He sits down and hugs his knees to himself.  Keeps his face where she can see it, though.  "Okay.  That at least doesn't sound like you're - doing the thing that everyone else in Golarion does - where you have your Golarion frame and you can't imagine anything outside the Golarion frame and everything I actually am is just an outrageous deliberate insult for being not what the Golarion frame calls for -"

"Dath ilani try so hard to reach across the gap that exists between mind and mind.  It's, not literally all of our fiction, our science fiction, but so much of it is that.  When two dath ilani with - let's say a longstanding friendship, old alliance, not romantic couple - when they have a serious disagreement worth putting effort into - they put the effort into reaching across that, that novels showed people doing with literal aliens.  Because that's what it takes for people to actually communicate with each other and not, the thing that Cheliax had, which, though the rest of Golarion doesn't know it, they have only very slightly less than Cheliax."

"I thought, afterwards, that the reason why I was able to relate to anybody in the Conspiracy, is that, in trying so hard not to clue me in on what the world was like, in having to, keep me contained - you had to meet me halfway, actually stretch your hand back, across the huge effort I was making to reach out my own hand, which I did because I was dath ilani, and you did because you were trying to keep the alien contained and needed to understand the alien and meet it on its own terms in order to deceive it, and which, nobody else in Golarion, has in fact made very much effort to do for me since."

"I'm glad that you are trying to do - any of that, now - even if, obviously, it's because the multiverse will be annihilated, as your own utilityfunction considers to be a bad thing.  Accurately or not, before, you did not come across as - doing that, anymore - and I thought - it was because there was no more Conspiracy, and you wouldn't try to meet the alien halfway it it was just under threat of the multiverse being destroyed, and not under threat of being tortured for failure."

"I mean, I get why, according to your held principles, according to your model of yourself, you care about the multiverse more, but I didn't - trust that the real you -"

"It doesn't matter.  Even if it's only under threat of the multiverse being destroyed, I'm glad to be with, the Carissa who also reaches back."

He sits down and hugs his knees to himself.  Keeps his face where she can see it, though.  "Okay.  That at least doesn't sound like you're - doing the thing that everyone else in Golarion does - where you have your Golarion frame and you can't imagine anything outside the Golarion frame and everything I actually am is just an outrageous deliberate insult for being not what the Golarion frame calls for -"

"Dath ilani try so hard to reach across the gap that exists between mind and mind.  It's, not literally all of our fiction, our science fiction, but so much of it is that.  When two dath ilani with - let's say a longstanding friendship, old alliance, not romantic couple - when they have a serious disagreement worth putting effort into - they put the effort into reaching across that, that novels showed people doing with literal aliens.  Because that's what it takes for people to actually communicate with each other and not, the thing that Cheliax had, where both sides just pretend.  Which, though the rest of Golarion doesn't know it, they have only very slightly less than Cheliax."

"I thought, afterwards, that the reason why I was able to relate to anybody in the Conspiracy, is that, in trying so hard not to clue me in on what the world was like, in having to, keep me contained - you had to meet me halfway, actually stretch your hand back, across the huge effort I was making to reach out my own hand, which I did because I was dath ilani, and you did because you were trying to keep the alien contained and needed to understand the alien and meet it on its own terms in order to deceive it, and which, nobody else in Golarion, has in fact made very much effort to do for me since."

"I'm glad that you are trying to do - any of that, now - even if, obviously, it's because the multiverse will be annihilated, as your own utilityfunction considers to be a bad thing.  Accurately or not, before, you did not come across as - doing that, anymore - and I thought - it was because there was no more Conspiracy, and you wouldn't try to meet the alien halfway it it was just under threat of the multiverse being destroyed, and not under threat of being tortured for failure."

"I mean, I get why, according to your held principles, according to your model of yourself, you care about the multiverse more, but I didn't - trust that the real you -"

"It doesn't matter.  Even if it's only under threat of the multiverse being destroyed, I'm glad to be with, the Carissa who also reaches back."

He sits down and hugs his knees to himself.  Keeps his face where she can see it, though.  "Okay.  That at least doesn't sound like you're - doing the thing that everyone else in Golarion does - where you have your Golarion frame and you can't imagine anything outside the Golarion frame and everything I actually am is just an outrageous deliberate insult for being not what the Golarion frame calls for -"

"Dath ilani try so hard to reach across the gap that exists between mind and mind.  It's, not literally all of our fiction, our science fiction, but so much of it is that.  When two dath ilani with - let's say a longstanding friendship, old alliance, not romantic couple - when they have a serious disagreement worth putting effort into - they put the effort into reaching across to one another, that novels showed exemplary protagonists doing with literal aliens.  Because that's what it takes for people to actually communicate with each other and not, the thing that Cheliax had, where both sides just pretend.  Which, though the rest of Golarion doesn't know it, they have only very slightly less than Cheliax."

"I thought, afterwards, that the reason why I was able to relate to anybody in the Conspiracy, is that, in trying so hard not to clue me in on what the world was like, in having to keep me contained - you had to meet me halfway.  You had to actually stretch your hand back, across the huge effort I was making to reach out my own hand, which I did because I was dath ilani, and you did because you were trying to keep the alien contained and needed to understand the alien and meet it on its own terms in order to deceive it.  And which, nobody else in Golarion, has in fact made very much effort to do for me since."

"I'm glad that you are trying to do - any of that, now - even if, obviously, it's because the multiverse will be annihilated, as your own utilityfunction considers to be a bad thing.  Accurately or not, before, you did not come across as - doing that, anymore - and I thought - it was because there was no more Conspiracy, and you wouldn't try to meet the alien halfway it it was just under threat of the multiverse being destroyed, and not under threat of being tortured for failure."

"I mean, I get why, according to your held principles, according to your model of yourself, you care about the multiverse more, but I didn't - trust that the real you -"

"It doesn't matter.  Even if it's only under threat of the multiverse being destroyed, I'm glad to be with, the Carissa who also reaches back."

He sits down and hugs his knees to himself.  Keeps his face where she can see it, though.  "Okay.  That at least doesn't sound like you're - doing the thing that everyone else in Golarion does - where you have your Golarion frame and you can't imagine anything outside the Golarion frame and everything I actually am is just an outrageous deliberate insult for being not what the Golarion frame calls for -"

"Dath ilani try so hard to reach across the gap that exists between mind and mind.  It's, not literally all of our fiction, our science fiction, but so much of it is that.  When two dath ilani with - let's say a longstanding friendship, old alliance, not romantic couple - when they have a serious disagreement worth putting effort into - they put the effort into reaching across to one another, that novels showed exemplary protagonists doing with literal aliens.  Because that's what it takes for people to actually communicate with each other and not, the thing that Cheliax had, where both sides just pretend.  Which, though the rest of Golarion doesn't know it, they have only very slightly less than Cheliax."

"I thought, afterwards, that the reason why I was able to relate to anybody in the Conspiracy, is that, in trying so hard not to clue me in on what the world was like, in having to keep me contained - you had to meet me halfway.  You had to actually stretch your hand back, across the huge effort I was making to reach out my own hand, which I did because I was dath ilani, and you did because you were trying to keep the alien contained and needed to understand the alien and meet it on its own terms in order to deceive it.  And which, nobody else in Golarion, has in fact made very much effort to do for me since."

"I'm glad that you are trying to do - any of that, now - even if, obviously, it's because the multiverse will be annihilated, as your own utilityfunction considers to be a bad thing.  Accurately or not, before, you came across as - not doing that, anymore - and I thought - it was because there was no more Conspiracy, and you wouldn't try to meet the alien halfway it it was just under threat of the multiverse being destroyed, and not under threat of being tortured for failure."

"I mean, I get why, according to your held principles, according to your model of yourself, you care about the multiverse more, but I didn't - trust that the real you -"

"It doesn't matter.  Even if it's only under threat of the multiverse being destroyed, I'm glad to be with, the Carissa who also reaches back."

He sits down and hugs his knees to himself.  Keeps his face where she can see it, though.  "Okay.  That at least doesn't sound like you're - doing the thing that everyone else in Golarion does - where you have your Golarion frame and you can't imagine anything outside the Golarion frame and everything I actually am is just an outrageous deliberate insult for being not what the Golarion frame calls for -"

"Dath ilani try so hard to reach across the gap that exists between mind and mind.  It's, not literally all of our fiction, our science fiction, but so much of it is that.  When two dath ilani with - let's say a longstanding friendship, old alliance, not romantic couple - when they have a serious disagreement worth putting effort into - they put the effort into reaching across to one another, that novels showed exemplary protagonists doing with literal aliens.  Because that's what it takes for people to actually communicate with each other and not, the thing that Cheliax had, where both sides just pretend.  Which, though the rest of Golarion doesn't know it, they have only very slightly less than Cheliax."

"I thought, afterwards, that the reason why I was able to relate to anybody in the Conspiracy, is that, in trying so hard not to clue me in on what the world was like, in having to keep me contained - you had to meet me halfway.  You had to actually stretch your hand back, across the huge effort I was making to reach out my own hand, which I did because I was dath ilani, and you did because you were trying to keep the alien contained and needed to understand the alien and meet it on its own terms in order to deceive it.  And which, nobody else in Golarion, has in fact made very much effort to do for me since.  To them, their frame is just, the way things are, should be, must be, and if I try to be halfway less insane that's not very much of an effort worth reciprocating because I should just not be insane at all, obviously."

"I'm glad that you are trying to do - any of that, now - even if it's to try to stop the multiverse from being annihilated, as your own utilityfunction considers to be a bad thing.  Accurately or not, before, you came across as - not doing that, anymore - and I thought - it was because there was no more Conspiracy, and you wouldn't try to meet the alien halfway it it was just under threat of the multiverse being destroyed, and not under threat of being tortured for failure."

"I mean, I get why, according to your held principles, according to your model of yourself, you care about the multiverse more, but I didn't - trust that the real you -"

"It doesn't matter.  Even if it's only under threat of the multiverse being destroyed, I'm glad to be with, the Carissa who also reaches back."

He sits down and hugs his knees to himself.  Keeps his face where she can see it, though.  "Okay.  That at least doesn't sound like you're - doing the thing that everyone else in Golarion does - where you have your Golarion frame and you can't imagine anything outside the Golarion frame and everything I actually am is just an outrageous deliberate insult for being not what the Golarion frame calls for -"

"Dath ilani try so hard to reach across the gap that exists between mind and mind.  It's, not literally all of our fiction, our science fiction, but so much of it is that.  When two dath ilani with - let's say a longstanding friendship, old alliance, not romantic couple - when they have a serious disagreement worth putting effort into - they put the effort into reaching across to one another, that novels showed exemplary protagonists doing with literal aliens.  Because that's what it takes for people to actually communicate with each other and not, the thing that Cheliax had, where both sides just pretend.  Which, though the rest of Golarion doesn't know it, they have only very slightly less than Cheliax."

"I thought, afterwards, that the reason why I was able to relate to anybody in the Conspiracy, is that, in trying so hard not to clue me in on what the world was like, in having to keep me contained - you had to meet me halfway.  You had to actually stretch your hand back, across the huge effort I was making to reach out my own hand, which I did because I was dath ilani, and you did because you were making a desperate extraordinary effort to keep the alien contained and needed to understand the alien and meet it on its own terms in order to deceive it.  And which, nobody else in Golarion, has in fact made very much effort to do for me since.  To them, their frame is just, the way things are, should be, must be, and if I try to be halfway less insane that's not very much of an effort worth reciprocating because I should just not be insane at all, obviously."

"I'm glad that you are trying to do - any of that, now - even if it's to try to stop the multiverse from being annihilated, as your own utilityfunction considers to be a bad thing.  Accurately or not, before, you came across as - not doing that, anymore - and I thought - it was because there was no more Conspiracy, and you wouldn't try to meet the alien halfway it it was just under threat of the multiverse being destroyed, and not under threat of being tortured for failure."

"I mean, I get why, according to your held principles, according to your model of yourself, you care about the multiverse more, but I didn't - trust that the real you -"

"It doesn't matter.  Even if it's only under threat of the multiverse being destroyed, I'm glad to be with, the Carissa who also reaches back."