"Can you please just - take a year off, wait for the heat to die down, supervise conditions here as closely as you like, let me think - without political power everything you're doing could backfire, just make things worse - they made the laws about manumission more stringent because they were worried about freed slaves helping current slaves, or about a revolt..."

"You could ask them if they want to stay. Maybe some would."

"I don't think they'd trust me - it'd be one thing if they said 'yes, I believe you about your assessment of the situation and your likelihood of following through, but it's not worth it to me' but that's not it, it's nearly the opposite -"

"I won't take a year off."

"Then you'll die."

"Probably. But you did say it was helping."

"I love you."

"I love you."

"Leave, I want to talk with -"

"Ayabel."

Nod.

She leaves.

"...please don't set any buildings I even might be in on fire, I can't run."

"We haven't lost anyone that way, promise. We just leave it looking like they died so they can escape more easily."

"Okay."

"What needs to change here?"

"I think she's overconfident on the politics but the object level conditions aren't bad."

"I can't do anything on politics."

"I'm not sure what you're asking about, then."

"Just, uh, letting you know what things I can do. We're going after places that are unusually bad, I'd probably leave this one alone even if I didn't kind of prefer not to kill them. Do you think there's anybody who wants out?"

"There might be, that wasn't one of my interview questions. I got a list of their family members who they want bought."

"Well. I'll be around here for about two weeks - not in the house, too hard to avoid them, but just down the road, I'll stop by most days with deer or duck or something. It'd be good if people knew that that's an option."

"Leaving with you or having some of the game?"

"Leaving. The food's also for them but that doesn't have to go around quietly."