You had meant to demonstrate to Karolina how to infiltrate an apartment -- instead, one of you knocked over a flowerpot and you had to dart…

You had meant to demonstrate to Karolina how to infiltrate an apartment -- instead, one of you knocked over a flowerpot and you had to dart inside, panting, hoping no neighbours called the police.

"Cool. I've always wanted to spend time in a Portofiro jail."

She picks up on your sarcasm, your lack of fear -- echoes it, little cuckoo.

"I hear the whippings are fun, if you're into that."

"Whippings are weak. Call me when the carabineros start feeding people's fingers to hogs."

"Our boars are way too used to eating trash, they turn their snouts up at fingers. We'd be fed to the dolphins."

Your laughter petered out, suddenly loud in the empty apartment.

"Um... have you ever been interrogated?"

"Yeah, totally, but I did an advanced cognitive manoeuvre, displaced my mind onto an object."

"Woah. Where'd you learn how to do that?"

"You're taught all sorts of ACMs in the Greenhouse."

There is no record found of any Operant succeeding in this manoeuvre.

Why the fuck did I say that, then?

You thought it sounded cool.

"Would you teach me?"

You made up a 'manoeuvre' on the spot -- lying to her, as you often did -- and she committed every word to memory.

Maybe I have done it before and I just don't remember.

You haven't. You would.

"The technique is over two centuries old, developed by Mircean monks in order to withstand the inquisition."

"I could see them going in for psychological torture. Classier."

"Forced to watch Nestor's music videos until we beg for death? Eugh."

"Cops are anti-creative. Probably be the dullest torture in the world."

"Interrogated on the intricacies of the Portofiro penal code? Mercy, please!"