diff --git a/src/competitor.rs b/src/competitor.rs
index 78b44a5..a98de47 100644
--- a/src/competitor.rs
+++ b/src/competitor.rs
@@ -1,5 +1,4 @@
 use crate::{
-    N_INF,
     drift::{ConstantDrift, Drift},
     gaussian::Gaussian,
     rating::Rating,
@@ -13,7 +12,14 @@ use crate::{
 #[derive(Debug)]
 pub struct Competitor<T: Time = i64, D: Drift<T> = ConstantDrift> {
     pub rating: Rating<T, D>,
-    pub message: Gaussian,
+    /// The forward message carried from this competitor's last appearance, or
+    /// `None` before they have appeared anywhere.
+    ///
+    /// Previously an improper `N_INF` served as the unset sentinel, which made
+    /// "no message yet" indistinguishable from "a legitimately improper
+    /// message" at the type level and required every reader to know the
+    /// convention.
+    pub message: Option<Gaussian>,
     pub last_time: Option<T>,
 }
 
@@ -21,14 +27,16 @@ impl<T: Time, D: Drift<T>> Competitor<T, D> {
     /// Compute the message received at time `now`, with drift accumulated
     /// from `self.last_time` (if any) to `now`.
     pub(crate) fn receive(&self, now: &T) -> Gaussian {
-        if self.message != N_INF {
-            let elapsed_variance = match &self.last_time {
-                Some(last) => self.rating.drift.variance_delta(last, now),
-                None => 0.0,
-            };
-            self.message.forget(elapsed_variance)
-        } else {
-            self.rating.prior
+        match self.message {
+            Some(message) => {
+                let elapsed_variance = match &self.last_time {
+                    Some(last) => self.rating.drift.variance_delta(last, now),
+                    None => 0.0,
+                };
+
+                message.forget(elapsed_variance)
+            }
+            None => self.rating.prior,
         }
     }
 
@@ -37,11 +45,9 @@ impl<T: Time, D: Drift<T>> Competitor<T, D> {
     /// Used in convergence sweeps where the elapsed was cached at slice-construction time
     /// and should not be recomputed from `last_time` (which may have shifted).
     pub(crate) fn receive_for_elapsed(&self, elapsed: i64) -> Gaussian {
-        if self.message != N_INF {
-            self.message
-                .forget(self.rating.drift.variance_for_elapsed(elapsed))
-        } else {
-            self.rating.prior
+        match self.message {
+            Some(message) => message.forget(self.rating.drift.variance_for_elapsed(elapsed)),
+            None => self.rating.prior,
         }
     }
 }
@@ -50,7 +56,7 @@ impl Default for Competitor<i64, ConstantDrift> {
     fn default() -> Self {
         Self {
             rating: Rating::default(),
-            message: N_INF,
+            message: None,
             last_time: None,
         }
     }
@@ -63,7 +69,7 @@ where
     C: Iterator<Item = &'a mut Competitor<T, D>>,
 {
     for c in competitors {
-        c.message = N_INF;
+        c.message = None;
         if last_time {
             c.last_time = None;
         }
diff --git a/src/history.rs b/src/history.rs
index 8f021c6..cd90079 100644
--- a/src/history.rs
+++ b/src/history.rs
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 use std::{borrow::Borrow, collections::HashMap, hash::Hash, marker::PhantomData};
 
 use crate::{
-    BETA, GAMMA, Index, MU, N_INF, P_DRAW, SIGMA,
+    BETA, GAMMA, Index, MU, P_DRAW, SIGMA,
     competitor::{self, Competitor},
     convergence::{ConvergenceOptions, ConvergenceReport},
     drift::{ConstantDrift, Drift},
@@ -254,7 +254,7 @@ impl<T: Time, D: Drift<T>, O: Observer<T>, K: Eq + Hash + Clone> History<T, D, O
         for j in (0..self.time_slices.len() - 1).rev() {
             for agent in self.time_slices[j + 1].skills.keys() {
                 self.agents.get_mut(agent).unwrap().message =
-                    self.time_slices[j + 1].backward_prior_out(&agent, &self.agents);
+                    Some(self.time_slices[j + 1].backward_prior_out(&agent, &self.agents));
             }
 
             let old = self.time_slices[j].posteriors();
@@ -273,7 +273,7 @@ impl<T: Time, D: Drift<T>, O: Observer<T>, K: Eq + Hash + Clone> History<T, D, O
         for j in 1..self.time_slices.len() {
             for agent in self.time_slices[j - 1].skills.keys() {
                 self.agents.get_mut(agent).unwrap().message =
-                    self.time_slices[j - 1].forward_prior_out(&agent);
+                    Some(self.time_slices[j - 1].forward_prior_out(&agent));
             }
 
             let old = self.time_slices[j].posteriors();
@@ -723,7 +723,7 @@ impl<T: Time, D: Drift<T>, O: Observer<T>, K: Eq + Hash + Clone> History<T, D, O
                                 self.drift,
                             )
                         }),
-                        message: N_INF,
+                        message: None,
                         last_time: None,
                     },
                 );
@@ -761,7 +761,7 @@ impl<T: Time, D: Drift<T>, O: Observer<T>, K: Eq + Hash + Clone> History<T, D, O
                         let agent = self.agents.get_mut(*agent_idx).unwrap();
 
                         agent.last_time = Some(time_slice.time);
-                        agent.message = time_slice.forward_prior_out(agent_idx);
+                        agent.message = Some(time_slice.forward_prior_out(agent_idx));
                     }
                 }
 
@@ -794,7 +794,7 @@ impl<T: Time, D: Drift<T>, O: Observer<T>, K: Eq + Hash + Clone> History<T, D, O
                     let agent = self.agents.get_mut(agent_idx).unwrap();
 
                     agent.last_time = Some(t);
-                    agent.message = time_slice.forward_prior_out(&agent_idx);
+                    agent.message = Some(time_slice.forward_prior_out(&agent_idx));
                 }
 
                 k += 1;
@@ -810,7 +810,7 @@ impl<T: Time, D: Drift<T>, O: Observer<T>, K: Eq + Hash + Clone> History<T, D, O
                     let agent = self.agents.get_mut(agent_idx).unwrap();
 
                     agent.last_time = Some(t);
-                    agent.message = time_slice.forward_prior_out(&agent_idx);
+                    agent.message = Some(time_slice.forward_prior_out(&agent_idx));
                 }
 
                 k += 1;
@@ -834,7 +834,7 @@ impl<T: Time, D: Drift<T>, O: Observer<T>, K: Eq + Hash + Clone> History<T, D, O
                     let agent = self.agents.get_mut(*agent_idx).unwrap();
 
                     agent.last_time = Some(time_slice.time);
-                    agent.message = time_slice.forward_prior_out(agent_idx);
+                    agent.message = Some(time_slice.forward_prior_out(agent_idx));
                 }
             }
 
diff --git a/src/time_slice.rs b/src/time_slice.rs
index e58211b..53f555d 100644
--- a/src/time_slice.rs
+++ b/src/time_slice.rs
@@ -581,7 +581,7 @@ impl<T: Time> TimeSlice<T> {
 
     pub(crate) fn new_backward_info<D: Drift<T>>(&mut self, agents: &CompetitorStore<T, D>) {
         for (agent, skill) in self.skills.iter_mut() {
-            skill.backward = agents[agent].message;
+            skill.backward = agents[agent].message.unwrap_or(N_INF);
         }
         self.iteration(0, agents);
     }
@@ -761,8 +761,26 @@ impl<T: Time> TimeSlice<T> {
     }
 }
 
+/// Elapsed time from a competitor's previous appearance to `current`.
+///
+/// A negative elapsed means slices are being visited out of time order, which
+/// would make drift *reduce* uncertainty. Release builds clamp to zero so a
+/// bad timestamp degrades to "no drift" rather than corrupting the posterior;
+/// debug builds trip instead, because reaching here is a bug in slice ordering
+/// rather than something callers can cause with ordinary data.
 pub(crate) fn compute_elapsed<T: Time>(last: Option<&T>, current: &T) -> i64 {
-    last.map(|l| l.elapsed_to(current).max(0)).unwrap_or(0)
+    let Some(last) = last else {
+        return 0;
+    };
+
+    let elapsed = last.elapsed_to(current);
+
+    debug_assert!(
+        elapsed >= 0,
+        "negative elapsed ({elapsed}) — slices visited out of time order"
+    );
+
+    elapsed.max(0)
 }
 
 #[cfg(test)]