A Deal is Made, Part II

Part I – http://aldersprig.dreamwidth.org/1082356.html

Regine sat uncomfortably on Cya’s rather-comfortable couch. She had brought papers; she ignored them. Instead, she cleared her throat. “You two have had several children together over a large span of years. This makes you not quite unique but very rare, not only among Addergoole graduates but among Ellehemaei couples in general. There are some emerging genetic theories about children born to Ellehemai early in their life vs. after a century or more of life, and your children…” Luke had told her not to do it. Mike, on the other hand, had advised her. Do not say test subjects. “If I could study their DNA, I might be able to better pursue these theories.”

Cya coughed. “Most of our children are Adults. You’ll have to ask them yourself — which I’m sure you knew. So I imagine you’re coming to ask about Tama.”

“Ljótama, yes. Although,” Regine cleared her throat, “if you would be willing to put in a good word for me with Viðrou, and possibly with Kouveig, it might make them more willing to speak with me.”

It looked as if Cya was trying hard not to laugh. She coughed again instead and nodded, at least trying to look solemn. “If we can reach an accord, it can include me encouraging — those two in specific?”

“I don’t expect you’d be willing to encourage all your children to cooperate with me. I’ve met both Viðrou and Kouveig, and as your first and third of five, they make for convenient data points,” Regine explained. She noted that Cya had not at any point numbered her children. She wondered if she’d given away too much information by admitting she knew the number.

Or if she was wrong about the number. Cya might be another step ahead of her in this case. It seemed to happen when Regine least expected it, especially in the last fifty years.

Either way, Cya was smirking. “Those two specifically. It’s possible you’d find one of the others more cooperative, but we do not tend to raise compliant children.”

“I can’t imagine you would.” Regine ahem’ed. “Nor was that my experience when your children, or your grandchildren, were in school.”

“I can’t imagine it would have been,” Cya echoed back at her, smiling. “So. You want a genetic sample from — or a genetic study of — Ljótama, and help coordinating such from two of our sons, as well.”

Regine nodded slowly. “Yes. Having access to such would allow me to delve deeper into the study of Ellehemaei genetics..”

“Which, as we all know, is your great love. Of course.” Cya’s interruption was dismissive, but Regine did not allow herself to show any irritation or anger. This data would be more than a little bit useful to her. It was worth a bit of irritation. “All right.” Cya leaned forward. “I’m willing to agree to this, under a couple conditions.”

“Of course. What are your conditions?”

Cya leaned back in her seat. Regine noted that her hand settled on Leo’s back possessively. “I want a ‘get out of jail free’ card for every single one of our descendants to attend Addergoole, from now until the school closes its doors permanently.”

Part Three: http://aldersprig.dreamwidth.org/1091513.html

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5 thoughts on “A Deal is Made, Part II

  1. If they have five kids at 30-year intervals post-addergoole, shouldn’t all of their descendants be well clear of the seven generation commitment (with generations of well under twenty years) to addergoole by now, excepting any with the misfortune to’ve crossed lines with later additions to the addergoole pool? Though if this is at all typical — plausible! — releasing all their descendents from obligation to addergoole would really thin out the population of bound students. Which may be the intent. No request for any of the data Regine gets from studying their bloodlines?

    • Story’s not over yet! And also she’s not talking about getting them out of school. 9 generations. assuming a generation broadly of 20 years… and their first kid together was IN addergoole. They’re about 120 years out now. Oh, and yeah. Cya’s been planning this for a bit.

      • They and their first kid count as two of nine generations, so ~140 years (addergoole students are … 14-18? 16-20?) for another seven after that, so they’ve got one more generation of great-…-grands left obliged to addergoole? What’s a “get out of jail free” card if not some reduction in their requirement to addergoole? The option of attending freely without binding one’s children to attend? Cya’s been planning everything for a bit. :}

        • If you’re counting the generation of their Addergoole-born grandchildren as the start point (the first of seven generations, from which you got 140 years) then Leo and Cya only have four additional children from that time – one of whom is born only a few years after your start point, putting this at roughly 100 of those 140 years. Depending on the particular offsets due to the drift of timing of births relative to ages (an all-first-child line would reach the “final” generation substantially sooner than an all-second-child line), that would mean Cya has no fewer than two generations of descendants still promised to Addergoole, with the potential of three in a handful of slower lines. ~Cal

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