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]

Linya folds up the blanket and puts it and the discards from lunch into the basket and goes with them along the path.

[first_loyalty]

Along they go.

Ekaterin gets tired after a few minutes, and puts Nikki down. He clings grumpily to her leg, impeding her progress down the path.

[isthisart]

Linya scoops him up. He's not heavy at all. "Do you want to be carried or sit on my shoulders?" she asks.

[first_loyalty]

"Carried," he decides.

"Oh, thank you," says Ekaterin.

[isthisart]

"No trouble," says Linya, and she carries Nikki all the way back to the lightflyer. And then as promised he gets to sit in her lap and watch her pilot it.

[first_loyalty]

Yay! Nikki is delighted!

His mama is pretty delighted too.

[isthisart]

That makes three delighted people!

Linya sets down near the Vorsoisson home and releases them to their pursuits. Nikki gets ruffled hair and Ekaterin gets a hug, and then she flies back home.

[thisvorlunatic]

Where her husband asks, "How was your visit?"

[isthisart]

"It was good. Nikki doesn't like salad, and does like pictures of the Earth night sky and nexus maps and the lightflyer. And Ekaterin joins you in not quite approving of baby pictures preceding babies."

[thisvorlunatic]

"Oh? What's her reasoning?"

[isthisart]

"She thought it seemed backwards and that pictures don't substitute for the real thing."

[thisvorlunatic]

"Sensible of her."

[isthisart]

"If you say so."

[thisvorlunatic]

"Of the possible reasons, I think those are sensible ones."

[isthisart]

"Are they yours? I don't think I have an understanding of yours?"

[thisvorlunatic]

"I... don't think you have an understanding of mine either," he sighs. "It's complicated."

[isthisart]

Pet pet. "Do you want to try to explain or is it not worth the trouble?"

[thisvorlunatic]

"I'm not sure."

[isthisart]

"Then I will probably languish in confusion for a bit longer." Pet, pet.

[thisvorlunatic]

Snuggle.

[isthisart]

Snuggle. "I love you."

[thisvorlunatic]

"I love you too."

[isthisart]

And a little kiss, mwah. Even if he does not have sensible reasons for not wishing to see baby pictures in advance of baby.




The next time she and Cordelia are alone in a room together (the library in the evening with tea) Linya says, "Do you by any chance want to see advance baby pictures of Little Aral Adri?"

[greatcomposure]

"Your emphasis implies that there's someone who doesn't. Miles?" she guesses.

[isthisart]

"Well, Ekaterin didn't either, but principally Miles, yes."