KN

"why do i feel like a fan of an indie musician that just went mainstream," he asks sabbadin, who will surely understand.

sabbadin takes a drag of his cigarette. "i can hardly disapprove of the manner in which he made tremblay look like a large and hapless dog."

even after benitez is elected lawrence doesn't completely fade into the shadows.

"well," bellini says at their weekly meeting, looking very harassed. "have we decided our next steps?"

lawrence looks up from his stack of reports. "next steps for what?"

"whatever happened to the article cardinal contreras threatened to run in politico?"

"oh, that. we had a chat about it on tuesday. i was able to dissuade him."

"dissuade...? he assured me quite rudely that he would make no secret of what he views as innocent's 'dangerously radical humanism.' that was monday. i don't know how you do it." bellini takes his glasses off and rubs his eyes. it was foolish of him to accept secretary of state again.

lawrence looks at him with concern. "i think diplomatic matters can wait, aldo. when have you last slept?"

Alt versions

"come again?"

"i learn more from thinking machine. human gender preference. attraction to same gender, means word 'gay.' all eridian same gender." rocky stands straight up. "rocky come out to grace now. all rocky plural gay, statement."

"...wow, that's... rock, i'm not sure it makes much sense to apply human ideas of sexual orientation to a monogendered species."

a long and judgmental pause. then:

someone sent me an anon ask about rocky meeting eva and i tried to post it not once but twice and tumblr ate it both times so now im just regular posting it here

i think ryland would grow to understand stratt’s choice with time, and even thank her logic of it because it led to his meeting of rocky, but i dont think he’d ever really forgive her for what she did to him

(Ryland had to prep rocky before they touched down to meet Stratt so he wouldnt charge her at first sight)