"Are you religious?"

"I'm not very good at it."

"One mistake with a boy won't cost you Axis."

"Yeah, I dunno whether to expect it or not, but like, there's 'gets into Axis' and there's 'actually really good at it'? I'm not really good at it."

"Well, I don't really think women can win men over with virtue anyway. 's not how men are."

"He liked my singing, he said."

"That's good," she says encouragingly. "See, there you go."

"Is the sex part actually on a schedule, he doesn't usually care which?" she wonders as they head back to the residential area.

"No, he picks people. But sometimes he'll pick whoever's listening to him practice that afternoon, you know, so we try to rotate that sort of thing to give everyone who wants it a chance."

"That makes sense. How many of us even are there -"

"Six."

"Do you know anybody who wants a lovebird?"

"Maybe talk to Amina. She's probably playing flute right now, that's usually what she's doing."

"Okay!"

She goes to her room. She feeds her baby and finds Amina and attempts to hook up with Amina and has to feed the baby again and fobs off the baby on another household girl along with both of Amina's kids and tries again more successfully. She gets herself dinner, not off the might-be-pregnant shelf since she currently definitely is not. She takes her baby back and feeds her again. She goes to bed and wakes up with the baby about five times and eventually staggers down the hidden staircase to get breakfast at nearly noon the next day, baby still attached to her.

Luckily no one expects her to do much in the way of chores while she has a brand new baby but the prince asked after her so once she's had breakfast she should go find him.

She gives the baby to Amina and Amina's friend to look after between them and reports to the prince's rooms!

He's practicing music and doesn't notice her at first.

Her job description includes Prince Masaharta concerts on a routine basis and she is so lucky. Thanks Abadar probably!

She sits and listens raptly.

Eventually he finishes. "Rabiah! Settled in all right?"

"Yeah-huh! I got healed and met some of the other girls and learned where the food is and stuff."

"Oh good. Did you get a chance to practice with your citole?"

"The baby didn't let me sleep much, I'd just gotten breakfast before I heard you wanted me."

"They're like that, when they're new. Sometimes I have Amina pass hers upstairs to my brother's girls, they haven't any babies of their own so it's nice for everyone."

"But then what do the babies eat?"

"Oh, hers are a bit older, they're not eating every few minutes anymore."