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Linya gradually feels her way around being proper friends with Ekaterin, not wishing to wreck things with a premature "will you be my Second at my duplicate wedding" request. There is companionable gardening. There is, when Linya and Jocelyn make an unexpected sudden breakthrough in causing the nibs to behave, which holds when they fabricate a prototype and test it out, a fountain pen for Ekaterin. (In addition to Miles's and Count Vorkosigan's. And one for Emperor Gregor, which has got to be worth all the R&D in advertising alone.) When Miles's legs are more or less completely healed, they skip off to Vorkosigan Surleau for a few days and he teaches her to fly a lightflyer, which she enjoys very much and picks up very quickly. Linya writes Miles a song. (It has no words, she doesn't feel up to lyrics, but it is very pretty and slightly different every time she plays/sings it.) With the nibs handled and all the Barrayaran languages learned Linya spends more time reading textbooks and signs up for a university placement exam to see how far ahead into advanced classes on various things she can skip, and awaits her results.
And snuggles her tiny Barrayaran.
isthisart
thisvorlunatic
Her tiny Barrayaran adores his song. He is charmed beyond measure. He quite likes his pen, too, but the song is vastly more delightful.
And then one day he gets a call from Illyan, and he goes and finds Linya.
And then one day he gets a call from Illyan, and he goes and finds Linya.
isthisart
Linya is reading about pharmacology, but she puts her pen back on her necklace so she can scoop up her husband instead when he comes her way.
thisvorlunatic
"Hello!" he says, kissing her on the cheek. "I'm afraid I don't have the happiest news - I just got a courier mission. Details are classified, I probably won't even know them all until I'm topside and on my way. No idea when I'll be back. They don't design this job for predictability."
isthisart
"Okay... I suppose the minimum is about two weeks, since you'll have to go at least as far as Komarr to get anywhere? And probably longer. Well, I will miss you, but I imagine I will be able to occupy myself."
thisvorlunatic
"I'll miss you too." He kisses her cheek again. "Have fun with everything, good luck with the pens, good luck making friends with your gardening buddy. Continuing to make friends. I suppose if she's already your gardening buddy, 'friends' is a milestone you have passed."
isthisart
"Yes, I think I can safely say that Ekaterin and I are friends. I will do all those things. If you're going to be gone for a completely unpredictable amount of time I might take it into my head to make a business trip to Komarr for pen-business-expansion, but probably not farther this soon. So I might not be here when you get back, but you could stop on Komarr and visit me, perhaps, if the timing works out like that."
thisvorlunatic
"I'll do my best to send a message ahead. No promises, though. It's not inconceivable they could make me come back to Barrayar in total com silence and park in-system for a few days just so no one knows exactly when I returned. Security's the damnedest thing."
isthisart
"Well, that sounds mind-numbing. Bring plenty of reading material, I guess?"
isthisart
"Well, then I suppose any elaborate goodbying should be handled presently."
thisvorlunatic
So very elaborate. So very fond. Miles is going to be extremely farewelled.
isthisart
And in the morning, she bids him a briefer goodbye so that he can be on his way. It does include a scooping and a kissing, though.
"I love you."
"I love you."
thisvorlunatic
"I love you too."
Scooped and kissed and redeposited back on the ground, Miles makes his way to Cockroach Central to receive his pre-mission briefing from Illyan, and from there on to the spaceport to head out into the galaxy.
Scooped and kissed and redeposited back on the ground, Miles makes his way to Cockroach Central to receive his pre-mission briefing from Illyan, and from there on to the spaceport to head out into the galaxy.
whyexit
A few jumps from Jackson's Whole, he makes his suitably obscured rendezvous with the Dendarii Mercenaries and meets up with Captain Bel Thorne of the Ariel.
Captain Bel Thorne of the Ariel is so pleased to see him.
"Admiral. Where are we haring off to this time?"
Captain Bel Thorne of the Ariel is so pleased to see him.
"Admiral. Where are we haring off to this time?"
thisvorlunatic
"Is that l—never mind," says Miles. His Betan accent is as smooth as ever; he's been practicing on the way, settling into the role of Admiral Naismith, mercenary commander. A much more interesting person than Lieutenant Vorkosigan, Barrayaran Imperial Security courier.
"It's off to Jackson's Whole," he continues without missing a beat, determined not to let Bel's cosmetic choices throw him off. "I'll need the Ariel; the rest of the fleet can stay behind. We'll be picking up some weapons from House Fell. Nothing to get too excited about." Not that Bel seems to be excited about the mission, at the moment.
"It's off to Jackson's Whole," he continues without missing a beat, determined not to let Bel's cosmetic choices throw him off. "I'll need the Ariel; the rest of the fleet can stay behind. We'll be picking up some weapons from House Fell. Nothing to get too excited about." Not that Bel seems to be excited about the mission, at the moment.
whyexit
"Wretched hive of scum and villainy, yes sir," chirps Thorne, and it's off to peel the Ariel away from its friends without anybody getting curious and plot a course.
thisvorlunatic
Admiral Naismith permits himself a small sigh of resignation before he heads off to his usual cabin aboard the Ariel.
He really isn't sure how to put Bel off without explicitly revealing that he's married. Lesser protestations have never seemed to do the trick.
He really isn't sure how to put Bel off without explicitly revealing that he's married. Lesser protestations have never seemed to do the trick.