After a while, Xavier finds a secluded enough spot to pull over, extract Kennedy, move her car seat over a spot, buckle her back in, slot Haru into the middle spot, and let Ari get into the back driver's side seat.

Where she wraps herself around Haru.

He leans on her miserably.

"It was kind of upsetting when you called me 'it'."

"Sorry?" he says uncertainly.

"Thanks.  I mean, you're not the first person to have called me that.  Not in a robot way, in a - the context was very different.  Which I guess makes it feel worse and not better than if it had never come up, I think.  Actually."

"The context?"

"Iiiiii kind of don't want to say, in front of the eight year old from the weird authoritarian universe, or country or something.  Maybe you can guess it from that."

"No, not really? D'you speak French - does she -"

"I only know Latin and Barbliic."

"We're speaking English."

"We're speaking Latin, Mr. Haru."

"...no, we are not. Latin's a dead language. Why are you calling me mister?"

"I'm supposed to.  It's polite."

"Says... who."

"All my adults.  When I was little; now I'm already polite so they don't have to say it."

"Well I think it's annoying."

She takes her hand back.

...he leans on Ari harder.

Hairpet hairpet hairpet.

"...Kennedy, comprends-tu le français?"

"I beg your pardon, ma'am?"

"Don't worry about it.  Haru, je suis tra - je n'étais pas naitre une fille."

"Oh, c'est pour ça que tu as pu venir me chercher?"

"I mean, it's related."

"Oh heck I've been swearing in front of the kid."