Child, and, subsequently, Dreamer, both make him flinch. Not in fear, not away from Rutile, not in surprise or revulsion. It's more like the body-wide shiver of someone who's just been poked hard in the spine.

"No," he says, sounding dejected. "Those don't work."

And they hurt, he thinks, more than his own guesses did. If it weren't for Rutile's next question, he might have panicked again.

"Games," he says, after considering seriously. "I like games. Hide-and-seek, Moon-and-shadow, Dragon tail. I don't think I have a job. I help pack up some of the tents when we move, and -- oh! Grandmother says it's my job to make sure we don't leave anyone younger than me behind. But mostly I like the games."