodia staggers off to her bedroom, in case Keltham runs right out of his Rope Trick to check on her, and lies down in her own bed.

She... really is a little tired, after that.

Asmodia wishes that she could blank her mind.  There's probably a dath ilani discipline for it, and it's probably considered dangerous to teach to children because they'll hurt themselves.

They should have been so much more prepared, before this, she should've just told the Chelish Imperium up front that she was taking all of their writers and permanently exposing them to the truths of history only Korva was cleared for and they'd just have to train new writers, and put them on nothing except producing and altering enough books to have a chance of fooling Keltham.

Is that - hindsight bias?  Was there something else Keltham could've tried?  Maybe Asmodia wouldn't have seen through to Keltham's ideas about forcing Cheliax to create too much information too quickly, maybe she would've focused on the possibility of an Ostenso visit... an Ostenso visit probably would've helped win some 2s.  Maybe she was supposed to have closed the Ostenso ports, redirected most of the traffic elsewhere.  Or she was supposed to have fake ships ready for the Ostenso ports, and have rehearsed everyone in Ostenso already.  Or just, have already built a fake Ostenso.

One of her superiors should've told her, if Asmodia was allowed to play with nation-level resources to do her job.

One of her superiors should've told her, if those points were so obvious in advance to everyone, and not just in hindsight.

That's what she'll say if she's - questioned about it?  She'll - try to explain, about the Law, governing that, how only ilani are trained to counteract hindsight bias, how only their Keepers can do it indistinguishably; how, without training, children often can't counteract it at all.  Maybe she'll leave out the part about dath ilani children.

If something this stressful had happened to her, during a day, that also happened to alterAsmodia, she'd ask Keltham to just hold her, that night, and be a warm thing for her.

Asmodia wishes she could just, rest her head on somebody's shoulder, at least.  Somebody who was safe to be around, and wouldn't hurt her, or hold her in contempt for being that pathetic.

If Keltham leaves, she won't have that from him, anymore.

((It's only then that she remembers that she was supposed to be secretly hoping that Keltham would win.))

AlterAsmodia would be tired, after all this, and would be found in her bedroom trying to take a short break herself, not sitting beside Sevar.  So Asmodia staggers off to her bedroom, in case Keltham runs right out of his Rope Trick to check on her, and lies down in her own bed.

She... really is a little tired, after that.

Asmodia wishes that she could blank her mind.  There's probably a dath ilani discipline for it, and it's probably considered dangerous to teach to children because they'll hurt themselves.

They should have been so much more prepared, before this, she should've just told the Chelish Imperium up front that she was taking all of their writers and permanently exposing them to the truths of history only Korva was cleared for and they'd just have to train new writers, and put them on nothing except producing and altering enough books to have a chance of fooling Keltham.

Is that - hindsight bias?  Was there something else Keltham could've tried, just as likely in foresight?  Maybe Asmodia wouldn't have seen through to Keltham's ideas about forcing Cheliax to create too much information too quickly, maybe she would've focused on the possibility of an Ostenso visit... an Ostenso visit probably would've helped win some 2s.  Maybe she was supposed to have closed the Ostenso ports, redirected most of the traffic elsewhere.  Or she was supposed to have fake ships ready for the Ostenso ports, and have rehearsed everyone in Ostenso already.  Or just, have already built a fake Ostenso.

One of her superiors should've told her, if Asmodia was allowed to play with nation-level resources to do her job.

One of her superiors should've told her, if those points were so obvious in advance to everyone, and not just in hindsight.

That's what she'll say if she's - questioned about it?  She'll - try to explain, about the Law, governing that, how only ilani are trained to counteract hindsight bias, how only their Keepers can do it indistinguishably; how, without training, children often can't counteract it at all.  Maybe she'll leave out the part about dath ilani children.

If something this stressful had happened to her, during a day, that also happened to alterAsmodia, she'd ask Keltham to just hold her, that night, and be a warm thing for her.

Asmodia wishes she could just, rest her head on somebody's shoulder, at least.  Somebody who was safe to be around, and wouldn't hurt her, or hold her in contempt for being that pathetic.

If Keltham leaves, she won't have that from him, anymore.

((It's only then that she remembers that she was supposed to be secretly hoping that Keltham would win.))

AlterAsmodia would be tired, after all this, and would be found in her bedroom trying to take a short break herself, not sitting beside Sevar.  So Asmodia staggers off to her bedroom, in case Keltham runs right out of his Rope Trick to check on her, and lies down in her own bed.

She... really is a little tired, after that.

Asmodia wishes that she could blank her mind.  There's probably a dath ilani discipline for it, and it's probably considered dangerous to teach to children because they'll hurt themselves.

They should have been so much more prepared, before this, she should've just told the Chelish Imperium up front that she was taking all of their writers and permanently exposing them to the truths of history only Korva was cleared for and they'd just have to train new writers, and put them on nothing except producing and altering enough books to have a chance of fooling Keltham.

Is that - hindsight bias?  Was there something else Keltham could've tried, just as likely in foresight?  Maybe Asmodia wouldn't have seen through to Keltham's ideas about forcing Cheliax to create too much information too quickly, maybe she would've focused on the possibility of an Ostenso visit... an Ostenso visit probably would've helped win some 2s.  Maybe she was supposed to have closed the Ostenso ports, redirected most of the traffic elsewhere.  Or she was supposed to have fake ships ready for the Ostenso ports, and have rehearsed everyone in Ostenso already.  Or just, have already built a fake Ostenso.

One of her superiors should've told her, if Asmodia was allowed to play with nation-level resources to do her job.

One of her superiors should've told her, if those points were so obvious in advance to everyone, and not just in hindsight.

That's what she'll say if she's - questioned about it?  She'll - try to explain, about the Law, governing that, how only ilani are trained to counteract hindsight bias, how only their Keepers can do it indistinguishably; how, without training, children often can't counteract it at all.  Maybe she'll leave out the part about dath ilani children.

If something this stressful had happened to her, that also happened to alterAsmodia, she'd ask Keltham to just hold her, that night, and be a warm thing for her.

Asmodia wishes she could just, rest her head on somebody's shoulder, at least.  Somebody who was safe to be around, and wouldn't hurt her, or hold her in contempt for being that pathetic.

If Keltham leaves, she won't have that from him, anymore.

((It's only then that she remembers that she was supposed to be secretly hoping that Keltham would win.))