[So Viktor also grew up surrounded by earth, the product of transplantation from one place to another. Ortus must wonder if that explains some of their affinity, even as he weighs the bombs in his hand and chooses between them.]
Much the same is true of our Houses, the Ninth perhaps most of all. Another place which grew, more than was built.
[And grew poorly, to his mind, a once clean culture of cells that turned to festering contamination for lack of correction. Too heavy a subject, even compared to the inflected question at hand.]
I do not know what led her to chose to seek repentance in the Ninth. She never spoke of it to me. I did not ask often as a child, and not at all as a man. It vexed her gravely, and I could not...I did not wish to cause her greater suffering. [He looks at Viktor sidelong, then faces outward to toss another lit cherry bomb. In the moments before it goes off, he says, softly:] You were not raised by your parents?
no subject
Much the same is true of our Houses, the Ninth perhaps most of all. Another place which grew, more than was built.
[And grew poorly, to his mind, a once clean culture of cells that turned to festering contamination for lack of correction. Too heavy a subject, even compared to the inflected question at hand.]
I do not know what led her to chose to seek repentance in the Ninth. She never spoke of it to me. I did not ask often as a child, and not at all as a man. It vexed her gravely, and I could not...I did not wish to cause her greater suffering. [He looks at Viktor sidelong, then faces outward to toss another lit cherry bomb. In the moments before it goes off, he says, softly:] You were not raised by your parents?