isthisart: (h ~ pick it up)
Linyabel Miriat ⍟ "Linya" ([personal profile] isthisart) wrote2014-09-04 09:15 pm

dissonance

Dr. Cheung's at a funeral all day, so Linya decides to go up to London and see if Miles is out of his Mood.

Security has decided to be deeply unhelpful today. She is currently showing them various forms of ID and repeating in a slow, patient voice that she has been here before, there is not more than one of her, and she promises she is not there to assassinate her husband or whatever fool thing has them skittish today. Perhaps she shouldn't drop in while the captain's missing; it seems to make them worse. But she got in before while he was missing...
alicornucopia: (Default)

[personal profile] alicornucopia 2014-09-07 04:48 pm (UTC)(link)
Galeni looks at Miles like Miles has certainly gone insane, but repeats the words.
thisvorlunatic: (⑤ miles)

[personal profile] thisvorlunatic 2014-09-07 05:11 pm (UTC)(link)
Miles darts around to the location of the previously indicated tables, steps forward and gestures an imaginary non-tied-up Linya to come with him, then breaks character as himself and scuttles around behind the Count's desk.

"Petition for the dissolution of a marriage, oaths originally taken mumble-mumble 2996, Vorkosigan Surleau, Vorkosigan District, Barrayar," he cues Galeni-as-clerk, then adopts the character of his father with all promised awkwardness.

"Lieutenant Vorkosigan, Lady Vorkosigan," says Miles-as-Aral, looking slightly pained. "On what grounds do you petition this court for release from your spoken oaths?"

Miles scurries back to his spot behind his imaginary table and chirps as himself, "Duress, sir. We only took oath because we were already married, and that marriage was a Cetagandan award ceremony. It's hardly like we were married at all."

Back to the invisible desk, where Miles-as-Aral raises his eyebrows at his invisible son. "An interesting legal argument, but under the circumstances, one I'm willing to hear out. Still, for form's sake, we'd better go down the list of more usual reasons - concealed genetic faults, adultery, abuse, desertion, nonsupport, denial of marital rights, denial of children?"

And over to the table again, Miles-as-Miles shakes his head. "No, no, no, no, no, none of your business, and no, sir."

Desk. "I had to ask," says Miles-as-Aral, trying not to laugh. "Very well. I acknowledge your petition on grounds of duress. Do any of those assembled have further arguments to offer for or against, before I render judgment?"
spacetobreathe: (f ~ face)

[personal profile] spacetobreathe 2014-09-07 05:17 pm (UTC)(link)
"I do!" calls Elli Quinn from the sliding-open garage doors. "Freeze!"

A Dendarii patrol streams past her.

One guard is dropped; the other is tackled when he sprints for the lift tube.

Elli strolls up to Miles. "Hope you don't mind that I picked a dramatic moment instead of interrupting you while you were doing impressions, sir," she chirps.
thisvorlunatic: (④ farmland)

[personal profile] thisvorlunatic 2014-09-07 05:21 pm (UTC)(link)
"Elli, you magnificent genius! Get over here and help me untie my wife. How did you find us? Did M—my clone tip you off?"
spacetobreathe: (k ~ dirtsucker)

[personal profile] spacetobreathe 2014-09-07 05:22 pm (UTC)(link)
"What clone?" asks Elli, helping unbind Linya's hands.
thisvorlunatic: (⑧ business)

[personal profile] thisvorlunatic 2014-09-07 05:25 pm (UTC)(link)
Miles hugs her back, briefly distracted from Elli, then lets go and turns and asks, "What do you mean what clone? You—shit, you were rescuing Captain Galeni, weren't you. Mark didn't tip you off." He rubs his face. "Fuck. Okay, you remember a few nights ago when I had you take me to be kidnapped so I could find out who wanted to kidnap me and why?"
spacetobreathe: (m ~ ferocity)

[personal profile] spacetobreathe 2014-09-07 05:26 pm (UTC)(link)
"Yes. ...And I'm gathering that you were, in fact, kidnapped."
thisvorlunatic: (⑦ negotiation)

[personal profile] thisvorlunatic 2014-09-07 05:28 pm (UTC)(link)
"Yep. And replaced by a real genuine clone. Who has been impersonating me all this time. Apparently very successfully. Although I might have aided his cover by inventing an imaginary clone first."
spacetobreathe: (j ~ comm)

[personal profile] spacetobreathe 2014-09-07 05:32 pm (UTC)(link)
"Well - he fooled me. We were camped out listening for Galeni's voiceprint, and I figured if you were dramatically pretending to divorce your wife you needed collecting regardless of the local authorities' opinions on breaking and entering but I could hold out for a cue. I didn't know how the hell you'd gotten here, but I suppose I do now."
thisvorlunatic: (④ farmland)

[personal profile] thisvorlunatic 2014-09-07 05:39 pm (UTC)(link)
"For future reference," says Miles to Galeni, "when I am working my ass off to delay and distract the enemy, the thing to do is not look at me as though I have transformed myself into a polka-dotted toad, it's to find a way to exploit the distraction. Sir. Now - what's ImpSec want to do about this? Call in the local authorities - or clean out these guys' comconsoles, nip back to the embassy, quietly arrest Mark, and put this bunch under surveillance like the rest of Earth's crop of Komarran expatriates?"
alicornucopia: (Default)

[personal profile] alicornucopia 2014-09-07 05:40 pm (UTC)(link)
Galeni rolls his eyes. "They're guilty of a crime here on Earth, now, the local authorities can break up their entire splinter group. What's the proposed advantage of keeping it quiet?"
thisvorlunatic: (⑦ negotiation)

[personal profile] thisvorlunatic 2014-09-07 05:45 pm (UTC)(link)
"Security. Naismith's cover depends on my clone story. This clone story would muddy those waters considerably, if it got out, which it inevitably would. Better to just slap a lid on the whole thing and thereby keep control of exactly what mixture of truth and lies becomes attached to Mark's official public existence, if he gets one. Not to mention avoiding the enormous publicity we'd inevitably get if the police and the news media started digging into this whole sordid business."
alicornucopia: (Default)

[personal profile] alicornucopia 2014-09-07 05:46 pm (UTC)(link)
Galeni looks away. "I... don't know."
thisvorlunatic: (⑥ ivan)

[personal profile] thisvorlunatic 2014-09-07 05:51 pm (UTC)(link)
"I do," says Miles. "Sergeant," he picks out a nearby Dendarii, "take a couple of techs through the house, suck dry any comconsole you find - while you're at it, look around for a handful of anti-personnel-scan devices, probably stored somewhere. Very small, very cutting-edge. Take them to Commodore Jesek and tell him they're a present from the Admiral and I want to know everything he can find out about them. Also, any stray pieces of our clothing that you find, and a little electronic object about yea big that looks like a black rod with clear caps at both ends, to be returned undamaged and uncracked to this lady here," he gestures the length of the pen and indicates Linya. "As soon as you all-clear the place, we're out of here."
Edited 2014-09-07 17:58 (UTC)
thisvorlunatic: (⑦ negotiation)

[personal profile] thisvorlunatic 2014-09-07 06:00 pm (UTC)(link)
"You can go where you like. Captain Galeni and I are headed for the embassy, where we hope to find Mark."
spacetobreathe: (h ~ admiral)

[personal profile] spacetobreathe 2014-09-07 06:01 pm (UTC)(link)
"Diddling their consoles and taking their things is illegal," Elli feels compelled to point out.
thisvorlunatic: (④ farmland)

[personal profile] thisvorlunatic 2014-09-07 06:05 pm (UTC)(link)
"And they're going to, what, complain to the police? Ha," says Miles. "By the way, to head off further confusion - my clone has normal bones. Mine are full of old break patterns. A close medical scan should have no trouble telling the difference, except in the long bones of our legs, which are synthetics in both cases. When in doubt, scan."
spacetobreathe: (Default)

[personal profile] spacetobreathe 2014-09-07 06:07 pm (UTC)(link)
"Yes, sir," says Elli, and she goes off to order Dendarii around on these errands.
middlingalong: (l ~ doze)

[personal profile] middlingalong 2014-09-07 06:12 pm (UTC)(link)
Meanwhile at the embassy, Ivan, all unawares, is sitting with Mark and picking his way through the day's statistical discrepancy-checking.

"Sylveth broke it off," he mentions morosely. "How is it that I only know how to get girls in the first place and you're the one who figured out how to keep one?"
thisvorlunatic: (④ farmland)

[personal profile] thisvorlunatic 2014-09-07 06:15 pm (UTC)(link)
"Having a scarcer supply gives me greater motivation to hang on for dear life," he suggests.
middlingalong: (Default)

[personal profile] middlingalong 2014-09-07 06:16 pm (UTC)(link)
"Can't be it," says Ivan. "I don't believe for a second she likes you 'cause you're clingy. You aren't even."
thisvorlunatic: (⑤ miles)

[personal profile] thisvorlunatic 2014-09-07 06:17 pm (UTC)(link)
"Well, that's just it. She doesn't like clingy, therefore I am not clingy."

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