"Before, I didn't mind very much, because there was nothing I could do anyway. Now I mind that there's nothing I can do."

"Because there's a goblin on your shoulder."

He nods.

"I don't have as much insight into that as I'd like... I've never taken a class on other people's psychology and mine's atypical by design."

"That's right. Anti-akrasia project."

"Yes. Where did you even come by that tidbit?"

"It's not secret. I'm good at finding information."

"It's not a secret or I'd be considerably more agitated at it having got out, I just don't know where, exactly, it would have been dispensed. How much do you know about me, if the plan was originally to fool me too...?"

"Not as much as I'd have liked, but enough to get by. I can't really... list things, if that's what you want me to do. My memory doesn't store in conveniently listable formats."

"Fair enough. I suppose you were going to try to acclimate to the pen while I wasn't looking, although it's very high-quality gesture-learning and I think I would have noticed that you didn't handle it the same... Did you teach yourself to braid hair, too?" she wonders idly. "Or were you planning to 'break your hand' a lot?"

"Galen stole nine feet of haut hair from a collector and made me practice on it. It's kind of fun. I can see why Miles likes it."

"Someone sold her -? Wow," snorts Linya. "It must have cost an astronomical amount. And he just stole it for you to braid."

"He's very, um, single-minded."

"Yes, I suppose so," she says.

"Maybe you can help... I want a better way to get myself killed than becoming Emperor of Barrayar."

"Well, if I don't get myself killed trying to become Emperor of Barrayar, Ser Galen will be furious."

"My first idea involves him dying before you do, and the last step is optional."

"Pity." She hmmms. "If you got me fifteen minutes with my pen I could program something that would look like a prearranged deadman switch alerting the authorities that something's happened to me, but it would probably be very tempting for Galen to kill the hostages... I'm assuming he's not here right now or he might burst in at any moment and notice I have one hand untied. We could skip the step in my first plan where he dies and leave in the one where you do, making it: we take out the guards, escape, and throw you at the assassins who are after Naismith. I imagine Miles might have indignant commentary about his cover dying but I much prefer it to assassins actually managing to get him. Ideally I'd like you safe too but you don't seem inclined to participate in such plans, rendering them pointless."

"I don't think the assassins would come fast enough to save me."

"I could tip them off. They're Cetagandan and the person they're after," she smiles slightly, "looks exactly like my husband, what if they miss?"

"Ha," says Mark. "You're right, though, Miles would hate it. He needs Naismith. If he lost that outlet he'd have to invent a new one, and there's only so many clone substitution plots people will believe in succession before it starts to get ridiculous."

"He'd hate it but he'd be alive. If we stay here I'm not so sure."

Mark shrugs. "It doesn't matter, anyway... thank you for the suggestion. I think I've learned what I needed to know. Are you going to let me tie your hand again so I can take you back to your cell?" He pauses a beat, then adds, "Miles's suggestion about pretending you like me better has merit. I could probably sell it to Galen if you wanted to try. But - only if I thought you wouldn't try to rescue him after you got out."