the only part that makes sense

[middlingalong]

Aunt Cordelia is going to be away for a while rescuing Miles's long-lost brother. She is concerned that in that time Miles will become so absorbed in his magic netsite that he will forget to eat, or something, which seems entirely plausible, insofar as anything about this situation seems plausible. She would like Ivan to come visit and make sure Miles is looked after. Ivan can do that. Mercifully no one is trying to get him to do any of the things involving this madness that he could not do. Also, conveniently, he doesn't want to be in his apartment for a while because a guy he hooked up with is deeply confused about how interested Ivan is in a long-term arrangement that involves flowers and cute little notes and is having trouble picking up on standard communication about that as anything other than Ivan being a closet case or something. So it's just as well.

Ivan drives up to Vorkosigan House with a suitcase and goes to check on Miles.

Comments

[middlingalong]

"Weird."

[thisvorlunatic]

"Thanks, Ivan," he says dryly.

[middlingalong]

"It is weird, though. Anyway. When was the last time you ate something with calories in it?"

[thisvorlunatic]

"Uh... I have no idea," he admits.

[middlingalong]

"Up you get, then, come on, we're having lunch. The Empress of Cetaganda can wait."

[thisvorlunatic]

"Fine," he sighs. Up he gets.

[middlingalong]

They have lunch. "So just reading the books...?"

[thisvorlunatic]

"They're not exactly readable in the conventional sense, but if you open one up and try to read it, you learn a magic spell and something irreparable happens to the book - catches fire, disintegrates, becomes terribly waterlogged, whatever."

[middlingalong]

"That's disturbing."

[thisvorlunatic]

"Useful, though."

[middlingalong]

"Do I want to know?"

[thisvorlunatic]

"Probably not."

[middlingalong]

"Okay then. Where did you get the bins full of weird coins?"

[thisvorlunatic]

"Yet more magic."

[middlingalong]

"...And who did you flirt with to get that?"

[thisvorlunatic]

"...What? No one!"

[middlingalong]

"So the look on your face is explained by...?"

[thisvorlunatic]

"You hallucinating?"

[middlingalong]

"I'm not the one who's been neglecting food and probably sleep in order to learn magic, Miles, I am not hallucinating."

[thisvorlunatic]

"Then I honestly have no idea what you're talking about."

[middlingalong]

"Fine, don't tell me. Yet."

[thisvorlunatic]

"There is nothing to tell!"

[middlingalong]

"I have recent information on what you look like when the Empress of Cetaganda flirts with you," Ivan points out.

[thisvorlunatic]

"Alarmed! Alarmed is how I look when the Empress of Cetaganda flirts with me!"

[middlingalong]

"Among other things. Anyway, this is different, but I don't think I'm making it up. But maybe it's, I don't know, some terrifying basement monster where if you speak her name I will burst into flames, so you can go on denying it if it's important."