this is crazy

[from_scratch]

Cam is watching a new recording of Atriama, tail swishing in the gap in his couch, and doesn't stop to pause the show when he feels a summons go by.

Comments

[wormcan]

"There's convenient and then there's listing off crimes members have committed. Which isn't even necessary to that question.

You've said you have no objection to working with us if everything we do is above-board. Would you extend the same offer to the other teams, individually?"

[from_scratch]

"I might want to see an org chart." Can he just dramatically call up an org chart of the entire Elite? Is there such a thing?

[wormcan]

Not that anyone has written out.

"It's structurally fairly simple. City-level teams, most of which report to regional branches, and we here have the broadest reach. Do you want the names, a list of most and least likely to accept your offer, or did you have something else in mind?"

[from_scratch]

"What I want is an idea of the extent to which I should treat them as different organizations at all. But I imagine you're a biased source on that so maybe I'll just snoop some more."

[wormcan]

"You can think of it as roughly similar to the Protectorate. Different teams, with similar goals but different methodologies. Rarely in contact but are formally allied.

We're naturally more disparate than they are on every count, but even with the Protectorate if you wanted them to change their behavior in some way you'd be better off convincing each team rather than their central organization."

[from_scratch]

"I'll get you a whitelist, but I'm not likely to think of literally every law it is profitable and morally permissible to break, so if you have any requests you may as well ask me. If you intend to have me spied on, do it openly. I intend to have you spied on. I'm not going to work with any groups doing things I don't like, and if I really don't like them, well, I'm beginning to run out of villains to unmask and dump at the feet of the authorities in Japan and may expand my attention."

[wormcan]

"We'll have you spied on as well, then. In the meantime, now that we aren't trying to trick you into anything, we can probably speed up the transpacific production. Unless you'd rather wait until you've verified that we're acceptable?"

[from_scratch]

"Let's stick with things like cures for cancer for now. If you want Endbringer bits, try to be more socially acceptable."

[wormcan]

"None of us would break that truce.
But in the more general case, I take your point. Variety of products in proportion to how clean the recipients are."

[from_scratch]

"Lovely. Anything else to discuss?"

[wormcan]

"No, I'll pass your message on to my subordinates."

[from_scratch]

"Is whatever's wrong with you going to mean I have to have a conversation with a different person about this any time soon?"

[wormcan]

"Wrong with me? I think I've been very reasonable about this."

[from_scratch]

"I mean medically."

[wormcan]

"Probably not. I have a year, maybe two. By then your demands will have worked out one way or another.

If you knew of a cure you'd already be exporting it, I assume."

[from_scratch]

"Well, there's cures I can bottle and cures I can't. I can fix an amputee but only in person. What's wrong with you?"

[wormcan]

"Cancer. Not one of the ones where you have a cure we've been distributing. As you can see."

[from_scratch]

"If it's not in your brain I can operate on that on a principle similar to the amputee one," Cam remarks.

[wormcan]

"If you're trying to bribe me, the likely result is that some of my subordinates think I'm compromised and try to replace me early. Not a bad deal for me, assuming you then go on to bribe me, but it might land you back here having the same conversation with someone else."

[from_scratch]

"I'm not trying to bribe you in advance," Cam says.

[wormcan]

"Leading to the same risk of you winding up back here, and also me remaining un-bribed.
Don't worry, I'll pretend you hadn't said that part and act accordingly."

[from_scratch]

"I really can't do anything about brains, so I recommend being really squeaky clean by the time I am next in town lest metastasis obviate your options. And if I ever have the urge to operate on inoperable cancer in people who aren't productively steering large international organizations I know where to satisfy that impulse and it won't put me anywhere near you."

[wormcan]

"Yes, yes, you've made your point."

[from_scratch]

"I like it when I make points. Anything else to cover before I fly away again?"

[wormcan]

"Not at all. I look forward to working with you. Productively."