She doesn't sound warning or displeased, nor like she's feeling she has to be careful with them. He relaxes, not completely but palpably.

"Oh. Thank you, that - helps a lot. Thank you.

...Do you think that will all be the same, for us? Since they weren't here when we were children." And, he's not sure he understands about the like-upsetting-yourself. He - knows what will upset him, or can try to think about it if he doesn't know. And can notice if something is. He - doesn't seem to feel like he knows what would upset the daemon, or if something like that is happening? Or is it just the same as what would upset him?

He nods understanding at the instructions, makes sure to note so he'll remember. "Thank you. We'll be careful." 

"You are welcome.  

"I wouldn't know.  Nothing like this has ever happened.  I'd suspect it to be the same, though it seems like the sort of thing you'll have to work out between you and your daemon and see what happens over time.  At least in normal cases, the things that upset your daemon are the same as that upset you."

She isn't able to better articulate an answer.  She can, however, finish explaining the features of the hotel area before she forgets.  There are restrooms, showers, and clothing-washing facilities at the end of the hall.  There are some basic rules such as not making excessive noise or fighting anywhere that isn't a proper arena.  A housekeeper checks in once daily, usually in the mid-afternoon but can be rescheduled at the front desk or forestalled by hanging a clip from the outer doorknob.  

Nod nod. That only makes sense, really. And that is all very good to know too. He thanks her again. He notes rules.

(He has a lot more questions (still wants to know how they signal roles, and what etiquette they have, and what might be expected of him and Kente. And how etiquette works with daemons. And how discipline works with daemons (and how it is here at all), are they punished together or one for both or whoever trespassed or? 

But even if she's a sub, and helping, she's still a government sub, and he doesn't want to keep her overmuch. And the dom named Azure had said to go to the dom(s) who had found them for cultural questions. (Maybe if one of the others was a sub they can talk to them? Or one of the doms might bring their sub or a sub sibling, if they'll be taking two submissives around? It's good to know about the housekeeper; if none of that helps enough he might try asking them. Not - really an ideal thing to do. But.) 

Except - "Fighting? Is there - a lot of that here?" (The officer had mentioned fighting before, but he'd thought that was about the kidnappers possibly coming after them again.)

It might be nice to get something better than an I-wouldn't-know, but on the other hand he's pretty sure that version involves a bunch of government scientists showing up to poke at them, and that doesn't actually sound like a good time at all. ...And might happen eventually anyway, but what can one do.

Testing does stand out as the most obvious way of learning things, but she's not going to suggest it to two people who had just been rescued from a lab.

"Daemons like to challenge each other to battles for fun.  It's a good way for people to get to know each other better or settle minor disagreements.  Most parks have an arena or two set aside for it, and there's a competitive circuit for more skilled fighters.  It's optional, of course - there's nothing wrong with turning down an offer to fight casually - though... given your circumstances, learning how to use Moves in combat seems like an especially good idea."  She pauses, then thinks of something.  "Fighting in self defense if someone attacks you is permitted anywhere.  It's friendly battles that should be taken to a park."  That goes without saying locally, but might not be obvious to aliens.  

That's more consideration than they're used to expecting, from governments.

Indeed it might not be obvious, or at least taken for granted, by aliens (though it helps that the officer had implied as much before). (Though personally if the kidnappers showed up again while he was actually awake, he would absolutely fight them if that was what it took, and if this was the sort of place that beat submissives for that then so be it.

Much better if it's not, of course.)

That is also helpful to know. 

He is reassured by the reassurances.

He doesn't think he has more questions he's going to ask immediately. Will see if there's more that she will have to tell them.

She can't think of anything else, but mentions again that they can look up information on their phones or ask at the front desk if they need anything.

He thanks her again. They go together to one of the rooms. 

They set up the nets. Kente flops back on the bed; Alessa sits down next to him. Kente squeezes his hand.

"I - don't think they're going to kill us."

"Would be a lot of trouble to have gone to at this point."

They're both quiet for a few moments.

"No guardian yet. Didn't even say to expect one soon."

"I think the doms? - dom? - who found us might be supposed to take responsibility for us. At least some of it."

"They're not here though."

"No. But he said to call him, and that he'd take us to a tailor."

"Yeah.

I'd say maybe we're lucky and they think we're widows and the memory of our late doms will keep us behaving and Enforcement can fill in the rest. But there's no way they think we're widows."

"Even at home some places it's not just widows - Rinel was doing a report on that news story, remember, the sub who got stuck across the border when they closed that city with the terrorist cell, and they didn't assign her anyone because it was just a few weeks.

They said 'until we can find a way to return you', they might think we have our dom at home -"

"Well. We do."

"And the police are right here."

"Yeah."

A bit more silence.

And - he really needs to stop putting this off. 

He looks to the - spinarak, who's followed them into the room and settled by the bed.

"Hey." What does he say? 'My name is Alessa?' That doesn't make sense. And he'd said his name earlier.

"I'm - sorry I've been ignoring you." 

The spinarak attempts to crawl up him and into his lap. 

"It's alright. I'm not upset at all. I know why you did it. We were in the lab, and then it was always an awkward time to say hello for the first time."

"I'm not upset either!" (The vulpix is currently curled partially on top of Kente. 

"Except at those people who kidnapped you. I'm pretty upset at them.

I guess if they didn't do that I wouldn't exist. Or I'd be - something else? I'm not sure about that part. 

But I'm still upset because they hurt you."

He helps the - his(?) - daemon onto his lap. (And - the beginnings of relief, again. Not all of it, at all. But some.)

"Do you remember anything before that?"

"I woke up when you did. I don't remember anything before then."

(The vulpix agrees with this.)

"Can you - tell. That you're - connected with us?"

"I know you're safe to touch, and other humans aren't. I can feel things when you feel things. If you're hurt I'll be hurt. You make sense; I know why you do things."