"Oh, did I interrupt something?"

He holds up his hands defensively and steps away. "No, no, no, I barely spoke with her. Never went near her."

- he is confused.

"I gave her a hug," she says, neutrally. This is not really new information because she was hugging Cecilia when he appeared.

"I'm not -" Sigh. "I think you have some misapprehensions here. - I don't know what they are but I think there are some of them. I don't - I don't treat her like a slave - I'm not angry you touched her unless she minds -"

Earnest headshake. "They were nice."

" - okay. Then I guess - you can talk to her some more if you want to?"

" - in what sense do you not treat her like a slave?"

"We're staying at my court overnight because she wanted to. I hate it."

"O...kay? You let her have what she wanted one time and that constitutes not treating her like a slave, where you come from?"

" - yes? I'm not making her pay for it, either, she couldn't, I'm covering it myself."

"Wow. Such generosity, paying for your slave's lodgings."

" - I have no idea what you're taking issue with, here -"

" - whatever. Sorry. I think you're confused, but I guess that's not a crime, or we'd all be in even more trouble."

"No, seriously, what do you think I should be doing? I got her and I went for help getting her other children, and we're teaching them all our language, and we're staying overnight because she wanted to, and I've taught her everything I know and no one else has bothered her and we got rid of the bed because she didn't like it and -"

"I - what? Look, I'm not an expert on your - relationship, here, I met you like five minutes ago, I just - 

" - Hagan, what did you guys mean, when you told me and Verita that we weren't slaves, what did that translate out to?"

"- you can leave if you want to. Verita can leave if she can explain how this isn't going to immediately get her killed or captured. You own your stuff -" flinch - "and get to keep money you make and so on, you get a say in where we go and what we do there, you're not alone with us -"

"Mhmm. And your Cecilia, does she get any of that?"

" - do you get the thing I'm trying to say?" he asks Cecelia.

Nodnodnod. "It's not like it was before. It's - you let me make choices. And it's good."

Lean. "Yeah."

She leans a little. She looks at the ground.

She sighs and frowns at Hagan.

" - look, buddy, I'm not clear which things it's safe to say to you and which it's not but if you actually want advice you could clear that up and I could try."

- sigh. "Fine. Cecelia can explain."