View Flat HTML
View Metadata
Search Post
Ivan has just recently been assigned to Earth. It's very cultural. He has already explained Vor to groups of natives four separate times. Some of them seem to find it really hilarious to call him Lord Vorpatril. He doesn't mind; some of those people are girls who giggle it and bat their eyelashes. He likes it here just fine.
After he finishes with his day-job duties (separate from attending diplomatic functions to stand around and look handsome) he attempts to let himself out of the room with the comconsole and all its data to sift through, only to find that the hallway has turned into a bar.
He looks over his shoulder. The office is still normal. Which is to say there are no other exits.
Ivan goes into the bar, squinting.
+ Show First Post
middlingalong
middlingalong
"I entered the picture a bit too late to have a clear idea of how a mercenary company just happens, but if anyone were going to do it..."
unmarred
"It would be Miles. Of course. I'd wondered where it all went," says Mark. "So what's your cover identity? You do have a cover identity."
thisvorlunatic
"I'm sure it would take you less than fifteen seconds on a public comconsole to find out, but let me just clutch the tattered shreds of proper security for a little while longer, all right?"
unmarred
"Your cover identity is even more embarrassingly named than the mercenaries he commands," Mark concludes. "...Naismith. Miles Naismith. Because it's the Vorkosigan part you would've been trying to hide."
thisvorlunatic
"Is it too late to have you assassinated?" he mutters petulantly.
middlingalong
"I have only ever performed one daring rescue, please don't muck it up by assassinating my rescuee."
thisvorlunatic
"Fine, fine," says Miles. "No assassinating my brother even when he is being an irritating little shit. Got it."
middlingalong
Miles moves in next door. Ivan goes about his duties, both deskwork and escort duties at a diplomatic function - Miles will occasionally be called upon to do these too, but until one that calls for his presence comes up, he hangs out with Mark, developing an encouraging - or possibly worrying - level of rapport.
unmarred
They spend their first full day together in Mark and Ivan's room, starting out at the comconsole and ending up sitting side by side on Mark's bed with a pair of handheld readers, absorbing and discussing Earth history and the Sherlock Holmes books. Ostensibly Miles is reading the history and Mark the fiction, but the clarity of that division lasts all of half a minute.
When Ivan comes back from his deskwork that afternoon, the brothers simultaneously look up from their readers. "Hi, Ivan," Mark says brightly.
When Ivan comes back from his deskwork that afternoon, the brothers simultaneously look up from their readers. "Hi, Ivan," Mark says brightly.
thisvorlunatic
"Hi, Ivan," says Miles in unintended unison, less brightly.
unmarred
They resume their interrupted conversation about pre-industrial military tactics and the Holmes books' scientific inaccuracies. It's pretty much impossible to follow from the outside; Mark almost never lets Miles finish a sentence, preferring to interrupt with his response as soon as he knows what the rest is going to be.
thisvorlunatic
Miles has totally adjusted to this style of discourse and is fully absorbed in the topics at hand.
middlingalong
Ivan finds that vaguely interesting for about five minutes, but eventually wanders off to go out for the evening.
thisvorlunatic
When he comes back from that, Miles is still there and they have moved on to a different Holmes story and a different history book.
middlingalong
Ivan, slightly tipsy and very worn out from his night on the town, says, "You bookworm twins are going to have to move to Miles's room unless you want to switch to unadulterated telepathy, 'm going to bed."
thisvorlunatic
Miles checks the time.
"...I should probably sleep at some point. The books will still be here in the morning. 'Night, Ivan. 'Night, Mark."
And back to his room he goes.
"...I should probably sleep at some point. The books will still be here in the morning. 'Night, Ivan. 'Night, Mark."
And back to his room he goes.