In which a walk in the garden has a distressing outcome.
I worry that Daav might be reacting inappropriately to the situation with Aelliana. I don’t say over-reacting; a strong reaction is appropriate. But the possible direction is a concern; he appears to be taking the view that it’s up to him to find a solution by himself, without Aelliana, which is precisely the wrong thing to do in this situation. If you can’t rely on a magical link that communicates thought directly, that’s when it becomes even more important to make use of the traditional and often underappreciated communication methods known as “talking” and “listening”.
I find it curious and (maybe) significant that when Daav remind Aelliana of just how she saved herself from brain burn damage by the Learning Module, her response is: Oh, but that’s standard protocol. On the one hand, this is information we could expect Aelliana, as a teacher of Scouts, to know, but—it almost makes me think that she has had occasion previously to be forced to protect herself. This reviewing of the code could be something Ran Eld has forced upon her in the past, albeit with slightly less intent to allow it to cause permanent damage.