In the end, Zemin chose to make a gift list first, because it was much easier to investigate a person stealthily when he wasn't accompanied by several people. Several people, one of which would be impossible to miss even in the middle of a raging fire or a field of tulips.
Citri was praying to God that her request for a better, bigger mecha would be approved. Danis was deep in his shadowy trades. Zemin just asked for lots of Psi-retaining bullets and a better-quality handgun with a longer range.
But it would take a while for both to arrive at the headquarters, especially since most trucks were transporting building materials instead. In the meantime, Zemin learned (from the Filgree's library) and investigated using the picked up techniques.
