"Eh. I have a family, in a sense, but I'm not completely sure I will ever want to see any of them again. Or meet the ones I haven't."

"Reasonable, I suppose, it sounds like eighty percent high-octane drama."

"I think I can safely say you don't know the half of it."

"Is it in fact one hundred and sixty percent high-octane drama?"

"That's closer."

"I have a pretty undramatic family life. I mean, except for the divorce, but I don't remember that."

"I was literally created to destroy my family. It makes things interesting."

"I am developing that impression. Fight your destiny, man."

"My destiny is deceased."

"Good for you. What's next?"

"Roaming the wormhole nexus, confusing the intelligence agents sent to track my movements, trying to figure out what if anything I want to do with my life and whether or not I want it to involve any of my relatives."

"Why are there intelligence agents tracking your movements?"

"Because I was created to destroy my family and, through them, their planet. Barrayaran Imperial Security has an interest in knowing what I am up to."

"Well, isn't that just ducky." Pause. "I might be able to get ahold of my Watcher from where my door is, and get him to go wake up and transport Sherlock, if you want to meet him, but it'd be risky and I'd like to leave it to when I'm about ready to head out of the magic bar."

"I'd like that."

"Sure. It's between classes, the library door should be open, and my supernatural accuracy applies to paper airplanes."

Giggle.

"Your boyfriend lives in a crypt? Because he is a vampire, or for unrelated reasons?"

"It's rent-free and has no windows."

Snort.

"It's also very thematic, but the rent part became more important when he stopped looting the bodies of people he ate, so."

Mark laughs.

"I'm such a good influence."

"Apparently so."