The little girl, Mari, became Alina's shadow from then on. No explanation Alina gave her was good enough.
"He didn't forget me! He remembers me, that's not the issue, he's acting all weird."
"Do you think I'm a baby? Cybernetic enhancement disease doesn't change a person's personality, it just makes them really nauseous and shit. Maybe a little gassy, I don't know."
"He is not making a vow of silence! I can see him over there, talking with someone."
Everyone Alina tried to dump the kid on bluntly turned her down with either a direct 'no', or a panicked shake of the head and bug-eyed stare.
Alina understood the strategic value in knowing when a battle was lost. "Listen, if you're going to follow me around, you're going to help."