Miles spends these few weeks snuggling Linya and braiding her hair and watching her design her pens and eating meals with her and braiding her hair and listening to her music and conversing with her in mediocre Barrayaran French and braiding her hair.

And then one morning in the middle of executing a so-far-flawless switchback cascade, he mentions semi-offhandedly, "I've scheduled my leg bone replacement surgery for next week. Wish me luck, eh?"