"I know," Ender said gently. "But it's Topher. He won't leave the room, and in the event that he does, it's unlikely he'll go far, and he'll be around costumed drunks. Your situation could be a lot worse than it is, for all that it doesn't seem like it right now."
You could, for instance, have just had a neat checkerboard pattern Force-burned into your face, but Ender wouldn't dream of saying that for oh so many reasons. He couldn't keep his mind from drifting back to Ben periodically, though.
Ender would have a few stern words for Topher if he ever did find out about that - or at least, a mission to further Topher's understanding of the word 'consent'.
"No, I understand that," he said. "Nothing feels right - your balance is off, your limbs are gone, your body won't move like you want it to. And Topher is... Topher."
"After the summer, I'll face having to integrate a ship full of new colonists with an existing colony that's stood against the worst challenges together," he said, "I consider this practice at worst."
Ender shot him a brief glance, but he could read slightly less off Topher's face than he could off Warren's own one - the cues were all different.
"I don't think so," he said. "You hail from a distinctly different culture than Karla does. I think it'd be hard for any of us not to dwell on that at least a little, rightful Queen or no."
Ender looked up at the sky. "I told Jaenelle I worried for the landens' future, with all the conflict that seems to be brewing," he said. "She asked me what I meant by that. She was genuinely confused - they really don't factor into the lives of the Blood much."
His eyes tracked back to Warren. "You have to be ready to deal with this, if you go," he said. "No 'maybe I'll get used to it' about it."
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You could, for instance, have just had a neat checkerboard pattern Force-burned into your face, but Ender wouldn't dream of saying that for oh so many reasons. He couldn't keep his mind from drifting back to Ben periodically, though.
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"No, I understand that," he said. "Nothing feels right - your balance is off, your limbs are gone, your body won't move like you want it to. And Topher is... Topher."
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"After the summer, I'll face having to integrate a ship full of new colonists with an existing colony that's stood against the worst challenges together," he said, "I consider this practice at worst."
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He gave Warren a wry look. "College sounds good."
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"Do you think you're prepared to handle Glacia?" he asked. "I don't mean in the sense of having learned all your lessons."
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"I don't think so," he said. "You hail from a distinctly different culture than Karla does. I think it'd be hard for any of us not to dwell on that at least a little, rightful Queen or no."
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His eyes tracked back to Warren. "You have to be ready to deal with this, if you go," he said. "No 'maybe I'll get used to it' about it."
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