Useful to know.
There was a closing of doors upstairs. She heard footfalls, soft, wandering here and there. She punched time: the morning was well along.
The reflection in the dead screen showed her Jim standing in the doorway, and she pushed with her foot, turned the chair nearly full about.
“You certainly had your sleep this morning,” she said cheerfully.
“No, sera.”
She let go her breath, let pass the sera. “What, then? You weren’t meddling with the tapes, were you?”
“I didn’t remember them well. I tried them again.”
“For enjoyment. I thought you would enjoy them. Maybe learn something.”
“I’m trying to learn them, sera.”
She shook her head. “Don’t try beyond convenience. I only meant to give you something to fill your time.”
“What will you want for lunch, sera?”
“Raen I don’t care. Make something. I’ve a little more to do here. I’ll be through in half an hour. We should have staff here. You shouldn’t have to serve as cook.”
“I helped in galley sometimes,” he said.
She, did not answer that Jim strayed out again. Warrior met him: she saw the encounter reflected when she had turned about again, and almost turned back to intervene. But to her gratification she saw Jim touch Warrior of his own accord and suffer no distress of it. Warrior sang softly, hive-song, that was strange in the human rooms; it trailed after Jim as he went kitchenward.
“Sugar-water,” she heard from the kitchen, a deep harmony of majat tones, and afterward a contented humming.
The car functioned, with no problems. Raen watched the short street flow past the tinted windows and settled back with a deep breath. Merry drove, seeming happy with the opportunity. Max and Warrior, minutely instructed regarding each other as well as intruders, were guarding the house and grounds; but Jim she would not leave behind, to the mercy of chance and Max’s skill at defense. Jim sat in the back seat of the Eln-Kests’ fine vehicle, watching the scenery she saw when she looked back, with a look of complete absorption.
Doing very well with this much strangeness about him, she reckoned of him. Doing very well, considering. She smiled at him slightly, then gave her attention forward, for the car dipped suddenly for the downramp to the subway and Merry needed an address.
“D-branch circle 5,” she said, the while Merry took them smoothly onto the track for Center.
The program went in. The car gathered speed, entering the central track.
Something wrong whipped past the window on Max’s side. Raen twisted in the seat, saw an impression of stilt-limbed walkers along the transparent-walled footpath that ran beside the tracks.
Tunnels. Natural to majat, easy as the wildland interstices. But there were beta walkers too, and no sign of panic.
“Merry. So majat have free access here? Do they just come and go as they please?”
“Yes,” he said.
She thought of calling the house and warning Max; but Max and Warrior had already been stringently warned. There was no good adding a piece of information that Max would already know. The danger was always there, had been. She settled forward again, arms folded, scanning the broad tube, the lights of which flicked past them faster and faster.
“Majat make free of all Newhope, then, and betas just bear with it, do they?”
“Yes, sera.”
“They work directly for betas?” She found amazement, even resentment, that majat would do so.
“Some places they do. Factories, mostly.”
“So no one-at the Port found a Warrior’s presence unusual. Everyone’s gotten used to it. How long, Merry, how long has this been going on?”
The azi kept his eyes on the tracks ahead, his squarish face taut, as if the subject was an intensely uncomfortable one. “Half a year. . . . There was panic at first. No more. Hives don’t bother people. Humans walk one side, majat the other, down the walkways. There are heat-signs.”
Redsss, redsss, Warrior had tried to tell her. Go here, go there. Redss pushhh.
“What hive, Merry? One more than others?”
“I don’t know, sera. I never understood there was a difference to be seen, until you showed me. I’ll watch.” His brow was creased with worry. Not so slow-wilted, this azi. “Humans don’t like them in the city, but they come anyway.”