Page 44 of Dark Princess Emerging
"I know that." His expression sobered, though amusement still danced in his eyes. "That's exactly why I'm laughing. I love how assertive you are, how you know what you want and aren't afraid to demand it. But you need to understand something—you can't force me to do anything that I believe is not good for you."
Morelle opened her mouth to argue, then closed it again. She hadn't considered it from that perspective. They were different people, and each had their own wants, desires, and preferences. Neither of them should be forcing the other to do anything.
"We need to learn to compromise," she said. "Though I suppose it's mostly me who needs to learn. You already know how to do that." She settled against his chest, letting out a long breath. "I'm still like a child in so many ways, learning how to interact with people in this world."
His hand stroked up and down her arm in a soothing rhythm. "We have more in common than you think. We are both entering new phases in our lives, trying to find our footing."
She tilted her head and frowned at him. "What do you mean? You've lived here your entire life."
"I've been producing movies and television series for so long that I barely know how to do anything else." His voice held a note of uncertainty she'd never heard before. "I've studied the effects of media on society, but I'm not sure how to actually create meaningful change anymore."
"I hate to repeat myself, but what do you mean?"
He shifted slightly, getting more comfortable. "The world is changing faster than ever. Traditional media doesn't have the same impact it used to. That's why I've been focusing on the InstaTock project."
"You mentioned that before," she said, remembering fragments from when she'd been trapped in twilight. "While I was sleeping. But the details are hazy."
His hand continued its soothing motion on her arm. "The idea is to create content that helps young humans develop critical thinking skills. I want to teach them how to distinguish fact from fiction and how to question what they're told instead of just accepting it, but the problem is their nearly nonexistent attention span and their gravitation toward the nastiest content. I refuse to fight nastiness with more nastiness, but I don't know how to reach them."
"It's like the Kra-ell teaching their young to recognize weakness in an opponent."
He chuckled. "Similar concept, different application. Instead of physical weaknesses, we want them to recognize logical fallacies, manipulation tactics, the ways people try to influence their thoughts, beliefs, and actions."
"Because the gods made humans susceptible to influence." She remembered him saying that earlier.
"Exactly. But it's not enough to just tell them that. We need to make it engaging, make them want to learn these skills." His voice grew more animated as he explained. "That's where InstaTock comes in. I'm working on developing interactive content, challenges, games—all designed to make critical thinking fun and rewarding, but I'm not sure any of it will draw enough engagement."
"I wish I could help you, but I know almost nothing about humans, young or old. I need to start learning." She stifled a yawn. "Can you give me an example?"
He chuckled. "I'm sorry. This is definitely not the kind of talk a couple should have after a wonderful intimate moment."
"I like hearing you talk about things you are passionate about," she murmured against his chest.
"Well, in that case, one of the ideas is to present scenarios where participants have to identify different types of manipulation tactics. Another is..." His voice faded into a gentle murmur as sleep claimed her, his steady heartbeat under her ear becoming her lullaby.
27
ARU
"Everything has healed remarkably well," Merlin said as he put large Band-Aids on both of Marcus's arms. "Keep the area clean, and if it itches, rub this cream over it." He handed him a tube. "I don't expect you to experience any other side effects from these immunizations, but if you do, give me a call." He handed the guy an old-fashioned business card. "Program your phone with my number."
The guy flexed his arm, frowning at the Band-Aid. "What did you say these were?"
"Immunizations," Aru said, while reinforcing the word with a thrall. "You need them for where you are traveling. It's just additional protection."
The three men nodded, their eyes slightly glazed over as the new memories settled into place, replacing any recollection of the tracker implantation procedure.
The one from Anumati was so small that they couldn't feel it even if they rubbed their arms. The one William's team hadmade was slightly larger, so they might feel a small bump, but they would think it was from the immunization shot.
"Remember to keep the injection sites clean," Merlin repeated. "And if you experience any unusual reactions, contact the number I provided."
"Will do, doc." Marcus grinned, his attention shifting to Hildegard. "Thanks for taking such good care of us, sweetheart."
Hildegard had spent the night with Marcus, and Dagor had to redirect the surveillance drone attached to the guy to give them privacy. Other than that, the drones had kept the men constant company since they had left the keep's clinic the day before, and Dagor had reported that they had not done or said anything suspicious.
"All part of the service." Hildegard gave him a light peck on the cheek. "Have a good time in Tibet."
As the men gathered their backpacks, which were stuffed with their newly purchased supplies, Aru escorted them outside through the lobby, where a Lyft was waiting for them to take them to the airport. It wasn't an actual Lyft, of course, or a human driver behind the wheel. It was a Guardian, who would not only get them to the airport but would also thrall them to forget where they had come from and make sure that they boarded the plane.