"Having preferences that might make you feel bad. Or be inconvenient. Or annoying."

"I wanted you to have preferences."

"Even if they're annoying?"

"I do not think it'd be wanting you to have preferences if I wanted you to have specific ones."

"It would definitely make it a lot harder."

"I really did love you the way you were, you know. I didn't want you to stop wanting things. I know that sometimes you want things that are hard to give you. That's okay. I can do it."

"This is hard to believe but I will try."

"Thank you."

"M'sorry that it's hard to believe things."

"It makes sense."

...nod. "I know it's bad."

"I think it ...depends. It's probably not helping with fixing you now, though."

Nod.

"I can keep trying."

"Thank you. I love you."

...nod.

When he leaves and Zakiya comes back, she wants to ask whether everyone who knows who she is kind of hates her.

" - I think most of them don't know much about you, just that you're the pharaoh's wife."

"Okay. I guess that's good.

"Hagan said he kills people for saying mean things about me."

"He has done that a couple of times, yeah."

"He didn't get why I'd be upset about it."

"He seems to mostly not expect you to be upset with him even in cases where anyone would obviously be upset with him."

"Oh.

"I guess I did spend a long time trying not to get upset about anything no matter what happened."

"It's a good habit, sometimes. 

I think they're all in Axis. If that helps."

"Yeah. That's good."

"I don't think it's your fault, that he kills people over you."

"I guess I hope Pharasma agrees."


She snuggles and her baby. She swims. She makes some effort to think about what she might want. She occasionally successfully asks her husband to hold her and not do any other things.