Kira notices the urgent tone in Jamison’s voice—this shows a few things. First, as always, it shows that Kira is an intelligent and observant child, and thus well up to the monumental task Jamison has given her. Second, and more importantly, it suggests that Jamison is only taking care of Kira because she can weave. In other words, he doesn’t have any fatherly feelings, or any affection at all for her—he would have been willing to let her die in the Field if she weren’t an “exception,” if she didn’t have some purpose or job that was of interest to him.