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Rec Room
The wardroom, or rec room, is a place to connect.
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thisavrou IC Inbox
Please state the nature of the communication (video, audio, text, etc) in the subject line. Non-electronic communications can be directed to Bel's quarters (Nomo Deck, room #005), or left in Bel's shipboard mailbox. If responding to a Spacebook post, please indicate which one.
thisavrou IC Inbox[A sharp, ambiguous face appears on the directory screen; the voice is a curt, ironic alto.]
You've reached Bel Thorne. Leave me a vidcall or message here and I'll get back to you as soon as I can.
[note: Bel is in cryo from May 9 to May 23, and messages received during that span will be answered after it.]
Please state the nature of the communication (video, audio, text, etc) in the subject line. Non-electronic communications can be directed to Bel's quarters (Nomo Deck, room #005), or left in Bel's shipboard mailbox. If responding to a Spacebook post, please indicate which one.
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the mental picture that springs to mind is totally unbidden, and miles quashes it down hastily. he has, regrettably, little trouble picturing bel in a sarong, although he's never seen them in anything but uniforms and, well, varying states of undress. miles rubs a hand over his mouth as if to banish that thought before he types out his response. ]
Ha. I'd say "you're joking" again, but I try to avoid repeating myself. Well, I suppose it's nice to have a touch of home, eh? We got three kegs of maple mead and a bunch of groats, but no good old Barrayaran fashion. [ he hesitates before adding this next bit. ] Although I did receive my Dendarii dress uniform a little while back.
Er -- what style of sarong, by the way?
[ if it's one of those topless ones there might...be a problem. but bel wouldn't really send him a picture of themself in a topless sarong, would they? they're not on beta colony, after all. then again, bel can be a little unpredictable. ]
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Maple mead and groats? That sounds like the beginning of some arcane ritual. What's a groat when it's at home?
[a startled pause at that. he did? it's here? that's a good feeling, somehow. adds, after a moment....] My captain's insignia finally came through, too. We could have a costume party.
[wry, maybe, but. still.~]
...Miles, don't tell me you've never seen a sarong unwrapped. [yes, that was typed in exactly the tone of voice you think it was.] They're just long rectangles. It's all in the pattern and how you wear it. Think I could get away with going topless on this ship?
[it's a completely legitimate everyday Betan style!]
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I wouldn't recommend it, with this crowd. I think you'd get a, uh, mixed reception. And please, Bel, I know that. I was asking about the color.
[ he totally was not. ]
Well, they're all the ingredients for a Barrayaran wedding, which I suppose counts as an arcane ritual by your standards. Well, the groats, anyway. It's just cereal grains. They're kind of a fixture on Barrayar. But I suppose you wouldn't have ever had maple mead, then, being Betan. Maybe I ought to fix that for you.
And it'd have to be a very private costume party, at that, although I think I've taken enough shade about my Dendarii uniform being a costume from my Barrayaran superiors, thanks. Can't afford to blow security on that one, anyway. Although I haven't worn it since before I got here.
[ he can't afford to blow security on his own identity, mostly because he's not sure how well his identity would handle it. and having bel around makes him miss that uniform more acutely than usual. bel's a constant reminder of the other half of himself, the part he keeps hidden away. it's tempting, to slip back into it, even if it's just him and bel. he does so miss admiral naismith. ]
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[they're what.] Really. You'd think they were trying to send some sort of message. Ha, don't tell me Ivan's finally ready to tie the knot? Who's the lucky Moiran? ...But now that you mention it, I do remember that from the Bothari-Jezeks' ceremony. Grain all over the floor, and no, we scrounged up local substitutes for the maple mead.
Maybe you ought.~
[oh, absolutely, a very private costume party.... Bel can't bring themself to give that line the response it deserves; Miles wouldn't have let it out of the gate.
it makes such a lovely mental picture, though.]Hmf. They've never seen that costume in action.
[but the fleet feels just a little closer, knowing it's there.]
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[ he means it as a neutral compliment, although he's not sure bel will take it as such. at least, via text, bel can't hear the nervous "uhh" in his mind. but the idea of ivan getting hitched makes him snort out loud. ]
Ha. I think my Aunt Alys would go into fits if Ivan got married and she wasn't around to see it -- then again, maybe she'd be relieved. But no, if anyone's getting married on this ship, it's not Ivan. Maple mead is more specific to Vorkosigan's District, though. If you come by the bar later, I'll show you why.
[ hillfolk is why, bel. ]
And if I play things right, they never will. This isn't the place for Admiral Naismith, Bel, the shame though it is.
[ but in so many ways, it is the place for admiral naismith. stranded on a ship in another dimension entirely, navigating unknown planets to an unknown destination, life-threatening danger and mind-boggling new experiences around every corner? it's got admiral naismith written all over it. ]
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the AdmiMiles intends it? those are always good for a fond smile.]Good God, he has a mother at home? Much becomes clear. I suppose high Vor weddings are much more elaborate than just the circle of grain. What else -- no, that's perfect, tell me about it over a drink. Much easier. Just promise to see me home afterwards.~
[what is this 'hillfolk'. they don't have those back on Beta. although there's a reference or two in this book that arrived in Bel's mailbox....]
It's too bad there isn't a way around that. You turned the Ariel back into a proud fighting ship in a matter of days, and the lot of us back into soldiers. I'm doing the best I can, but... this ship needs a Naismith.
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this whole horseshit train with lieutenant lord vorkosigan vs admiral naismith is really starting to give him a headache. he's starting to feel like a man being pulled in two directions. admiral naismith has always been a temptation, but lately, it's becoming an urgent one. all the more so for the fact that it'd be so much more useful to have that to draw on.
but he can't be both. he knows he can't be both. if he can't keep them straight -- if he can't separate them when all of this is over -- he'll lose everything. ]
No, Bel, Naismith is exactly what this ship doesn't need. This isn't an interminable blockade in the middle of a stalemate. There's no war, no extraction, no personnel exchanges. This is a civilian ship on a straight course. It doesn't need a mutiny, no grand takeover. It needs a cohesive command structure, I'll give you that -- but Naismith is a mercenary commander. He'd only throw the whole place into chaos.
[ he's not even sure he believes that, but he has to. it's the only way this'll work.
naismith can be more than that, murmurs a voice in his mind. naismith can be anything he wants. ]
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Miles... this is a slave ship on an unknown course. If we ran into any or all of the above, a grand takeover is exactly what we'd get, except it'd probably be a hostile one. And I've started to like some of these people.....
[didn't miss that second-person, though. poor Miles. sighs, unhappily wondering how he can live like this all the time back home.....]
How's the weather out there?
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[ like, say, that time miles got kidnapped by aliens looking for a blood sacrifice, or the absolute shitshow that was caducus primary... ]
Much better, since last week. Would you believe I can actually feel my toes now? Morale's warming up, too. I think we'll be filling more seats in the bar this week.
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That's welcome news! [would offer a second opinion on how your toes feel, but~] I'd better hurry and beat the rush. See you soon.
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I know how it sounds, Bel, but don't mistake my cooperation for complacency. I'm doing everything I can to learn the details of the situation. I just don't see any real alternative that'll get us where we want to go any faster, not just yet, and the captains are pretty lax with their discipline. Part of the problem, actually, I think.
Whenever you want to come down, I'll be around. I owe Jacky a few makeup shifts, anyway -- she pulls double duty too, and she had to man the bar herself while I was in the morgue. I'll keep the maple mead on tap for you.
[ he grins to himself in the dark. oh, that'll be fun to watch. ]