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]

"Not necessarily, and you're probably the best example ready to hand regardless. Interesting."

[thisvorlunatic]

[isthisart]

Predictably by this point, Linya finishes eating first, kisses Miles on the head, and absconds.

[middlingalong]

Ivan doesn't make any leading remarks at all! Wow!

[thisvorlunatic]

Miles gazes adoringly after his wife. To no one's surprise.

[isthisart]

The trip goes on. (Linya, perfect genetic paragon that she is, does not suffer from one bit of jump-sickness, but no one has figured out how to engineer jump-pilot potential; she does not have it.) The prolonged morning kisses are a continuing thing; she starts eating midnight snacks so she doesn't wake up distractingly peckish. She lets her husband braid her hair every morning - she'd let him rebraid it for sleeping in before she went to bed too if only he didn't go to sleep four hours before her. The midpoint of the trip appears without fanfare.

[thisvorlunatic]

Miles, much to his own surprise, is starting to get used to braiding Linya's hair every morning. It's still an amazing near-religious experience, but it's not so totally all-consuming anymore.

So he has attention left over to do things like kiss the back of her neck. (Why? Because it's there and he can.)

[isthisart]

Linya...

makes a sound. It is sort of like a squeaky gasp bordering on a whimper.

[thisvorlunatic]

"...Was that a good sound?" inquires Miles, pausing in his braiding.

[isthisart]

"Yes that was a good sound."

[thisvorlunatic]

"Oh, good! In that case, should I do that again?"

[isthisart]

"Yes I think so."

[thisvorlunatic]

So he does that again.

[isthisart]

And there is a repeat of the sound. And a little squirm.

[thisvorlunatic]

Ooh.

Further experimentation may be required.

[isthisart]

Linya is not going to complain one bit about the abandoned braid or prolonged experimentation with causing her to make pleased noises!

[thisvorlunatic]

In that case - it's likely to turn into prolonged experimentation with causing her to make pleased noises.

[isthisart]

Linya approves.

[thisvorlunatic]

Miles approves of Linya approving! He approves of it so much.

[isthisart]

Does Linya get to do experiments, too?

[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.