The four days were used mainly to answer a question no one in Mirath had ever imagined needing to answer.
How do you receive a forest?
Damon discovered that Jian Li had far too many suggestions.
"Does she need a room?"
"Probably."
"With a bed?"
"I don't know."
"A window?"
"I imagine so."
"Water?"
Damon looked at her.
"She's a tree."
"She'll be in a body."
"Still a strange question."
Jian Li wrote something down.
"Then we'll put water."
"Are you making a list?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because someone needs to."
Damon looked toward the door.
"Isn't Aria doing that?"
"Aria is trying to figure out how a distributed consciousness can occupy a temporary body."
"Naturally."
"And Aurelia is helping."
"Naturally."
"Ester is preparing the infirmary for Neria."
"Naturally."
Jian Li looked up.
"So that leaves you."
Damon remained silent.
"I don't like where this conversation is going."
"You invited Eir."
"I said she could come."
"That's an invitation."
