"Uh-huh."

He heads outside.

He's still in the dragon pit. The dragons aren't biting.

"Everyone knows. Or will soon enough."

"Does that bother you?"

"- would have more a while ago. They've, uh, handled a wide variety of problems with something resembling grace. Impressive, considering what fraction of them are too clumsy to walk in a straight line."

"I wish I hadn't done it."

"I hear this is among the most common lamentations of people in dragon pits."

"I love you."

"I wish I could love you."

"Someday?"

"Forever is a very long time but on the other hand we've got a serious surplus of Maitimos at this point and most of them are starting out a couple strides ahead."

"And yet you haven't -"

"No, I haven't."

"Is there anything you want from me?"

"Well, I'd say 'no', but yesterday I would have said 'no' and it turns out what I wanted was for Theodore to throw you into a dragon pit. So who knows, maybe you'll surprise me."

And he turns. 

And he leaves.

Mirelótë and Rúmil escort Pocket back to her mother.

So, if I've seemed especially appreciative of how lovely and nondisastrous our relationship is...

How did you ever find out?

Karen saw Findekáno with short hair. She didn't know it was remarkable, and, paradoxically, remarked on it. He had a cover story but it was inadequate - head injury - it passed to the humans, who probably didn't think in terms of 'if you burned half your arm you wouldn't burn the rest to make it look symmetrical', I think a human with catastrophic hair damage would just - even it out - but Mingling noticed he was lying and said so. I followed up.

Shiver. You're very good at that.

He's still a Maitimo. He wants what Maitimos want. So I didn't spread it around - everyone would have hated him -

Do you think they will now that it's, uh, out?

I think it will help that he stopped. And, in its own way, that Theodore threw him into the dragon pit.

- yes, I can see how that might. Since there are people who wouldn't have done that but would have resented the fact the advisable thing to do was nothing. Do you think Theodore reasoned that out or just -

I don't strongly expect that but it wouldn't stun me, he's acquitted himself well in other situations recently...