“Your Grace?”

Jainan turned, putting his polite face on, which was hard because fireworks kept fizzing in his brain. “Yes, Your Excellency?” he said. But he realized what it was the next moment, as Ressid strode across the dais toward him.

She stopped a bare arm’s length away. Jainan searched her face, not knowing what else to do. She was achingly unchanged. All you could ever tell from Ressid was that she was in the grip of strong emotions, not which ones they were.

The press conference was breaking up. Kiem was apparently giving an impromptu interview to a handful of journalists at the edge of the dais, so they had a small pool of quiet away from everyone’s attention. “Ressid,” Jainan said uncertainly.

“Sweet children of God, ” Ressid said, and flung her arms around him in a way that was not at all commensurate with her image as a senior diplomat. “I am going to murder you,” she added, low enough not to be heard by anyone else.

“Or possibly myself for being so slow. Someone is going to get murdered.”

She’d last hugged him like this when he’d left for Iskat. He’d last heard her threaten to murder people when they were teenagers. Jainan suddenly wasn’t afraid, only elated and relieved, and he wanted badly to laugh. “I thought they’d made you tone down the death threats,” he said. “What if an Iskaner hears you?

How was your shuttle trip?”

“Somewhat tense,” Ressid said, “‘Full-blown diplomatic crisis’ doesn’t seem to cover it. We need to talk.”

Jainan realized belatedly that Ressid would be tasked with cleaning up the chaos he had left. “I—yes. Sorry.”

“We need to go to the Auditor as well, and we’re almost out of time—excuse me? Jainan, don’t you dare apologize.” It didn’t take much for Ressid to default to the extreme condescension that only an older sibling could manage; Jainan probably shouldn’t be glad about that. “You’re the one who pried a decent negotiating position out of this whole mess. Don’t go shy and retiring on me. I’ll need you at the table.”

“Oh,” Jainan said. “Yes.” The gathered reporters and dignitaries were slowly dispersing around the plates of refreshment provided at the side of the room, but there was a reporter still hovering hopefully at Ressid’s elbow to try and get to Jainan. “Have you met Kiem, by the way?” He could have sworn Kiem’s attention was fully on his conversation with a journalist, but the minute Jainan mentioned his name, Kiem stepped up beside him. His hand brushed Jainan’s.

Jainan deliberately caught it.

Kiem bowed without detaching himself. “I’ve had the pleasure over vid,” he said. “Though I think I’ve worked out some things about the call you gave me on our wedding day.”