Rasheeka is stopped in a hallway by a stranger who gives her a pastry, claiming that it comes from the Yejsk. However, something about the gift troubles Rasheeka, and she decides to go to the authority – the Yejsk himself – to verify this. The Yejsk, once he realizes the contents of the pastry – filling made from some sort of food called "kij," which he claims is fatal to wears of entomo – goes into a rage, attracting the attention of a soldier, Archon Mefuno, to investigate. Archon Mefuno hears Rasheeka's tale, and decides to investigate this himself.