Ione, not being able to cast scry herself as the other teleporters can, has appropriated the crystal ball. She reads the next name off the list: "Flax... Millet. Well, I guess I can't really claim mine's any better." She peers into the ball in search of one Flax Millet.

Flax Millet is *rolls dice* scutching! She is blonde and a halfling and whistling.

A halfling out in an open field. Not the most unique location. She doesn't love burning a greater teleport on it, but it'd be more embarrassing if she landed off-target and had to use a second teleport. Bwip.

She unerringly places herself a few yards in front of the scutching halfling.

Flax splutters and falls from her squatting position backward onto her butt. "Ma'am! Can I help you!" she squeaks.

"Flax Millet? You've been selected to represent the people of Cheliax at the upcoming constitutional convention. I'm here to provide transport. I can wait up to an hour while you gather up anything you'd like to bring with you. Do you have any questions?"

"Did my lord sell me, ma'am?"

"No, but he no longer owns you. All those chosen as delegates are made free citizens, if they weren't before."

Flax furrows her brow so hard she goes nearly crosseyed. "Free what?"

"You own yourself now. Did you have anything you wanted to go get? I can answer questions while you do that."

"Do I own... any things that are not myself?" Flax asks, looking down dubiously at her clothes.

Ugh, did they cover the thing where slaves of course don't own any property? She can't recall if they had a protocol for that. "I think if you took your basic personal effects, your former lord would be unlikely to complain. I suppose he could file a request for reimbursement."

Honestly Ione wouldn't blink if the halfling went and packed up her owner's family jewels. She has a whole list of delegates to get through and isn't about to sort through the luggage of each and every one to make sure it's all really theirs.

"Do I own......... any people that are not myself?" she asks hopefully.

Yeah that was the obvious next question. "Your status as a delegate applies only to yourself. It does not transfer ownership of anyone else. You are permitted to bring attendants, if you wish to. I can transport up to six people, in addition to myself."

"But if I don't own my... attendants?... who does?"

"Their legal status would remain unchanged, so, whoever owned them before they went with you would still own them even while they are attending you at the convention."

"Well, how could he find out this happened?"

"You could tell him before you leave, I suppose. Or if he stays abreast of politics he might notice that you all left at the same time as the convention was starting and make a reasoned guess."

Flax frowns thoughtfully.

"And I can go get six?"

"I can take six besides myself, and I am, at minimum, taking you. There is space for five more."

"And you have to take me, I cannot just go be free and work at the hatter's?"

"Yes, I have to take you. If you'd like to work at the hatter's once the convention is over, that's your own business."

"So I own me but I don't own... something. That I would be using to work at the hatter's now and not later."

"You own yourself" - she'd show Flax her letter of manumission, but Flax probably can't read - "and also, it is a crime against the crown to fail to appear when summoned, and you are being officially summoned by the Queen herself to attend her constitutional convention."

Great big eyes of terror. "The QUEEN?"

"Yes, her Majesty Catherine Marianne Euphemia Aspexia de Litran, the newly crowned Queen of Cheliax, is the one who commands your presence. Along with the presence of several hundred other delegates, many of whom I am also going to have to teleport there once I've gotten you, so if there's anything you wanted to take with you we should really at least start walking in its general direction."

"...to be clear, I don't expect the Queen herself will be in attendance, except perhaps for some opening and closing ceremonies or the like."

Oh, a new queen. Slightly less big eyes of terror. Flax wobbles her way toward the little house she and all the other flax-oriented slaves share.

"How long am I going to be summoned? Do I appear back here if I die of it?"

"If I recall correctly, they once did one in Galt that lasted a few years. I think we're hoping this one will be faster. Hopefully not more than a few months."

"If you die while you're attending, you'll go to the river of souls to stand judgement before Pharasma, same as if you would have otherwise. But we're putting in a fair amount of effort to make sure the delegates will be protected from harm, so I don't think it's especially likely to come up."

"...I don't have food for that long!"

"You'll be paid a daily stipend as compensation for your time. It should be plenty to cover your room, board, and other necessities while you're there."

"Oh. ...just for me and not for," she counts on her fingers and then gives up, "more people?"

"The stipend is yours and you may spend it however you wish. Using a portion of it to pay your attendants would be a reasonable decision."

"- well but I don't know how much it is!"

"It's a pretty generous stipend. If you're frugal with it, I think you would have more than enough left over to pay all your attendants a fair wage."

Flax, who has never been paid any wages and seldom even handles money, is not sure whether a "fair wage" is the same thing as "an amount of money you can use to buy enough food that you don't die", but the others will hopefully be able to get jobs even if she is busy being near the queen. (Shiver.)

She disappears into the tiny house - the door's not big enough for Ione, though it looks like it wouldn't be hard to rip up the roof a little if one were an angry human owner.

Ione waits outside for Flax to gather everything she intends to bring with her.

Flax comes out with her winter clothes, all the food that was in the house, a half-finished bolt of linen, and three more halflings. An additional four halflings also leave the house but appear to be choosing this opportunity to simply Leave The Area, perhaps hoping to shelter under the confusion of Flax's disappearance while not actually accompanying her. Off they fuck. The three who are coming with huddle close together.

"Good to meet you all. My name is Ione. If you are all ready, come take hands in a ring and we can be on our way."

"That's a pretty name," says Flax, as they all join hands jockeying for positions that don't involve touching the intimidating tall wizard.

"My grandmother gave it to me."

And once they are all linked up - bwip.