"But before it it's a big deal? In that case I think you had all better stay on your island because I don't think we're gonna tell the bride that she'd better not touch anything, it offends Amentan sensibilities -"

"- I really don't think she'll object to arranging something so we can source food."

"This is unbelievable."

"Aw I wanna go to the me's wedding -"

" - yeah, we'll go, it's not - if we're stuck here indefinitely it sounds like we'll want to collaborate with the other communities here -"

"Are you saying here that if her hair was pink you wouldn't have married her -"

" - I'd have paid to get her cleaned up."

" - is there, like, disease-risk or something -"

" - no, it's cultural -"

"'collective insanity', the Elves said."

"The Elves who apparently do without most social institutions because they're just that law-abiding. I - don't think any less of your Peka but please do understand that it's not really something we can just -"

"Insanity isn't usually a diagnosis for which the recommended treatment is 'get over it', no."

Sigh. 

"Katin asked what Azkaban is?"

"Oh, yeah. Wizards are hard to imprison but unlike Elves occasionally require it so they made a deal with these monsters called dementors. Dementors make you incapable of happiness and in their presence you just replay the worst moments of your life over and over and over. They guard wizard prison and the prisoners can't escape because they're trapped in their own heads."

"Wow."

"Why don't you just kill them," says Shasali, "that sounds kinder -"

"I don't think they're aiming for 'kind' in particular."

"Cheaper too."

"I think dementors need something to feed on, so if you don't give them prisoners they'll go for something else?"

"Oh." Shasali makes a face. "I see."

"This is all on the planet we can't get to in any event?"

"Yeah for now we're stuck on Arda though we expect we'll figure it out eventually. There's probably a way to kill dementors but no one's found one. I don't know any of you," he adds to Shasali, "my cousin Zachariah isn't married."

"Shasali Aven, pleased to meet you."

"Pleased to meet you too. And, uh, the Timothys'll want to know everyone else, so if you're not coming to the wedding you should introduce yourselves so I can tell them -"

People look at each other. "- it's not like we couldn't just take showers afterwards," says Isama. "If - oh, damn, do they even have decent soap here -"