"Sure, let's go for a walk. Don't use any constructs in public that look like more than just illusions yet."

Inviting more restrictions this was a mistake-

"I understand."

He'll lead the way!

There's a snake and some furry creatures that aren't cats in the hallways right now but none of them want a conversation with a random slave right now.

She gets to stretch her legs, that's most of the point. She won't talk to anyone unless spoken to. Just listen. She's figured out the eye contact thing too but might be a bit inconsistent about it. Tired caffeine-withdrawing anxious stir-crazy people are not the most focused.

The hallways on different floors have different aesthetics. One's bright in white and yellow and cream.

The outsides of the buildings are painted in vague streaky non-patterns. There are unusually few windows. Several people have balconies with plants growing on them. A snake flies by, levitating some coins with it. A lot of fluffy-tailed people walk by on all fours.

Well at least it's sort of pretty out here. She mentally practices vocabulary. Thinking the language, using it, is important to actually learn.

That's an agerah, the snake is an essi, the wall is green and brown, the essi is above me, and so on.

And that agerah is inexplicably purple.

Valanda heads toward a government building.

"That's where you can get copies of laws, if you lose the one you have or if you're ready to read the state laws," he says.

"Does it cost money to just go in and read the laws? I think it costs money to get a copy of the laws."

"Nope! It's important for people to know the law. You want to try and read Ehima state laws now?"

"I should maybe read the imperial laws again first. I know only about half of them right now."

"You can do that here or go back and read your copy. Your choice."

How kind. She thinks that Valanda thinks she is being excruciatingly nice. 

It doesn't really help, unless turning her anger more - aimless and regretful - counts as helping.

"I'll do it later. I want to keep walking for now if that's okay. Thank you."

He makes sure she knows where to find a market and a forest and a library. (It is not a free public library.) He points out the direction she'd have to go to find the airport.

And then he turns homeward.

The sunlight feels nice. Spending any time at all outside of that hideously cramped room is nice.

(She still has a headache and still feels awful. But less urgently so, perhaps.)

She follows. She does ask questions about the language here and there, the whole way.

He answers them.

He seems relieved when they get back home.

"I have work in a while, you can study undisturbed once I leave. It'll be good when you know enough to work. ...Not that you have any reason to trust me about this but when you know the laws and you've paid me back for the food and the room and the bracelets I will let you go."

Huh...

"You're right. I don't have any reason to trust you on that. If you keep your word and free me and ward me... After I - get used to things, cheer up some - I'll probably want to come back and work with you. I'm still not happy. But you're right that it probably would have been worse if I landed on anyone else. How much have I costed you so far? I might have ideas for making money if - now that I feel like being - actually helpful."

...She has to decide whether to wait a week or two and see if she keeps her promise before trying anything hostile, then. She'll think about it later.

"Four hundred eight rings so far... but I'll take some off because you told me how to live longer, let's call it three hundred ninety-six. Want to tell me your ideas now or think about it for a while and tell me your ideas tomorrow?"

"Can you sell the bracelets again when you take them off me? I don't need slavery bracelets." It'll be helping enslave someone else, but not much she can do about that. "I can tell you one idea now - math construct."

She pulls down her glorified abacus. It has foreign numbers and symbols and an empty space at the top.

"This can add or multiply or subtract in five seconds. Tell me two numbers and I'll show you?"

"A hundred fifty-nine and seven hundred forty-five."

taptaptap, tap, taptaptap, tap. A foreign number appears at the top. She does it again, and a longer foreign number appears.

"Those two added are nine hundred and four, and multiplied, are... One hundred eighteen thousand, four hundred and forty five."

"A lot of people will want one of those. I can find out who and sell them. How long do those take to make? How long do they last?"

"Depends what-all they have to do. If it only needs to do small numbers, faster. If it only needs to add and subtract, faster. I was working on one that can divide and do - triangle math? - and remember numbers. This one took three hours but will break soon. I can make one of these that lasts a hundred days in maybe six hours. And I can fix it in ten minutes when it breaks probably. Oh, we do numbers differently. I'd need to spend a few days designing to make one that can do numbers the way you use them here."

"I wish I knew more about the people you'll be selling them to but I think if they last a hundred days they should be worth, hm... somewhere in the low thousands of rings, probably, to be just as good as the alternative. A few days to design plus six hours each, that means you'll... make more money than you've cost me with the first one you sell, I think, if it sells fast. But study Hari and learn the law, too, or I won't let you go because you could hurt someone."

...Well that brings her out of the intellectual tinkery mood pretty well.

"Yeah, I understand. I don't know how to make it easy to use for essi or agerah or other kinds of people. I can make it bigger or move the things you have to touch around pretty easily though. And I can make it so people who can't affect constructs can move it around. So if someone wants to buy it you can bring me and I'll do that right there, or whatever is a good idea instead. Also," she hands the two rings Valanda gave her earlier back. "Three hundred and ninety four."

"It'll be best if the buttons are big and it's easy to push just one without pushing the ones next to it. It'll be best if I can carry one to show people. They'll be suspicious and want to see that it really exists before they spend any money on it. And they'll want to be able to move them around once they have them."