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]

"Sure. I don't do it myself particularly well either, I can't see what I'm doing without more mirrors than we have here and it's hard to reach."

[thisvorlunatic]

"Okay."

In that case: he gets to braid her hair! Which means he gets to touch her hair. He is a happy Miles. The happiest.

[isthisart]

Linya arranges for all of her hair to be within easy reach, and gives him instructions, but today all she needs is a simple three-strand braid containing all of her hair, so it's not that hard. When he is done she ties off the end and attaches it to her head with the combs.

[thisvorlunatic]

And Miles hugs her. That's an important step too.

[isthisart]

It is! Hug.

"I am ravenous," she remarks, and she picks out an outfit and goes and puts it on and comes out of the lav again in record time. But she will wait for him before she goes to get breakfast.

[thisvorlunatic]

Miles also gets dressed Very Very Fast! And then they can go to breakfast together.

[isthisart]

Om nom nom breakfast. Even mediocre ship breakfast contains, say, calories.

[middlingalong]

Ivan shows up around the same time and doesn't make any pointed faces or oblique remarks, just bids them good morning and sits with them.

[thisvorlunatic]

"Good morning," Miles says happily.

[middlingalong]

...Ivan is, when he discovers that Miles had not yet reached the ceiling of his possible chipperness, sort of tempted to make faces or remarks, but he doesn't do much of the first thing or any of the second. He just says, "I miss groats, do you miss groats?"

[thisvorlunatic]

"I do not miss groats," Miles admits.

[isthisart]

"I'm going to have to try them just to find out what's to miss or not miss," remarks Linya.

[thisvorlunatic]

"Well, I won't stop you."

[middlingalong]

"Groats are nice! You know, comfort food."

[isthisart]

"Does one typically eat them plain?"

[thisvorlunatic]

"Maple syrup is a favoured accompaniment," says Miles.

[isthisart]

"I had maple sugar in something once - someone was doing culinary experiments with exotic ingredients. It was nice."

[thisvorlunatic]

"Maple sugar is an exotic ingredient? I didn't actually know that," says Miles. "We produce it in my family's District; it's hardly exotic to me."

[isthisart]

"Exotic on Eta Ceta, anyway. Not impossible to get, but scarcely a staple. Like - pomegranate, which I've also had only once."

[thisvorlunatic]

"I don't think I've had pomegranate even that many times," Miles says thoughtfully. "Is it any good?"

[isthisart]

"Not enough that I asked the kitchens to bring in more. It's all right, I'd eat it again if it were around."

[thisvorlunatic]

He nods.

[isthisart]

"Besides groats and maple, any interesting planetary cuisine I have to look forward to?"

[thisvorlunatic]

"Maple mead," he suggests. "Uh - meat that comes from animals instead of vats; Mother still won't eat any, which is a good indication that it's especially weird. I think a lot of our common traditional dishes ultimately derive from pre-colonization Earth foods, but I haven't made an extensive study of which ones are and aren't still mutually recognizable with their various galactic counterparts..."

[isthisart]

"Huh, animal meat. I'm not entirely sure I'd be able to work up the nerve to try that myself. Maybe if I were really hungry and it was very appetizingly presented."