Voice Testing Post

[use_everything]

Canon

A.

[You may find yourself facing large, heavy gates. Behind the bars, you can easily see the enormous, austere residence spread both tall and wide against a backdrop of a lake, stables and a small, private cemetery. The unbridled horse grazing, unhitched beside a carriage, by a liveried servant is in direct opposition to an obviously futuristic lightflier not far from it.

Even the guard that narrows to nervous attention holds both a sword and a strange, small device.]

And you are?

[The voice comes from behind.

Aral, for his part, neither looks, nor feels the part of the lord. Having taken the long way, treacherous and unmonitored paths and foothills back to the residence, he smells of sap, a chemical tinge of smoke and the exertion it took to get back. His green dress uniform had survived in all but the pressed edges, looking as if he'd intended the slight look of disarray and set jaw.

He lifts a hand, stilling the guard from comment on him, and focuses all of his attention on this newcomer.]

B.

[The Counts and Minsters poured out of the building first. The debates of the evening being traded in words so sharp that they might as well have been blows. Aral followed much more sedately, having taken a bit of time to brief his intelligence officer and leave orders for the evening.

It's by chance he stumbled across a stranger, enough out of place to inspire both caution and curiosity in equal measures.]

You seem lost.

Mask or Menace

C.

[It helped to liken the city to a space station. It had the bustle of a large hub.. the rowdy clash and wild fusion of fashions and cultures that defied any easy identification of a trend or perhaps some anthropological hint as to the people - and species... intelligent and alien, the very thought sent his mind into fits of fantasy and planning at once. It was like water, as far as he could tell. Formless, impossible to grip, but could fill the air around you and sweep one far away should he let it. There were colors and layers fitting the ghem Cetagandan... lack of modesty known to the Betans... the maliable gathering of anything adorned by a Jacksonian mindset...

And yet, nothing that fit anything else.

There was only one way to begin. Diplomatically.]

Might I ask a question?

OTHER

[Pick your poison, or let me know and I'll cater a starter to you.]

Comments

C

[keep_nothing]

[ She looks over the same things that he's seeing, one hand raised to shield her eyes from the bright sun beating down on them—too much time on Barrayar already? she asks herself, have you gotten used to those dreary, dim days that never happened on Beta Colony? But she's seeing the different flavors and clashes of culture around her, some seemingly familiar and others excitingly foreign. Even covered by shade as they are, it's easy to discern her excitement from the look in her eyes. The smile she's wearing also helps.

Unfortunately, Aral can't see either of those until she leans in from behind his left shoulder to mock-whisper in his ear: ]

Only one question?

[use_everything]

[He whirls, at first, from the hapless native he'd stopped. Taken off balance by a presence so familiar, so accepted by him that she slid into his guard without it even lifting the hairs on the back of his neck.

Alarm and surprise, clear on his face as the cool, cloudless winter sky, both step aside, making way for the procession of relief and joy in their equal measure. No thought of selfishness, nor in sparing her. This whole foreign, confusing and slightly menacing world seemed trivial or, at the least, less indomitable than it had a moment before.]

My dear Captain, [He resists the urge to simply sweep her up, off of her feet, and settles for taking her hand, a deep bow over it.] You, alone, are a necessary answer.

[keep_nothing]

[ Her grin widens as he bows in front of her, gripping his hand probably with more force than is strictly necessary. It'd been a risk sneaking up on him like that, knowing full-well how badly he could have reacted, but getting this reaction was well worth it.

When he straightens up, it's all she can do not to step in close and kiss him in full view of everyone there, the cautious excitement of being in this new, strange place already making her a bit giddy. She makes herself settle with merely reaching out with her free hand, curling it around the side and back of his neck, her small and ring finger sliding down past his collar. Her eyes and hand are hungry for him, deeply familiar in this unfamiliar place. ]

Though I alone can't answer any other questions we both might have here.

[use_everything]

A storm of those, isn't there? No, though I imagine we can see to the basics. How? Why? Something of my favorites.

[There is a temptation to close his eyes and lean into in such a touch, and in private, he surely would have. He lifted his hand, covering hers, and catching it there for a moment, as if she could vanish as quickly as she'd reappeared at his side.]

You've been well treated.

[The lift of his voice at the end just barely makes it a question.]

[keep_nothing]

Where is another practical one, though I doubt we'd understand that particular answer without more context.

[ She continues to smile at him, though it dims slightly now, catching his tone and the bigger meaning behind it. ]

As well treated as I could claim to be with being dumped to a unknown place with only a paper brochure—real paper!—to give me any clues as to why. At least finding you made up for that.

[ The hand in his gently withdraws in order to reach for the said brochure, stuffed in her pocket after being carefully folded. ]

[use_everything]

I don't think they find trees a scarcity here, either.

[Aral murmurs, amusement light in his eyes. The ocean hadn't been far from here, visible in the ride out to the city from the base. It had been a mere observation before, but now, certainly, it was a plan to take her there.

He lets his own hand rest back at his side, tracing where he'd placed his own, brochure and file.]

There's some interesting claims of ... magic, I suppose. [It's bemused.]

[keep_nothing]

Hush you, I still find it extravagant.

[ But she gives a soft snort, looking over the paper(!!) as she does. ]

Magic, they say. I'd like to know how they can claim all this though ...

[ Her eyes pause on the part where it lists out her powers though, somehow missing it before. Her other hand withdraws from his neck to hold the paper with both hands as she now looks it over in more detail, her eyebrows drawing together to frown at the items she mistakenly skipped. ]

[use_everything]

By no technology I know. Though I'm sure there's some rumor about the Beta Colony - there always is.

[He frowned, an echo to the change of her expression.]

An issue?

[keep_nothing]

[ She says nothing in response, just holds the paper closer for him to see the powers listed there, letting it give an answer for her: Nerve Disruption and Power Reflection Field. ]

[use_everything]

[He takes it, reading briefly... and then seeming to scour each of the words.]

A poor attempt at humor.

[keep_nothing]

I'm certainly not laughing at it.

[use_everything]

[Without comment, he withdraws his own from his pockets, handing it over to her. They weren't anything he'd ask for, or even prefer to find any use for, but in comparison...]

I might have had a bit more fortune, inexplicably.

[keep_nothing]

[ Huh. Her eyebrows raise lightly. ]

At least they seem to suit you.

1/2

[use_everything]

I'd rather command a man with a heart and a mind than a machine with neither.

[use_everything]

Still. The poor humor of it aside... I can't find much fault in an assassin getting a taste of their own evil.

Keep that on.

[keep_nothing]

[ She can't help the upward twitch at the corner of her mouth, especially when he makes that sort of face. ]

I believe that would apply to you too, love. Best you keep that in mind whenever you're feeling mischievous.

[use_everything]

[He couldn't help it. His voice drops low, for her ears only, though his eyes only held laughter.]

I wonder what use we could find for that...

[keep_nothing]

[ She takes back the brochure to smack him with it. ]

Later.

[use_everything]

[He hums in response to that, pleased, an answering low fire in his eyes all but says he takes that for a promise.

It's put aside.]

There's more pressing matters. There couldn't have been a worse time for a transdimensional abduction if they'd picked it during the Pretendership itself.

[Transdimensional. Even to his own ears it sounded bizarre. Absurd, even.]

[keep_nothing]

[ The humor in her eyes dims fully away with that, replaced by worry. ]

For several reasons ...

[ But there's one reason that rises above the others in her mind. They'd only just birthed their son from the replicator a day or two ago. ]

[use_everything]

[There's a tone she only takes on the subject of their son. He doesn't need to ask for elaboration for the understanding and edged worry to be reflected in his own countenance.]

So, our first point of order is established.

[What about home?]

[keep_nothing]

[ She gives a single nod, both confirming and agreeing with him. ]

Have you seen or found anything that would give us a clue to know what's going on back on Barrayar? Or how to find out?

[use_everything]

Nothing. There's a communications network I've been monitoring for similar questions.

[He hadn't been the only one at the facility. Had he missed her by minutes? Hours?]

It may be worth asking ourselves.

[keep_nothing]

More than worth it. I want to know he's all right.

[use_everything]

[He nods at that and fishes out his own communicator, pauses, and looks around. He waves her towards a park bench near by, as they can both at least have some comfort in case this should go on long.]