singing open the great gates

[middlingalong]

The following day, very little happens, except for Vorreedi mentioning that Yenaro has been arrested (by the civil police, for theft, on charges from a ghem-lord Miles has never heard of, as opposed to by Cetagandan security for treason).

Also, Ivan gets bored - with all the bodyguards Vorreedi now requires for them after the incident at the bioestheties exhibition, the possible spontaneity of going out with his ghem girlfriends is much reduced.

But the next day they get to attend the Singing Open of the Great Gates.

And oh, is there ever singing.

Comments

[isthisart]

"That makes sense."

[thisvorlunatic]

[isthisart]

"I think," she says, tucking her pen away, "that I need lunch."

[thisvorlunatic]

"Then let's get lunch!"

[isthisart]

After some looking, they locate the ship galley, which Linya inspects with considerable curiosity but makes no disparaging remarks about.

She collects for herself about twice as much food as Miles does.

[thisvorlunatic]

...Well all right then.

[isthisart]

Om nom nom. She makes a very subtle face at the first bite but doesn't complain or make more faces as she continues her meal.

[thisvorlunatic]

Miles decides not to ask any questions whose answers he won't like, such as for example 'how's the food?'.

[middlingalong]

Ivan has apparently also had the idea of lunch. He sits next to Miles rather than alone or with total strangers.

"So how's life, Lady Vorkosigan?" he inquires.

[isthisart]

"Can't complain," she says, responding seamlessly to her new form of address. "I'm going to learn Russian and design a consumer version of my," she taps her pen, "gadget. If that doesn't take two weeks I'll think of something else."

[thisvorlunatic]

"...Is it likely not to take two weeks?"

[isthisart]

"That probably depends on whether you talk to me in Russian."

[thisvorlunatic]

"Well, I won't swear I'm the best conversational partner you could ask far - in Russian, anyway - but I can if you'd like."

[isthisart]

"That'll help, then. I mean, I don't claim I'll step onto Barrayar with a native-level vocabulary, but I should be able to hold basic conversations."

[thisvorlunatic]

[middlingalong]

"Two-week language learning. What else can you do?"

[isthisart]

Linya raises an eyebrow at Ivan, but answers. "See more colors than you can," she starts off. "By galactic standards I'm a good programmer, software designer, and electrical engineer, and a reasonably good pianist, singer, and human geneticist. But that's about it."

[thisvorlunatic]

"By galactic standards, implying - not by haut standards?"

[isthisart]

"Oh, no, I'm not good at anything by haut standards. I'm eighteen. Even if I did one thing for twenty hours a day I wouldn't be good at it by haut standards."

[thisvorlunatic]

"Haut standards seem - excessive, in that case," Miles observes.

[isthisart]

"Not really excessive, just - relative. I might have disparaging opinions about how most of the other haut choose to use their potential, but insofar as they apply it - well, practice effects still exist. I haven't had time to become an actually good, to narrow to a specific example, singer. For one thing, I never practiced enough and it was all improvisational."

[thisvorlunatic]

"Improvisational?"

[isthisart]

"I didn't want to spend twenty hours a day practicing," she explains. "So I joined an improv music group that would consider people my age. There was nothing to practice beyond general facility with the instrument, there was no repertoire, and the only drawback was that sometimes I'd have to put down a book in the middle to provide music on no notice, because while to get a proper choir or band you'd need to work out a set list ahead of time, all improv needs is a place to put the instruments and a general sense of the mood of whatever poorly-planned event was going on. We sort of meandered around cuing each other whenever we had something we wanted to try. I play the piano in particular because that meant I didn't have to try to dance."

[thisvorlunatic]

"Aha. Hence the grand piano you couldn't take with you."

[isthisart]

"Yes. I was four, I went to a second piano lesson after I had my first, and I found a keyboard in my apartment. When I'd kept at it for ten lessons the grand appeared."