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Ivan is asleep when it happens, but the captain knocking on his door gets him up quick enough. "What? Where's the fire?" Ivan asks. This was supposed to be a quiet posting. Well, the posting on Earth was supposed to be quiet too, cultural, etcetera, but Xerxes is supposed to be downright boring. Ivan is not supposed to be awakened from his eight hours unexpectedly.
"Murder, not a fire. You're cousin to Lord Mark Vorkosigan, aren't you?" says the captain.
Ivan has to think for a second. "...Yes?"
"Security vid picked him up within radius of a murder. This is the first we knew of him being on the planet, but the locals want us to bring him in so they don't have to it themselves and risk mishandling a Vor lord. Seemed worth consulting you on him - the file on him's really something."
Ivan blinks. "You need to arrest Mark."
"Yes."
"...Sir. Uh, give me a while to try doing it myself. He's... I'm not positive I can succeed but I am pretty sure I can survive trying, and unless he's in a cooperative mood I'm very uncertain anybody else can say the same thing."
"He may have just killed a man."
"I'm aware. He likes me. He doesn't know you from a hole in the ground, or anybody else within fetching distance, sir. Give me his last location and a few hours? Please?"
"By yourself?"
"He wouldn't know anybody you could send with me from a hole in the ground."
The captain chews his lip. "None of your shenanigans, all right?"
"Sir, I'm not the shenanigans one, it's just contagious when m'co- my other cousin's around. I'll see if I can find him, if I find him I'll try to bring him back."
The captain eventually acquiesces. And that is why Ivan is tromping around downtown, debating whether or not to call "Mark? Mark?" like he's looking for a lost dog.
Ivan has to arrest Mark
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middlingalong
middlingalong
"I wouldn't have offered to go with you to get belongings if you had to stay put in the embassy strictly."
middlingalong
"Okay."
Puzzle. Puzzle puzzle.
"D'you need anything? Should I just leave you alone to do your nothing?"
unmarred
"Doesn't matter. Ignore me if you want, talk to me if you want. Either option has its merits."
middlingalong
Eventually:
"I'm going to go get dinner. You want to be among people who aren't me or should I bring you something?"
"I'm going to go get dinner. You want to be among people who aren't me or should I bring you something?"
middlingalong
"I know, I asked you what your favorite food was and you told me 'everything'. On fast-penta. See if I don't bring you nothing but peanut butter."
middlingalong
Ivan smiles and nips out for food. He comes back with two little boxes of dinner. Mark gets more variety than peanut butter, although peanut butter is present.
middlingalong
Ivan eats in the room, then flomps into his bed and switches from pen puzzle to reading something.
unmarred
Mark resumes lumpfulness once he finishes his dinner.
At some point, he quietly goes to sleep.
At some point, he quietly goes to sleep.
unmarred
In the morning, Mark will be an asleep lump!
It's not terribly much different from an awake lump. In fact it is a lot like an awake lump tipped over sideways.
It's not terribly much different from an awake lump. In fact it is a lot like an awake lump tipped over sideways.
middlingalong
Ivan does his best to be quiet as he does various morning activities.
unmarred
Either he succeeds in not waking Mark, or Mark is too lumpiferous to show signs of having woken.
middlingalong
Well, after the warning about personal space Ivan isn't going to prematurely try to wake him up without a very good reason.
He checks his messages. Scratch that.
"Mark?"
(From a safe distance.)
He checks his messages. Scratch that.
"Mark?"
(From a safe distance.)
middlingalong
"They caught your guy. Nobody will be even slightly irritated if you waltz out. Well, possibly your ImpSec tail, but they're probably perpetually irritated."
unmarred
"I wonder how many of them have heard about the dried beans incident?" He shakes his head, smiling. "Anyway, thank you. Off I go." Just as soon as he gets dressed. Coffee does not seem to be a required step in this process.