why me, or more to the point why him

[middlingalong]

Ivan has just returned to Vorbarr Sultana after a stint on Komarr, where he was filling in for some guy who was on leave for some reason. Home, sweet home. Time to clean out his kitchen, he left on somewhat short notice. He does that. He doesn't have a girlfriend to call. His mother insisted on meeting him when he landed so he's already done his due diligence interacting with her. Hmmm.

He calls Miles.

Comments

[thisvorlunatic]

"Which I'll need after Illyan fires me for getting Barrayar sucked into a black hole, I guess."

Type type.

[middlingalong]

"I'm sure that would be his first order of business if that happened, Miles. Definitely."

[thisvorlunatic]

He snickers.

[middlingalong]

Ivan yawns and awaits Illyan.

[as_i_remember]

Illyan is only another half-minute or so arriving.

He looks at Miles and shakes his head. "I recommend you start organizing that pile before it eats you alive," he says.

[middlingalong]

"Is it a magic pile that eats people, if it is I feel under-briefed!"

[thisvorlunatic]

"No, Illyan's just snippy because I've borne a little too much bad news to him in the past week. The pile is not magic and will not eat me except in the ordinary metaphorical sense."

He waves his commanding officer toward the couch, checks his messages again, makes an incredulous face, shakes his head, opens yet another window on the overburdened comconsole to look up what seems to be books on Earth geography, fires off a quick message, and then stands up.

[as_i_remember]

Illyan sits down with enough space for Miles between him and Ivan. He appears to have brought a book.

[middlingalong]

Ivan did not remember to bring a book. Sigh.

[thisvorlunatic]

Miles sits. Miles holds their hands. Miles pays attention to his magical feelings. Blood craft is still pretty unsettling, but he's been getting the hang of it.

[as_i_remember]

Illyan reads his book.

[middlingalong]

Ivan daydreams idly.

[thisvorlunatic]

And eventually Miles sighs heavily and lets go of both of them and tromps back to his desk.

"Thanks, Ivan. I'll let you know what my contact thinks of my conclusions, Simon. Oh, while you're here - I got a response from Andrew with summoning instructions, but I want to wait until I'm not doing anything else before I respond to his impromptu introductory quiz, let alone before I actually start doing experiments."

[as_i_remember]

"Reasonable. Keep me updated."

[middlingalong]

"Am I done now?"

[as_i_remember]

Illyan is already leaving.

[thisvorlunatic]

"Yeah, go on, I'll call you if I need you for anything else, believe me."

[middlingalong]

"Sure." Ivan rummages around in the remains of the takeout in case he missed a fried thing. Miles did not get him enough fried things.

[thisvorlunatic]

Miles squints dubiously at his forum window. He types something. He posts it. He refreshes the page.

He splutters. "Fuck!"

[middlingalong]

"Do I want to know?"

[thisvorlunatic]

"According to strangely adorable magic truth rainbow goddess, I have a brother. This is news to me. It's news to you, right?" He raises his voice. "Simon! Do I have any long-lost siblings?"

[as_i_remember]

Illyan backtracks into the room.

"What? No. What the hell, Miles?"

[middlingalong]

"Are you sure this is not someone pretending to be a magic truth rainbow goddess, as so many claiming these characteristics are?"

[thisvorlunatic]

"This particular goddess produces statements which have actual magical rainbow auras attached that make readers inclined to believe them. And she gives off a strong air of being way too naive to be using this power nefariously. She mentioned something about my brother offhandedly in a different context - apparently my 'gravity friend' is going to come through, hooray - and when I said I didn't have a brother, she rainbowed 'Yes you do' at me."

[middlingalong]

"Okay... in addition to naivete does she deploy a lot of metaphors?"