So this Claudio guy is asking me if I stay bought.  And I tell him
yes, because telling him anything else is even stupider.  But what's the
real answer?  How exactly does a Kaim'era for sale act, anyway?

	The part of me that joined the army was going, "Hell yeah, I stay
bought!"  And the part of me that just doesn't care anymore wanted to say,
"As far as *you* know."  The Kaim'era was debating the merits of killing
this dark-skinned fool.  It was hard to hear with all the noise in my
head.

	So what exactly am I about, these days?  Was I really going to
heal Abigail before I killed her, per my contract?  I think I was.  One
thing should not get confused with another.  We had a bargain, after all.

	So what does a bargain mean?  Why do I think I should keep my
bargains with people I intend to kill anyway?  And why was I so pissed
when she crossed me, when I blackmailed her in the first place?

	I'll go with stability.  The one thing I know for a fact is that
everything is subject to change.  You can't get too attached to things as
a mercenary, anyway.  And Lord knows, I don't place a whole lot of store
in morals.  But the brain is wired to try to predict things.  You can't
live in a complete vacuum.  So I try to make bargains, stick to my half,
and expect the other party to stick to theirs.  That gives me a framework
to operate in.

	It's not the best one.  It's not even real good.  But it's based
on a fairly low set of expectations, and I kind of like that.  So what
frameworks are my new associates using?

	Claudio wanted me to dump pig shit in Melanie's office.  Not
rational.  I conclude that Claudio views the world through his passions. 
That makes him both dangerous and weak.  Dangerous, because passion is
strong and unpredictable.  Weak, because passion is not directed toward a
greater goal.  It is its own reason for being.

	Ulysses...what a freak.  He hasn't been too obvious, but he seemed
to be motivated by his conviction that he knew more about the scene than
Archimedes did.  I wonder if that was a special case, or if he's a fool,
or if he really does tune in to a better channel?  In the latter case, I
should watch him.  In the former case, I should watch him.  In the middle
case, everyone should watch him.

	This Killian fellow is a wreck right now.  I expect that he will
either flip, or adjust.  The adjustment might go my way.  I shall wait.

	Archimedes...the Crown Prince of Amber seems to be almost without
fear.  Except of his wife.  It follows that I need to make the
acquaintance of his wife.

	I do not think Flora will go to bed with me.