"I think music does something. They play me music, sometimes. Don't know what, though."

"What do they want with people?"

"I don't think they're all the same. But the ones who don't want much from slaves just don't bother, because we're expensive to keep.

I don't know what they'd want from a man."

"...ah. Why are we expensive?"

"Faeries don't need to eat and we do."

"Oh. I don't."

"Oh. That's probably good for you I guess. If they say they'll stop feeding you if you keep crying you can just tell them that's fine."

"- Do they not like it when you cry because it's... loud, or what?"

"And annoying, yeah. And makes my face ugly. They thought it was interesting at first. I don't think faeries cry very much."

"I'd believe that."

"Do you know where they're taking us?"

"They're giving us to another court because I freak them out and they want me off their hands, I think they're throwing you in as a bonus or you constitute a less suspicious explanation of why they're giving me away or something."

"Oh. 

Okay."

"Sorry, I have no reason to believe this will constitute an improvement for you."

"When you're new it's hard because everyone's curious."

"I guess that tracks. I'm not sure how much wherewithal I'll have to help you, I've got a different thing going on constraining my behavior."

"It's okay. It's nice just to talk to - someone who's not a faery. 

And who's chained up. No offense."

"None taken."

She doesn't immediately have anything else to say.

"You have a name? Or a nickname or whatever?"

"They call me 'Mortal'. I don't - I don't even know if it's a good idea to remember the name I had before that, honestly."

"Yeah, that seems reasonable, but, like, if there's another mortal around or anything."

"I hope there's not. No one can feed two, supposedly.

You can call me Auda. It's my sister's name but she's dead so it should be safe enough."

"If they have any sense they'll have me feeding you. I'm just... not sure they have any sense.

Call me, uh -" The German's old but not that old, the Bible's around, so not Revelation. Doesn't know if middle names count. "- Apsel for now, I guess."

"Apsel," she says. "What'd you do to end up among faeries?"