He thinks, somewhat incongruously, that it's a girl. That's not evident at first, but the way her weight has shifted has revealed a certain shape to her, and the angle her face is at shows some femininity in her features. Even the broken claws and low-slung fangs can't completely hide that.
Miles realizes suddenly that that's the first living girl he's ever actually seen. That he's aware of, at least. Maybe some of the scientists and surgeons who worked on him were female, behind their masks, but this is the first one he's ever been completely sure was a girl. Dirty, hungry-looking, and locked into a prison cell. And huge.
He leaves after a little while. He can't get into her room, and it seems cruel to stand there goggling at her. He finds a few of the others standing in a knot, talking about her.
"Drop it in on Vorbarr Sultana, it'll do huge damage. It's a man-eater, probably."
"Yeah, keep it hungry..."
"Yeah. It'll tear people apart."
"Or let it loose on the countryside. It'll just pick off their farmers and livestock. Like a werewolf from one of their fairy-tales," Mok says, lip curling with contempt for Barrayaran superstitions. Miles knows he shouldn't interrupt, but...He sets his shoulders and lifts his chin, doing his best voice of command. It breaks a little, a bit of late-pubertal unsteadiness.
"She looks like she's starving to death right now," he says. They turn their gaze on him, and he says, more firmly, trying to channel the arrogance of Lord Miles Vorkosigan: "I assume she's not being kept hungry deliberately? Or because you're too afraid to feed her? Because she'll be a poor investment if she's left to die of hunger."
Mok glances over at the others, then sighs heavily. He goes to the stores. Miles stays in place, not too far from her room, until Mok returns; then he trails him to outside her door and watches as she's thrown a few ration bars. It's partially because he wants to make sure Mok gives her the food, but it's also...somewhat ignobly, that he wants her to know that he helped her, he got her this food. He wants to feel a little thrill of heroism - he was brave, he stood up for her, so she'll be grateful, right?
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Miles realizes suddenly that that's the first living girl he's ever actually seen. That he's aware of, at least. Maybe some of the scientists and surgeons who worked on him were female, behind their masks, but this is the first one he's ever been completely sure was a girl. Dirty, hungry-looking, and locked into a prison cell. And huge.
He leaves after a little while. He can't get into her room, and it seems cruel to stand there goggling at her. He finds a few of the others standing in a knot, talking about her.
"Drop it in on Vorbarr Sultana, it'll do huge damage. It's a man-eater, probably."
"Yeah, keep it hungry..."
"Yeah. It'll tear people apart."
"Or let it loose on the countryside. It'll just pick off their farmers and livestock. Like a werewolf from one of their fairy-tales," Mok says, lip curling with contempt for Barrayaran superstitions. Miles knows he shouldn't interrupt, but...He sets his shoulders and lifts his chin, doing his best voice of command. It breaks a little, a bit of late-pubertal unsteadiness.
"She looks like she's starving to death right now," he says. They turn their gaze on him, and he says, more firmly, trying to channel the arrogance of Lord Miles Vorkosigan: "I assume she's not being kept hungry deliberately? Or because you're too afraid to feed her? Because she'll be a poor investment if she's left to die of hunger."
Mok glances over at the others, then sighs heavily. He goes to the stores. Miles stays in place, not too far from her room, until Mok returns; then he trails him to outside her door and watches as she's thrown a few ration bars. It's partially because he wants to make sure Mok gives her the food, but it's also...somewhat ignobly, that he wants her to know that he helped her, he got her this food. He wants to feel a little thrill of heroism - he was brave, he stood up for her, so she'll be grateful, right?