"Well. Let me know if that changes."

"Of course ma'am."

"Do you have any other work for me today, ma'am -"

"No, sorry, you can go."

Aya goes.

It gets to be summer. The city is swampy and far too hot; people who can afford it retreat to the countryside. They can afford it. They head north.

It gets hotter in Eseo but Aya doesn't mind getting out of it.

He likes the city better but they'll leave when everyone else does. 

"It'll be nice to get out of this muggy ick."

"Yeah but the countryside's so boring. ...I guess it'll be less so with you."

"I'll do my best!"

Hug.

Some terrorist out east burns down a plantation with the owners' whole family inside. The slaves revert to a second cousin who, terrified, frees as many as he can afford to and tells the others they can work to save up for their manumissions. The government decides to send an army out there to stamp the terrorists out.

"I hope they don't come here."

"It's Atyel. I don't - think she'd do that. I'm not sure. But I don't think so."

"Last."

Nod.

"You aren't even allowed to free me, you tried, would she hold that against you?"

Kiss. "No, I think she'd get that. But Amait could free hers - at least most of them - and she'll be mad about that."

"Why is this her thing?"

"I'm not really sure. I think it's - people being able to tell other people what to do, she doesn't like that much."

"Is 'release your slaves or else' not that?"

Shrug. "I think she kind of doesn't worry about her doing it? I'm not really - she doesn't, like, explain herself in essays or anything. And she was fifteen when she ran away. Maybe she's gotten more sophisticated."