"The famine that Virlomi is going to cause."
Petra shrugged.
"So I wait until everybody's sick of war," said Peter.
"No," said Bean. "You wait until the exact moment when peace is possible. Wait too long, and the bitterness will run too deep for peace."
"How do I know when the time is right?"
"Beats me," said Bean.
"You're the smart ones," said Peter. "Everyone says so."
"Stop the humble act," said Petra. "You understand perfectly what we're saying. Why are you so angry? Any plan we make now will crumble the first time somebody makes a move that isn't on our script."
Peter realized that it wasn't them he was angry at. It was his mother and her ridiculous letter. As if he had the power to "rescue" the Caliph and the Chinese emperor and this brand new Indian goddess and "set them free" when they had all clearly maneuvered themselves into the positions they were in.
"I just don't see," said Peter, "how I can turn any of this to my advantage."
"You just have to watch and keep meddling," said Bean, "until you see a place where you can insert yourself."
"That's what I've been doing for years."
"And very well, too," said Petra. "Can we go now?"
"Go!" said Peter. "Get your evil scientist. I'll save the world while you're out."
"We expect no less," said Bean. "Just remember that you asked for the job. We didn't."
They got up. They started for the door.
"Wait a minute," said Peter.
They waited.
"I just realized something," Peter said.
They waited some more.
"You don't care."
Bean looked at Petra. Petra looked at Bean. "What do you mean we don't care?" said Bean.
"How can you say that?" said Petra. "It's war, it's death, it's the fate of the world."
"You're treating it like...like I was asking advice about a cruise. Which cruise line to go on. Or...or a poem, whether the rhymes are good."
Again they looked at each other.
"And when you look at each other like that," said Peter. "It's like you're laughing, onl
y you're too polite to show it."
"We're not polite people," said Petra. "Especially not Julian."
"No, that's right, it's not that you're polite. It's that you're so much wrapped up in each other that you don't have to laugh, it's like you already laughed and only you two know about it."
"This is all so interesting, Peter," said Bean. "Can we go now?"