my heart is gold and my hands are cold }

[vorbarra]

WHO: Gregor Vorbarra AND FRIENDS ??
WHERE: Mostly DC#7, as usual.
WHEN: April catch all.
WHAT: Pull point fall out + Mark et al + probably Lucifer shenanigans eventually.
WARNINGS: The thread with Spock and one of them with Miles is going to have some sexual content, but nothing above an R rating. You should probably also check Gregor's overall content warnings before going into those threads, just in case.

Comments

[vorbarra]

Mmm, since I was five. My father was killed in the failed invasion of Escobar not long before my grandfather, the preceding Emperor, died of old age.

[ He's had enough wine at this point that this ordinarily factual report turns into something unenthused and resigned. ]

... I can't recall if anyone's told you that Miles's father was my regent. I've been reigning properly for five years now.

[overemotionally]

[His grin fades into a small frown, suddenly sobered by Gregor's tone and what he's saying.]

Sorry to hear.

...Actually Miles just mentioned that to me recently. I'm not too familiar with how that style of government works.

[He takes another sip of wine, silently marveling over how much easier it is now to talk to Gregor with a bit of wine.]

[vorbarra]

[ Many people don't realize the logical necessity that asking about his reign's beginning means asking about at minimum his father's death.

He has to hastily swallow some wine to prevent himself from saying in clipped tones, Don't be, for the sympathy. Much too telling; not an avenue of conversation he wants to invite. ] In effect, since I was too young to rule, my lord regent ruled in my place and held the Imperium in trust for me until I reached majority at twenty. You can imagine that it's a position that requires immense trust. Many regents simply don't return rulership, or maintain you as a puppet-king-- puppet-emperor, in this case.

[ Whoops, his traces of tired resentment came out anyway. ]

[overemotionally]

[Even without the comment, seeing Gregor take another swig of his wine like that tells him that this topic is fraught.]

How did Miles' father of all people end up as your regent?

[vorbarra]

[ He waves a hand in a shooing motion. ]

Favorite tool of my grandfather, the prior emperor, [ he explains succinctly. ] But Vorkosigans have always been fairly close to the throne.

[overemotionally]

[He gives Gregor a slightly startled look, not expecting that from him--it sounds disrespectful to Jim.]

...That how you guys normally talk about people? As tools?

[vorbarra]

It's how my grandfather did, [ he corrects. ] Or so I'm told. I don't remember him.

[ M...ore wine with that one. ]

[overemotionally]

[Jim follows suit at that with a frown.]

Your grandfather sounds like a jerk.

[That all strikes the wrong chord with Jim--people in so much power outright saying their trusted people are tools...Jim hopes when he's a captain he never treats any of his people any less than what they are--people integral to the function of a starship.]

[vorbarra]

[ Gregor is startled into actual laughter. The wine helps with that openness considerably.

He leans back in his chair, loose and casual. ] God, you're right about that. But he was a coldly sane man and he held Barrayar together after Mad Emperor Yuri. My grand-uncle. And anyone looks good next to Yuri. Even me.

[overemotionally]

[That laugh surprises him more than anything thus far tonight. It's somewhat plain on Jim's face for a second before it neutralizes. He's glad that Gregor didn't take that the wrong way, even if it was true by Jim's assessment.]

That sounds like a story and a half.

[vorbarra]

[ Black humor about his dead awful relatives will get Gregor every time. He has to laugh at that so he can cope.

But now he shakes his head, pouring them another round. ] You don't want that story. It'll make me maudlin. Hell, it'll make you maudlin just listening to it. It ends with all of my relatives dead but for my grandfather, including Miles's grandmother, aunt and uncle. Aral's sibs and mother.

[overemotionally]

You need to drink more if you're using the word "maudlin" in casual conversation.

[And he takes a sip of his own wine, frowning.

He doesn't question after details, that's for sure. He wouldn't want anyone asking after his father--not that he has much experience with it, considering everyone knew about that whenever it came up--let alone multiple dead relatives.]

This sounds like some place you guys come from. Is it that unstable, still?

[vorbarra]

[ He thickens his Barrayaran accent deliberately, where it's been softening due to time spent here, especially with Miles defaulting to Betan. ] Vor have impeccable vocabulary even when in their cups, [ he informs him. ] That's when all the dirty jokes come out that we're too scandalized to say any other time.

And God, no. Regent Vorkosigan did a truly heinous amount of work stabilizing the Imperium for me before he handed it off to me. We've had a record low of appalling, politically motivated deaths.

[overemotionally]

[Jim snorts at the thickening of the accent and the crack about the dirty jokes. Then jokingly:]

Vor don't sound too different from "normal" men in that respect.

[He can't even imagine that kind of atmosphere, before or after Aral's hand in it. Wryly:]

...And what about the non-appalling ones?

[vorbarra]

We don't? Don't tell anyone else that. [ A bland, smooth joke, so dry it's obviously not serious.

Gregor waves his hand. ] There's not so many of those either. Dueling has been illegal for ages now. Barrayar is becoming civilized, kicking and screaming all the way.

[overemotionally]

[He laughs into his glass as he goes for another sip of wine--Has Gregor always been this funny? Interesting...Maybe he'd have to show up on his doorstep with a bottle (or two, at this rate) of wine more often...]

Personally making sure of that?

[vorbarra]

[ Dry sarcasm is about Gregor's only coping mechanism sometimes.

But he doesn't have a lot of dry sarcasm for that. He lets out a breath. ] Yes, I suppose I am. Though it's going to take my whole life.

[overemotionally]

[Jim looks half-appalled as he frowns at that--not the patient type to want to wait that long to be honest.]

Your whole life? I hope you see some of the changes before that.

[vorbarra]

Well, I'll see signs of progress, yes, but I'm talking about reforming an entire planet. And Komarr and Sergyar in their own ways, differently, for that matter. It's not a process that can be done quickly.

[overemotionally]

[Jim just gives Gregor a pointed look over the rim of his wine glass as he takes another sip.]

Glad it's you and not me.

[vorbarra]

[ Dryly, ] A common sentiment.

[overemotionally]

One that you share?

[vorbarra]

Glad that it's me?

[ Gregor sounds openly incredulous, and downs the rest of his glass of wine before placing it on the table. ]

I ran away less than a year ago. Not that I thought I would get very far. Security is always about three seconds behind.

[overemotionally]

[He'd be more amused at Gregor's reaction if the thought of living like that 24/7 didn't depress him as much as it did.]

How'd that go for you?

[vorbarra]

[ He shrugs inelegantly. ]

Miles found me. It ended up not so bad in the end. I discovered I could actually do something meaningful as emperor, which was news to me.