Jin put in hastily, "But she only said things like that when she was feeling 'specially cranky."  Not that he was fond of Aunt Lorna, but these galactics were outsiders, after all, and it felt funny to be talking about his family like this in front of them.  And Mom had said you should always try to be fair.

"Didn't your mother ever take you along to her meetings?"

Mina shook her head.  "She said they weren't for kids, and we'd just get bored and kick up a fuss."

"Huh."  Miles-san rubbed his chin.  "When I was a youngster Jin's age, at home, I was often permitted to sit in on my father's meetings with his, er, professional colleagues.  My grandfather had done the same with him.  I learned more just by the osmosis than I realized at the time.  Of course, I had to stay quiet and make myself useful, or leave, naturally."

Jin frowned.  "You can't leave if you're out somewhere.  Mom would have had to break off what she was doing to take us home."

"Couldn't she have just tapped—never mind.  Didn't she ever have meetings at your home?  In the evenings, say?"

"There wasn't much room in our apartment."

"Did no one come to visit?  Ever?"

Jin shook his head, but Mina, to his surprise, spoke up.  "Some people from her group did once.  Late at night."

"When was this?"

Mina sucked on her lower lip.  "Before she was arrested, anyway."

"Close before?"

"Yah, I think so."

"I don't remember this," said Jin.

Mina tossed her head.  "You were asleep."

"What woke you?" asked Miles-san.

"They were arguing in the kitchen.  Kind of loud and scary.  Plus, I had to go to the bathroom."

"Can you remember what they were arguing about?  Anything at all that was said?"

Mina scrunched her face in thought.  "They were talking about the corps, and money.  They were always talking about the corps, and money, only this time they seemed more excited.  George-san's voice was really boomy, and mommy was talking all fast and sharp, except she didn't sound mad, exactly.  And the new guy yelled something about, it wasn't any temp'rary setback—this could bring the corps to their knees, right before he came out in the hallway on the way to the bathroom and found me.  And mommy let me have an ice cream bar and put me back to bed and told me to stay there."

"Do you know who the people were?  Had you ever seen them before?"

Mina nodded.  "There was George-san, he was always nice to me when he came to pick up mommy.  And old Mrs. Tennoji, she always wore a lot of perfume.  They called the new one Leiber-sensei."

"Do you remember the rest of their names?  Jin?"

Headshakes.  Miles-san tried, "George Suwabi, by chance?"

"Might have been," said Mina, though sounding a bit doubtful.