“I’m not going to say anything public. I won’t draw any audience. I just want to . . . to talk to . . . Shria. Briefly.”

Grobbard put zir arm across Fift’s shoulders and guided zir towards the meeting room. In zir other body, no longer hurrying, ze proceeded to the breakfast room. “Fift, in a few minutes, we will welcome the Midwives who gendered you to our apartment.”

“But until they get here—”

“This is a crucial moment for our cohort. If things go very well, perhaps there will be no objection to an easing of restrictions. If they go poorly, you may no longer need to ask us for permission . . . because we may be relieved of the responsibility of raising you.”

A hard lump in Fift’s throat.

Father Frill passed them in a tinkling swoosh of bells as ve whipped into the meeting room. In the breakfast room, ve said, “For Kumru’s sake, I hope you behave yourself, Fift.”

“Maybe ze should come in two bodies?” Nupolo said. “Or all three?”

“Let’s try not to look too desperate, shall we,” Smistria said, smearing paste on a broibel. “Or like we have something to worry about.”

Nupolo scowled.

In the meeting room, Grobbard guided Fift to a seating harness. Arevio, across the table, avoided zir eyes. Smistria was tugging on vir beard, swinging back and forth.

“But Father Grobbard,” Fift said, “what if they don’t ease the restrictions? What if they want tighter restrictions? Wouldn’t it make sense to maybe just, quickly before they get here, just briefly—”

“For Kumru’s sake, Fift!” Frill said in the breakfast room, as ve glared at zir from across the meeting room table. “You are not sending anything! The doors and apertures and channels are sealed! The house has been told to keep you here, as invisible—as silent—as hidden as it can possibly make you! You’re not sending, you’re not leaving, and since you can’t seem to shut up about this, I, for one, am not sure you should even be viewing the rest of the world!”

Father Squell had come into the breakfast room, singlebodied, trembling, flushed, vir eyes red-rimmed. Ve walked slowly, kneading vir hands together. Nupolo glowered at vir elbow.

“Don’t be hard on zir,” Squell whispered. “It’s not zir fault—”

Frill rolled vir eyes.

After that, the breakfast room fell silent. The whole apartment was silent, save for the creaking of seating harnesses, the drowsing hum of spice-bees, the gentle lapping of waves in the bathing pool, Frill’s bells tinkling when ve shifted. In the bedroom, Fift put zir face in zir hands.

And then Mother Pip arrived, escorting the Midwives.

Umlum Canalepsis of name registry Punishing Tenderness 11 was a tall, gaunt Staid in wheat-colored robes. Miolasia Frin of name registry Purple Endless 5 was a muscular Vail with a mane of crimson hair glimmering with jewels and tiny mirrors. Matching crimson fur curled artfully over vir body.