Kylee, without inhibition, had dived into the stuffed poblanos, diced crest meat, and recado-flavored beans. She was eating as if half-starved.

“Like the food, huh?” Talina noted.

Kylee wiping her mouth with a sleeve, said, “Best thing I’ve eaten in weeks.” Then she forked another mouthful and began chomping away.

Kalico squinted at her whiskey. “Ten kilometers is nothing. They could be scouting out the north gate while we’re talking about it.”

Talina activated her com. “Two Spot? You heard that Muley Mitchman spotted quetzals this morning?”

“Roger that. Farms are battened down. We’re being extra vigilant on the gates. Sent a heads-up out to Bernie Monson at the mine. They’re taking precautions.”

“So weird,” Kylee muttered as she finished off the last of her meal and studied the fork. She pulled a pressed-steel one from her belt pack, stuffed Inga’s into the pouch, and laid her old one on the plate.

“What’s weird, and why are you stealing Inga’s fork?” Talina asked.

Kylee looked up, clearly puzzled. “It comes with the food, right? Or am I stealing the food, too?”

“You bought the food,” Dek told her. “The fork—along with the plate—belongs to Inga. Put it back.”

“How do you tell the difference?” Kylee remained skeptical, as she dug out Inga’s fork and returned her rather pathetic item to her pouch.

“Good question, Wild Child,” Kalico told her. “PA’s not the bush, and it’s not Mundo Base. Everything here belongs to someone. It’s taken, claimed. Get it? That meal you just ate, I’m giving Inga the SDRs to cover it and the beer you’re drinking. Inga just puts the food on her plate, and lets you use her fork to eat it. Same with that mug you’re drinking out of. You only get to keep the beer. Inga wants her mug back so she can use it to sell other people beer.”

Shig had a most amused look on his face.

Kylee gave a slight nod. “Got it.” A pause. “I think.”

“Good,” Dek added, “because they shoot thieves here. It’s called crime. Surely you remember that from your lessons at Mundo.”

Kylee looked around suspiciously. “So, how do I know what belongs to who?”

Talina told her, “If it’s not yours, it’s someone else’s. Listen, kid, you’ve never lived in a city, so, figure it’s just like unfamiliar bush. Anything you touch here belongs to someone else. If you take anything for granted, you’re going to get in trouble because you don’t know the rules.”

“Hey, Tal,” Kylee made a face, “your memories are in here. Like a sort of hazy patchwork of dos and don’ts.” She tapped her head. “So, all right, I’ll ask.”