This stops the fleeing, though they don't seem much more comfortable.

A man and a woman argue, while two smaller humans cling to them. 

The woman steps forward, holding her chin up higher as she begins to speak.

"What do you want from us?"

"A few hundred viable corn kernels! And I can make your current crop grow faster, as trade."

A brief glance from the woman to the man.

"Of course. How urgently do you need them?"

"I'm trying to get a seed crop of various things for the bandits around these parts. If they're growing food, they're not stealing it. So sooner would be better."

"That's a very generous thing to do," says the man.

"We can have everything ready within a few hours," says the woman.

Shiver, sob, say the children.

"What do you want in exchange? I can make your current crop faster, like I said. I have some healing magic."

"Any assistance you can give our crops would be helpful," says the man carefully.

"We don't want for much, here," says the woman dismissively.

"That's good. So much better when people can cooperate and build stuff. Any crop in particular, or should I just pick a section of cornfield?"

"You're free to pick," says the man.

Nod, goes the woman.

She floats in lazy circles just above the fields for half an hour, singing.

By the end the corn is visibly healthier, and at least three inches taller, everywhere her circuit passed.

During this time, the man and the children have gone inside.

The woman observes this, and when Gren looks about finished, thanks her for her help.

"I'm glad I could help! When can I come back to pick up the seeds?"

"We'll collect them at night, when the sun sets. You can come after that, or wait until tomorrow."

"I'll come back tonight. Have a nice day."

"Thank you."

The woman returns to her house, glancing back at Gren a few times as she does.

Well she's already zooming off to the 'bandit' camp.

The bandits are trying to figure out how to divide up the labor now that they have farming-related duties to incorporate. 

The bandit queen greets her, interrupting the ongoing debate.

"I've got news. Hospital guys are willing to have a peace talk after I showed the biggest one what geases feel like. Also, corn seed will come in tomorrow probably."

"They are willing to use these geases? How confident are you in them?"

"If you are careful with the wording of the agreement - extremely. If they accept a geas not to attack you, they won't. But this won't keep whoever agrees from being deposed, for example, or using loopholes."

"And we'll all be expected to use them?"

"No no no no. Strictly willing participants. I was imagining only the respective leaders, agreeing to make a good faith attempt to abide by whatever peace terms you work out. More aren't out of the question, but required oaths to exist in a society sounds like a goddamned nightmare, pardon the language."

She cracks a smile.

"Yes, I can imagine. As the leader of our group, I'm willing to use one. I'll ask some of the others, I mean the hope is that this will foster trust, but I think I'll be enough."

"Huzzah! Progress! At this rate they might end up calling me Hiawatha, like that American fellow..."

"What did they have to say for themselves? Are they finished with kidnapping ours for their 'treatment'?"