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

[thisvorlunatic]

Yes. Absolutely. Miles is very enthusiastic about science this morning.

[isthisart]

Science! Yay! Miles! Yay! Linya is tremendously happy. (But next time maybe he should finish braiding her hair first, because it kind of gets everywhere when it's loose.)

[thisvorlunatic]

Miles is tremendously happy too. (And he doesn't quite entirely object to Linya's hair getting everywhere. Linya's hair is lovely and soft. Occasionally inconvenient, but still lovely and soft.)

[isthisart]

The rest of Linya is also pretty lovely and soft.

[thisvorlunatic]

So Miles is discovering.

[isthisart]

Eeeeeeeee.

[thisvorlunatic]

Eeeeeee!

[isthisart]

How convenient that Linya ate something at two in the shiptime morning before going to bed. Otherwise they might have to break for breakfast or something.

[thisvorlunatic]

They do not, in fact, break for breakfast.

Miles sort of loses track of time after a while. He is having too much fun to care about petty details like number of hours elapsed.

But his capacity for science is not infinite, and eventually he starts to doze off during a cuddly lull in the proceedings.

[isthisart]

Awwwww. Dozy husband.

Linya kisses his forehead and tucks him in and makes herself presentable. She doesn't braid her hair, just rolls it slightly and lets it otherwise hang down in a sheet. And she nips out for food.

She is back after not too long, quietly in case Miles is still napping.

[thisvorlunatic]

Miles is still napping.

Miles continues to still be napping for a good hour or so.

Eventually, though, he blinks awake and peers at her.

[isthisart]

"Hi," says Linya, from where she's reading an optics textbook in Russian - apparently if the ship's library doesn't have optics she hasn't read, at least it has optics she hasn't read in Russian. "I am afraid that your cousin may tease you the next time you see him. He asked why you weren't at lunch with me and I said you were asleep and then he burst out laughing."

[thisvorlunatic]

...Miles giggles.

"I'll live," he says. "But now that you mention it, I'm hungry."

And he yawns his way out of bed and shuffles off to the lav to take a shower, then dresses himself somewhat haphazardly and goes in search of food.

[isthisart]

Linya catches him for a quick kiss on his way out but does not otherwise impede him.

[thisvorlunatic]

Food!

He is feeling much more energetic when he comes back. Hugs for Linya!

[isthisart]

Yay, hugs! She scoops him up; it is irresistible.

[thisvorlunatic]

Scoopful hugs! He's very scoopable, it's true. Mmm. Cuddlesome.

[isthisart]

"You fell asleep before I could inform you - in a complete sentence, anyway - that this morning was lovely," she says in mock reprimand, snuggling him.

[thisvorlunatic]

"This morning was very lovely," Miles agrees. "Possibly the loveliest of all mornings."

[isthisart]

"So far, I hope you mean."

Did she just wink? She may have just winked.

[thisvorlunatic]

"Future mornings do not appear on the scale," he informs her, grinning, "because they haven't happened yet and are therefore difficult to rate."

[isthisart]

"Aha."

Snuggle.

[thisvorlunatic]

Snugglesnug.

[isthisart]

Their mealtimes have gotten all out of sync; Linya winds up going to dinner solo.

When Miles eventually goes -

[middlingalong]

- Ivan is there.