"Knock on shell," she replies, tapping the table with her fingertips. She thought of the old Vizsnunishne oath, to never take hostages or slaves; and the related, not oath but widely held belief, that all hostages should be considered dead, and revenge taken accordingly.

"I would have happily switched clothes with him, if it had been culturally acceptable." Trading a heavy, difficult-to-manage gown and ridiculous hat for a brief skirt-and-stockings outfit. "I actually gave away that dress, to Stormwind Clothiers. I figure Zwei can make three normal outfits out of it."

"Not in my face personally, but...you have to realize that even though an AI may act like a person, he or she (or it, or other) is capable of thinking many times faster than you can. That it may be able to create a model of your responses so perfect that it can anticipate anything you do. And that just like people, they can go insane." The last word more than a little cold in her mouth. "I've seen that happen. Very ugly."