"Apologies. And no, please take it at your own pace. Consider me perpetually available to answer your questions. I think the only critical information, given your strong sense of privacy, is that mind-readers are becoming increasingly common, and as a society we're only just starting to grapple with the implications of that. But you already have a good mind-shield."

"There's people strong enough to punch through it at home too. But maybe we should translate some ethics chapters first?"

"That would be wonderful." And he takes out his stationery.

And she will find the ethics chapters in her various books, which admittedly are written mostly to apply to specifically working therapists but she can supplement with some norms that nonprofessional subtle artists successfully and/or aspirationally have.

What sorts of norms are on display here? And do they give Sveneric any sense of what subtle-artist therapy is like in practical terms?

Bella herself is against mindreading in virtually every situation except as specifically indicated by patient or interlocutor consent and limited to a specific scope and time. Therapist specific rules emphasize confidentiality, which she doesn't think needs to extend to casual conversation that happens to take place telepathically. It sounds like subtle artists can with the proper training do a lot of temporary and permanent alterations to the flow of thoughts and emotions in someone's mind, but the book emphasizes that you need buy-in from whoever you're treating even to do something practically no one objects to like blocking nightmares.

Many of these ethical norms are familiar to Sveneric, although a lot more…rigid. He doesn't say anything right away, just patiently transcribes Bella's words into Sartoran as she reads aloud and adds her commentary. The task takes a few hours, which gives him time to consider his words.

When he puts down his pen, he says, "I'd like to bring this to the dyranarya students; it should make for a fruitful discussion. I will say that not all of the assumptions implicit in these norms hold true for this world."

"I wouldn't expect them to, since your telepathy works differently. Even these chapters assume that people are, like, continent, there are incontinent telepaths but they can't really get through a therapy major."

"Yes, that's a major difference. Diving into someone's memories or train of thought usually takes active effort, and constitutes an ethical transgression except in extraordinary circumstances. But surface emotions can be read passively; it takes active effort to shut them out. And so good behavior in that situation looks more like…noticing that your friend's eyes are red and puffy, but politely ignoring that fact because they put on a brave face and don't acknowledge it themselves. It doesn't help that most people, born into a world without dena Yeresbeth, have never learned to shield their thoughts—although that will change in time."

"It's not someone's fault if they are an incontinent mindreader any more than it's their fault if they are bitten by a ghoul and suffer an insatiable craving for human flesh, but neither of these problems is appropriate to inflict on innocent bystanders."

"You don't think that different ethical norms might be appropriate when 'incontinent mind-reader' is the default state of being?"

"It's not somebody's fault if they are born part ghoul and have this problem from birth either, but."

"I don't think a society of obligate cannibals is comparable to a society of incontinent mind-readers.

"…are 'ghouls' an absurd hypothetical, or does that actually happen in your world?"

"My campus is infested with them, they come up out of the wetlands, but you could generally avoid them if you stayed on the warded paths. There's probably a better example to be had, but that came to mind."

Well that's horrible!

Disagreements over the ethics of mind-reading are unlikely to be resolved in one conversation, so Sveneric suggests they break for a meal. He can show Bella his favorite restaurant in the area.

Sure, what do they serve?

Tonight's menu is tomato soup, chicken pie, and egg fried rice, all with assorted vegetables. Sveneric gets the rice. He admits that he didn't choose this place for the food—although it is of course tasty; you have to try really hard to get non-tasty food from Alsais chefs—but for the decoration. The inside walls feature a tapestry of murals with widely varying styles and content. Twice a year (he explains) they paint over the oldest section of the wall and invite a new artist to contribute; the best find ways to blend with or recontextualize their neighbors. "I could spend the better part of a month in here and still have more to study."

"Neat." She gets the pie. "How long is the guest house likely to be available before I need to be making enough to cover rent somewhere?"

"That's a question for Detlev. The money is his, and largely entrusted to the dyranarya academy. It's possible that he sees you as an investment in the academy and is funding your stay on that basis, but that's just a guess. Not that we'd let you starve," he adds quickly.

"I'm glad of that. How would I get ahold of Detlev to ask things like that?"

"For communications generally, we should get you a scroll case. They're enchanted to transfer small items instantaneously—people use them to send letters. For Detlev, you can reach him by mind as long as he's not off-world."

"What other worlds are there that you lot regularly contact?"

"There are three more planets in our star system inhabited by humans. In the decade since Norsunder's defeat—that is, Ilerian and his followers—Detlev spent many of his days collaborating on a ward to block the arrival of any more entities like Ilerian, and bringing it to the other worlds' mages. That project is complete; I do expect him to stay put for the time being."

"What's a 'star system'?"

"A set of worlds that circle the same sun." He sends her a mental image of an astronomer's chart.