Xiaoxing had mostly-composed her answer to the voice when Valerie spoke up instead-- and she listened as the other woman spoke.  It wasn't the argument she herself would have made; her experience suggested the self-busy and self-important responded best to either flattery or stoking their intellectual curiosity.<br/><br/>But then Valerie spoke about the future, and Xiaoxing found herself glad she had been a bit slower on the trigger. She might voice other questions, but for now, she would see what would be dredged from this highly-recommended one.