"...so, I'll go shopping now."

"Sounds good. I'll take care of her."

"Thanks!"

And she goes shopping. After she's been gone an hour Cathei vanishes.

Well, she did warn him. He goes to find Amait. 

"Hey! I bought two slaves."

"You what?"

"You do not get to make a face at me. I was saving up for this embroidered piano and then there was a merchant who had this embroidered girl singing to advertise his things - and she had a really pretty voice and a really useful embroidery and a baby who is sometimes a teapot - I'm saving up to free them, unlike some people -"

"Would you not. She won't believe you, you know -"

"I'm going to give her the money every month so she can see how close we are, so I couldn't just - say that we don't have enough, I'd have to actually take it all back from her - maybe she won't believe me until the paperwork's all signed, that's fine -"

"First question Fina asked me is what if they run away -"

"I looked really hard, didn't find her. Terrible."

"I really wish you wouldn't - I haven't bought more -"

"If I already had a hundred seventy seven I wouldn't buy more either."

"I know how horrible it is. I just - don't see any other way to change anything, ever."

"And they're so pretty and they have to do whatever you want -"

"If you hurt her -"

"Of course not."

"What's the useful embroidery."

"She can summon dishware she is familiar with. From anywhere. Possibly with writing on it or carved in."

"That's extraordinarily useful."

"Yep. Does money help you do your thing faster -"

"Not straightforwardly - the main mechanism by which one turns money into political influence is buying more of 'em - but money is pretty versatile, it'll help -"

"You're not going to buy more of them? You're one short now, right - if mine are technically yours under -"

"You'd have to sign the title over, they aren't automatically, but then I would be one short, yes. I'm not going to buy more of them."

"You're drawing lines in weird places."

"I know that."