He leaves.

And she clarifies for Penumbra what happened, since Penumbra's Anitami is not very good and some of that conversation was in Anitami.

"But they don't know how to steal me?"

"No."

"Okay."

"Are you okay with running errands, teleporting around -"

"A little - not all the time -"

"Okay."

       "That implies there is a way, even though we're not mages."

"We're going to get what we want anyway, Maurabel wants the leverage."

       "Mmmhmm."

       "Of all the things to get upset about -"

"Biyan's torturing children, of course anyone who wasn't in the habit of thinking 'well, reds'  would be upset."

       "They're not torturing them."

"But if they were, who cares really, right?"

       "What's your point?"

"We'll get some rainforest, we'll ask for the reds anywhere too unstable to hang onto them to be put there, you can prove that you could take them there yourself..."

"That's not going to leave me anything for healing them if they're hurt."

"No. I can do some, but that's probably going to have to be mostly locally managed."

     "What'd you say to her, Aitim, the mic didn't reach -"

"I promised confidentiality."

     "If this goes wrong and costs us the planets - you've ignored the recommended handling over and over -"

"I am well aware."

     "At least he didn't storm out in a huff at the implication he might be accountable," says someone else. 

"Do you think Aitim's -' says Penumbra.

"Uh - helps he admitted that they'd totally have been all over you like I thought if we'd just kinda -"

"It does?"

"I mean, it's not better than if they wouldn't be, but given that they would have he's more likely to be in good faith, saying that."

Isel arrives and joins the blues, quietly.

"Do you know anything I don't about how the school makes sure people don't steal the elementals?"

"No, you probably know more than I do."

"Hrmm."

In the morning someone new accompanies breakfast.

"Hi."

"Hi. I don't have any of your language but Aitim said you were picking up Anitami. I'm Isel, I'm the person who does reds policy."

"Hi. Might need Afen if you say anything complicated."

"I think he is accessible to be fetched."

She gets out some notes. "What do you think about getting some rainforest and telling Biyan they'd better put reds there -"

" - might do it on your say-so. Once the reds have trained replacements, which the reds are not going to want to do."

"I don't blame them - what are alternatives there -"

"Unless magic can do it, not sure - could probably get the reds to agree to train their replacements in exchange for their children getting safe passage to the rainforest but..."

"Two people can't do it, for a huge country or even one of your very tall cities."

"Whole country of Biyan has the population of this city. But yeah, not the best use of your time." Sigh. "Biyan has an ambassador, right, I can try to feel them out about whether there's anyone there competent and reasonable enough to retreat from the purple training thing..."

Maurabel looks up some of those words. "Yes."

"I wouldn't count on it, though. Everyone hates reds and they're scared in addition to angry."

"It really seems like as excited as everyone is about finding new places to live I ought to be able to make them be nice."

"Oh, the fact you care about reds is the best news in all of history for them. It's just - still harder than it should be."

Sigh. "Should I be working on other places -"

"No one else is moving to rotation right now, couple places are debating it and waiting to see how it goes in Biyan. If you have somewhere to put them then it gets much easier."