thisavrou_log | ( closed )

Entry tags:

bioshock: elizabeth dewitt

( closed )

Who: ivan vorpatril & elizabeth dewitt
When: afternoon of dec. 9th, after this
Where: the library
What: ivan has a solution for elizabeth's tea problem
Warnings: none, probably

With no luck on the search for Miles and still no response on his MID, Ivan figures it's best to leave the details of 'what the fuck do we do now' to Bel and Gregor. They're both competent, smart people who don't need him to get involved in the formation of any plan, just the carrying out of it. They'll call him if they need him, or won't even do him the duty of asking him if he wants to be involved before dragging him in anyway. It'll happen and Ivan won't have a choice - might as well enjoy his small window of freedom while he can. Which is why Ivan spends the morning after his conversation with Elizabeth rummaging around the kitchen. He finds what he's looking for in a cupboard that's filled with God knows what - a thermos. Slightly dinged but still capable of keeping liquid warm, even in this cold. Or so he hopes.

Taking his prize, Ivan bundles himself up further - thermals, work uniform, undress greens over those, and his dress green jacket over it, because Gregor has their spare and Miles took his. And he didn't get it back, now that the door to Miles' office is locked. Which okay, is a little extreme for Miles in his foulest moods, but getting a captain to unlock it is probably Gregor's job. Anyway, once he's attempting to be a little bit warmer than before, he sets off for the library, flourishing the thermos at the lump of blankets at the desk that Ivan assumes is Elizabeth.

"One thermos, as ordered."

Despite the cold and the question of what the hell Miles has gotten himself into hanging over them, his voice is rich and warm; grin wide. He likes spending time with Elizabeth -- she's beautiful, obviously, but charming in a way that makes Ivan wonder if she knows exactly how charming she is. Smart, too. Well, Ivan muses to himself, that doesn't say much when he's thinking it. Still, spending time with her is nice, and he could use the company.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Oh-- you think Greg is up for the job?" Elizabeth grins wickedly and pokes Ivan teasingly in his stomach. Yes, her obsession with buttons comes from a distinct problem of nerves brought on by handsome men. She'd poked at Clark's suit quite a bit, too.

That tone though-- it does things to Elizabeth that she's never actually felt before. Little twinges in her neck and back and... other places. Oh this is dangerous, she could really get to like being held and spoken to that way for hours on end. He could read the MID directory to her like that and it would be a grand evening.

But she can't actually say that, so she just giggles. Again. And stops when she realizes she sounds incredibly dumb. "I suppose it would be, given you're a boy."

Nailed it.

That gets a laugh from him, and he shakes his head. "He'd probably want to, but no one's going to let him," is out of his mouth before he realizes what, exactly, he just said. Coughing to cover up the slip, Ivan attempts to move smoothly on. "I'm afraid you're stuck with me." Maybe she won't follow up on it; he can hope so, at any rate.

"Boy?" He teases, with mock offense. "Only my uncle calls me 'boy' these days. What about 'young man'?" Eugh, that doesn't sound any better, and his face wrinkles comically as soon as he says it. "Nevermind." Bad idea.

The fact that Greg wouldn't be allowed to show Elizabeth around their world does strike Elizabeth as a little odd, but she can't imagine why. Maybe... Ivan has his sights set on Elizabeth, so he wouldn't let Greg show her around because he'd get there first...? It seems a little extreme, though. "Well, I can't say I'd be disappointed, unless you're going to tour me around the more boring sights your planet has. Then I might demand someone else."

Elizabeth laughs at the wrinkled look on Ivan's face, then smiles apologetically up at him. "Sorry, I'm... not very good at this. I've never um... actually flirted with anyone like this before."

She'd pulled the wool over a poor shopkeeper's eyes with some sensual language before, but that had been an act. Not genuine at all.

"No boring sights, my word as Vorpatril." Which is a silly thing to give his word on, but Ivan doesn't particularly care. "The Vorpatril District just so happens to have the best resort town on the planet." A biased opinion, and if he's truthful he's never really spent time there. His summers were spent at Vorkosigan Surleau. Well he can show her that too, and they can put up with Miles and his parents if they have to.

Just so long as they avoid his mother.

But her confession gets a rather surprised look from him, because he finds that hard to believe. Or at least the idea that no one hasn't wanted to flirt with Elizabeth before. "I wouldn't have been able to guess," Ivan says sincerely, "just maybe that you were a little shy." Not that there's anything wrong with that -- Ivan tends towards the women who are far more direct himself, but the Moira hasn't left him with a lot of choice.

She's familiar with that turn of phrase, and the recognition of the gravity of what Ivan's said registers on Elizabeth's face-- like she understands. How does she know? That would be a long story. "Sounds like it would be the best vacation anyone's had, with promises like that," she says with a laugh. She's been to a resort before, but it had been a little boring on her own. Something tells her it would be far more exciting if Ivan was escorting her around.

Although apparently, she's outed herself unnecessarily. Elizabeth looks mildly distressed by the revelation that she'd actually been doing alright by Ivan's reckoning. "You're kidding me," she moans, hiding her face by putting her forehead into Ivan's chest. "I mean-- I am. Shy," she says, looking back up at him, struggling to convey why she's so bizarre in this area that Ivan so excels at. "I used to plunge headfirst into things I didn't know much about, but I've... outgrown that habit, and I try to proceed with caution now," Elizabeth admits with a small smile. "Like I said, b-- men haven't really caught my eye before now."

She couldn't be involved with anyone, really. Friends or otherwise.

The flash of understanding almost makes him pause -- where could she have learned what it meant? Gregor or Miles, most likely, and he's never really heard of Gregor ever giving his word on something. The poor man probably can't afford to, Ivan muses, on account of having so many other things going on with his life. Miles then. Which means he's probably not going to want to know. "It would have to be, if it's going to impress you." Oh yes, impressing is absolutely a goal.

If it's any comfort, the only reason he excels at it is practice and determination. But he's not stubborn enough to flirt where his affections are unwanted, and handles rejection well at the prospect of their always being another woman somewhere. "Caution's never a bad thing," Ivan agrees -- definitely not where he comes from. "God knows I try to be an innocent bystander when I can." And it's damn hard work, let him tell her. Still, he grins down at her -- comforting and encouraging. "Well I'm glad to have met you when that's changed."

Oh, he is ever.

In truth, the Moira was what had changed... almost everything for her. Friends, a place she called her home, a job, and the freedom to be close to people without seeing everything they had done or would do. She could actually have this conversation without seeing thousands of images of Ivan, of different places he would stand, or jackets he could have worn, or things unsaid. One timeline, no doors, no confusion.

"I'm glad it's changed, too." She wishes she could explain it more than that, but it would require more explanation than she thinks Ivan would care about-- and more secrets than she wants to reveal just yet. This is fine, this is nice. This is probably almost normal.

"But I think I'm going to start being a little more adventurous where this is concerned," she says, tapping a finger on Ivan's chest and grinning slyly. "Seems to be the right thing to do."

He doesn't ask. A respect for privacy, politeness, and the understanding that he doesn't need to be like his cousin at all times. He's fine with whatever people willingly bring to the table, and it rarely occurs for him to ask or look for more. Ivan doesn't need to, that would imply some sort of deeper held desire other than to be alive at the end of the day. Simple living for a simple man.

And that, though, one of his eyebrows raises in curiosity. "Oh? And are there any particular adventures you had in mind?" Ivan is here to help with this sort of thing, no problem. Just say the word. A word, any one will do. He pulls her slightly closer to him, careful to keep one hand clutching the blankets closed while the other settles on her shoulder -- if she's new to all this, she probably wouldn't appreciate a hand on her waist just yet. Something to look forward to and work up to, maybe.

"Well, maybe... holding someone's hand?"

Elizabeth is a simple woman with simple needs too, where this is concerned. Her mindset is a little old fashioned by Ivan's standards no doubt, but small things like that mean so much to her. Just being held is wonderful. She doesn't want it to end.

"I know that's probably silly for you..."

The other brow raises in spite of himself, but he nods all the same. "Hey, if it's what you want--" then he'll do it. Doesn't matter how silly she thinks it is. That was one of the things Donna Vorrutyer made sure to teach him, way back when. Before locking him out of the bedroom and making him hunt for the key she'd hidden, that is.

He takes the hand on his chest in his free one, pressing his lips to the knuckles in a mirror of the gesture he made when they first met, before threading his fingers with her's and letting it rest back on his chest. "S'not bad. I think I can see the appeal." Yeah, he can maybe start to see the value of the simple things in dating.

Again the gesture of Ivan kissing the back of her hand sends Elizabeth into little flitterings of excitement. It had been wonderful the first time he did it, but now it meant something a little more now that she knew him a little better. He's a friend.

"Not bad at all," she agrees, closing the distance and resting her head on his chest. "And you're really good at it."

Even better. Ivan wraps his arm around her shoulder holding her to him and the blankets to her. It is an effective way of warming up and he'd pat himself on the back if his hands weren't otherwise occupied. The comment gets him to smile, though -- he's never going to tire of women telling him he's good at something. He just isn't.

"Practice and good teachers, mostly. Which, of course, means I could be both for you -- s'how these things work." No one gets to be perfect by sheer willpower. Plenty of people Ivan knows give that a try, however, but that's not who he is.

"Passing on valuable teachings, of course. That's how all these things work..." she says, eyebrow raised, smirking faintly. If she has to be honest, she's looking forward to learning from Ivan. He seems experienced, yes, and no doubt willing to practice despite her self-admitted inexperience. This could really add something to her life, something that she couldn't have learned in a book.

"This is the longest anybody's held me like this. It's really nice."

Okay that makes his heart melt a little, if only because no one should be starved for affection. Sure, Ivan's been smothered with it in his youth from his mother who fussed endlessly. Annoying, but well meant. Probably. It makes him reluctant to leave -- not that he was planning on it -- but he'd be robbing her of human contact. Casting his mind around, Ivan stumbles on an idea.

"Well, if you're not doing anything for the rest of the day, it just so happens that I'm available as a human space heater. Free of charge." A beat and a grin. "We might have to go sit down though. And you'll probably need a book."

They can cuddle, Ivan can spend time being close to Elizabeth, and she can do one of the things he's coming to realize she loves. He'll... watch her read, or end up taking a nap. It doesn't really matter.

"That sounds perfect," she backs off of Ivan's chest enough to smile excitedly up at him. Cuddling. She loves cuddling, especially given it's so cold in the library with no one around. "A human space heater and a book? Sounds like the makings of a dream."

Elizabeth turns around, staying in Ivan's arms, but holding them like she's towing him behind her. "Alright, over to my desk!"

Hey, you offered to do this, Ivan.

"I'm a dream come true, what can I say?" Ivan jokes, not particularly serious with the claim. He did ask for this, and the ridiculousness of how they must look makes him laugh, low and rich. But he follows her direction over to her desk, only stumbling over his feet or her feet once or twice. Ivan is smooth, alright, he's got this.

Not caring about books doesn't mean he can't ask questions about them. "So, what's on your reading list for today?" They're important to her, and he's been coached in this. Ivan only slightly wishes it wasn't books, though, if only so he could at least have something to offer in the conversation itself.

Elizabeth laughs, squeezing Ivan's wrists in appreciation for his hyperbole. He did have that 'Prince Charming' quality to him, Elizabeth can't deny that-- it's how charming he actually is that gives Elizabeth tiny pause. Is she going too far, kissing him on the cheek and resting her head against his chest and hauling him around the library?

Maybe... Elizabeth reaches through the blanket and pulls the book into their little two-person cocoon. "A Christmas Carol-- it seemed the right thing, given how cold it's been." She pauses, bites her lip. "...Ivan, you don't... want anything from me aside from my company, do you?"

A what carol? Ivan frowns, opening his mouth to ask "What's Christmas?" before he can stop himself. It's not something he's heard before, alright.

As for that -- that's a loaded question if he's ever heard one. Ivan's silent for a moment or two, trying to think of the best way to handle this. Because he does want something from her -- a date, for starters -- possibly more kissing! But those involve her company, so he's not really sure how to approach the question at all. His face screws up in honest confusion, as he mulls over the words. "No? I mean -- anything I could want from you can't be taken. It has to be given, or else it's, you know." He makes a gesture, which is rather difficult when she's right there in his arms. "Not the same."

Somehow he doesn't think that's the right answer, and he sighs, shoulders slumping slightly. "And I wouldn't want it, if it meant not having your company at all."

Please help him, Elizabeth, he's thinking on a completely different track than the one you're asking about.

The silence gives Elizabeth her cue to turn around and look at Ivan's face. She's looking at his eyes, listening to how he breathes, watching to see if he swallows. Experienced liars would know better, but most average people couldn't lie with a straight face. While she watches Ivan's confusion, her own expression looks mildly guarded, though there's something deeper in her eyes. Memories of pain, memories of being used for her position and power. She can't begin to tell Ivan all of it, it would require telling him the rest of everything and that would just make things more complicated than either of them wanted, probably.

She doesn't quite cotton on to the thought that she and Ivan are thinking of different things until he's done talking. Then she looks a little flummoxed and her cheeks go a little pink. "I, uh, wasn't talking about that, but uh... the fact that you thought I was is answer enough so--" she laughs, awkwardly, her tension gone for the moment. Yes, Ivan probably wanted exactly what Elizabeth thought he did, and that's fine. That's great.

"Forget I mentioned it--" She turns around and starts dragging Ivan towards the door. "Christmas is a holiday where I come from. People get together with their families and/or friends, and exchange gifts and sing songs together and have a gigantic meal. It's about being with people you love-- and the story I'm reading is about a man who has no one to be with because he's turned away from all of that."

He sees it in her eyes, files it away in his mind without connecting it to the question she asked. He could, if he tried, but Ivan hasn't made it to twenty-five by putting details together; that he leaves for his cousins who are required to by their jobs. He doesn't envy them. But what he would have is the chance to make the echoes of pain vanish, at least for a little while. That's not too much to want, is it?

But the blush and her recovery puts him more at ease -- apparently she's fine with what he might want, and the uncertain confusion fades into a grin. Right, okay, he didn't screw this one up and is still free to go. "Mention what?" he asks, in confirmation that he'll do exactly that. Something he has practice at, don't worry.

Letting her drag him around isn't a problem, and he willingly goes where she leads. "Oh. Huh, that's almost like Winterfair -- children get gifts, there's bonfires at midnight -- the new year starts right after, and there's celebrations leading up to the day itself." Christmas sounds like an odd name for a celebration of the end of the year, but alright, he'll allow it.

"Yes! That sounds about right! Though usually the end of the year comes a week later where I'm from." She smiles as she leads them out of the library and locks the door after them with her thumb.

"Though I haven't seen a Christmas bonfire, that sounds like it would be a lot of fun."

"Really?" He asks, curiously, still following her without question. "Why's that? I guess it's not as confusing as ours -- the fiscal year begins with" the shape of his mouth starts to say a name before he thinks better of it. "The Emperor's birthday. It's shortly before Miles', actually. Feels weird not doing anything for it here, there's a ball and dinner back home that he sits through reluctantly every year."

Ivan's never envied Gregor, but he especially doesn't envy him that particular duty. "Miles once convinced Gregor to skip out on a good hour of it once when we were kids -- he was older than us and more politically inclined, and I was dragged along for the ride like usual. No one noticed. Sure, Illyan gave us all his best ImpSec lecture after, but I'm pretty sure Uncle Aral would have laughed if he was allowed to."

The story would be a lot more impressive with the knowledge that Miles convinced the Emperor of Barrayar to skip out on his own birthday celebrations and that the Lord Regent of Barrayar had thought it was hilarious. Details.

"I suppose it wasn't so important you were there if nobody noticed you were gone for over an hour," Elizabeth grins, shuffling them back towards her room. Yes, it would be a far more impressive story if Elizabeth knew everybody's part, but she's imagining a group of kids sneaking out of a church service. "What did you get up to?"

"Oh," Ivan says with a grin, "it was. I suspect Uncle Aral covered for us, once he realized where we'd gone off to and that we'd gone off together. He's got an odd sense of humor for a man with his political and military clout." The fact that he has a sense of humor at all, honestly.

"Nothing much. Just wandered into a side room -- the one filled with all the gold coins once the Counts had been through and presented them. We stole more than our fill of hors d'oeuvres -- stuffed 'em under our tunics -- and feasted away from adult eyes. At least for a little while." And also thrown them at each other, and watched Miles attempt to make a grandiose speech while Ivan laughed and Gregor watched with silent amusement.

It's hard to open a door for someone when you're wrapped around them and with a blanket around your shoulders, but Ivan attempts it once they've gotten to their destination.

Elizabeth imagines the scene-- small Ivan, Miles, and Greg sneaking as only young boys can sneak under a tablecloth or something, their shirts bulging with something staining the inside-- and smiles. She can almost put herself in that image, and she wishes it had been that way. Mischief, relatives or siblings around her age, harmless 'adventure'...

"It sounds like a really nice memory," Elizabeth says with a wistful smile, shuffling into her room after Ivan opens the door for her. She has no roommates, so she just walks right in without any announcement. "Alright, which bed are we posting up in?"

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject