symphony

[isthisart]

The day of the party approaches. Linya learns a Barrayaran-original solo piano symphony, adds some flourishes of her own where the composer has marked that it may be played "freely", memorizes the whole thing, and arranges to be playing it on the grand piano when party guests file in on the day of. She smiles and nods at them and takes note of how they arrange themselves in the room; there are thirteen minutes in the piece unless she decides she needs an extra three (if there seem to be a lot of stragglers; if there isn't a good path to the people she wants to meet and around the people she wants to avoid) and takes the repeat at the end to prolong it.

She doesn't wind up taking the repeat; the end of the symphony without it has her playing the final chord when Lord Auditor Vorthys is nearer than anyone she's hoping to evade. She counts out the beats, holds for a moment longer, and then lifts her hands from the keyboard. She has decided that given her choice of titles she's going to address this particular guest as -

"Professor Vorthys."

Comments

[isthisart]

"It is, yes, takes about ten minutes if you have the right tools - my point is that even if there's for some reason no way to make a baby besides going through a geneticist, one who was responsive to client goals - which could include 'random assembly' - would be able to do that. So loss of the option would basically have to involve geneticists who were not responsive to client goals somewhere along the line, which was not the hypothetical we were working with."

[first_loyalty]

"Oh, that's - no - I was imagining it being outlawed or something," she says. "All children being produced by someone's deliberate design, whether by law or custom or I don't know what."

[isthisart]

"Oh. Well - I don't think that would be the worst of all possible social outcomes, but it isn't required in the hypothetical I was entertaining."

[first_loyalty]

"That... wouldn't be so bad, but I'd still rather people could do the - low-tech version of random assembly, even if hardly anybody ever chose to."

[isthisart]

"The appeal is completely lost on me... I don't want to take something from you and people who share your opinion that you want to have, but I find myself quite incapable of appreciating why it would be wanted."

[first_loyalty]

"Old-fashioned notions of romance? Not wanting to involve people outside one's marriage in the production of one's children? Independence? Sentiment? I don't want to sound like I have all the answers. I hardly have any."

[isthisart]

"Well, that's more answers than I was generating."

[first_loyalty]

She smiles.

[middlingalong]

It is at this moment that Ivan chooses to wander by. "Hullo," he says. "Lady Vorkosigan, and, I don't think I've had the pleasure?"

[isthisart]

"Lord Vorpatril, Madame Vorsoisson. And vice-versa."

[first_loyalty]

"...You can call me Ekaterin," says Ekaterin, mainly to Lady Vorkosigan although if this Lord Vorpatril person decides to include himself there isn't much she can politely do about it.

[isthisart]

"And you can call me Linyabel. Both of you can, for that matter."

[middlingalong]

"I'm going to be completely honest here, I had actually forgotten the last syllable of your name because Miles always drops it and I was too embarrassed to ask."

[first_loyalty]

...Ekaterin puts her hand up to cover her mouth.

[isthisart]

"I'm sure you could have asked Cordelia," laughs Linya.

[middlingalong]

"She'd have... replied in a perfectly civil and informative manner. Can't have that."

[first_loyalty]

This time, Ekaterin fails to repress the giggle.

[middlingalong]

"Anyway, feel free to drop the Lord Vorpatril, Ivan is fine."

[isthisart]

"Ivan it is. How are you enjoying the party at which I demonstrate that I don't bite?"

[middlingalong]

"Quite well. Music was pretty," volunteers Ivan. "And I've managed to escape Vorparadijs so far, too."

[first_loyalty]

"Is he that - um - very old Lord Auditor? I think my uncle might have mentioned him a few times," says Ekaterin with maximum politeness.

[middlingalong]

"Yes. That is him. Let's not say his name again lest he be summoned."

[isthisart]

Linya snickers.

[first_loyalty]

Ekaterin giggles some more.

[isthisart]

Eventually Ivan drifts off, and Linya talks to some other people, although she doesn't make it to first-name terms with anyone besides Ekaterin and her own cousin-in-law. Emperor Gregor Count Vorbarra mentions briefly that he's glad she seems to be enjoying the party and then fades into the crowd again. She does at one point get cornered by Vorparadijs, recommends that he see about obtaining customized gut flora, regrets this immensely, and escapes by claiming the sudden need to go play something else on the piano, which takes five minutes but does require crossing the room; mercifully she is not trailed.

By the end of the party that is the worst moment of the entire affair, and she has an appointment of sorts to go visit Ekaterin for companionable gardening in a week's time.