"No trouble. We managed to wrangle them before they got too many ideas."

Verin drinks his tea, finding himself content for the moment, despite the strangeness of it all. Maybe this is not exactly how he imagined a reunion with his brother, but he is here, and he seems well.

"You mentioned most of the buildings are still somewhat dilapidated. Do people just take them over?"

The barter system Essek described is--well. One step at a time.