Vale squinted. Sometimes xe forgot the fundamental reason why Xanti was a made psychopath: trauma. That reaction from Kane looked like a trauma response. “I think I picked the wrong word. You’re not feral.”

“With me, you’re collaborative. But it’s not a communication style or skillset you’ve developed, right?” The raven shrugged with both wings. “You don’t have to tell me why. The why doesn’t matter. The why is irrelevant.”

“The interesting question is: how can we establish trust and communication? Because, unfortunately, collaboration requires talking.” Vale sounded a bit more amused than xe probably should be, but, well, Vale was a bit too playful for xyr own good sometimes. “For better or for worse, you’re the only earth elemental we have. If we don’t collaborate today? In a few months, the cult will starve and infighting will erupt.”

“I know you don’t give a fuck about cannibals eating cannibals, but I want you to give a fuck, because cannibals are your best shot for accomplishing your goal. Cannibals don’t have to be smart to kill and eat whoever you want them to kill and eat. They’re prosocial hunting hounds willing to kill prosocials for their pharaoh. Isn’t that funny?”

Vale tilted xyr head. “And you don’t even need to learn how to bother manipulating prosocials. Meteor loves doing that shit, it’s his favorite thing. Hell, if I need to, I can do that shit for you.”

“But you’ve gotta communicate with me.” Vale did a double hop in place. “I’m communicating with you, right? Total honesty. Because, really, helping you achieve your goal helps me achieve my goal. If you want to vibe in nature and live in your cell when I don’t have the time to escort you, that’s fine, but it’s counterproductive to your goal.”

“You can’t undo the damage to nature alone. Hell, I can’t accomplish my goal alone. Meteor can’t. Xanti can’t. That’s why we work together.” Vale hesitated and added, “What you need is a coalition of psychopaths with complimentary skills and synergistic goals. I’m trying to teach you how to communicate, so we can all prosper.”

As Kane relaxed, Vale waited patiently. Though, once the fox beastie came around, Vale bobbed xyr head and tapped xyr feet. After Kane spoke, Vale nodded in agreement. “Haha, you get it! Now think. Why do you trust me? You’re antisocial. How you decide someone is trustworthy is how a fellow antisocial decides that you’re trustworthy. Right?”

“But prosocials are illogical fucks.” Vale scoffed. “Earning prosocial trust is simple enough: imitate their social norms with a smile, and then you’re one of them. Easy as hell.” Though, Vale rolled xyr three red eyes as xe continued. “Leading prosocials, though? Ugh! Complicated and Boring! I could read a whole library with advice from old psychopaths to young psychopaths seaking leadership and still not know what the fuck to do when a goddamn baby shows up in a gift basket.”

The raven thought about it, titled xyr head right and let as xe let xyr mind wander. Xe stopped paying so much attention to Kane—clearly, the inquisitor figured the fox wasn’t about to attack—as xe considered.

“Really, that’s the main shit. You gotta learn how to collaborate, which means maintaining trust and communication. You don’t have to get Meteor and Xanti to like you, mind, just trust your goals align with theirs and, therefore, you can be an ally that won’t slit their throat the moment it’s convenient for you. Simple, eh? Psychopath gonna psychopath, but a psychopath that knows what he wants and how to get it is trustworthy in pursuit of that goal. At least to other psychopaths.”

Vale fluttered xyr wings. “Again, prosocials are illogical emotion idiots. Don’t give the non-psychopath cannibals a reason to think you’ll kill ‘em and play by the social rules. That should be easy, Meteor designed the social rules they follow, and he’s a psychopath. Easy and logical. Nothing like a narcissist’s social rules! Those fuckers never make a system that works, only a system that feeds their god complex.” Vale cackled. “You do that long enough and you earn trust from Meteor and Xanti? Bahaha, maybe you’ll get out of that cell and become my cannibal boyfriend!!”