Time passes quickly for Ezr on quarter-time Watch, sustained by secret work with Pham Nuwen and his daily interface with the Focused translators. He sees subtle changes in Trixia Bonsol and tries careful topics to keep her engaged. He brings a translation issue—her use of the color term “plaid”—and, after prodding via Norm Kakto’s vision theories, Trixia realizes the Spiders may multiplex visual modalities, validating her word choice in specific atmospheric conditions.

Buoyed by the breakthrough, Trixia momentarily enjoys a delitesse Ezr brought, showing rare joy outside her Focus. Ezr tells her she is human, and she briefly registers it before returning to work. Ezr leaves elated, feeling he has touched her true self.

Anne Reynolt immediately intercepts him, confiscates the second pastry, and dissects his methods. She warns that Focused motives lie within their specialties and owners, threatens to bar him from Trixia if he attempts such manipulation again, and notes growing synthetic affect among translators that she will “tune” if needed. Ezr recognizes her implacability and the danger she poses.

That night, Ezr confers with Pham via localizers. Pham says Reynolt holds Brughel’s snoop network together and is their deadliest long-term threat; one way or another, she must be neutralized. He explains the power and limits of the compromised localizers and the need to avoid statistical anomalies that would alert Security. Pham sets a future, narrow-opportunity face-to-face meeting in camera-dead spaces between balloon hulls.