Conversation overheard at outdoor taverna, Lyceopolis

"Hermy!  I was just looking for you."

"Good afternoon, Aeolus."

"Hey, do you know what's up with Bibs?  She won't talk to me."

"I am fine, thank you, good to see you too."

"Yeah, yeah.  So what did I do this time?  Why's she mad at me again?"

"I assume you demonstrated your usual lack of tact and understanding, and your complete ignorance of the intricacies of her psychology."

"She's a friend, Herm, not a psych experiment."

"Strictly speaking, she is neither.  Biblia is an ally and cohort with deep-rooted antisocial tendencies that have largely prevented her from approaching anybody in the cadre on the level that conventional wisdom would term 'friendship.'  Your constant attempts to... what's the phrase?  'Pick her up?' - only reinforce those tendencies."

"What do you mean, 'pick her up?' I'm just being friendly."

"Of course you are."

"I don't get it.  I just wanted to give her a birthday present.  Is that so wrong?"

"Considering that it proves how little you actually know about her, yes.  She is still coming to terms with the concept of immortality and finds the recognition of the passage of time to be distasteful.  Your ill-considered action may be reinforcing her complex."

"What?  How do you know all that?"

"One of my duties for Lysimachos is censoring her blog."

"She has a blog?"

"I rest my case."

"Sheesh... all right, I think I get it.  I just feel we ought to be more integrated as a team, you know?  I mean, we've all been together for nearly a year now.  We should occasionally meet up outside of work, do fun things, you get me?"

"I am not sure I fully understand the concept of 'outside of work.'  I know Biblia does not."

"Right.  Right.  Just my luck to be saddled with a couple of workaholics.  We're supposed to be taking it easy until the old man decides what to do with us.  It might be the last chance we get to kick back and relax for some time."

"This is relaxing for me.  Third-year graduate papers make a very refreshing change from the constant demands Lysimachos places on the only teleporter in this satrapy."

"Oh, come off it, Hermetios.  I've known you for over twenty years.  We used to go skiing in the Salamopsis every year, remember?"

"And did I ever give you any indication that I enjoyed it?"

"You're impossible, man.  I give up.  I try--"

*phone rings*

"It's him."

"...crap."

"Yes sir.  ... I see.  ... He is with me.  We'll be there immediately."

"The call?"

"Yes.  Shall we go your way or mine?"

"Er... you go, get Biblia.  I'll meet you there.  What's the verdict?"

"I fear it is far, far worse than we had imagined."