Winterfair

[veryvorkosigan]

Vorkosigan House is astir this evening: the children are getting their own carefully supervised Winterfair party in the nursery wing, and the adults making ready to head to the Imperial Residence for the Emperor's party.

In the Dowager Countess's suite, there's one extra guest making ready.

Comments

[veryvorkosigan]

"Some of each, I think." Her expression is pretty close to his, both deeply amused and very mildly repentant. "He didn't react at all well when his mother finally started seeing someone, and she's been single since Ivan was born. I think he may have hangups about older relatives having a sex life. Especially older female relatives."

[maxwellsdemon02]

"Well, understandable, I guess. That's a pretty big change in your life, especially when it's someone close to you who's doing the changing."

Duo nods wisely.

"All the same, better to practice getting over it. Grape?"

[veryvorkosigan]

"Doubtless it will be good for him," she says serenely, and accepts the grape with a smile.

"So how do you like what you're finding so far?"

[maxwellsdemon02]

"It's quite the place," Duo says, raising his eyebrows at her. "Is Barrayar a rich planet, generally? Or are we at a careful remove from the slums and I get a tour of those later?"

[veryvorkosigan]

"Mm, closer to the latter. There's been a good deal of urban renewal in the past few decades, but the city does still have what you might call slums. Poverty, definitely. And some even poorer rural communities."

A glance at him. "If you do want a tour of those later, it could be arranged. Or I could give you the short course."

[maxwellsdemon02]

"I see enough at home," Duo says, with a smile that doesn't reach his eyes. "Though I wouldn't mind if you summed it up for me."

[veryvorkosigan]

She pauses, considering that, and nods.

"What's the lowest standard of living that's common where you come from? That'll give me an idea where to start."

[maxwellsdemon02]

"We're still recovering from a war that encompassed...my planet and the colonies," he says, self-editing in case of interested ears.

"There are plenty of homeless people who don't have anything at all. Though it depends on the region."

[veryvorkosigan]

"Ah," she says, in a tone that bespeaks some familiarity with the aftermath of war. "So, yes, there's poverty of that level here, in this city and a few of the others. Very few actual homeless, but some squatters in buildings that aren't fit to live in and haven't been knocked down yet. Much less of that now than there was when I first got here, thank god.... And then there are the hills."

She reaches to take a tiny stuffed sandwich from a passing servitor's tray, with a smile and a murmured thank-you, before continuing.

[maxwellsdemon02]

"The hills? The planet is terraformed enough that people live outside the settlements?" This is rather surprising news, to him.

[veryvorkosigan]

"It is, actually. There are still a good few areas that aren't really fit to live in, in terms of food production and infrastructure, but there was human-breathable air and potable water all over this planet when the colonists first found it. Which is why the colony survived when the wormhole vanished and they lost contact with the rest of civilization for six hundred years, and had to introduce Earth vegetation and fauna like mad while they still could."

She takes another sip of wine. "What wound up happening was imported and native species fought it out until they established their own equilibrium, while the colonists did ... much the same thing, sociopolitically."

[maxwellsdemon02]

Duo scratches his nose and considers this, while polishing off the rest of the grapes.

"Well, shit." He feels like that sums it up pretty well.

[veryvorkosigan]

"Admirably concise summation," she says, dryly amused. "At any rate, that's why there are people living in the hills, in little villages or entirely on their own, and ... essentially surviving on whatever they can scrape up out of the land. Hard as hell." She doesn't clarify whether she means that to refer to the lifestyle or those that live it.

[maxwellsdemon02]

"I'd say so." Duo shakes his head. "It's pretty impressive, all the same. I could probably make it okay on a station I didn't know after a little while. But a planet? No way."

He ponders this for a moment, and then proceeds to be distracted by the musicians.

"Say. Didn't you promise me some dancing?"

[veryvorkosigan]

She glances at him sidelong and smiles. "So I did. It's tradition for the hosts to lead out the first dance, but they should be here any minute now..."

[maxwellsdemon02]

"Oh, they make a grand entrance, do they?" He cranes his head to try and spot where they'll come in. Is there a convenient dramatic staircase? Do they rappel down from the ceiling?

An elevator just doesn't have the same je ne sais quois.

[veryvorkosigan]

"They do," Cordelia confirms. "Well, not grand exactly, but very Vorish. And if you're trying to spot where they'll come in --" She gives a barely perceptible tilt of her chin. "-- look where everyone keeps glancing every few seconds."

If her indication is right, the Emperor and Empress are expected through the same door as everybody else. And indeed, the same major-domo is stepping up to announce, with no more fanfare than any other guest, Emperor Gregor Vorbarra; Empress Laisa Toscane Vorbarra.

"See there?" Cordelia murmurs -- and she drops silent and turns to face the entering couple directly, as does everybody else in the hall. There are no bows, but the swift silence is if anything even more of an obesiance.

The Emperor is a tall, dark-haired man just on the brink of middle age, his spare thin form set off well by the parade red-and-blue uniform; the Empress, on his arm, is a short zaftig woman in a deep teal gown, with matching flowers and gems in her elaborately upswept blonde hair. Her smile is brilliant; his is spare and understated, but no less sincere for that, as the two of them move into the hall.

Gradually, conversation begins to resume in their wake.

[maxwellsdemon02]

"Hmmm," Duo says. "Not too showy, so as not to seem above everyone, but they still get attention and respect. I like their style."

He gives it an 8 out of 10.

[veryvorkosigan]

A very young Vor maiden standing nearby gives him a shocked glance, and turns to hurry away. Cordelia's eyes crinkle in amusement.

"It works for them," she says lightly, "and it works for the people. Shall we?"

The crowd in the reception hall is starting to gather itself up, subtly but unmistakably, and move with the Imperial couple toward the adjoining ballroom.

[maxwellsdemon02]

"By all means," Duo says, taking Cordelia's arm with a flourish. They merge with the rest of the guests, moving at a stately pace.

[veryvorkosigan]

The music is Barrayaran, which means (as Cordelia has pointed out before) that even the waltzes sound a little like marches.

After the Imperial couple has led out the first dance, more couples move onto the floor and begin. "Oh, this one's easy," Cordelia says cheerfully, "it's a mirror dance. No fixed steps, you just mirror whatever your partner does. Want to give it a shot?"

[maxwellsdemon02]

"Sure," he says, eyeing her. "No funny stuff? At least give me a round to warm up if you plan to start doing any flips, all right?"

[veryvorkosigan]

She laughs. "Promise. Dancing is supposed to be collaborative, not competitive."

[maxwellsdemon02]

"You haven't been dancing with River Tam," Duo says with a little smile. Admittedly for River it's teamwork, a competition, a private joke, and almost a whole other language. But still.

"But okay. You lead first?"

[veryvorkosigan]

"Happy to." A smile, as she steps out to arm's length, releases his hand, and spreads out her arms; she holds the pose a moment before taking a long sliding step to the right, on the beat.