I don't understand why Shuri has to move to the Capital. He said its for studying, but why can't he do that in our school? Rasha goes to our school, and all my cousins, too.

Mom said it's because the Queen says he's smart enough to study in the Royal Academy and become a royal botnasist, but she's always telling us that you can't learn between brick walls because you need to go out and look at things yourself. What's up with that?

---

I had to dig Ish out from under the ramp again, all squirm and screech before he ducked under my cloak to tug at my pouch.

"I'll come with you," he cried, "I'll be really quiet, I promise."

I had to sit down to force him back out from under me and when I did, he was white to his ankles, his face achurn with a mottled veil. My reds burned to match the expression but with great effort I managed to keep the grief polite. "I'll still come back each week," I promised.

It took a while and repeated promises 'til he was red again, and he followed me quietly for the last hour of my packing, only cracking a white muzzle once I'd closed the carriage door.

"Shuri?" he asked, "before you go, can you help me with a thing? It's a really small thing, I promise."

"If it's just a reeally small thing," I smiled, and allowed him to lead me back indoors.

"It's this game," he told me as he lead me to the living room where our sister had spent the last week furiously grinding through the catalogue of video games I'd be leaving behind, "Rasha and I tried to play it but it has a part that was really hard." He pointed at the screen across the room where I was met with a thousand hours of button-presses between two silent pairs of eyes.

"Can you help us?"

What was I supposed to say? No? I must leave while the road is light?
It's just one small part.

How long could it take?

---

Prior appearances of the siblings:
[ - Young Shuri and little Rasha learning of their family trade - ]
[ - Shuri babysitting Rasha the day Ish is born - ].