[ gideon is also wondering why she's going so much out of her way for somebody who reminds her both of harrow and of the uppity third house. is she just so damned used to being insulted? is this her natural state, that she gravitates to people who will look down their noses as they give orders? to look for approval in the worst places?
"Have you two been paired a very long time?"
she shakes her head violently.
what would harrow do, if somebody called her 'adequate,' even if it wasn't totally intended as an insult? harrow would certainly take it like one. harrow would probably kill them. harrow wouldn't stand for being demeaned. gideon... doesn't do a damned thing. gideon relies on sarcasm. ]
Oh, high praise. I don't recommend using that as a line when you're trying to get somebody into bed for real.
[ the veretian way of managing things seems awfully centered on biology. that's not totally dissimilar from the houses' obsession with genetics, but at least the rich and powerful gave themselves options with technology. the ninth house is going to need an heir eventually, but gideon can honestly see harrow cloning herself before consenting to get married. ]
If you're not into girls, which it sounds like your society basically trains you not to be, can't you like... change the law when you're the king? Adopt a baby? Marry somebody that you want? I don't think you 'grow into' heterosexuality.
[ alright she can't be too mean to him, he's clearly having some bad effects from the bite. they'd both better hope those things aren't venomous. maybe he'll even forget this entire conversation. ]
I wouldn't know. All the other children of the Ninth House died of creche flu when I was a baby. [ she'd never thought of it as a whole generation, but it was. they hadn't acquired any new children at all since then. ]
It was only ever me and Harrow, and she--
[ "Step one," princess ianthe said, singsong, over the dead body of her cavalier. her empty cavalier. "Preserve the soul, with intellect and memory intact. Step two, analyse it-- understand its structure, its shape.
Step three--" ]
--and she's the worst, [ gideon finishes, sounding grim for the first time. ]
no subject
"Have you two been paired a very long time?"
she shakes her head violently.
what would harrow do, if somebody called her 'adequate,' even if it wasn't totally intended as an insult? harrow would certainly take it like one. harrow would probably kill them. harrow wouldn't stand for being demeaned. gideon... doesn't do a damned thing. gideon relies on sarcasm. ]
Oh, high praise. I don't recommend using that as a line when you're trying to get somebody into bed for real.
[ the veretian way of managing things seems awfully centered on biology. that's not totally dissimilar from the houses' obsession with genetics, but at least the rich and powerful gave themselves options with technology. the ninth house is going to need an heir eventually, but gideon can honestly see harrow cloning herself before consenting to get married. ]
If you're not into girls, which it sounds like your society basically trains you not to be, can't you like... change the law when you're the king? Adopt a baby? Marry somebody that you want? I don't think you 'grow into' heterosexuality.
[ alright she can't be too mean to him, he's clearly having some bad effects from the bite. they'd both better hope those things aren't venomous. maybe he'll even forget this entire conversation. ]
I wouldn't know. All the other children of the Ninth House died of creche flu when I was a baby. [ she'd never thought of it as a whole generation, but it was. they hadn't acquired any new children at all since then. ]
It was only ever me and Harrow, and she--
[ "Step one," princess ianthe said, singsong, over the dead body of her cavalier. her empty cavalier. "Preserve the soul, with intellect and memory intact. Step two, analyse it-- understand its structure, its shape.
Step three--" ]
--and she's the worst, [ gideon finishes, sounding grim for the first time. ]