Nod.

"I don't mind when he does that," Kan says after he leaves. "He'd do it even if it'd get him killed, it's - it's very immovable rudeness."

"I was hoping he'd stop it when grandbabies came." Sigh. Cling. "Do you think she's really a kid?"

"Of course. - do you?"

"I don't know."

"She's our daughter."

"Of course. She just might be a thousand-year-old alien spy daughter."

"Well, no one said parenting was easy."

In the morning she brings some books she hasn't read yet (all the remaining What Does An X Do?) out to the courtyard and sets to reading them, occasionally adding to her block towers as she goes.

Greys are police and soldiers and dancers and athletes! Purples are storekeepers and farmers and truck drivers and restaurant chefs! Oranges are teachers and doctors and nannies and veterinarians! Yellows are lawyers and accountants and programmers and editors and journalists!

Okay then.

She builds.

Eventually her parents come down with a plate of fruits and nuts and yogurt-for-people-with-dairy-allergies and offer her food and watch her build.

Nuts and fruit and fake yogurt are all okay, although she doesn't like the yogurt very much.

"As long as you are healthy and happy."

"I feel fine." Blocks up up up up.

"Are you planning a city?"

"Not a whole city. I don't have enough courtyard or enough blocks. But some towers. How To Build Very Tall was not at all about blocks."

"It was not. I don't know any tricks for building tall with blocks."

"It seems to be important that I line them up carefully."

"That makes sense, you want the center of mass over the base blocks. And a broader base probably helps - I guess I don't know no things about building with blocks, just not very many. Did you read your books about all of the castes?"

"Yes. Poor greys."

"Hmm?"

"They don't get any good jobs except dancing."

"They don't get any jobs that you would like. People are different, that's why we have castes. Most blues would be bad greys, and most greys would not like being a diplomat or a legislator."

"All the other ones had some good jobs."