"You shoulda done that."

"Why didn't you do that."

"You know, she didn't even ask me that, because she knew the answer. Because I want to abolish slavery."

"But. Even if you do that she'll be dead."

"I know that, Malare."

"We were going to have to do something about death anyway."

"Would you stop - what exactly do you propose to do about death."

"I don't know yet."

"Fantastic."

"I love you."

"I know."

There's an important vote the next day. Amait is as bubbly as ever as she goes around checking that people are sticking with variously coerced agreements.

Aya is not the one with a dead relative, at least as far as she knows. She keeps up.

You vote with little painted stones. (Amait has thought of a couple ways to cheat, but they would only work once.) Everybody goes over to turn in their yes or their no. There's chatter about the news that the terrorists are taken care of (hopefully). Amait smiles.

Aya is not as good an actor. She absorbs herself in notes. Doodles long many-legged squirrels in the margins.

The vote is inconclusive, gets rescheduled. People go out drinking to celebrate the terrorists being (probably) gone. Amait tells Ayabel she can go home.

And home Aya goes.

Amait gets back much later and isn't up the following morning.

Well. If she doesn't appear by lunch Aya is bringing her some.

"- thank you."

"You're welcome. You need anything else?"

"- nothing's coming to mind."

Nod.

"You can go listen to the debates if you want. I'm just not quite up for it."

Aya goes. She takes notes.