"I'm teasing, Valentine. Will said I should trade it if I found something better. I like your gun more. But are you willing to-"
"Only if I'm not breaking up a love triangle between you two and the rifle." Valentine instantly regretted the words. Stupid thing to say.
"I think he'd be pleased as anything if you carried it," Lambert said. "He thinks you hang the moon, you know."
"Only by standing on his shoulders. While he bled," Valentine said.
The cheery intimacy evaporated.
"Let's shoot," Lambert said.
"Ever fired a gun in battle?" Valentine asked.
"During Archangel," Lambert said. "But I don't know if it counts. Our column came under fire at night. I bailed out and started blasting away at the gun flashes with everyone else. Turned out we were shooting at our own men. No one was killed, but two of our men ended up in the hospital."
"It happens," Valentine said.
"Post said when you were young, you lost someone close by accident like that."
"True," Valentine said.
"I'm sorry; was he not supposed to talk about it? He only told me to make me feel better about that night."
"I didn't know you two were that close."
"Oh, I might as well tell you. I facilitated his adoption of Moira's daughter after her plane went down. 'Facilitated' isn't quite the word. Stole, maybe. She was supposed to go to that special school where they're bringing up trans-human children."
"Trans-human?"
"It's just an official designation for people enhanced by the Lifeweavers. You never ran into it?"
"I've been out of the communication loop for a while now."
"Of course."
"Well, it's better than subhuman," Valentine said. "I've met a few civilians who'd use that word."
He decided to change the subject.
"When did Styachowski and Post get so close? During the fight at Big Rock Hill?"
"You mean Valentine's Stand?"
"The history books don't call it that."
"She knew him from that, obviously. She met him again when he was assigned to the assessment staff. He gave a very thorough report, and . . . Moira said she had a thing for the older, fatherly-looking guys. I was a little surprised: She never said anything about an interest-Well, that's neither here nor there. But I understand the appeal. He is good-looking. I got to know Post better through her. He told me some interesting details about life in camp with General Martinez, by the way. He knew Moira and I had been close and he said he wanted me to have her gun the last time we-I mean, the last time we met."
Valentine didn't know the extent of Post's injuries that confined him to his chair, didn't know how his marriage had been put back together or under what terms. None of his business.
Lambert was blushing. Valentine couldn't ever remember seeing her blush before.
"Does Gail know . . . about Will's connection with Jenny's real mother?"
"No. Moira said they ended it after you brought Gail back. It took them a while to figure out who each of them was and who the other was in the marriage. Will told me Gail had changed a lot out there, through her experiences. But he was determined to take care of her."
Valentine decided to pry. "Who's Jenny's father?"
"I-I . . . Moira said it was a man she met after the Razors broke up."