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The kid made another face like he didn’t understand--or didn’t want to, perhaps. “Regardless, what do you want from me? It’s obviously not nothing.”

David exhaled a curt breath. “What I want from you, Mr. Yavan, is good policy.”

“What?”

“I want the right people to be in the right places at the right time.” He paused for another swig. Damn, this place made good tea for a bar. “Sometimes, being smart is enough. Or being hard-working is enough. But other times, it’s not. Other times, someone just needs a little helping hand in order to reach their full potential. And one day, if you ever find yourself in a position where you can help others out in a similar manner, then I hope you will remember this. Because it really can make all the difference in the world.”

Carlito was silent, just staring at him.

David could no longer tell what might be going through the young man’s head. Ah well. Maybe the kid needed a moment to gather his thoughts. David’s eye drifted across the bar, landing on the television hanging in the high corner behind the bartender.

There was some kind of breaking news footage there, but it only held his gaze for a split second before Carlito grabbed his attention again.

“I see. You make it sound nice, but really, you’re not doing anything different from Intarian politicians. A favor now in exchange for a favor in the future.” There was no disgust or disappointment in the kid’s tone. He was merely stating it as if it were fact.

David bobbed his head admissively but still had to counter. “Yes and no. I do want us to be friendly in the future, of course, but strictly speaking, politicking in the manner you’re describing is... generally not advisable, in my opinion. Doing someone a favor in exchange for some vague future promise is a good way to open oneself up to being backstabbed or otherwise let down, instead. No, I wouldn’t do this for you if I didn’t genuinely wish to help you or think that you deserved it.”

The kid said something more, but David’s attention had shifted back to the news footage. And stayed there.

Because what he read on the bottom scroll made his mind lose track of what they’d been talking about.

“Multiple Major Volcanoes Erupting Across War-Torn Eloa,” it read.