"Yes, please—" He accepts some of whatever it is, takes a distracted gulp, and installs himself in a seat with a view of the stairs. Come on, Ivan. Whatever you're doing up there with a pair of ghem-girls can't be all that important... normally Miles would find the pair of ghem-girls a considerable distraction in mental imagery, but the haut Linyabel's smile still blossoms in his memory, and the ghem-women who looked so beautiful to him when he left the house now seem no more than old rag dolls, their colours dull and faded, their stitching half unpicked.