Sonia's face falls a little -- not in disappointment, but plain, clear heartbreak, because this is a complete stranger, but she's someone who knows about losing home -- way too much about it. And now she's here. At least Sonia knows that Barrayar, too, is her home, however war torn. She reaches for Beth's shoulder in a mirror of her gesture.

"I'm sorry," is all she manages, unusually diffident. She hesitates. Maybe the outsider wouldn't want to tell a stranger the whole truth about it. It's different when Sonia shares her own truths, she knows; they're not hers alone. But she can't keep from asking. "What happened?"