Merrin's prediction about Esta (loading from required responses) considering her distress amusing, would be accurate if Esta were treating with Merrin on a superior and adversarial basis, which Esta would only do if he could obtain more of what he wants from Merrin by treating her that way.  With the headband on he does have WIS 22, and that is sufficient to notice when being Stupid Evil will fail to advance his career goals, on account of himself already having been fired and not having a career.  He didn't put any Bestow Curses or Conditional Curses or Geases on Merrin when he had the chance; and spent weeks interacting in a grotesquely Lawful Good / Lawful Neutral context, in a way that increasingly seems like a horrifying and unfixable mistake on his own part.  But he has already made that mistake, and the upshot is that he would have quite a hard time forcing Merrin to do anything useful if she didn't want to be forced.  For Merrin to do useful work requires her being allowed to put on her exosuit at some point, and Esta now does not have means of surviving an attack by her thus armored.

Similarly +4 Splendor is sufficient for Esta to notice himself being one-upped by Merrin being deliberately more professional at him than he is being, and her being overtly concerned about his welfare in a way that you could read as Lawful Good, but also the way a Lawful Good paladin condescends to an unruly peasant; laced with the Lawful Good version of warnings that the part of her concern for him that isn't pure Goodness is being put at risk by his behavior.

...It wouldn't be surprising if Esta's professionalism has in fact been shaken by, you know, the destruction of his profession.

It's increasingly unclear that Esta has any reasons to be doing anything.  But absent any reasons to do anything, he'll say,

"I've made my point and you've made yours.  Use your solitude productively, then."

And turn to leave the room.

Merrin's prediction that Esta will (load from required responses that he) consider her distress amusing, would be accurate if Esta were treating with Merrin on a superior and adversarial basis, which Esta would only do if he could obtain more of what he wants from Merrin by treating her that way.  With the headband on he does have WIS 22, and that is sufficient to notice when being Stupid Evil will fail to advance his career goals, on account of himself already having been fired and not having a career.  He didn't put any Bestow Curses or Conditional Curses or Geases on Merrin when he had the chance; and spent weeks interacting in a grotesquely Lawful Good / Lawful Neutral context, in a way that increasingly seems like a horrifying and unfixable mistake on his own part.  But he has already made that mistake, and the upshot is that he would have quite a hard time forcing Merrin to do anything useful if she didn't want to be forced.  For Merrin to do useful work requires her being allowed to put on her exosuit at some point, and Esta now does not have means of surviving an attack by her thus armored.

Similarly +4 Splendor is sufficient for Esta to notice himself being one-upped by Merrin being deliberately more professional at him than he is being, and her being overtly concerned about his welfare in a way that you could read as Lawful Good, but also the way a Lawful Good paladin condescends to an unruly peasant; laced with the Lawful Good version of warnings that the part of her concern for him that isn't pure Goodness is being put at risk by his behavior.

...It wouldn't be surprising if Esta's professionalism has in fact been shaken by, you know, the destruction of his profession.

It's increasingly unclear that Esta has any reasons to be doing anything.  But absent any reasons to do anything, he'll say,

"I've made my point and you've made yours.  Use your solitude productively, then."

And turn to leave the room.

Merrin's prediction that Esta will (load from required responses that he) consider her distress amusing, would be accurate if Esta were treating with Merrin on a superior and adversarial basis, which Esta would only do if he could obtain more of what he wants from Merrin by treating her that way.  With the headband on he does have WIS 22, and that is sufficient to notice when being Stupid Evil will fail to advance his career goals, on account of himself already having been fired and not having a career.  He didn't put any Bestow Curses or Conditional Curses or Geases on Merrin when he had the chance; and spent weeks interacting in a grotesquely Lawful Good / Lawful Neutral context, in a way that increasingly seems like a horrifying and unfixable mistake on his own part.  But he has already made that mistake, and the upshot is that he would have quite a hard time forcing Merrin to do anything useful if she didn't allow herself to be forced.  For Merrin to do useful work requires her being allowed to put on her exosuit at some point, and Esta now does not have means of surviving an attack by her thus armored.

Similarly +4 Splendor is sufficient for Esta to notice himself being one-upped by Merrin being deliberately more professional at him than he is being, and her being overtly concerned about his welfare in a way that you could read as Lawful Good, but also the way a Lawful Good paladin condescends to an unruly peasant; laced with the Lawful Good version of warnings that the part of her concern for him that isn't pure Goodness is being put at risk by his behavior.

...It wouldn't be surprising if Esta's professionalism has in fact been shaken by, you know, the destruction of his profession.

It's increasingly unclear that Esta has any reasons to be doing anything.  But absent any reasons to do anything, he'll say,

"I've made my point and you've made yours.  Use your solitude productively, then."

And turn to leave the room.