calligraphy

[isthisart]

Linya is working on a massive flowchart-like diagram of a planned software project for Dr. Cheung. It's laid out in every color and in three dimensions with sprawl of its little writing that takes up most of her office and keeps fading out at the edges and in her shadow when she moves around, but reappears when she turns or approaches.

Comments

[thisvorlunatic]

"'Once is chance, twice is coincidence, three times is enemy action' - I don't see a third," he says. "And it stretches credibility to think I'm being stalked by some kind of good fairy whose idea of helping is to make it slightly likelier that my troops will find me before the enemy is quite finished beating me to death."

[isthisart]

"Well, three times wouldn't be enemy action. It would be good fairy action." Hair pet hair pet hair pet. "If not especially fantastic good fairy action."

[thisvorlunatic]

"Mediocre fairy action," he suggests.

[isthisart]

"Yes. Mediocre fairy action. Is this really two coincidences? The Toramirans being drawn away from the poisoned dinner engagement to another meeting could be counted separately from the other meeting being with my export agent."

[thisvorlunatic]

"If it was an action, it was one action," he says. "So I'm only counting it once. And I'm pretty sure the vid glitch wasn't an action at all. Although thank you, now every time something goes slightly less badly than it could have on a mission I'm going to chalk it up to the mediocre fairy."

[isthisart]

"I predict that this will lead to interesting mission reports."

[thisvorlunatic]

He snickers softly. And briefly. "Ow. I love you."

[isthisart]

"Sorry. I can sing instead of risking being amusing if you like."

[thisvorlunatic]

"I like it when you sing."

[isthisart]

Forehead-kiss.

And singing.

[thisvorlunatic]

Miles drifts off to sleep at some point during the singing.

[isthisart]

She lets the doctors shoo her at that point, and doesn't press the point about visitor allowability until the formal day of such permission has arrived.

[thisvorlunatic]

At which point Miles is looking marginally better.

"Hello," he says. "I still can't sit up. Come kiss me."

[isthisart]

She goes and kisses him, ever so obligingly. "Hey you."

[thisvorlunatic]

"I love you. I also love good painkillers," he says. "But I love you more. I'm stuck in this bed for another week, can you believe it?"

[isthisart]

"Easily. I am afraid you will have to be flat. I will do what I can to mitigate the boredom part."

[thisvorlunatic]

"I loooove you."

[isthisart]

"I love you too." Kiss.

[thisvorlunatic]

Kiss! Very flat kiss.

[isthisart]

"Are you planning to spend your non-hospitalized convalescence at Vorkosigan Surleau again? Being, if at all possible, hand-fed?"

[thisvorlunatic]

"I don't strictly speaking need to be hand-fed, at least not as much as I did when I couldn't move my arms. But if the opportunity presents itself..."

[isthisart]

"I suspect the sternum replacement would make it more comfortable not to move your arms unnecessarily."

[thisvorlunatic]

"You're right about that. But it's not as bad on that score as having my actual arm bones replaced."

[isthisart]

"You could probably convince me to feed you some of the time anyway."

[thisvorlunatic]

"I love you."