Shadow Puppets (Ender, Book 7) (Shadow Saga)

her surprise, he did not pull his hand away. Indeed, he gripped her hand in return, but if she harbored any notion that Bean was capable of romance, he instantly dispelled it. "Race you around the pond," he said, and so they did.
    But what kind of race is it, when the racers never let go of each other's hands, and the winner pulls the loser laughing over the finish line?
    No, Bean was being childish because he had no idea how to go about being manly, and so it was Petra's job to help him figure it out. She reached out and caught his other hand and pulled his arms around her, then stood on tiptoe and kissed him. Mostly on the chin, because he recoiled a little, but it was a kiss nonetheless, and after a moment of consternation, Bean's arms pulled her a little closer and his lips managed to find hers while suffering only a few minor nose collisions.
    Neither of them being particularly experienced at this, it wasn't as though Petra could say whether they kissed particularly well. The only other kiss she'd known was with Achilles, and that kiss had taken place with a gun pressed into her abdomen. All she could say with certainty was that any kiss from Bean was better than any kiss from Achilles.
    "So you love me," said Petra softly when the kiss ended.
    "I'm a raging mass of hormones that I'm too young to understand," said Bean. "You're a female of a closely related species. According to all the best primatologists, I really have no choice."
    "That's nice," she said, reaching her arms around his back.
    "It's not nice at all," said Bean. "I have no business kissing anybody."
    "I asked for it," she said.
    "I'm not having children."
    "That's the best plan," she said. "I'll have them for you."
    "You know what I meant," said Bean.
    "It isn't done by kissing, so you're safe so far."
    He groaned impatiently and pulled away from her, paced irritably in a circle, and then came right back to her and kissed her again. "I've wanted to do that practically the whole time we've been traveling together"
    "I could tell," she said. "From the way you never gave even the tiniest sign that you knew I existed, except as an annoyance."
    "I've always had a problem with being too emotionally demonstrative." He held her again. An elderly couple passed by. The man looked disapproving, as if he thought these foolish young people should find a more private place for their kissing and hugging. But the old woman, her white hair held severely by a head scart gave him a wink, as if to say, Good for you, young fellow, young girls should be kissed thoroughly and often.
    In fact, he was so sure that was what she meant to say that he quoted the words to Petra.
    "So you're actually performing a public service," said Petra.
    "To the great amusement of the public," said Bean.
    A voice came from behind them. "And I assure you the public is amused."
    Petra and Bean both turned to see who it was.
    A young man, but most definitely not Polish. From the look of him, he should be Burmese or perhaps Thai, certainly from somewhere around the South China Sea. He had to be younger than Petra, even taking into account the way that people from Southeast Asia seemed always to look far younger than their years. Yet he wore the suit and tie of an old-fashioned businessman.
    There was something about him-something in the cockiness of his stance, the amused way that he took for granted that he had a right to stand within the circle of their companionship and tease them about something as private as a public kiss-that told Petra that he had to be from Battle School.
    But Bean knew more about him than that. "Ambul," he said.
    Ambul saluted in that half-sloppy, half-exaggerated style of a Battle School brat, and answered, "Sir"
    "I gave you an assignment once," said Bean. "To take a certain launchie and help him figure out how to use his flash suit."
    "Which I carried out perfectly," said Ambul. "He was so funny the first time I froze him in the battle room, I had to laugh."
    "I can't believe he hasn't killed you by now," said Bean.
    "My uselessness to the Thai government saved me.
    "My fault, I fear," said Bean.
    "Saved my life, I think," said Ambul.
    "Hi, I'm Petra," said Petra irritably.
    Ambul laughed and shook her hand. "Sorry," he said.
    "Ambul. I know who you are, and I assumed Bean would have told you who I was.
    "I didn't think you were coming," said Bean.
    "I don't answer emails," said Ambul. "Except by showing up and seeing if the email was really from the person it's