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Ivan has just recently been assigned to Earth. It's very cultural. He has already explained Vor to groups of natives four separate times. Some of them seem to find it really hilarious to call him Lord Vorpatril. He doesn't mind; some of those people are girls who giggle it and bat their eyelashes. He likes it here just fine.
After he finishes with his day-job duties (separate from attending diplomatic functions to stand around and look handsome) he attempts to let himself out of the room with the comconsole and all its data to sift through, only to find that the hallway has turned into a bar.
He looks over his shoulder. The office is still normal. Which is to say there are no other exits.
Ivan goes into the bar, squinting.
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middlingalong
middlingalong
Ivan crashes for the night. Zzzz.
The next day, after he does his work, he finds his room empty, presumes that the twins-six-years-apart are in Miles's room, and he knocks perfunctorily and lets himself in.
The next day, after he does his work, he finds his room empty, presumes that the twins-six-years-apart are in Miles's room, and he knocks perfunctorily and lets himself in.
thisvorlunatic
There they are!
"Look, I don't care what you—hi Ivan," says Miles.
"Look, I don't care what you—hi Ivan," says Miles.
unmarred
"One, yes you do, two, scientific consensus has changed in the last thousand years, three, you've seen me do it, you clearly know that it works," says Mark. "Hi, Ivan."
middlingalong
"Your arguing about books has a time limit," says Ivan, "Miles, th'captain wants you at the little shindig the ambassador's hosting for the new Zoave Twilightan - Twilightian? Zoavian? Whatever the word. The new ambassador from Zoave Twilight."
unmarred
"Miles wants me to be his substitute because he thinks it's going to be boring. I don't want to be his substitute, because I know it's going to be boring."
middlingalong
"Oh, these things aren't that bad, you make small talk, the food's always nice."
middlingalong
"I'm very sociably inclined. Anyway, Miles, dress greens, look sharp, it's in an hour."
thisvorlunatic
"Come on, Mark, you didn't even give me a chance to make my pitch!"
middlingalong
"Suck it up," snorts Ivan. "I'm going to go change. But call me in if you decide to argue with a mirror."
middlingalong
Ivan chuckles and goes back to his own room to get into his dress uniform.
thisvorlunatic
Miles changes. Reluctanctly. And appears in the hall, also reluctantly.
middlingalong
And he and Ivan go and meet various assistants of the Zoavian ambassador (Ivan inquires of his the demonym and she tells him that's what it is) and serve as their escorts at the party. The food's lovely.
thisvorlunatic
The food is lovely. The loveliness of the food somewhat makes up for every other aspect of the situation.
middlingalong
There is another of the same a couple days after; this sort of event is scattered on an irregular basis between the clockwork of Ivan's day job and the as-time-allows of Ivan's out-of-the-embassy social life. Miles and Mark continue to develop rapport and are eventually moved to visit the embassy gym in addition to the endless reading-and-partially-telepathic conversations.
The Dendarii go about their business without any disasters that require elaborate Milesian shenanigans to depart the embassy and see to them in person.
Miles's money and his orders from Tau Ceti come in - he and his Dendarii are wanted elsewhere in the galaxy with all speed. Ivan bids him goodbye and proceeds about business as usual, including going with Carolyn to some kind of traditional cultural festival, which is very cultural, involves tasting a few dozen kinds of cheese, and sees him heading home via tubeway from its slightly far-flung location in the late evening.
On his way to the tubeway station, he meets a surprise stunner bolt.