While it is possible to take Nikanj’s words about Joseph’s body’s consent at face value, it is also possible to view what happens in this passage as coercion or even rape. For example, Nikanj’s continued neural sex in spite of Joseph’s protests could be interpreted as a version of a willfully (and predatorily) ignorant, “no means yes” way of thinking. This continues to advance the idea that despite Lilith’s close relationship with Nikanj, Nikanj may be a complicated or even malevolent figure in the story. Lilith herself has not reached this conclusion yet and seems to tentatively trust most of what Nikanj says here.