Delighted, Devero turns to face him and draws Koumyou's hair over towards him. As he works on combing it out, he talks.

"Where I come from, creche is pretty much everything when you're a kid. You're born there, safe in the maternity ward. If you make it through your first year or so-- and most kids do these days-- then you get your natal name there. You grow up there, you learn how to play and share and recover from being hurt. You make your first friends there, prepare to be a good citizen of the World Government there, learn how to care care of yourself there.

"And once you're old enough, and you're ready, you graduate and you get your full citizenship."