“The satrap himself looks to our Cooperative as the new initiatives go into effect! And why should he not? After all, my own dear cousin, Aeryn, is the Warrior of Light, savior of the world!” He leaned closer to two of the blushing girls, giving them rakish smiles. “And she should be returning home soon; if you’d like to meet her, I can arrange—“

“How dare you!” Rashae snapped as she stormed up. The younger women were startled, two of the half dozen leaving quickly. “Your ‘dear’ cousin, the one you bullied relentlessly as a child? The one you barely spoke two words to as an adult? You made excuses to avoid your aunt’s funeral, and now you claim closeness for your flirtations?”

By now the gaggle of girls had scattered as Rashae’s volume only increased, other passersby pausing to listen and watch. Mirza attempted to sputter a response, but Rashae sliced her hand across the air, in a gesture reminiscent of Nani Zahra to shush him. “And you even dare invoke the satrap! Have you no shame?! He came to us as he showed more concern for Aeryn than your side of the family ever has! To take us to Sharlayan as she lay near death! And all you care about is stealing bits of her glory now that she isn’t the little girl you ignored, or pushed around time and again when you couldn’t look away!”

“Y-you’re causing a scene—“ Mirza finally said.

“I should have long ago!” Rashae shouted. “Thrown tantrums and punched your smug face whenever you hurt my brother and sister! Screamed and clawed their eyes when your mother and aunts—her own sisters!—were cruel to Mama Emelia! Don’t you dare try to say you give a damn about Aeryn now, you rat!”

Mirza could only stare, slack-jawed. A few neighbors also seemed shocked; Rashae was not known to be a violent woman. She was sharp-tongued at times, perhaps, but normally soft-spoken; the raised volume, and the clawed tension in her hands, was not something anyone who frequented the Cooperative had ever seen.

“Leave,” Rashae snarled.

“Wh-what?”

“You heard me. Go back to the village; I don’t want to see you here. I don’t want you around my children, I don’t want you here when any of the Scions come in, and I most definitely do not want you near Aeryn.”

“You cannot make me—“

Mirza stopped as Rashae took a step closer, now in his personal space. He was a head taller, but he swallowed and cowered before her. “I will tell the others of your behavior,” Rashae said; quieter, but the fire in her tone not yet abated. “My father’s poor health only grew worse worrying for Aeryn, how do you think he’ll respond? What will my brother and husband think? And if Ser Estinien or Archon Y’shtola come—well, they haven’t the misfortune of calling you family to hold them back.”

Mirza went ashen and he nodded silently. He did not move until Rashae stepped back and jerked her head toward the Cooperative’s building, and then he scampered off like a startled hamsa.

Rashae let out a deep breath. Not even nine bells yet and she’d had enough of today. She looked around, but most of the gawkers were hurriedly averting their gazes and going along their ways, not willing to have her ire turned on them next. Despite how busy she knew the shop was, Rashae turned to walk further down the street, mapping out a long, leisurely route through the city in her head as she fought to calm herself.

What a spectacle she had made.

Ah well; she could endure that, for Aeryn’s sake. She could even endure Nani’s disapproval, if necessary. Long before Aeryn had become a genuine hero, Rashae had always felt the need to watch over her younger stepsister.

have you read the best of Yudkowsky’s short stories? Three Worlds Collide - it’s sort of amazing how great minds think alike and Roberts really does invent a setup that’s remarkably similar.

Rewind was the bravest and the most far-seeing. you are Autobots DAMN YOU YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO CARE ABOUT ALL SENTIENT LIFE - even Yudkowsky’s rather emotional humans manage to wrap their heads around that

I understand that Autobots have great emotional difficulty w/ulititarian ethics because they find it unacceptable to sacrifice somebody w/o their permission in order to save somebody else - and the narrative consistently lets them off the hook time after time, otherwise they wouldn’t be Autobots -

but. the way the narrative endorses this choice here is UNACCEPTABLE

it’s - it’s - agressive propaganda of the principle ‘think with your heart not your head and everything will somehow turn out all right in the end’ - which I suppose is rooted in the whole ‘Autobots are designed as moral lessons for children’ birth stain - and BECAUSE of the good and nuanced writing it’s PROPAGATING MASSIVE COGNITIVE ERRORS and making you feel good about it!

I don’t know why I’m so emotional about this. rational thinking is an ethical imperative, because without rationality there can be no ethics. only positive (biased!) emotional loops.