The sudden shift in the tone of the conversation and resurgence of anger was startling, and Gabriel was somewhat taken aback, his own bubbles loosing much of their color and luster. "That's not my intent at all," he said. Though with a bit of a sigh, he added, "Though given what you've told me, I can see why you might think so."

"If you know of a better place to post the advertisement, I'll gladly consider it. But as I said, the Dreamboard is the only public noticeboard that I've seen; posting it there just seemed the most practical option. As for convincing people of anything, I think you're somewhat overestimating my persuasiveness; while in my own world I do wield a certain amount of influence, here I'm simply an ordinary citizen, and a newcomer besides. I have no greater authority or influence than anyone else. I simply meant that I would suggest the idea via the local communications network connected to those crystals we each got, and participate in any discussion that might result."