Pull point plot!

[vorbarra]

WHO: Vorsoaps family and others.
WHERE: Probably mostly DC#7, but all over.
WHEN: March 27 - April 6
WHAT: Ageswap shenanigans ahoy.
WARNINGS: None, actually, except for rampant spoilers for the whole series, most likely, so if you care about that sort of thing, be warned!

Comments

[dendarii]

Okay, hold still.

[ He clambers up with practiced ease, gripping onto Gregor's shoulders with those fragile bird bones in his fingers. ]

[vorbarra]

[ Gregor, wise to this, hooks his arms through Miles's knees securely, and stands up carefully.

He makes his way down the hall without delay. ]

You and your da spend tons of time in here together when you're older. Do you remember that, too?

[dendarii]

[ Miles pillows his head against Gregor's shoulder, face tilted just enough to see where they're going. ]

Um ... [ He doesn't, not in the slightest; he prods at the blank spot in his mind and decides to make something up. ] Oh, yeah. All the time. Hours. Of - war games?

[vorbarra]

[ Gregor snorts, well able to feel his lack of memory. ]

Maybe seeing it will help.

[ And it's a small enough house that he's already nudging the door to the war room open with his foot, and stepping in. ]

[dendarii]

[ Oh. That does spark something, however blurry. Some vague sense of hours spent poring over models and paints, or a particular arcane rule, or being seated across from his father thinking through strategies. He also remembers quite keenly knocking over a glass of wine into a candle and burning that big hole in the Vorkosigan District.

It's still wonderful. Miles is like a kid in a candy store, with delights as far as the eye can see. And they're all his. He mentally nudges Gregor to get closer to a fine little copse of fake trees and the start of a battlement that gives an illusion of looking over the rest of the terrain. ]

We made this? Did you make any?

[vorbarra]

[ Gregor obliges him readily, following his impulses, transmitted smoothly from one mind to the next. Their minds remember how well and often they've fit together. ]

No, it was all you, [ he assures him. ] We're very far from Barrayar, so we don't have so much to do. Your da and I are home a lot, I think.

[ Which is a bewildering thought that hasn't settled quite right on him yet. ]

[dendarii]

[ It bewilders Miles too even as it delights him. Board games? Gregor and Da home all the time? No apparent need for school? Has he died and gone to his mother's theist heaven or something? He heaves a soft little sigh of contentment. ]

That's nice then. I wanna stay here forever.

[vorbarra]

[ Something twists and turn over in his throat at that, making it tight, like it's hard to swallow. It's a tangled mesh of confused guilt and hope. Undoubtedly the strongest thing tiny Miles has felt from him yet.

In a hushed tone, ] If we stayed here, I wouldn't have to be Emperor. No one cares about that here.

[ Gregor doesn't really believe that's possible, but God is it nice to imagine. ]

[dendarii]

[ He's not entirely sure what to do with it; Gregor gets a respectful distance solely because Miles isn't sure how to poke at it properly. Eh. Next time. For now he rolls on unperturbed: ]

I don't care about you being Emperor anyway. What are they gonna do anyway? Just say you won't go back and that's the end of it. They'll hafta pick someone else.

[vorbarra]

[ He only now realizes that Miles would have felt that, and hurriedly shoves it down, as messy and unskilled as a teenager pushing their clothes under their bed to clean their room. Bits stick out, unpleasant and murky, but Gregor tries to distract him by walking further into the room so he can get a different view of the sprawling game board.

If he, Miles, and Aral are all here, it'd end up being Count Vorkosigan or poor Ivan, Gregor muses morbidly. What a fate for them. No-- of course he has to go back; Gregor couldn't really escape that-- but while he's here... just while he's here... Maybe-- ]

Well, it doesn't matter for right now. Let's just enjoy being here, hm? Like a vacation.

[dendarii]

[ Miles knows when he's being put off, even with the emotion shrouded; especially when he can still feel all the sharp bits protruding. He looks at the board from his vantage point, then down at Gregor, a wild idea occurring to him. He wants to make Gregor feel better, dammit. ]

Vacation nothing. I'm gonna kidnap you. Then they can't take you back to the Imperium.

[vorbarra]

[ Gregor blinks, and hitches him up a little higher on his back, a reflexive motion. ]

You can't be my Imperial Auditor if you've kidnapped me, can you? [ he asks, but not like he's trying to pick this plan apart. More like he wants to be convinced. Miles is always so fanciful... It's not terrible to just sink into that sometimes, like his own short vacation. ]

[dendarii]

[ Miles' fancy is certainly spinning in full force now, latching onto half-baked stories and history tidbits that are almost certainly not true. ]

Sure I can. If I'm taking you somewhere for your own safety. And it's way safer than any of the Count for sure.

[ He gestures over at one of the very few clear spots left on the table, right at the edge. ]

Go sit down right there, okay?

[vorbarra]

[ Sit on a table? Well... okay.

Gregor obeys, though he's not sure where Miles is going with this. ] I'm not actually unsafe normally, [ he thinks to protest, though it's hazy, not truly felt. ]

[dendarii]

Sure you are. Grandda's always complaining about one or another whenever he comes back from the council.

[ He gets down from Gregor's shoulders, being very careful not to trample anything. One hand stays braced on Gregor's shoulder, but not to steady himself. He squints a bit in concentration - and then quick as a flash, he's brought the both of them down to roughly the scale of the models, a couple inches or so. Okay so he kind of wanted to do that anyway since he saw it, but it's way more fun dragging Gregor along too. ]

[vorbarra]

[ This succeeds in drawing a yelp from Gregor as he's abruptly yanked down to minute scale. He staggers, stumbling on the table top, which had previously seemed like smooth polished wood and now looks like it has minor crags and dings in the surface looming ahead of his path. ]

Miles! What-- what was that?

[dendarii]

[ Miles, meanwhile, is giddy with the brilliance of his own plan. He has his eyes on the models and the little wall with the great view of the rest of the board. ]

I told you, I'm kidnapping you! They won't find us here.

[vorbarra]

Oh, [ he says weakly. ] They really, really won't.

[ But... he's slowly starting to come around to this plan, not that he thinks it'll work out long term, but just as a short adventure. It's fascinating, looking around at everything from this perspective. ]

We should go exploring. [ And he's clumsily, carefully poking his way into Miles's head deliberately for the first time, just to listen in and sense when he starts to get tired. Gregor suspects they're going to snap back up to normal size when he runs out of energy-- or worse-- and he doubts he can depend on Miles to tell him honestly when he's getting worn out. ]

[dendarii]

[ There's no way it'll last past a few hours; if nothing else, Miles will get hungry, and then he'll be much more interested in finding a snack than exploring even this fascinating landscape. But for now he's all bubbly excitement, which he gladly shares with Gregor across the opening link. Completely oblivious to Gregor's real intentions. ]

Right? C'mon, the wall's got a good view. And it's literally a map, so it's not like we can get lost.

[vorbarra]

[ Oh. That's a nice side effect. He gets to monitor Miles while drinking in this bubbly effervescent energy...

He does, in fact, feel much better, Miles might notice. Thoroughly distracted and swept away by Miles's stronger emotions. ]

That's not actually how maps work if we're standing on it, [ he points out, but follows dutifully. ]

[dendarii]

There's still lines and stuff. We'll pick out a river something to follow back if we have to.

[ Miles brightens further as he senses Gregor's improved mood. He knew this was a fantastic idea. With a grin, he holds out his hand for Gregor to take. ]