<Why not?>

"Well, what do you mean by 'following Princess Bella'?"

<Doing as she says. Operating under her command the way I have begun to do.>

"I can't do that," says Trouble.

<Why not?>

"I just don't have it in me. I'd quit first. I'll do some stuff she wants me to, if she asks. I'll help. But I can't be under orders like that."

<She seems very intelligent and committed,> volunteers Ax.

"Sure she is. It's not her that's the problem."

<I don't think I understand the problem.>

"Yeah, I know. Do you want to?"

<Ideally.>

"If I try to put myself in a position where somebody can just tell me to do something and expect I'm gonna do it 'cause they said so, I'll end up running away instead. And not coming back this time. It's just not something I can do. Because of... personal stuff."

<Is this a common human affliction?>

"Nope. Well - having stuff you can't do or have a hard time with because somebody hurt you, that happens plenty. The exact nature of the stuff varies more."

<You have this problem because you were previously under incompetent command...? I thought you were all considered too young to fight by the standards of your culture.>

"Yeah, well, it wasn't a military commander. It was my stepfather."

<...Oh,> says Ax, in tones of someone who doesn't really understand but doesn't know if they want to continue the conversation either.

"There's details, but they aren't very nice, and they don't really explain why I came out of it exactly how I did. That part's just me, I guess."

<Princess Bella did say you are an unusual human.>

"She got that right."

There are footsteps, down the stairs and past the garage door into the kitchen.

"Huh, I wonder who's up," says Trouble.

<I don't know. Does it matter?>

He shrugs. "I guess not."

<Are any of the others likely to be alarmed by your absence from the couch?>