"Organize?" asks a two year old.

Cities, schools, subways, castes, so very many laws, sports with teams, the assumption that everyone will know certain things, it's all very structured.

"It kind of sounds like you have instincts doing most of what you need done? Or maybe you just don't mind people dying when they don't know what to do very much," says a four year old.

...That sounds about right.

He lays down on the ground again. 

Ride is finished.

"Noooo!" cries the passenger, but one of the three year olds pulls her off.

It was interesting to talk to you all. I'm not sure if there's anything else to talk about before I go.

"Can I have your paw print?" asks a two year old. "I have a fingerprint book."

...How does that work? How do you get the prints?

"I have an ink pad."

If you get some water to wash the ink off me, then sure!

There is a hose in the playground for rinsing off children who get dirty playing so this is easily arranged.

Bloom and Ink mostly keep their students and her pets from getting into trouble over the next few days, give or take a few more scuffles and the one called Basalt disabling an annoying rattling ventilation fan by cutting a couple of wires instead of asking anyone about it. Bloom sees a few patients. She oversees all her students doing magic to a batch of plant seedlings once those arrive. Various Draak start to learn to read. They get more and more antsy.

Finally they can move into the old mining town! It has water! And road access!

Before they go - or after if that's better - some greens want to interview Bloom's pets!

After the move is better. Less stress all around. The Draak seem much more relaxed almost immediately. Bloom, some of the other Draak, and her pets start planting and tending little gardens in the area - four dog-sized porcupine type animals do most of it.

You are trying to decide if they count as people, correct? I have far more Enkindled pets than most Draak, it's one thing that separates me from my kin... Though I want to repeat that 'pets' is not quite the correct concept. Neither is 'children', nor 'partners', nor 'projects'. Perhaps something in between all of those.

...I suppose you should speak to Forever, the oldest. Or perhaps Nestwatcher, who is chatty.

There are several greens here - a theologian and a zoologist and a psychologist - so they can split them up.

She goes off to fetch them. A an alien bird resembling a large sparrow flutters over after a minute. The bird flits over to a green picked at random - the psychologist - and starts chattering. The telepathy is a lot harder to interpret than Bloom's.

I am here to tell you things, because Flowermaker said to. I have never seen you before so I am supposed to tell her about you! Except she already saw you, so I am not supposed to tell her about you!

-And then he starts describing the movements of every Draak in the area over the last day at a rapid pace.

 An alien rabbit that looks subtly off and a blue-tinged giant porcupine type creature follow a bit later. Bloom lays down some distance away.

The theologian goes up to the rabbit-thing and the zoologist the porcupine. "Hello," says the theologian. The zoologist looks the porcupine over more closely first.

- And then the red scaled one with blue splotches went over there and then -

The rabbit-thing stares at the theologian, whiskers twitching. Hello.

The porcupine is low and round, about the size of a large dog, and dew rests at the end of each short spine. Its paws seem meant for digging.

"...is keeping track of that interesting?"

"We're trying to figure out if you're people," the theologian explains, "what do you think?"

"What's your name?" asks the zoologist.

...I am supposed to watch for other Draak and tell the Flowermaker about them!

Yes. What is 'people'? ...But yes.

The porcupine sniffs at a patch of grass and says- Plant arranger-friend-worker-water-rain-sister-adaptable one.

"Why?"

"People are creatures that reason about the world and their own existence."

"Is your job looking after plants?"

If I do what I am supposed to do I get safe-nest and food.

I do that most of all Bloom's servants. I am not an ordinary rabbit. I have been made to be much like a Draak. I don't like it much.

We grow plants. We eat plants. Other things eat plants. Bloom eats other things. Nothing eats us. (The porcupine-thing runs one forelimb along the dewy quills, collecting water on its fur, which it drips on a patch of grass. The quills are wet again after a few seconds.)

"How did you learn to do it?"

"Do you think the others are people?"

"Where's the water coming from -?"

...I know how to do it, yes!

If they use reasoning even very rarely, does it make them people? If they reason only about the world and have no self-awareness?

I drink big water. I give big water. Magic.