After surviving the rigged cull, Hadrian and the other myrmidons celebrate throughout the city with their bonus purses. Most spend freely because they had not expected to survive, but Hadrian saves all of his share because he is still thinking about buying passage away from Emesh, or better, obtaining a ship.

The celebration is not purely mournful despite the deaths of Keddwen and the others. The survivors toast the dead, but they also revel in being alive, young, and temporarily convinced of their own invulnerability. Hadrian notes that this victory is the first of many and that the group of myrmidons eventually becomes known and celebrated by fans.

At dawn, while returning toward the White District and the coliseum, Hadrian passes a cafe that reminds him of an earlier time when Crow helped hide him. Drunk but purposeful, Hadrian raises with Pallino and Elara the plan he and Switch have discussed: after their contract ends, they might pool their pay and secure a loan on a starship.

Pallino doubts the plan, pointing out that six thousand kaspum is nowhere near enough to buy even a poor vessel. Elara is willing to talk, but she bluntly notes that Switch still has to survive until Summerfair. Switch, flushed with drink and pride after the cull, insists he will survive, while Kiri objects to Elara teasing him.

Pallino shifts from drunken boasting about his forty years in the Legions to more practical advice. He warns Hadrian how expensive even a worn-out ship is, says a decent vessel costs as much as a township, and cautions him against VX-3 ion engines. Hadrian realizes Pallino may be drawn into the plan, and Pallino's mention of a township reminds Hadrian that he still owns, or can claim, something worth that much. Hadrian lets the matter rest and joins the others in song, feeling for once that he belongs among friends.