Damn. She’d been hoping he’d give permission to go to the lake, but forget to say they had to return from it.

More worryingly: “If you would be so gracious as to tell us, the water of the lake, does it cause disease?”

"...not as far as I know."

Okay, that’s a relief, and also a very clear non-answer. This guy is full of those. “Thank you for your graciousness.” She bows again, then does her best to become a silent piece of furniture. She’ll try and ask more questions to this Promise when she arrives, unless of course she turns out to be some other kind of horrible demon.

Ru continues the pretty credible furniture imitation she’s been doing, even though Azi knows she must be vibrating from the strain of not poking her head into every single cabinet.

"That room's mine," says Yellow, "don't go in it till I tell you to," and then he eats the nonleaf portion of his haul of forage.

Ru and Azi bow in acknowledgment and then continue their furniture impression. When he briefly looks away, their hands shoot forward in unison and grab leaves to shove in their mouths. They both have a deep instinct not to let the master see you got your hands on food, even if said master has given it to you.

They won’t do anything else until prompted, except play the strategy games the slaves have developed based on subtle gestures back and forth. Ru captures all of Azi’s fingers the first game, but Azi wins the next two.

Yellow retires to his room when he's done eating.

And then someone else lets herself in.

A startled Ru jumps up from poking her head into every single cabinet, hits her head on the low ceiling, and flips into a bow that smashes her forehead on a chair. Flustered, she stands up correctly this time and says, “Did you know that the Corrocan grass ant lives in complex colonies with multiple queens which may compete or collaborate in ways some scholars argue are analogous to human political relationships?”

”Hello,” Azi reminds her, and gives a quarter bow.

”Hello,” says Ru, and gives a slower, more careful bow.

"- did I know what - no, how would I know that, does it matter -" She sets down a heavy-looking sack of fruit on the table and starts unpacking.