Amentans strategize and debate and listen to this conversation.

"You should talk more."

"I'm shy."

"It's - even more important than I would've thought, that they understand you're a person."

"I can try."

"When will you be able to do that again -"

"Another day or two."

He frowns.

"If you don't have it figured out I'm certainly not going to."

"If anyone at any point in a conversation with either of them says 'reds aren't really people' or anything analogous I will have them shot."

"Why would reds even come up?" someone says.

"They had better not."

"They're not starting with preconceptions or anything."

"I know. They've been very nice."

"Are you sure you're the only one -"

"I'm not sure. But I never heard of another Penumbra."

"- which is sort of good and sort of bad." Sigh.

" - so it might be only her for the worlds."

       "We can probably trade for it, they're - twitchy but they're not - if they were convinced we're trustworthy -" 

      "Maulabel's not blue, she said, she might just be twitchy because she's out of her depth."

"It wouldn't be impossible to do it with a regular Shine and a Shadow -"

"You told me it shouldn't be impossible for me to steer a regular shadow-walk."

"...it wasn't."

"Yeah, but still. You're probably it until a few more generations of magic study have gone by."

"Mm."

"Sorry. If you'd rather find somewhere that doesn't want it this desperately I guess we can but they're being very nice about it."

"We are not trying to forcibly stop them we have no idea what else they can do."

      "If they're leaving anyway -"

"They might come back. We are not trying to stop them."

      "No one's voted for you, Neli -"

"And that's not the capacity in which I'm here. We are not trying to forcibly stop them from leaving if they decide to leave."

"I'll stop translating if you're difficult."

       "What does Aitim have on you -"

       " - he's his father, remember, it's that stupid fucking thing -"

       " - wait, really?"

"I might want to go suddenly."

"Okay. Please don't strand me."

"I won't."

"And then when you feel safe we'll figure out what's next."

"Yeah."

      "We could at least have greys on standby, make the call based on the circumstances instead of making it in advance by not even being prepared -."

"No."

      "I'm going over your head on this one, I'm going to ask if we can have a team."

Sigh.

      "And if you neglect to translate plans to leave that's treason, Kisantami."

"I resign, get yourself a new translator." 

       "Oh, for fuck's sake -"

Words. Words words. Words? Words.

      "Damn right we want someone who will do their job -" 

      "Stay until we have a replacement -"

      "What did they just say -"

"I wasn't listening. Have a lovely evening." 

      "Aitim -"

"He's within his rights. Threatening to kill people is a very blunt instrument and sometimes employing it will backfire -" 

       "You just said you'd have people shot -"

"Because if you'd taken umbrage and walked off in a huff we wouldn't have lost anything."

Afen leaves.

Human and elemental finish dinner and go to bed.

New greens frantically pore over the recordings all night.

Something something countries something shadow, apparently.

In the morning a purple brings Maurabel and Penumbra breakfast.

"Thanks!"

Smile, bow, departure. There is a lot of food.

Yum. They eat it.