Damascus, Sunday

[lockestheway]

Peter Wiggin had brought Petra Arkanian with him because she knew Caliph Alai. They had both been in Ender's Jeesh together. And it was Alai who had sheltered her and Bean in the weeks before the Muslim invasion of China-or liberation of Asia, depending on which propaganda mill you shopped at

Comments

[whenshewasnice]

Natalie was done talking to her 'boytoy' and, in fact, establishing he wasn't one any longer. If one wanted to assume 'boytoy' was just Peterspeak for 'boyfriend'.

And now she was in her office, catching up on work again to clear her head. That involved checking in on Peter, as well. Ring ring.

[lockestheway]

Peter preferred not to think in terms of 'boyfriend' or 'girlfriend' or 'wife' or 'husband', more 'distracting things that he didn't need nor want to deal with right now'.

But he answered the phone dutifully. "If this is a yes, Petra--"

[whenshewasnice]

Natalie rolled her eyes. "No, this is the other young woman who gives you a hard time."

[lockestheway]

Peter sat up. "Oh, thank god," he said easily. "Sorry, this has been a very busy line."

Which was as close to this line is bugged, fyi as he was going to get.