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Callie’s gaze bored up at the young would-be Emperor with burning, evaluating focus and reconfirmed her prior assessment, as delivered to her handler, that his loyalties would likely require more than her own efforts to guarantee.

She reminded herself of her task: securing the interests of the United States of America in this conflict.  She reminded herself that, as Spindle had communicated to her, the higher-ups believed that this would be best served by the Qing Restoration Society in power, a single actor upon which the US might confer support and through which their authority might flow.

(Callie mentally hummed at that idea, which seemed to her a great deal like other such ideas those higher-ups’ predecessors had a tendency towards, historically speaking.  She’d done her research.  Their record of success was far from perfect.)

She reminded herself, therefore, that an outburst summing up her feelings on just how nakedly [i]callous and manipulative[/i] Jin Li was being would be counterproductive at best.  No matter how much she wanted to.

[color=f7941d][i]That boy…  Not so much changing what mask he puts on as changing himself to [/i]be[i] the right mask.[/i][/color]  She focused, keeping herself from shuddering.  [color=f7941d][i]And very, [/i]very[i] good at it, too.  Must be awful.[/i][/color]  Callie studied him a moment longer, letting the very edges of her anger in to grant her cold clarity.  [color=f7941d][i]Unless he takes pride in it.  Might well.[/i][/color]

Too much – she [i]needed[/i] to look away, to put her sight somewhere, [i]anywhere[/i] else…  Her gaze landed on Cristina and the anger did not merely rise but was joined by the press of [i]guilt[/i].  For who else could it be but Qingshe’s own pupil who would be most affected by her mentor’s supposed superior, to whose services she had risked everything to defect, [i]throwing her away –[/i] 

(Because Lei Qingshe was still alive.  Callie knew this, as truth.  Even leaving her personal feelings on the matter aside, ones of which she was now [i]distinctly[/i] aware, such a woman would not permit herself to die.  Not before all her works were complete.)

(She couldn’t.)

[color=f7941d][i]The higher-ups will want him weak without them[/i][/color], Callie noted – partially for her handler’s benefit when it came time for her to examine her mind once again.  [color=f7941d][i]Weaker than he is now – because he refuses to let himself be anything else.  Needs unbalancing.[/i][/color]

[color=f7941d][i]Wonder how he’d react if his former chief ally got free and learned just how quickly he abandoned her.[/i][/color]

Across Callie’s thoughts, priorities aligned and a plan began to form.

For now, all she showed of it was a clasping of hands behind her back.