( OPEN ) what you don't know won't hurt you

[whatdidisay]

Who: Ivan Vorpatril & VARIOUS (including YOU)
When: the month of march (and stuff backdated into feb.)
Where: all around the ship
What: catch all log post and OPEN LOG
Warnings: none!


I. BAR

If his cousin is bartending, and even when he’s not, Ivan can be found at the bar most evenings. Some days just for a quick drink in passing, other nights he’s there until late in various states of inebriation, never crossing the lie into intolerably so. Affable and open, it’s no hardship to start a conversation with him; get near him and he might just start up one himself.

II. ON THE JOB

Ivan’s job is the least demanding on the entire ship, and he likes it like that. There’s days he fills with playing the non-terrifying games on his MID, at least between running around and making sure Navigation and Communications aren’t at odds with each other. Which they don’t ever seem to be, which makes his job that much easier.

Most days he can be found at his desk, slowly working on whatever demands have been made of him to stretch out his workday. The mealtimes that he doesn’t run off to the mess hall for, he takes in Navigation — munching on whatever food they managed to cough up while watching the stars pass them. Either way, it’s quite easy to pull his attention from his job should someone require it.

(( if you want something more specific, please feel free to PM me or PP @ robutts ))

Comments

[whatdidisay]

"My cousin." Who is easily breakable and probably not going handle this well. "And there isn't vodka. There's whatever passes as vodka -- lower shelf, near the schnapps."

The only person Miles attempts to hide the good stuff from is Ivan, who finds it anyway.

[diamondslap]

"And he's called in sick? Pity." she says, tone clearly devoid of any empathy whatsoever.

"As long as it's strong enough, darling." Aurelia pauses. Looks Ivan up and down. "Can you drink it?"

[whatdidisay]

Ivan shrugs -- whatever is wrong with his cousin probably shouldn't be any more popular knowledge as it already is. You're welcome, Miles Vorkosigan.

Well, if she's looking for something strong-- "I can, yeah. But that's not the strongest thing we've got here." He grins at her, open and affable. "How do you feel about something called maple mead?"

[diamondslap]

"Never heard of it. Sounds obnoxious. I want some."

Three quick statements; Aurelia has come with the express purpose of finding something to get gazeboed off from. She's not leaving until she finds it, even if this does does mean actually taking suggestions from A Poor.

[whatdidisay]

Please, Aurelia, Ivan Vorpatril is one of three men that could claim to royalty beyond the Emperor, if they so chose. He'd rather die -- and is very likely to die if he tried -- but the fact remains. Lord Ivan Vorpatril is not A Poor; his mother has plenty of money, thank you very much.

"Of course," he says, and slides off his seat to duck around the bar, uncorking a barrel marked with a maple leaf over some mountains in a seal. It's an amber colored liquid -- goes down smoothly before the burn hits, and no matter how much someone drinks it'll hurt like hell in the morning. "On the house."

[diamondslap]

Poor in spirit if not literally. Aurelia will think of him as A Poor until he proves himself. Which, given her standards, may be literally impossible.

"Oh, good. Now I don't have to go to the trouble of pulling a gun on you." She says, grinning. "Go on, pour one for yourself. God knows drinking alone is one bar I won't sink to."

[whatdidisay]

Oh God, Ivan thinks, she's prone to even more violence than just shattering things. Fantastic. He slides her a drink before grabbing one of his own very, very reluctantly.

"Ladies first," which is his poor attempt at trying to get out of drinking as much of this as possible.

[diamondslap]

"Go on, then. Chug up." she says, looking him up and down.

#getrekt

[whatdidisay]

Ivan is caught between wanting to deny this, and not causing trouble. Please help him. "Together then? On the count of three?"

[diamondslap]

"Oh, for--"

Aurelia huffs, scowls, then downs all of hers, wincing for a moment then exhaling.

"Tastes like skag excrete. Your turn."

She will be regretting this very soon.

[whatdidisay]

Bless you, Aurelia.

Ivan doesn't down his so much as takes a healthy sip. He doesn't bother hiding his wince, because god damn does maple mead burn. Hellish drink from a hellish district run by hellish relatives.

"There."

[diamondslap]

"Yes, I--" she coughs a few times, the burn just hitting her. "--Bloody hell. Now that is what I've been missing!"

Well, that and Diamond Champagne.

"Wonderful. Do tell me we have crates of this stuff."

[whatdidisay]

"Just a few barrels," he says, with a gesture to the one behind the bar. He grins at her, still cautious and wary because there is no way he wants to end up on her bad side. Not at all. Not even a little.

[diamondslap]

"Good to know, darling. I think you should put one aside, just for us." she says sweetly.

Or, rather, just for her, but you know. Logistics.

[whatdidisay]

"That's what the barrel behind the bar is for -- it's not like anyone else is going to drink it. Except for my cousin."

And if she wants to take it up with Miles, Ivan's fine with that so long as he's not anywhere near them both when it goes down.

[diamondslap]

"And who is this famed cousin of yours?" she asks, leaning on the bar. He's mentioned this mystery person several times, to the point where Aurelia feels like it's in her best interests to know who it is.

[whatdidisay]

"Miles Vorkosigan," he supplies, and then takes another drink to punctuate how he feels about that.

[diamondslap]

"Ah. That's the... one withe the suggestion box, yes?" she says, worrying her own glass.

"Bit of a mouthy thing, isn't he? Awfully dull. Didn't agree to any of my ideas."

[whatdidisay]

"That's the one." Oh no, now he has a sneaking suspicious of who this might actually be, as he'd been witness to some of the better submissions to Miles' inbox. "Mouthy, yes. Dull, not so much. Why, what did you suggest?"

Please don't be who he thinks it is, please...

[diamondslap]

Too bad, buddy.

"Ah... just some light smatterings of murder, perhaps a few poisonings."

[whatdidisay]

"Oh. You're that person."

He would very much like to leave now, please and thank you.

[diamondslap]

"I should probably be surprised that you've heard of me, but I certainly am not. What did he say?"

The way she asks, it's clear she won't let Ivan away without him telling.

[whatdidisay]

Oh shit.

"Oh, nothing much. He just read your memos aloud, and his responses."

Please let him get out of this one alive.

[diamondslap]

"And what were your thoughts of the situation?" she asks, leaning forward onto the bar. "I do like to hear feedback."

[whatdidisay]

"Er." He leans back, reflexively. This conversation is not going any way that he thinks he'd like it to. "It was very... creative? In terms of problem solving. Almost Barrayaran."

That part's true.