[IC] [El Nysa] IC Contact Post

[dendarii]

"This is - Emperor Vorkosigan. Leave a message and We will return it at Our earliest convenience."

Comments

[dendarii]

[ Unusual enough that Miles doesn't reply immediately. He'd hovered while Byerly had been unconscious, then been a bit awkward and distant when he'd been awake. He hasn't exactly been a good liege lord, either. ]

By all means.

[vorrutyer]

Order me to sobriety.

[dendarii]

What?

[vorrutyer]

[ A few minutes. ]

Never mind. Forget it.

[dendarii]

No, tell me. What do you mean? Have you been drinking that much?

[ He wouldn't blame Byerly for it. ]

[vorrutyer]

No. I've hardly had a drop to drink.

[dendarii]

[ That ... concerns him more than excess drink does. ]

And here I thought Vorrutyers had more wine than blood in their veins.

[vorrutyer]

Oh, hardly. The truly mad ones make all their bad decisions completely without drink. They say Le Sanguinaire never touched a drop.

[dendarii]

Then this is a sign of madness, Byerly?

[vorrutyer]

It was only a matter of time before I cracked, wasn't it?

[dendarii]

God. Don't talk like that.

[ And then, a moment later, because he doesn't want that to be an Imperial Command -- ]

Please.

[vorrutyer]

What - don't tell me it upsets you. Your older self always seemed to treat me like I was three-quarters mad and one-quarter a drooling imbecile.

[dendarii]

Three-quarters, sure. But not completely mad. I'd have no sane subjects left.

[vorrutyer]

I'm flattered by your faith that you have one now.

[dendarii]

I'd say I do. However narrowly.

... What do you need to be sober from?

[vorrutyer]

Take a guess.

[dendarii]

Some sort of drug, I'm assuming, but I've no idea what.

[vorrutyer]

And does it really matter precisely what it was?

[dendarii]

Of course it does. I can't tell if you're obeying me if I don't know what you're using.

[vorrutyer]

It's nothing you'd be familiar with, sire. It's nothing I was familiar with, and I believe I'm rather more worldly than yourself.

[dendarii]

Then if you want me to command you to sobriety, you have to show me what it is.

[vorrutyer]

Why? Are you going to take it?

[dendarii]

Hell no.

[vorrutyer]

Then why do you need to see it?

[dendarii]

You've been using it, haven't you? That's why you need this order.

As it is, I had no idea you were doing any such thing.