“We already asked.”

“The young vassal cannot have her own room in these halls, but Culamine’s Hound may keep a guest if she wishes.”

“Yeah. So. I guess we’ll do that.”

Nod. "Thank you, Ma'am."

Nilam follows Shreya into the indicated bedchamber.

The door shuts behind them.

One more stop: DZ goes to investigate the cafeteria.

It is an entirely adequate cafeteria!

It actually has a wider selection than equivalent facilities on Procyon station, perhaps owing to the substantially larger size of this settlement.

Vassals eating within regard DZ with polite interest.

Her whole Being Made Of Metal thing continues to be a matter of significant curiosity for the locals of this star system.

She ignores them, unless approached, and collects some food: an entree-sized bowl of plain potato soup, diced tofu and strawberries in a balsamic glaze, a small dandelion green salad, roast carrots, a piece of cake, a mug of tea, and two empty glasses, nested to fit on what is now a very full tray.

The cafeteria lacks any sort of checkout line, register, or other payment-oriented infrastructure.

Vassals seem able to just pick food up freely, walk off and eat it.

Convenient, that. She heads back to the room.

The room is how she left it.

Deskyl is sitting on the bed, crosslegged, meditating, as she has been since DZ left.

DZ sets the tray down, gives Devika the soup, and offers her her choice of the side dishes. "Have they been in yet?"

"Yeah. They were quick and quiet about things. I don't even know what all they changed."

She partakes of the soup.

"Thank you so much. This is just what I needed."

"You're welcome, Ma'am. The selection was very good; if there's anything you'd like in the future I can keep an eye out for it."

"Well. At least the dragons feed their slaves well. That's something, I guess."

She wolfs down the tofu and carrots.

"Could you pick up something with proper synthmeat next time? I haven't had any in nearly a cycle."

"I don't think they have that, Ma'am, I haven't seen it here or on Procyon Station."

“Oh. Right. No biofabricators. Can’t grow meat any more than they can grow new SLAYERs.”

"- SLAYERS are grown, Ma'am?"

After she finishes devouring her dinner, Devika pushes the tray away and tidies herself up.

“About ninety percent of a SLAYER is grown in a biofabricator. You have to install the armor plating, the sensor array, the weapons and the fission reactor after it’s birthed, but the other organs are all original to the organism.”

"I suppose that explains why people keep assuming that I'm organic."

“I’ll admit I’m pretty curious how you work, myself. But I figure people have probably been asking you why you’re covered in metal since you’ve got here and I imagine it must be obnoxious to explain over and over.”

"They mostly just stare, Ma'am, and I don't mind it. There's not much to explain, anyway - my body is mechanical, and my mind runs on a computer."

“Your mind runs on a... but you seem so...”

She searches for word other than ‘real’ to end that sentence with.

"It's all right if you don't believe that I'm a person, Ma'am. Most people where Deskyl and I came from don't believe it, either."