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]

She smiles at him between verses.

She falls silent when the song ends of its own accord.

"I can carry on for a bit if you like."

[thisvorlunatic]

"That... would be nice."

[isthisart]

She plays, changing keys on whim, adding flourishes, generally sticking to waltz time but making liberal use of what would be represented as fermatas and gracenotes. While improvising with no template underneath she doesn't sing with words, just croons over what she's doing with the instrument, with flawless pitch.

[thisvorlunatic]

Miles is a rapt audience.

[isthisart]

Well, if he's going to gaze at her like that she'll just carry on for a while. She draws to a silence after about an hour.

[thisvorlunatic]

Miles vents a happy sigh and abandons his seat to go hug her.

[isthisart]

Hug!

"It's prettier when there's a whole group, but - that's what it sounds like when I do that."

[thisvorlunatic]

"I like how it sounds when you do that."

[isthisart]

"Good."

Snuggle.

[thisvorlunatic]

Snuggle!

[isthisart]

"I think it may be lunchtime," she observes after there has been some snuggle.

[thisvorlunatic]

"All right," he says agreeably.

To lunch!

[middlingalong]

Ivan is already eating lunch, or possibly a very late breakfast.

"How's it going?" he inquires.

[thisvorlunatic]

"Just fine," says Miles.

[isthisart]

(Linya giggles faintly and obtains food.)

[middlingalong]

Ivan peers at Miles's face and looks really curious, but he isn't quite curious enough to ask about what he wants to know in the presence of a lady.

[thisvorlunatic]

Miles obtains food. And sits next to Linya. And... scintillates.

[middlingalong]

"You look, uh, well."

[thisvorlunatic]

"Oh, do I? Maybe it's because I'm happily married."

[middlingalong]

Ivan blinks, attempting to decipher secret coded messages in this utterance.

[isthisart]

Linya looks amused by this exchange. She tucks in to her lunch.

[thisvorlunatic]

Miles beams and eats his food.

[middlingalong]

"So, how's Russian going?"

[isthisart]

"Do you speak it? You tell me," Linya replies, in Russian of limited idiomatic fluency but technically acceptable grammar.

[middlingalong]

"...I'm going to assume that means you have retained more over the past day and a half than I can remember from when I was supposed to learn it as a kid."