"That's why I'd hope they'd send you to check. But I don't do politics, really. Thank you for the language - I like it very much -"

"You're welcome. You're very quick with it."

"I'll probably want to practice more tomorrow, this vocabulary's tolerable but I keep bumping into its walls."

"Sounds fun."

And he departs with his security. 

She's back at Onyx for dinner.

"Hey."

"Hello. Have I inadvertently addicted you to the hummus here or am I just so charming?"

"Gotta be the hummus. Unless I just want to bask in the reflected glory from all the important people you're meeting."

"This one wanted to massively overpay for language tutoring! It was fun."

Eyeroll. "Bet that's not even mission-relevant, there're spells for that."

"It had nothing to do with anything! He was very quick at it, though."

"Ah huh. The pharaoh's father."

"Prince Fe-Anar? He didn't specify, actually, but I guess he's the right age."

"That's the one."

"Missed his calling as - no, I suppose he noticed and merely had limited affordances to pursue his calling as a scholar."

"Lotta scholarship you can shove in under service to Abadar but not all of it. I guess most people who'd be great scholars never have a shot at it, though."

"In droves, I think."

"Put it on the list."

"Already is. Had slaves in the cave growing up. Some of 'em were bright."

"Couldn't take them with you?"

"Grandma sold 'em when Mom died. She had her own but I didn't really get to know them."

"What do people do with slaves when they're too old to work?"

"Don't feel like guessing? - what happens to 'em here?"

"Well, in the palace they keep the girls looking young right up until they die, the spell doesn't expand lifespan. Everywhere else - I think when most slaves had kids they'd look after you. Now that's not allowed, so - dunno."