And that, Ender, was how to get Warren to loose a little huff of a laugh, right there.

"The boyos have been giving me that ever since they found out I have a mind to become Karla's consort," he shared. "We can add your sympathy to the pile. Along with a lot of promises of gravediggers, and an overall sense that maybe I'm totally out of my mind."

They had been pretty up-front about all of the above.