dye
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"Oh, I agree they shouldn't be tetrachromats and I don't think I can do that without starting from scratch anyway - and I'd have to think about that but at a guess it wouldn't get very good color fidelity - And of course I can keep you apprised and there will be no fangs or anything - do you want me to actually give them your eyes or did you just think it was a nice sentiment?"

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"I... wouldn't go as far as saying I want you to give them my eyes, but I think it's terribly sweet and you would not have to try hard at all to convince me. I am extremely convincable on that point."

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"You have pretty eyes," she opines, snuggling him. "And I'm homozygous for brown, they'd all have brown eyes if I didn't do anything. It's not like red hair where we have a one in four chance hands-off."

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"See? I'm convinced already."

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Linya beams and hugs him.

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"I love you," he says, hugging back.

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"I love you too. I feel much better about this now," she says contently.

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"Me too." He kisses her cheek.

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The next time Miles has a mission, it's Elli Quinn who picks him up, a few jumps from Komarr. "Admiral," she says, smiling.
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"Elli," he says, smiling back. "How do you feel about smuggling rebels?"

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"I feel very much in favor of it today, sir."

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"Good! Because that's what we're - " His hand moves abortively towards his trouser pocket. He looks at the hand, looks at the pocket, sighs, and continues on a different tack. "Actually, before I get into that, there's a little errand I'd like you to run - not necessarily now or soon, but ideally before the next time I personally run a mission. I don't suppose you've heard of the new holo-pens coming out of Barrayar? They haven't come very far out of Barrayar just yet."

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"Uh - maybe? But I might be thinking of something else. Do they have them on Escobar? Pol maybe?"

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"I'm not sure if they've reached that far yet. They only got to Komarr relatively recently. It's basically a full comconsole - a little cut down, but not much - in the shape of a pen about yea big." He measures the distance between his fingers. "They can't output sound without a peripheral, but they can record it, and record and display visual holos. The storage capacity is a little cramped, but they have extra data space in their charging stations. They're magnificently convenient, I have one at home, I want one out here, and they were developed by Lady Linyabel Vorkosigan, who doesn't yet have clearance to know about Admiral Naismith. I can't carry my usual model around with me in my Naismith hat because it's a custom job in the Vorkosigan colours. I can't buy an extra pen myself, directly, because I don't want her investigating and finding one or the other of me at the end of the paper trail. Therefore, I charge you with the task of subtly acquiring me a pen. Standard model, no customizations, let's go with white for the colour."

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"Sure. They sound nifty, maybe I want one too."

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"Feel free. They're nifty as hell."

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"I knew you got married but I don't think I ever congratulated you. Congratulations. I assume Admiral Naismith continues to be single?"

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"Admiral Naismith may admit to those who know him pretty well that he has a spouse waiting for him in an undisclosed location that may or may not be Beta Colony. But to all others he prefers to keep his private life private."

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"Right then. Let's go smuggle some rebels, and I'll have a pen for you next time we see each other."

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They go. They smuggle. The operation goes off without a hitch. Miles returns triumphant to Barrayar about six weeks later.

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And his wife, waiting for him in her undisclosed location, is very happy to have him back again.

"This was a long one," she says, not quite edging into "plaintive". "Welcome home."
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"God, I know," sighs Miles. "Pick me up and carry me upstairs, I don't even care right now."

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Linya is more than happy to oblige. Up they go, him snuggled in her arms. There is nuzzling.

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He snuggles up and flomps his head on her shoulder until they are back in their suite.

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Here is their suite. Is that a reason to put him down? Of course not. It is a reason to acquire a lap on which to snuggle him further.

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