"Just because they mumble? Do they - gesture, take independent actions at all -?"

"They do make gestures and things - I can't tell how much of it is because she wants them to?"

"Aren't I special."

Nod.

"But you don't have formal protocols, it's just a matter of convincingly and consistently demonstrating that you take the court arrangement seriously in one way or another?"

"Yeah."

"Are people literally beheaded for failing at this?"

"I've... never heard of her beheading someone, but she definitely kills people sometimes."

"For not taking the," pause, "I mean, for this, or for other reasons?"

"For this and for other reasons."

"Can you give me examples?"

"Uh, someone new called her a um, rude word for a female dog, on their first week here, and she um. Had a shade cut them in half."

"...well, that seems easy to avoid. Other examples?"

"A messenger from another cell block interrupted her during a day when she was already in a bad mood, and she killed them, I think? I only heard about it afterwards."

"What are the tells that she's in a bad mood?"

"Her voice gets strained and she gets more... demanding?"

"Demanding of..."

"People? Like she'll tell someone to get her something that's near her rather than getting it herself."

"I assume not doing that also counts relevantly as disrespect?"

"Yeah."

"Anything else known to," hm, "be provocative?"

"Disrespecting her shades, though I'm not sure if that will apply to you."

"I mean, I'd rather not find out the hard way. What constitutes disrespecting a shade?"

"Insulting it or like, trying to move through them like they're not there? That also won't work but I saw someone try it once."

"So I guess I'd better get out of the way if someone looks about to get themselves killed like that."