They nodded and made a mental note. There was so much about Torchline to discover, it practically made them giddy with excitement. Just excitement, not thrills of disobedience. Just excitement. If I come back with something new and insightful about Torchline, there's no way the provost will be upset with me. Right?
If Quanil's question to Maea had thrown her, her question back to them threw them even more. "Why wouldn't I want to be useful to you?" they asked in return. "You've helped me. And Loreseekers are supposed to help people. And I like being useful. I like helping. You're a good person. You deserve help, if you need it, of course. It's okay if you don't. I mean, of course it's okay, it's not like I'm giving you permission or that you need my permission or... I'm just going to shut up now."
And, as usual, when they didn't know what else to do, they smiled.
If Quanil's question to Maea had thrown her, her question back to them threw them even more. "Why wouldn't I want to be useful to you?" they asked in return. "You've helped me. And Loreseekers are supposed to help people. And I like being useful. I like helping. You're a good person. You deserve help, if you need it, of course. It's okay if you don't. I mean, of course it's okay, it's not like I'm giving you permission or that you need my permission or... I'm just going to shut up now."
And, as usual, when they didn't know what else to do, they smiled.
