"You said you were going to practice speaking, use real words. Last time I came in on a sail. It was long ago, I don't remember it too well."

He might not believe himself either.

"Why did you come on the sail?"

"Papertree was empty, full of stuff that people'd want, space for us to live on forever."

Empty huh? Sure it was.

"So place you came from was crowded and used up? What you do when this place crowded and used up?"

Compost compost compost.

"Oh, no, I came from Horizon. You can see it from the other side of Papertree, not this one, but it's still in sight. People live there. But they didn't like reincarnations there so anyone who wanted to reincarnate came here."

"Why not like reincarnate? What they do about it?"

He's starting to have more questions about rounds, sails, and distances, but doesn't know how to ask.

"They just mourn dead people and make new people, they don't even try to get them back. They think it's too hard and it's not worth it to try, not even to save someone's life."

"What do they do about you since they don't like you do it?"

Somebody on this planet has to be angry about something.

"Oh, they let us do it here. They wanted somebody to grow things and make paper here and we'll do that."

"They make new people grow things and make paper here?"

He's probably done with the compost at this point, and will look at the old guy for any indication of what to do next.

The guy doesn't complain when he puts the pitchfork down. "You haven't got gardening gloves," he points out. "Some of these weeds are spiky. Anyway, they could've made new people for Papertree but then we'd still be around having religious differences. Simpler to shove us off here."

"They could have made people who liked them?" There are problems with obedient clone armies but Briseadh has never been exactly sure what the problems are if you're the one making the army and not, you know, the people the clones have been secretly trained to betray at a critical moment.

"They were obnoxious, but they weren't murderers."

Somebody on this planet has to be angry about something.

"Why not make people do what maker say? I not from anywhere near here. Not know how works."

"Oh, some people do that. We do reincarnations instead. We weren't made to be the kind who'd want to lord it over our creations."

That sure seems like the kind of thing that would be hard to stop once it got started though.

"Anyone make themselves?"

It's what he'd do if he could. 

Maybe that'd be the one person who wouldn't betray him Well that's a stupid thought, obviously he'd betray himself if he ever saw an advantage from it.

"Sometimes someone tries. I think it turns out worse, and of course it's funny to have two of someone around, and you can't always be too sure when you're really right about to die."

"How people die here?" 

It's obviously not war or famine.

"Old age usually. Sometimes accident, sometimes a disease."

Briseadh has always assumed he was going to die of Murder. Some people probably died quietly in their beds but he didn't really meet that sort of person, at least not for long.

"I am here now. I want practice talk and learn job, maybe cut tree. What you do if you me?"

Besides die of boredom.

"Practicing talking and learning to do a job sounds good to me."

"Thank you. Know anybody want help cut tree, want teach cut tree?" 

Jokes on these people, Briseadh plans to use some tools they almost certainly haven't seen. Which leaves another good question.

"Who tell everyone what do here? All just buy sell and help or someone tell what do?"

Even trade planets have a general inspector with some hired muscle.

"We don't have a ton of spare trees on this part of the round. You want Treehills for that. The wise folks tell people what to do sometimes."

"Which way Treehills? Number of sleeps I walk?"

Telling people what to do just works, no hired muscle? These wise folks sound more than a little suspicious.

"What then if people not do what wise folks tell?"

"Treehills is that way. I don't think you'd have to sleep to get there. We don't re-make people if they're trouble so anyone who wants to be reincarnated had better keep their nose clean."