All right. All right. Good. Piotr is strongly thinking about this. Strongly. He's not quite there yet - a word in the wrong direction could prolong the torture - but he's getting there. Getting there enough that Byerly feels confident speaking up and interfering.

"A Komarran?" There's disgust in his voice. Because: Piotr Vorkosigan hates Byerly, and he hates being contradicted, and this'll cost Byerly a few points of Vorkosigan's favor (points he can ill afford to lose) but it'll create a bit of solidarity between Piotr and Duv. Hopefully. God willing. "We're not going to have to fight alongside a Komarran, are we?"