"It does help," he admits. "People are more accepting when they look at you and see something small and helpless." From the look on Akito's face it seems like he isn't entirely fond of this assumption, but accepts it. "Kedan that don't know me usually assume I'm one of them now, and then the ones that don't - like the Metalworkers at Zanru's company, ne? A bunch of them treat me really nice, and a bunch of them tolerate my presence there."

It's... nice. He knows that he isn't truly accepted as a Metalworker; oftentimes he feels like they're simply indulging him, or treating him like the resident mascot, but it's... They look at him. They look at him and acknowledge his existence, and many of them will answer questions he has about their culture.

"If I keep working hard, even more kedan will tolerate me being here."