"There are some old rules of thumb I've heard of in the past that don't work quite so well. We're often much safer as a group, even in times like that." The idea of making them all one large target occurred to them, but it wasn't just safety in numbers. Closeness protected with corruption.

"I see. So yours is a longer lived people. But why on earth would they think of you as a disappointment? You seem just fine to me." Admittedly, she barely knew her, and she knew all too well her mother's disapproval, though in her case it was because 'you're going to get us all killed.'