pants to leave a tingling.
  "I'm here to help." He leaned in closer. "You're tired, Tanyana."
  I didn't pull away, but I did make a face. "You should try sleeping with these sometime."
  "It's the small things that are hard to get used to at first. Here." He kept one hand on my knee as he slid open the buttons on his jacket and pulled dark cloth from a pocket. "You might need to wait a few more days for your skin to heal, there's nothing I can do about that. But these are for you."
  There were five of them, tight circles of a dark cloth that stretched in my hands. "What are they?"
  "To cover you. So you can sleep." He took one from me and ran his fingers along it, demonstrating the elasticity. "These will hide the light." He placed the fabric back with its fellows. "Helps you sleep." And the cloth would hide the horrible metal bands from the rest of the world. He didn't say it, but I could read it in his face.
  I had never hidden before. Would I do so now?
  Devich collected his cup from the rug.
  I lifted an eyebrow at him as he sipped, carefully. "Is that all?"
  Crestfallen, he replaced the cup on the floor. "Well, I still need to help you with the pain. Show me your wrists."
  Wary, I did so, shoulders tense, ready to snatch them away.
  "How are your wounds?" He inspected the suit and lifted bandages along my arm.
  "Healing slowly."
  "Do they hurt?"
  I described the pain, the changes and the rises and the rare, rare dips. He listened, expression hidden.
  "I will show you some exercises. Keep the muscles working, and they will heal faster. Pay special attention to your neck. You need to keep the blood vessels and nerves there healthy."
  I lost track of the bells as Devich tortured me some more. He bent my wrists, he rolled my ankles and bowed me from the waist. He massaged the tender muscles around my shoulders. Hurt like the Other's own claws, left me feeling twitchy and sore and irritable. The monster even waited for his tea to cool to room temperature before drinking. What kind of Other-spawn would do that?
  Finally, he loosened more pions across my skin, to ease the damage he had done. "It hurts now, I know."
  "Oh, do you?" I wrapped myself in my arms as he took the cups away, determined to stay in the chair for at least another sixnight, and possibly never move again.
  "It won't hurt as much tomorrow. Trust me."
  "Why would I ever trust you?"
  Devich smiled, and drew his jacket from the corner of my desk where he had tossed it. His sleeve disturbed two old-fashioned graphite pencils I had bought for the novelty, never imagining I might actually need to use them. I watch him rearrange them. His hand was shaking.
  Was I really that horrible? To look at, to touch, to force himself to speak to?
  "Because I know a lot more about debris than you do, Tanyana." He kept his back to me as he shrugged on his coat. "You might be able to see it, but I've spent my life studying it. I worked with suits more primitive and painful than yours will ever be. I coached dozens of collectors, helped them through the beginning, when everything is nasty, painful and new. You're not the first collector I've visited to teach them how to sleep, whose knotted shoulders I have eased, who's resisted the exercises I designed for their own good. You're not the first, and you will not be the last." Smiling, open and easy, he flicked buttons into holes. "You're not the first, Tanyana, but by Other, you're the strongest."
  Curled into a chair, sulking, I snorted a laugh. "What could possibly make you think that?"
  "You can't know how quickly you tied to the network. Some collectors take weeks to heal as much as you have in the past, what is it now, sixnight? Yes, it's only been a sixnight. And your suit is generating, it started generating the moment it touched
  "I'm here to help." He leaned in closer. "You're tired, Tanyana."
  I didn't pull away, but I did make a face. "You should try sleeping with these sometime."
  "It's the small things that are hard to get used to at first. Here." He kept one hand on my knee as he slid open the buttons on his jacket and pulled dark cloth from a pocket. "You might need to wait a few more days for your skin to heal, there's nothing I can do about that. But these are for you."
  There were five of them, tight circles of a dark cloth that stretched in my hands. "What are they?"
  "To cover you. So you can sleep." He took one from me and ran his fingers along it, demonstrating the elasticity. "These will hide the light." He placed the fabric back with its fellows. "Helps you sleep." And the cloth would hide the horrible metal bands from the rest of the world. He didn't say it, but I could read it in his face.
  I had never hidden before. Would I do so now?
  Devich collected his cup from the rug.
  I lifted an eyebrow at him as he sipped, carefully. "Is that all?"
  Crestfallen, he replaced the cup on the floor. "Well, I still need to help you with the pain. Show me your wrists."
  Wary, I did so, shoulders tense, ready to snatch them away.
  "How are your wounds?" He inspected the suit and lifted bandages along my arm.
  "Healing slowly."
  "Do they hurt?"
  I described the pain, the changes and the rises and the rare, rare dips. He listened, expression hidden.
  "I will show you some exercises. Keep the muscles working, and they will heal faster. Pay special attention to your neck. You need to keep the blood vessels and nerves there healthy."
  I lost track of the bells as Devich tortured me some more. He bent my wrists, he rolled my ankles and bowed me from the waist. He massaged the tender muscles around my shoulders. Hurt like the Other's own claws, left me feeling twitchy and sore and irritable. The monster even waited for his tea to cool to room temperature before drinking. What kind of Other-spawn would do that?
  Finally, he loosened more pions across my skin, to ease the damage he had done. "It hurts now, I know."
  "Oh, do you?" I wrapped myself in my arms as he took the cups away, determined to stay in the chair for at least another sixnight, and possibly never move again.
  "It won't hurt as much tomorrow. Trust me."
  "Why would I ever trust you?"
  Devich smiled, and drew his jacket from the corner of my desk where he had tossed it. His sleeve disturbed two old-fashioned graphite pencils I had bought for the novelty, never imagining I might actually need to use them. I watch him rearrange them. His hand was shaking.
  Was I really that horrible? To look at, to touch, to force himself to speak to?
  "Because I know a lot more about debris than you do, Tanyana." He kept his back to me as he shrugged on his coat. "You might be able to see it, but I've spent my life studying it. I worked with suits more primitive and painful than yours will ever be. I coached dozens of collectors, helped them through the beginning, when everything is nasty, painful and new. You're not the first collector I've visited to teach them how to sleep, whose knotted shoulders I have eased, who's resisted the exercises I designed for their own good. You're not the first, and you will not be the last." Smiling, open and easy, he flicked buttons into holes. "You're not the first, Tanyana, but by Other, you're the strongest."
  Curled into a chair, sulking, I snorted a laugh. "What could possibly make you think that?"
  "You can't know how quickly you tied to the network. Some collectors take weeks to heal as much as you have in the past, what is it now, sixnight? Yes, it's only been a sixnight. And your suit is generating, it started generating the moment it touched
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