IC Contact

[keep_nothing]

✉

CODE 🔋 3:27 AM

Cordelia Naismith Vorkosigan

UNSETTLED HERO
"LADY VORKOSIGAN"

ADDRESS
THE RESIDENCE

MESSAGE
"This is Cordelia,
leave me a message."

TEXT

CALL

VIDEO

VOICE | TEXT | VIDEO | ACTION | ETC.

Comments

[keep_nothing]

[ Her lips quirk slightly as she raises her eyebrows. ]

Well. That sounds interesting, if nothing else.

[vorbarra]

You might find it interesting; I'm considering spending the next two days as a cat.

You played Baba for the Koudelkas, didn't you? I could've sworn I've heard that story.

[keep_nothing]

Not officially, but I did sit them down to persuade them out of their stupidity, yes. Or at least as far as I could in Kou's case.

[ The quirk in her lips widens into a grin. ] You want me to play Baba again? They must be exceptionally taxing if you can't talk sense into them.

[vorbarra]

Thank you for your faith in me, but I think I'm a little too close to this one to approach it properly. I've already mucked things up on accident.

It's Kitty and her friend from home. John Mandrake.

[keep_nothing]

[ Her grin slackens a bit in surprise, her eyebrows rising in something without mischief for once. ]

You want me to play Baba for Kitty? [ It's not that she thinks it's scandalous for Kitty to potentially have other lovers (being Betan and all), but that she knows how Gregor can be possessive of those he cares deeply for. Not possessive in a jealous way, of course not, but being "a little too close" to separate impartial judgements from his fiercely protective emotions as he's accustomed to. ]

[vorbarra]

[ Actually... he's not very happy about this at all, especially with his opinion of Nathaniel having taken a plummet due to him lying. But Gregor hasn't quite come around to talking about his own feelings yet, and no one has thought to ask about them. ]

It's an outstanding issue that they refuse to resolve themselves, so it seems that someone should. What the outcome is is up to them.

[keep_nothing]

... What did you muck up?

[vorbarra]

I learned that he had feelings for her that apparently many people were discovering, but she didn't know. I expressed that this put me in a difficult position with Kitty and asked him what he thought I should do since I was reluctant to lie to her, saying that I thought he should tell her himself. He interpreted that as an ultimatum, then declined to tell her, and lied to me saying that he had.

I have no idea why he thought I wouldn't immediately corroborate with Kitty just for the purposes of sorting out our own relationship boundaries in the wake of whatever decision they'd made.

[keep_nothing]

Ah ... [ She nods towards the new couch they'd recently gotten in the main living area of the Residence, moving immediately to it. She doesn't even look to see if Gregor's following her. ]

I presume that means he was aware of your relationship with her at the time the mucking happened?

[vorbarra]

Yes, Miles thoroughly blew that one up, [ he says dryly, but doesn't quite mange to sit; he stands tensely nearby, sort of hovering. ]

Oh, and Kitty apparently knew all along. By the way. And has been lying to him about it, by omission, because she thinks it's a trivial crush and he needs to feel in control and make these choices himself or some nonsense.

Neither of them are very happy with me now.

[keep_nothing]

[ She gives a small double-take when she glances at him still standing. Then doesn't say anything in response, just giving him A Pointed Glance at the empty cushion beside her. ]

[vorbarra]

[ ... He rubs at his face. ]

I feel entirely too tense to sit.

[keep_nothing]

Because you're upset about the whole debacle is happening at all, or because of some other feelings you're trying to stuff into a corner?

[vorbarra]

... Both? Mostly I'm upset that I might have made Kitty unhappy with me.

[ Not untrue. ]

[keep_nothing]

Mostly. What else?

[vorbarra]

[ He sighs. ]

I don't want her dating someone I don't independently trust, [ he says begrudgingly. ] Which is not something we've agreed upon.

[keep_nothing]

Is it something you've actively argued about, or just not something you've discussed at all?

[vorbarra]

No, no, we haven't argued. It just hasn't come up yet and I haven't been rocking the boat about it. She's not exactly promiscuous.

[keep_nothing]

[ Gently teasing, ] At least not argued about this in particular, it sounds like.

[vorbarra]

Well. [ He lets out a rueful breath. ] We have disagreements, but we're really on the same side, so it's not severe.

[keep_nothing]

Except now she's unhappy with you. Has that happened before?

[vorbarra]

I don't know if she's still unhappy with me-- we always turn things around in the end and... and reconnect, but no. It hasn't really happened before.

[keep_nothing]

Which is why you're too tense to even sit down.

[vorbarra]

[ In the tone of a confession, ] I feel as if I have no claim on her. Although she is nothing but consistently considerate of me.

[keep_nothing]

[ Bluntly but softly, ] You don't have a claim on her. You don't have a claim on Miles either, for that matter. What you do have is their love, which they've chosen to give you.