This is the most distressed Rita's seen 9S to date. There's a part of her that remains fascinated at the notion that this is an automaton, a being made with artificial intelligence, expressing genuine frustration in such a human way.

That said, she doesn't exactly share his sentiment.

"Can you blame them? Nobody likes blindly following orders, especially if the ones giving them are nutcases or morons." The fae, Ringmaster included, would fall into the former. Most of the carnival, Rita would argue, are the latter.

"Besides, you're one to talk," she adds, looking away from the path ahead to glance at him. "You broke curfew too, didn't you?" So clearly, there are some rule-breakers who didn't get taken.