She giggles. "Hi! No, actually, I would like to ask your permission for a thing before I do it!"

"What's the thing?"

"Basically, I am not in Bartalamos's jurisdiction anymore, so I need to get the license for the people I now legally fall under. But since I'm foreign, I don't have to take the test, I just have to show them I can summon a daeva securely. Sounds easy, right? Except their definition of 'secure' is different than mine."

"And you want somebody who's used to being obliged to shut up, is that it?"

"... I was kind of hoping it would upset you less than other daeva I can think of, but this is why I am asking permission first. I won't do it to you without permission, now that you've proven you're not going to hurt me when you had a very good chance to. If you're - insulted or angry or... Something I'm honestly extremely sorry and will put you back right away."

"Nah, it's fine, I'll play as long as it's not going to take too long. Especially if you'll get me a good list of music, I'm getting bored of what I have in the music department. But have you ever actually summoned a daeva without letting them talk, before?"

"I can get you a good list of music! But uh - yeah, haven't. It kind of bothers me a bit, I think I know how, it's pretty straightforward. It just seems really - rude. Or some other words."

"Okay, well - you know when we can't talk we really can't, right? I have on one occasion been blamed for the death of a summoner who I desperately wanted to tell to duck. If something happens, I will not be able to say anything about it. I can't warn you if you're about to make some kind of misstep on your certification thing, I can't finish a sentence for you if you forget a word, and I cannot shout at you if there's a flaming beam of wood coming for your head. And if they want you to bring me in on a narrow-scope task that doesn't improve any of that, if all I'm there to do is follow you I'm not going to be able to give you a blood transfusion if you get hurt or - whatever. I'm not saying any of this is likely, I'm saying you're not used to having someone that crippled around. I am indestructible and you are not."

"That'd be safest, yeah. I can get a little mileage out of comically exaggerated facial expressions, and that's pretty much it."

She manages a little giggle. "This is disgusting, are you sure you want to? I won't be upset if you're not willing to."

"Your next port of call is some twee angel who's never been gagged since a bell rang and they got their wings, I'd imagine. I really don't mind, I'm used to it, it's not like having me there will make you less safe, and you need somebody to accompany you, right?"

"I'm not worried about feeling less safe, I'm worried because gagging people like this freaks me out. But - yeah, next port of call is a 'twee' angel. Who has probably never been gagged." Wince.

"And I'm not freaked out by gagging, because you're literally the only summoner who hasn't done it to me and I pick up summonses whenever I can," shrugs Cam, "but I am freaked out by the dead guy whose apprentice thought it was my fault that I had narrow instructions and no voice and his teacher was dead. That's kind of my first complaint about gag orders and everything else is a distant second."

"Which - no one is likely to do, since it would just be us in a shuttle off for the certification. Okay. Uh - do you have preferences for the task I ask you to do?"

"...Please be careful about the details? Don't ask me to stay exactly five feet from you at all times and then wander into the ladies' room, that kind of thing. I trust your judgment and if you surprise me with terrible judgment at the time I will roll my eyes and say 'no, summoner' and you will have to start over."

She nods. "Right, uh - wait, can you do - not necessarily sign language, but can you, say, tap your nose twice as a way to get my attention, or something?"

"I can sigh loudly, I can stomp if I'm already walking for task-related reasons, I can yawn, I can crack my neck, and I can do any of those things and similar with an extra dose of theatricality - clearly delineated communicative gestures like that are out though."

"Damn. That's annoying."

"Yep."

"Well. Want to try and agree on a task now while you can talk?"

"Sure. They don't specify something?"

"Nope, they just - want me to prove that I can. I think they're going to be snippy about the gagging part, though. If you want I could give you a hilarious task, or something altruistic."

"Presumably it has to be something that entails going to the cert with you, though. Where is it, anywhere interesting?"