Pre-Jump Earth Literature

[aestrix]

It's a new term, and the end of the break between terms most students have been enjoying. But time marches ever on, and so at 1:00 PM, just after lunch, twenty-six students all around the age of fifteen are finding seats in an obnoxiously decorated classroom. It's one of those classrooms that tries very hard to be peppy and inspirational, and only succeeds at being very out of touch, and kind of creepy.

Soon it will be time to read about things long-dead people wrote.

Comments

[poll_the_stars]

The redhead who has definitely not obsessively read ahead to find the perfect verse, definitely not, raises her hand when they're somewhere in the second act.

"A blessed labor, my most sovereign lord," she says, in a clear voice with a distinct Barrayaran accent, with a faint smile at her lips. "Amongst this princely heap, if any here by false intelligence, or wrong surmise hold me a foe, if I unwittingly, or in my rage, have aught committed that is hardly bourne by any in this presence, I desire to reconcile me to his friendly peace. 'Tis death to me to be at enmity; I hate it, and desire all good men's love."

... Definitely not obsessively read ahead to find the perfect verse. Nope. Not her. She would never.

She finishes up the rest of the section, and wonders if she maybe should not have done that. Maybe. She doesn't know. If there were a nearby window, she might be tempted to fling herself out of it in embarrassment, but this is Beta Colony. There is no such window. Only her chair. She forces herself not to sink in it.

[thisvorlunatic]

...

That's... that's definitely a Barrayaran girl. Shit.

Miles stares. And the verse she picked...?! Is he reading too much into this? He has got to be reading too much into this. What the fuck. God, there's a Barrayaran girl in his class and the first thing she ever heard out of him was that. How could she possibly be anything other than completely disgusted by him? The choice of verse is a coincidence. Or she's mocking him. It's very possible that she's mocking him.

She reads well, though.

Ugh. He can't think about this. He tears his eyes away from her and goes back to skimming the play while the next classmate takes their turn.

[poll_the_stars]

... Yep. Let's. Let's just skim the play. That is a good plan that both Barrayarans present can do.

(Aaaaaaaaa oh no what if she messed up she probably messed up this was a stupid idea where is a window when she really needs one!)

Eventually, the class ends.

[thisvorlunatic]

Miles waits half a minute before he leaves, so he won't have to suffer any of his classmates looking at him while he walks out of the classroom.

[poll_the_stars]

Does she talk to him or does she run? Both options are so tempting. She really can't decide.

Nnnnnnnngh no no no she will not flee that is a decidedly un-Vorish thing to do right now, just. Just. Take a deep breath. Then get up, walk over to him, and:

"... Hi," she says, feeling inane.

[thisvorlunatic]

What. She's talking to him. Why is she talking to him.

...She doesn't seem openly hostile, at least...?

He's been on Beta Colony long enough that the glance at her earrings is automatic. Not-available-for-undisclosed-reasons. Which makes perfect sense, right, she's Barrayaran, why is she even on this planet...?

He realizes he has been staring blankly at her for a full second. "Uh, hi," he says awkwardly.

[poll_the_stars]

...

She can still run if she wants. The door is right over there.

Shit shit shit shit shit -

"Um." What does she even have to say? 'Hey I liked the way you read that passage that was sort of horrifically cruel to you,' or maybe, 'I think you can extract an apology from the teacher, he looked like the only reason he didn't fling himself at your feet was his love of literature and how everyone was busy reading,' or perhaps, 'So um, did you like the, passage I definitely did not obsessively pick out like a crazy person?'

"How long have you been on Beta Colony?" she asks, deciding after a long pause that incredibly boring is better than mortifying.

[thisvorlunatic]

Why is this happening to him.

She honestly doesn't seem hostile, though. It's weird.

"Just since the start of last term, but this isn't my first visit or anything. I - have family here, my grandmother, I'm staying with her while I get my well-rounded galactic education."

And oh how well rounded it has been. No, he's trying not to dwell on that.

[poll_the_stars]

She nods.

"I have um, been here for over a year, with my sister. And, um. Yes. Well-rounded galactic education."

Awkwaaaard paaaause.

[thisvorlunatic]

How well-rounded has her education nope not thinking about it.

Okay, if he's having a conversation, he's having a conversation. He approximates a smile.

"My name's Miles, I didn't catch yours...?"

[poll_the_stars]

"Yvette Vorlaine." She curtsies. "... Um, I can leave you alone, if you'd rather, I just. Sort of. Am completely surrounded by Betans, all, the time."

[thisvorlunatic]

"...I - no, if you want to make friends with the only other Barrayaran at the school, I'm all for it," what is he doing, "Betans can be very... Betan sometimes, I completely understand if you want a break."

[poll_the_stars]

"They can be very Betan," she agrees seriously, sounding relieved upon spying this Point Of Comparison. She's going to seize it. "My very favorite part's the one where I hear insinuations that I should never go home."

[thisvorlunatic]

"I get that one too. With varying ratios of superiority to concern depending how much the person in question actually knows about Barrayar."

...If he's going to drive her away, might as well do it fast. As he collects his things and stands up, he adds, "Maybe I should keep the opening monologue of Richard III memorized for the earnestly worried crowd. It sure did a number on poor Frank."

There. It's not a trick of perspective: he really is this short. And he has a slight limp, too, obvious when he begins to move away from his desk. Now's your chance to run, Yvette Vorlaine.

[poll_the_stars]

She doesn't run. She expected this, with the speech. She does take a brief moment to look him over, but there's no flinch or fleeing. Not even the subtle facial flinch or looking away immediately.

A laugh escapes her at his words; it seems to surprise her a bit. "I, I think it won't have, quite the effect as it did here. Frank seemed more mortified that he put you in the situation than the words themselves." Pause. "Though you did deliver it beautifully."

(OH GOD YVETTE WHAT ARE YOU DOING! WHY ARE YOU SAYING THINGS! HE IS NOT VOR! HE IS A MUTANT! IF YOU WERE A PROPER LADY YOU WOULD RUN! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA.

... If she were a proper lady she would not be on Beta Colony, fuck you flinch reaction, take a jump to hell.)

She pauses, and reviews her words. Oh shit. Mother is going to be so disappointed in her for her lax manners. Shit. Maybe she has been here too long.

[thisvorlunatic]

He grins. It could be a very nice smile, under other circumstances, without so much pain in it. "What can I say. The character just speaks to me."

[poll_the_stars]

... She has no idea how to reply to this, actually!

"I hope not with the megalomania and the murder and the lies and the betrayal," she says, dry. "That sounds like it would end poorly."

Well. She said that. She's not sure if she's okay with that.

[thisvorlunatic]

He laughs.

And, this being the best he's felt in weeks, and with her Barrayaran accent making him feel at home, he answers without thinking. "Come on, I can't kill Gregor, then I'll have no one left to play Tacti-Go with."

...oops. Well, if there's a Vor girl in his class someone's bound to have a security report on her already, and it's not like going by Miles Naismith on Beta Colony is that much more than a convenience/formality. It's probably fine.

[poll_the_stars]

She takes a few seconds to piece this together, at first thinking that 'Gregor' is his - brother, maybe. And then context of the play connects with his first name and her admittedly slightly sketchy political knowledge and oh shit is he the Regent's son?

A tiny sound escapes her lips, before she clamps them shut and forces herself to look calm.

"I wasn't aware the Emperor played Tacti-Go," she says carefully, because that is the only sentence in her head that makes sense. "Or that playing it was his most endearing trait."

... Okay that last part just. Slipped out. Whoops.

[thisvorlunatic]

"I, uh." Awkward. "...I have a very inappropriate sense of humour sometimes?"

[poll_the_stars]

Oh that did seem rather judgmental, didn't it.

"I am not offended." And she isn't. But she is slightly out of her depth and rethinking that whole 'not running' thing. She subtly looks for escape routes. Aaaaaaa what does she do this was not in her etiquette lessons aaaaa.

"You should hear my sister, yesterday she joked about getting a sex change."

...

Whatever she was supposed to do it was probably not that.

[thisvorlunatic]

"Well, she came to the right planet for it."

[poll_the_stars]

"She did, it's true. She'd probably be serious about it if it meant she could enlist, but - Barrayar."

Why is she saying these words, where is her filter, she just keeps saying things! HELP! SOMEONE SHUT HER UP!

[thisvorlunatic]

"Barrayar," Miles agrees with a sigh and a half-smile. "And, uh, if she was planning to lie extensively and never get found out, her chances of pulling it off have just taken a sharp dive, I'm sorry to say."

[poll_the_stars]

Of course. ImpSec.

"Got talked out of something like that by Mother years ago," says Yvette serenely. "Too suicidal, and if she were found out there'd be no way for us to help her. She's training to be a jump pilot, according to her that is almost as good. I think her current plan involves finding her in through Komarr, though I've lost track of the specifics."