"The village in general believes in reparations and rehabilitation through service over this kind of punishment. Don't mind the teenagers; they're recently marked and will be let out once their parents realize where they are." It wasn't like they're in the stocks.

"The sleeping one there isn't punishment. There's been a sleeping sickness going around for a couple months now where people are trapped in unending nightmares. Death or sexual contact are the only things that have been shown to end it. In general, if someone ends up in the stocks, they've done something against the community as a whole. It's fairly easy to avoid that fate. Unless you're against listening circles."