ivan "pretty boy from barrayar" vorpatril (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
whatdidisay) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
thisavrou2015-12-29 11:43 am
whatdidisay) wrote in thisavrou2015-12-29 11:43 am
video. 001.
( the face that appears is open and handsome, smiling charmingly and with wavy black hair parted smartly to one side. it's clear from the feed that he's unusually tall, and his accent when he speaks is rich and warm, though guttural. a cousin to russian, maybe, if someone was familiar with that particular accent. he's dressed in the given uniforms of the ship, reclining in his assigned quarters that are, for once, blissfully quiet.
well mostly, because there's a small, tiny meow coming from his hand — a grey kitten from the bonsai kitten tree. someone's stepped up and taken responsibility for something that came from his universe. ivan's petting it absently with a finger until it decides that its had enough of that and sinks its teeth into it instead. ivan hisses in annoyance as he tries to pry it away. )
Get off you little monster — I knew General Count Piotr was a good name for you—
( because his great uncle was a right fucking terror. anyway, onto the point of this broadcast! )
I'm looking to set up my cousin on a blind date. He's going to drive me mad otherwise — I think he's doing it on purpose this time, instead of it being a natural byproduct of his personality. ( a beat, and then he has a really great idea. ) And my other, more distant cousin, because he deserves to have a good time for once in his life. I can vouch for them both if you like, give an honest opinion of them to interested parties, but I think they'd like to speak for themselves. Well, one of them you won't be able to get to stop.
He likes tall women. Dark hair, and with the ability to break him in half if they wanted to. Not actually that hard to do, so be careful when throwing him around. I'm told he's charming, but it comes across as him being an egotistical prat. Damned clever and knows it, so be prepared to suffer if you can’t keep up. Requirements include being open to sexual creativity and unusual partners.
( you're welcome, miles vorkosigan. )
Anyway, the other one's your typical tall, dark, silent fellow. I don't actually know what his type is, come to think of it, and I'm not sure anyone does. M'mother would have thrown every woman that fit it at him until he married one of them if she knew. If the phrase 'let’s wait and see what happens' won't drive you up the wall, he's the guy for you. Requirements include being open to having five children. At least.
( you're also welcome, gregor vorbarra. please find a nice woman and get married and have as many children as there are uterine replicators on barrayar. )
So! Interested? Let me know and I’ll set you up.
ADDED IN LATER:
Nevermind about the child thing, just be willing to handle a fun, no-committment deal with him instead.
well mostly, because there's a small, tiny meow coming from his hand — a grey kitten from the bonsai kitten tree. someone's stepped up and taken responsibility for something that came from his universe. ivan's petting it absently with a finger until it decides that its had enough of that and sinks its teeth into it instead. ivan hisses in annoyance as he tries to pry it away. )
Get off you little monster — I knew General Count Piotr was a good name for you—
( because his great uncle was a right fucking terror. anyway, onto the point of this broadcast! )
I'm looking to set up my cousin on a blind date. He's going to drive me mad otherwise — I think he's doing it on purpose this time, instead of it being a natural byproduct of his personality. ( a beat, and then he has a really great idea. ) And my other, more distant cousin, because he deserves to have a good time for once in his life. I can vouch for them both if you like, give an honest opinion of them to interested parties, but I think they'd like to speak for themselves. Well, one of them you won't be able to get to stop.
He likes tall women. Dark hair, and with the ability to break him in half if they wanted to. Not actually that hard to do, so be careful when throwing him around. I'm told he's charming, but it comes across as him being an egotistical prat. Damned clever and knows it, so be prepared to suffer if you can’t keep up. Requirements include being open to sexual creativity and unusual partners.
( you're welcome, miles vorkosigan. )
Anyway, the other one's your typical tall, dark, silent fellow. I don't actually know what his type is, come to think of it, and I'm not sure anyone does. M'mother would have thrown every woman that fit it at him until he married one of them if she knew. If the phrase 'let’s wait and see what happens' won't drive you up the wall, he's the guy for you. Requirements include being open to having five children. At least.
( you're also welcome, gregor vorbarra. please find a nice woman and get married and have as many children as there are uterine replicators on barrayar. )
So! Interested? Let me know and I’ll set you up.
ADDED IN LATER:
Nevermind about the child thing, just be willing to handle a fun, no-committment deal with him instead.
video; private
dammit clark, why couldn't you keep that to yourself? )
If I start off with 'he guessed it, I just confirmed,' can we get to the part where you're cripplingly disappointed in me and we don't? ( it's a last ditch defense, and ivan's shoulders sag. ) Yeah, sure.
( sire. )
Re: video; private
[There's a long pause, and his face is at its blandest, utterly unreadable. Only his voice gives him away, quiet and raw.]
In private, if you please.
private; video
Observation deck? Fifteen minutes?
private; video --> action
[He's there in fifteen minutes, though, staring out through the glass, his face very still.]
action
so instead he hovers behind gregor nervously, face a mix of apprehension and recognition of what he knows is going to be gregor's disappointment. damn his distant cousin. )
no subject
Why didn't you tell me?
no subject
I wasn't really thinking about that then. ( it is ivan ) Out of all the people that could know, Clark's the least offensive.
no subject
[He rubs a hand over his face, then manages to look up at Ivan. His face is at it's blankest, except for the slight tightening around the corners of his eyes and the slight rawness to his voice after he swallows.]
It changes things.
no subject
( yeah, that gets to ivan, who shifts uncomfortably at the emotion he can see in gregor's face. he hates the feeling like he's failed gregor, because the man thinks so much of everyone he interacts with -- failing him is just... it's hard. you want to try so hard not to that when you do it's like nothing else matters but being better so you don't ever do it again.
ivan really hates it. )
How? I mean, beyond the bigger security concern. ( ivan doesn't lean against the railing, standing as straight as possible in a parade rest a respectable distance from the other man. training. ) This place is full of plenty of people who'd jump at the chance for a Betan vote and then spend all their time arguing with each other and getting nothing done. ( americans. ) They'd probably find the idea of treating you differently deeply offensive.
no subject
[Gregor stops, struggles briefly, his eyes sliding away from Ivan as he tries to say what he means.]
But when they look at me, they'll expect to see an Emperor, whether they treat me like one or not. I'll have to act like one all the time again, when it inevitably comes out. It-- [His face works for a moment, almost unreadably, but there's pain there before he swallows it up into that abyssal stillness, his shoulders straightening and his chin lifting slightly.]
At any rate, it was foolish to do otherwise at all. This was going to be discovered eventually, one way or another. It just took a little longer than anticipated, I suppose. Got too comfortable. You're right, it won't make that much of a difference, or it shouldn't. I just don't want to exactly advertise it either, all right?
no subject
It's weird, knowing you when you're not being Emperor. I don't forget it, exactly, but over the past few months you've been more cousin than Emperor. But that's because you've been Emperor since before I was born. Everyone here... ( he waves a hand at the space around them ) That's not who they know first. I don't think you have to worry about that, just act like you. It's not all that different, anyway, except you're more receptive to drunk texts now. Work your way up to being receptive to drinking maple mead with Miles and I when we're bored and we'll completely forget.
( he shrugs, accepting gregor's conclusion. )
I don't think you'll have that trouble from any of us, including Clark.
no subject
[Gregor looks away again, his shoulders curling in slightly, though he doesn't succumb to the temptation to bury his face in his hands.]
It changes things for me. Even if nobody else behaves differently. Grateful as I am that I believe people here would treat me well regardless, it's still just... different.
no subject
( ivan shrugs, moving to lean against the railing side by side with gregor. he knocks the other man's arm with his elbow in a friendly, manly way of showing affection. or something. they're barrayarans, this is probably as affectionate as they get. )
Well, you're the expert. At least in this. Otherwise that's why we've got Miles.
no subject
Please let me know immediately if you think anyone else may have figured it out, Ivan, please. It was an extremely unpleasant shock to hear from someone else out of the blue.
no subject
( don't make him worried about you too, gregor. but he nods anyway, agreeing with him on that part. )
Sure thing, Gregor.