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31_days2006-05-15 06:12 pm
baka-neko.livejournal.com) wrote in 31_days2006-05-15 06:12 pm
[May 15][Vorkosigan]Little plastic men
Title: Little plastic men
Theme: a little taste of power and a shiny uniform
Series: Miles Vorkosigan
Characters: Miles, Cordelia and Aral Vorkosigan
Rating: G
Miles had his seventh birthday surrounded mostly by adults, in part because he'd managed to fall off a waterfall and break his legs (again) on the very morning, and in part because as grand as Miles' bedroom was, it still wasn't large enough to accommodate more than ten adults and one glowering Sergeant Bothari.
"Can I open my presents now?" Miles asked, cheeks still creamy from demolishing his cake.
"Yes you may," said Cordelia resignedly. Hopefully he would be exhausted enough after the entire excitement to want a nap. Cordelia desperately wanted one herself -- her heart was still drumming furiously, and Aral looked rather wild-eyed and more in need of the sedative the med-tech was concealing in his pocket than Miles did.
"Cool!" Miles pronounced, and ripped his way through. To her secret relief, the loot produced three holovids, a new saddle, a bag of sweets (immediately confiscated until Miles could actually work off the sugar high), four new vidgames and a set of army men.
Cordelia sat down very firmly on the urge to shriek hysterically, rip them out of Miles' clutching hands and fling them in the recycler.
"It's a historical Earth Army figurine set," Miles crowed, avidly reading the little holo-display. "It comes with 158 tactical formation grids of past Earth wars and- and...Mother?"
She hadn't realised her face was so transparent, or that even Miles could even tear his attention away from his toys long enough to look at her. She took a deep breath and let all the tension ease out of her. There were no men in quiet green rooms here, or children with guns hiding in the nooks of Miles' room, laying out death and plans that bled others of all life and honour. "Just some bad thoughts, love," she said gently. "You'll take care of them, won't you? I'm not going to find them drowned in the lake, or buried in the garden or broken to pieces and underfoot, am I?"
"Of course not!" Miles said in horror, clutching his toys possessively. "I'm going to be like Da, and take good care of my men."
Aral's grip on her hand tightened reflexively, and she couldn't help but smile.
We must have done good, she thought fiercely, lovingly, gripping Aral's hand. Let us continue to do good, that our son will always believe it. And when that day comes when he, like all other Barrayaran boys, are seduced by a taste of power and the uniform, that he'll always remember what these soldiers really are.
Theme: a little taste of power and a shiny uniform
Series: Miles Vorkosigan
Characters: Miles, Cordelia and Aral Vorkosigan
Rating: G
Miles had his seventh birthday surrounded mostly by adults, in part because he'd managed to fall off a waterfall and break his legs (again) on the very morning, and in part because as grand as Miles' bedroom was, it still wasn't large enough to accommodate more than ten adults and one glowering Sergeant Bothari.
"Can I open my presents now?" Miles asked, cheeks still creamy from demolishing his cake.
"Yes you may," said Cordelia resignedly. Hopefully he would be exhausted enough after the entire excitement to want a nap. Cordelia desperately wanted one herself -- her heart was still drumming furiously, and Aral looked rather wild-eyed and more in need of the sedative the med-tech was concealing in his pocket than Miles did.
"Cool!" Miles pronounced, and ripped his way through. To her secret relief, the loot produced three holovids, a new saddle, a bag of sweets (immediately confiscated until Miles could actually work off the sugar high), four new vidgames and a set of army men.
Cordelia sat down very firmly on the urge to shriek hysterically, rip them out of Miles' clutching hands and fling them in the recycler.
"It's a historical Earth Army figurine set," Miles crowed, avidly reading the little holo-display. "It comes with 158 tactical formation grids of past Earth wars and- and...Mother?"
She hadn't realised her face was so transparent, or that even Miles could even tear his attention away from his toys long enough to look at her. She took a deep breath and let all the tension ease out of her. There were no men in quiet green rooms here, or children with guns hiding in the nooks of Miles' room, laying out death and plans that bled others of all life and honour. "Just some bad thoughts, love," she said gently. "You'll take care of them, won't you? I'm not going to find them drowned in the lake, or buried in the garden or broken to pieces and underfoot, am I?"
"Of course not!" Miles said in horror, clutching his toys possessively. "I'm going to be like Da, and take good care of my men."
Aral's grip on her hand tightened reflexively, and she couldn't help but smile.
We must have done good, she thought fiercely, lovingly, gripping Aral's hand. Let us continue to do good, that our son will always believe it. And when that day comes when he, like all other Barrayaran boys, are seduced by a taste of power and the uniform, that he'll always remember what these soldiers really are.