"You don't have any idea what Igualdad was like," Haruto says, thinking of the way he had suggested they try being a little less trusting. "It would go against their entire system."

But if Nitoh is going to push it, he'll bend. He stops to catch Nitoh's eye, weariness lining his expression. "Fine," he says, "we'll ask if they can send us back."

He turns at the next corner, to take them back toward the Hold. Maybe he can lose Nitoh within it for a while, when the inevitable answer comes back.