At Canaan House, everyone knew the Ninth House. The Ninth House has a reputation. For better or worse, it meant something. Shadow cultist. Warrior nun. Isolationist asshole. It's been freeing for people not to associate her with the geriatric congregation aspiring to one day having strong enough bones for manual labor again (after freeing those bones from the restrictive duties of carrying around ever weakening bodies). It's also strange. Sephiroth giving her credit for a wider range of experience is up there. Gideon wants to repeat it to Harrow and laugh. She is sure he's interacted with more people.

Planet-wise, he's right. Two is greater than one. Even if they are two shitty planets.

"The Nine Houses are much farther along," Gideon says, "Ten thousand years or so of space travel. First in our system, Dominicus. I got two of those. With a name like the Nine Houses, this'll surprise you. That's two out of nine of our planets. I can knock off meeting people from each of the houses. Never got to a planet outside our system."

That gets a little sigh.

"That is a nice thing about being here, weird as it is. It's someone else's weird. Like those giant insects that love bad poetry and fish. Sure. Why not? Why would giant insects always be murderous hiveminds?

"This place isn't like your planet, right?"