Eli was going to kill her. This was something she was well aware of. So making things worse? No risk at all.

She smiled even more brightly. "Eli spends all her time crying and wishing she had friends. Teachers can be friends right? All the guys scare her. So I'm going to buy her friends. Then she'll be happy!"

She considered. "Well, maybe I'll buy her a date too, if he will be good and make her smile. How much should I bid to win this?" she asked him.

Yes. She asked the person she would have to out bid how much she should spend...

Eli's clones were getting more willful, they weren't getting that much brighter.