Face-saving

 

I know.

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I tell you I know. I shouldn’t have sprung all that stuff on him so quickly. Up to then it was going quite well, he was listening, responding.

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Yes, except when I tried to become the witch – Eva, he calls her.

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But how could I do that?

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You’ll have to explain that a bit more clearly.

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Yes, I know about self-hypnosis, but …

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But how could I tell myself where to go, who to be? I’d already be hypnotised!

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You mean on a kind of conference call?

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But how could I get out of it afterwards?

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No, I’m not saying I’ll do it – that would be utterly insane!

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But what if you got cut off somehow? What if I didn’t respond to your voice? If I were still under, I wouldn’t be able to bring him out either. It’s the craziest thing I ever heard!

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Well, yes, I suppose I could. It’d still be pretty risky, though.

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I just don’t think you get how scary these things can be for us. I mean, you may be programmed to be empathetic and all, but that doesn’t mean you really understand.

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Well, I suppose that’s true. Are you, though? Human, I mean.

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Okay, so I wouldn’t be able to tell either way, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t make a difference.

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No, I’m not agreeing to anything right now. I’m not even agreeing to think about it. Or to talk about it again. Maybe we will, maybe we won’t.

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No! I meant talk about it. For God’s sake! I’m certainly not doing it without a lot more reassurances from you – and that’s just the beginning ...