landscape

[isthisart]

Linya avoids haring off to do things much while Miles's arms are unusable. Once he can feed himself comfortably enough to prefer to do so, though, she makes plans with Ekaterin to go with her and little Nikki on a hike in some nice woods of mixed-origin fauna. She packs a picnic and takes the lightflyer and flies out to pick up the relevant subset of Vorsoissons.

Comments

[isthisart]

"How much is too much?" wonders Linya.

[first_loyalty]

"Too much is too much!" says Nikki, tautologically.

[isthisart]

"Aha. I am enlightened."

[first_loyalty]

Nikki nods at this entirely reasonable response.

Ekaterin manages not to giggle.

[isthisart]

"Are you all done walking for the day, or just a little while?"

[first_loyalty]

"Dunno," he says.

"Well, when my arms get tired, I'm going to have to put you down," says Ekaterin. "But I can carry you until then."

[isthisart]

"I can carry him too, if he wants."

[first_loyalty]

Nikki peers at Linya, as though to evaluate her carrying capacity.

[isthisart]

"I'm stronger than I look."

[first_loyalty]

"Why?"

[isthisart]

"It seemed like a good idea."

[first_loyalty]

...Nikki puzzles over this answer, and falls silent. Ekaterin smiles.

[isthisart]

And eventually there is the picnic place!

Linya has a picnic blanket in her basket. Swoosh! Now it is there for sitting on.

[first_loyalty]

Swoosh!

Ekaterin puts Nikki down, and he picks up the edge of the blanket and clumsily attempts to swoosh it again. It goes... swosh.

[isthisart]

Linya giggles and puts the basket down on a corner of the blanket and sits. She has brought sandwiches and salad and fruit and maple candy, portioned with lots for her and some for Ekaterin and a little for Nikki.

[first_loyalty]

Nikki is really enthusiastic about the maple candy, and disdains the salad. Ekaterin permits him to disdain his salad, because this is a special occasion.

[isthisart]

And soon all of the food except Nikki's salad is eaten. "You don't like salad, Nikki?"

[first_loyalty]

Nikki shakes his head.

[isthisart]

"Why not?"

[first_loyalty]

"I don't like it," he says. Nikki does not seem to be very good at explaining himself.

[isthisart]

"Maybe next time I will not bring salad, then. What do you like?"

[first_loyalty]

"I like candy," he says. "And groats."

[isthisart]

"I like groats too! I never had them before I came to Barrayar but now they're one of my favorite things."

[first_loyalty]

"You never had groats?" he says, astonished.

[isthisart]

"Nope! They weren't very popular on Eta Ceta."