The child brought the slate to the household table after breakfast, carrying the loose thread beneath it while Hajin moved his empty cup out of her way.
She put both objects down before looking at the chair, checking the space between its back and the people already seated nearby.
Loccy shifted her own seat a little, giving the girl room to sit without having to pass beneath anybody's arm.
"Can I ask now?"
Hajin rested his hands beside the cup, leaving the bandaged one clear of the charcoal she had placed near the slate.
"Yes."
"You said I didn't have to move."
"You don't."
"Then why is it called integration?"
He looked toward Aria's waiting field, feeling the same irritation with the name that he had felt beside the pallet the night before.
"Because the system can make a simple question sound like an application for road repairs."
Didi gave a quiet laugh into her cup, stopping when the child looked toward her with a seriousness that deserved a better answer.
