Nelly glanced around and noticed Laura and Koen were still hanging around. She shrugged defensively.

"Let me know how it goes," Nelly said, which she hoped was a clear enough dismissal.

Laura and Koen took the hint and left, which was in itself was interesting to Nelly. Was there a way to automate hint-taking? She spent a happy couple of days proving to herself that the answer was "no," then went in search of other problems to solve.

The problem, unfortunately, was Mr. Grumbles. Nelly couldn't exactly ask, did you drug the ape before you went out to a party and Mark and Severo hooked up, or did you turn off all the cameras and leave him completely unsupervised. Nelly wasn't even sure that Koen and Laura knew that she knew about Mr. Grumbles.

Nelly leaned back in her chair, face muscles tight. What was she doing? Pretending everything was normal while these ignorant idiots blundered around, putting everyone in danger? And she was one of the idiots. Maybe the biggest.

Nelly was a woman driven by fear. She ran from, not toward things, and so far that had worked out for her. Political blocks anxious about climate change on the one hand and alien disruption on the other had put in power the people who appointed people like Nelly. It was her job to thread the needle, and she believed it was a job of existential importance. If she broke, the consequences would be terrible.

What would happen, exactly? The Embassy would be turned inside-out obviously, but that wasn't important. The important thing was what would happen to UN/Convention relations. The thought of greedy nonhumans invading with apocalyptic new technology scared Nelly, but not nearly as much as the thought of enraged nonhumans invading with apocalyptic weapons. And then there was Mr. Grumbles, himself. Nelly was pretty sure the animal was being mistreated, and that was something she could not bear. Would not tolerate.

Nelly got up. There was only one thing she should do. Something she should have done at the beginning, and that was tell a grown-up. That was how she thought of it, and that was why she didn't go to Li with the information. She went to Qani Ahmed.

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The Consul stood when Nelly entered her office and remained standing while she listened to her story. Her eyes did not so much as flicker to the cameras. Qani knew that if anyone were to give her this story, it would be the girl in charge of the surveillance system.

"So," said Qani. "We have stolen the pet of the Pick Ambassador." Her face remained impassive, but her brain sparkled with choices.

Qani Ahmed did not want to spend another 4 years with Mark. He reminded her of the political rivals who had nationalized her businesses. They would have eaten this American pissant for breakfast. And she, Qani, had, in the fullness of time, eaten them.

She calculated that she could not unilaterally fire the boy. Ambassador Li would have to be told, and he seemed to like the boy. The Ambassador talked a great about giving "youth the opportunity to step up into the challenges of the new future." Well, there was giving someone an opportunity, and then there was giving him enough rope to hang himself with. How could Qani get more influence with Li for herself while simultaneously giving Mark the spanking he deserved?

Her eyes focused on Nelly's. "What do you think? Do you like Mr. Cafarelli?"

"Um," said Nelly, looking away. Her face was cold, and she cursed herself for wading into this these politics. Qani expected something of her, but Nelly didn't know what it was and whether she ought to give it, whatever it might be.

"Mark," said Qani gently. "Do you like him, Nelly?"

Nelly screwed up her face and made a gesture as if shaking off oil. Honesty it was, then. "No. I think he's a manipulative little bitch."

Qani nodded. "In that case, I think it best to allow his plan to continue."

Nelly sighed with relief. She didn't need to do anything. She could sit back and let Mark's viciousness catch up with him. That appealed to her sense of justice.

"You did the right thing," Qani told her, a plump, motherly hand on Nelly's shoulder. "I'll see to it this all comes out at the right time. I'll make sure the scandal disciplines not only Mark, but the people who sent him to us. Our next American will be easier to work with."

Qani was much better at manipulation than Mark. Nelly Steiner was back in her apartment before she thought to wonder, about Laura and Koen? And what about her?

She didn't get anything else productive done for the rest of the day.