Cryoburn - Lois McMaster Bujold [58]
The little man shouldered past them all, coming face to face with Jin. He looked so different all cleaned up, more grownup, more . . . daunting, that it was a couple of heartbeats before Jin, recovering from his shock, inhaled and cried, "My creatures! You promised you'd look after them!"
Miles-san held up a hand. "They're all right, Jin! When you didn't come back by midnight, I copied out your instructions and gave them to Ako. When I implied I was going to look for you, she was very willing to help out."
"But how did you get here?"
"Walked. Took me all that night."
From behind Jin, Mina asked interestedly, "Did you get lost, too?"
"We weren't lost, exactly," Jin denied, harassed. "Just turned around a little."
"And who are you, young lady?" Miles-san addressed Mina. "I don't believe we've been introduced."
"Sister," muttered Jin. "It wasn't my idea to bring her."
"I have a name," Mina pointed out. "It's Mina. Want to see my blisters?"
Miles-san didn't even blink. "Sure! Are they good ones? Have they popped yet?"
"Oh, yes-they made my socks all bloody, too."
"Well, Miss Mina, why don't you sit down here-" Miles-san pulled out a kitchen chair with a flourish, and half-bowed Mina into it, as if she'd been a grownup lady, "-and show me." He added over his shoulder, "Johannes. Find something for these children to eat. Cookies. Milk. Gingerbread, whatever."
"Are you Jin's galactic?" Mina asked, kicking off her sport shoes and picking at her splotched socks. "He told me all about you."
"Did he?" Miles-san knelt and helped her peel off her socks; she said ow, ow, as they parted stickily from her scabs. "My word, those are good blisters, aren't they?" He glanced up and gave Vorlynkin-san a head-jerk that sent the consul to rummage in the other end of the kitchen.
"Aunt Lorna buys all our shoes big to grow into," Mina explained to Miles-san. "That's why they slip around like that."
Lieutenant Johannes, peering doubtfully into the depths of the refrigerator, murmured, "Beer . . . ?"
"Do you like beer, Mina?" Miles-san asked. She shook her head, making her straight black hair swing around her chin. "Thought not, somehow. You'll have to do better, Johannes. Aren't all you attaché fellows supposed to be ImpSec trained? Improvise!"
Johannes muttered something through his teeth that Jin couldn't quite make out. He then conducted a brief survey which determined that vat-octopus pizza, no onions, was universally acceptable, and trod out to order some. Vorlynkin came back with what turned out to be a first-aid kit, which he handed off to the slim man with the braid, who didn't look Barrayaran at all, but didn't talk like someone from Kibou, either.
Mina leaned toward Miles-san and whispered anxiously, "That big guy isn't a policeman, is he?"
"Used to be," Miles-san whispered back gravely, "but now he works for me. Alas, Armsman Roic had to give up all his policeman's principles when he entered my service."
The big man cast Mina a pious nod.
Mina settled back, looking relieved, and let the slim man, who Miles-san introduced as Raven and said was a doctor from Escobar, attend to her feet. Vorlynkin watched closely, frowning, till he seemed to be satisfied with the skills displayed, then straightened up and narrowed his eyes at Jin. The big fellow, Armsman Roic, filled two glasses with water and set them on the table; Mina seized hers and drank thirstily, and Jin followed suit more warily.
When he'd washed down the dry lump in his throat, which actually had little to do with thirst, Jin embarked once more on his interrupted explanation of what had happened to the consulate's money. Vorlynkin winced when Jin came to the part about the drug dealers and/or smugglers, but at Miles-san's restraining hand-gesture, the consul let Jin stumble all the way to the end before saying, "We know. We traced the packet to the police evidence rooms, and picked up your arrest report, too."
So they did