"Aha, that explains it," she says, sounding enlightened.

Miles just bets it does. He nods shortly, and turns away.

"Please," she says, following, "if you don't tell me I'll certainly investigate on my own."

"Ma'am. I cannot," he says. Because if he does tell her she'll investigate on her own anyway, and he has already given her the minimum required amount of lie to get her to interpret the data how he wants her to. By the way she introduced herself a second time, he can tell she's hooked.

She frowns and scurries off, presumably to do her investigating.

Linya's next visit is the following day. She knocks on Miles's door. Ivan isn't even there, he's doing inventory that Miles cannot as easily commandeer as he can the desk work.

"Linya!" he says, hugging her around the waist. "Am I glad to see you. C'mon in."

"That," says Miles, "is your present." He picks it up and shakes it out, making as though to wrap it around her shoulders, although he falls rather short of actually being able to do so.

She finishes the job for him. "Oh - it's warm - it purrs!" she exclaims. "Where did you get -" She pauses. "...Am I meant to continue to operate under the assumption that you're confined to the embassy, Miles?"

"You, um... can operate under the assumption that I am currently in a lot of trouble," he says, ducking his head sheepishly. "But I'm glad you like it. I thought you might. Made from real cat genes, apparently, not that I could tell the difference. I don't recommend falling asleep with it unsecured nearby; it, um, snuggles rather aggressively."

"Is that a drawback?" she wonders, sitting down with the fur around her and watching it resnuggle.

"Well, I suppose you're not in danger of being completely engulfed in your sleep. It was rather alarming for me, though."

"Oh my goodness. Well, perhaps it will not be so preferential when we're at home in our own bed as to swallow you and ignore me, and in the meantime..." She shrugs and strokes the fur. It purrs. She scoops up Miles to join her under its fluff.

Miles snuggles into her lap, tucking his head under her chin and wrapping himself in black fur. Cozy.

"But you do like the fur."

"I love the fur. I am going to sleep with the fur unsecured and nearby, Miles, it's lovely."

"On your head be it. Literally. Because it will try to eat your face."

"It and what - eating apparatus?" Pet pet. Fur and also Miles. "Maybe it will settle for my feet. If I suffocate I will not blame you, at any rate, I have been warned."

"According to the sales goon its actual sustenance is electromagnetic radiation absorbed by some kind of net under all the fluff, but for a few seconds after I woke up in it I semi-seriously considered the possibility that it was attempting to digest me."

"Like an enormous furry amoeba. Huh. Well, at least you aren't in enough trouble that your captain is trying to forbid you to receive visits."

"True. He, um, did bring up the fact that he thought you could probably get an override from the ambassador if he tried."

"That would have occurred to me, I'm sure. Bad enough that you vanish for most of a year, now you're here and I am also here and sneaking out to go shopping should hardly warrant solitary confinement."

"I agree completely." Snuggle.