Various girls watching Guts laugh in response, sigh, hide their faces, double over against each other, that kind of thing. He's got a short cough of a laugh, like someone who doesn't do it much. It's going to get replayed in a lot of heads. At least four girls present are going to get really into mimicking it.

"Uh huh," Galli says indistinctly, less in actual response and more because she's being addressed and should respond. She's turned a blotchy color under the spattered mud and is radiating heat. "I'm fine. Just leave me here."

Huo really wants to talk to him about the experience of both being boys and other small children are about to crowd in fearless and starry-eyed, largely ignoring Hesri who'd like to keep order.