[No spoilers, really]
So early in _Orca_, Kiera is narrating, and she says:
For just an instant he looked embarrassed, and "Oh, ho"
passed through my head, but I sent it on its way --
Vlad could be embarrassed by the oddest things.
I was thinking about that, and I suddenly realized that Vlad
doesn't *tell* everyone around him "Hey, my jhereg just
made a snarky comment that was kinda embarrassing". We who
read Vlad's narration usually get those remarks, but to his
friends, it might very well look like he gets embarrassed for
no particular reason.
Just a thought. Heh.