"Murder, not a fire. You're cousin to Lord Mark Vorkosigan, aren't you?" says the captain.
Ivan has to think for a second. "...Yes?"
"Security vid picked him up within radius of a murder. This is the first we knew of him being on the planet, but the locals want us to bring him in so they don't have to it themselves and risk mishandling a Vor lord. Seemed worth consulting you on him - the file on him's really something."
Ivan blinks. "You need to arrest Mark."
"Yes."
"...Sir. Uh, give me a while to try doing it myself. He's... I'm not positive I can succeed but I am pretty sure I can survive trying, and unless he's in a cooperative mood I'm very uncertain anybody else can say the same thing."
"He may have just killed a man."
"I'm aware. He likes me. He doesn't know you from a hole in the ground, or anybody else within fetching distance, sir. Give me his last location and a few hours? Please?"
"By yourself?"
"He wouldn't know anybody you could send with me from a hole in the ground."
The captain chews his lip. "None of your shenanigans, all right?"
"Sir, I'm not the shenanigans one, it's just contagious when m'co- my other cousin's around. I'll see if I can find him, if I find him I'll try to bring him back."
The captain eventually acquiesces. And that is why Ivan is tromping around downtown, debating whether or not to call "Mark? Mark?" like he's looking for a lost dog.
"We're not using the 'girlfriend' label yet." Ivan brushes at his sleeve. "I've been all right. Usually it's quiet here, not so many used groundcar salesman murders."
"A little of one, a little of the other. You probably won't be surprised to learn that I have trouble making friends."
"Well, if you don't want to interact with anybody except me while I'm around to be interacted with I don't think I can help you."
"It would not go well if I tried to make friends with someone today. It never goes well, but it would go worse."
"Yes. While I'm on the subject: it's a bad idea to startle me. In general, but particularly now."
"Mkay. Are you relatively conventional about what things're startling or do I need to - turn off the comconsole audio alerts or something?"
"Finding things in my personal space that I didn't expect there is the heart of the problem. I'm mostly indifferent to noises."
"So if I need to wake you up unexpectedly I should not haul on your shoulder and throw a coffee bulb at your head?"
"Correct. You'd probably survive the attempt if you did, but I can't guarantee it. If I am so unwakeable that you must throw things at me, do it from the other side of a door which you immediately close."
"Well, as far as I know, this place isn't wired, and they wouldn't have had much time to change it," says Ivan, when they are alone in the room. "Good enough?"
"Right then, pick an arm -" Pause. "Do you still have the touching people thing? 'M not sure I can avoid it if I'm going to be administering you drugs."
"Go ahead," he says, offering Ivan an arm. It's not exactly an answer, but it's evidently intended as one.
Hypo.