"See to it," Tabini said, with a wave of his hand. "Our man'chiwill already have taken whatever precautions they deem necessary, if they're not deaf and blind tonight. — Miri-ji, Bren and I will spend the next few days in retreat at Taiben — fishing, I think that should be pleasant. I leave it to you to maintain the residence during the interval. Will you appoint suitable staff out of your household, for a gentleman guest?"
"Saidi-ji," Damiri said. "See to it." A wry twist of the mouth. "And arrange for the restorationists to survey the breakfast room. There will be nocleaning until they've approved. Have them get at it tomorrow, if the paidhi is determined to leave us; have them get their measurements, collect what they want and get out. If not my bedchamber, I expect the paidhi lodged in suitable comfort at Taiben, if you please. And I expect his return to very quiet, very quick repair."
"Daja-ma," Saidin said, "nand' paidhi. Sixteen staff, I recall, is correct for a guest at Taiben, four more with the paidhi's appropriate numbers of his personal staff — and expecting the paidhi's single guest, would seem to be a fortunate number, even if this additional woman were to stay. But in her interest, three more, which in no event is unharmonious."
On Mospheira no one would have made sense of it. On the mainland, it added five to sixteen to get twenty-one, a three-number of the unbeatably felicitous seven times three union with the three entities correctly represented: the paidhi, the aiji, and the ship; a union which with each participating entity subdivided in twos, as he saw it, let the aggressive Ragi mode of accounting deal with the temporary presence of an additional guest, owed to Mospheira, which made a fourth estate, whose numbers were clearly made transitory in the situation. A transitory influence of less felicitous numbers was acceptable if you could foist them off on an opposition — such as Mospheira. But Saidin gave him the option of shifting the numbers to a five of indivisible fives, likewise fortunate.
And a man could worry about his sanity that he really understood her question.
"One thinks — yes, three more servants to attend the Mospheira-bound paidhi," Bren said, "if one would, nand' Saidin."
"Gods greater and lesser," Tabini said, "just so the armed ones exceed the numbers of the opposition."
Tabini was not a superstitious man.
Nor were those closest associated with him, nor did Saidin seemed shocked at the official irreverence: she was clearly expert in gracefully observant appearances, and would, one could lay odds, never have it reported of her arrangement that things were less than proper.
And with that question of appearances in Saidin's hands, Tabini and Damiri and their security set out to the foyer, declaring they were, for which the paidhi thanked God, going home to Tabini's residence next door, and the police were going to their office after collecting the tape, and the whole commotion was rapidly dying away to a numb, bruised quiet.
"Nand' paidhi?" Saidin asked, when the door had shut on the last formalities. "Will you care to see the list of accompanying servants before I issue it to the staff?"
The tremor that had manifested while he was dealing with Jase on the phone threatened to become thought absorbing. "Nand' Saidin, nadi-ji, I leave everything to your discretion. Please pack what I'll need, for myself and my personal staff. Send only people of discretion, flexibility and good sense. I'd have you along, foremost, except I know the lady needs you here."
"Nadi," Saidin said, with a bow, "please come back safely."
"I promise you I'll try to do that, nadi-ji. Not least to please you."
"You are a scandalous flatterer, nand' paidhi."
"Nadi-ji, never. You're a treasure. Please, rest early. I'll see myself to bed. I've two hands now."
"Nadi," Saidin said, and not least among her virtues, understood when a man was tired enough to fall on his face, and withdrew quietly.
Banichi lingered, speaking with Algini in the small secuity office — and Bren eavesdropped, wanting most of all to know Jago and Tano were all right. "Any word?" he asked. "Where's Jago and Tano? Do you know, Banichi?"
"We're in contact," Banichi said.
"They're safe."
"Separately. They're safe. — Are you all right, Bren-ji?"
"Tired. Quite tired. That's all right. I can walk."
"Nadi," Banichi said, and left the office and the com to Algini, and took him by the arm.
Which was probably a good idea, considering the wobble in his legs.
He took off the coat. He gave the gun to Banichi, and Banichi said he would take charge of it, which was altogether agreeable to him.
"You know," Banichi said, tucking it in his pocket, "it was very foolish, what you did."
"I didn't know where you were. I thought Algini was alone by the front door. I had a gun. I didn't leave it to the servants to check the back balcony because I stood a better chance to stop someone if there should have been a problem…"
"Then it was, over all, well done. Well you were armed, but I admit to extreme anxiousness when you aimed at me, Bren-ji: you presented a disturbing quandary for your own security."
"I apologize, Banichi."
"Well done, too, that you waited to confirm your target; one hopes you recognized me. But one fears that you simply hesitated, which is not good. Besides, I must teach you about doors, nadi-ji. Due to their size, and the design of the building, those were not, obviously enough, bulletproof."
"Banichi, as my life's become, I'll pay closest attention to anything you can teach me, and, no, I didn't recognize you. I knew it was a possibility of it being you."
"Far easier for me to tell it's you, paidhi-ji. Anyone can. If you perceive presence, assume they won't fire if you don't seem to see them. Dangerous, but less so to your security."
"I'll remember that."
"Word from Tano. The scene downstairs indicates a likelihood of Guild members operating without Guild sanction. Despite the evidence of the breakfast room, these are professionals, Bren-ji. This is not the sort that assailed you in the legislature."
"Professionals acting under man'chi."
"Evidently so."
"Does every association have such high-level professionals? I assume they are, since Hanks' guards —"
"Not every association has such professionals, and that's a very likely assumption. Such as guarded Hanks-paidhi were not careless."
"Do you then havesuspicions?"
"Four or five."
"Names known to me?"
"All."
"Then who, Banichi?"
Banichi hesitated. "Cenedi is a remote possibility."
"No. Surely not. Not with such lack of finesse."
"A possibility, I say. One believes the breakfast room itself was a target."
"And not me?" He wasn't sure whether to be relieved or insulted.
"Possibly. The other names… you would not know the Guild members involved, but the second possible instigator is Atigeini: Tatiseigi. Another is lord Geigi. A fourth is Direiso, who, for the Kadigidi, carried the Filing against your name to the Guild. I'm ordinarily restrained from telling you that, but there's been an action which makes it needful for you to know. That the proposed contract was voted down, if she has pursued it, would place her and her man'chiin dire opposition to the Guild; but she is constitutionally capable of that, and if the action tonight is on the part of an association of which Ilisidi herself is a part, it would involve Direiso. Likewise another of close association with the Kadigidi — Saigimi of the Marid Tasigin, which is the center of an unwholesome sub-association of suspicious interests. Oil is their unifying interest. Oil. And Talidi province."