"You mean I'm not the prettiest?" Sonia demands uninvited with a pout, all under that glossy haze of the fast-penta that makes it all seem so very off. Ghem-Yulang, looking a little exasperated, motions for her to stop, but Sonia keeps talking.
"You have it all wrong anyway. For one, she's a Countess now. And my sister isn't going to go hare off and do something stupid. That's something I'd do." A giggle escapes her. "And you make the mistake of thinking that she'd go behind Count Piotr's back like that. I don't think you get it. They're partners." The word comes out sing-song, all crystal cheer. "Nobody believes it because it's Barrayar, and I think sometimes even Count Piotr doesn't want to admit it. But my sister is brilliant. And he knows it. And if anyone's making the decisions about me, it's Olivia. Count Piotr always lets her handle that. I suppose," she says, suddenly sighing and drooping in her chair, "they still think of me as a child. Someone to be handled. What do I have to do to prove I'm an adult around here?"
"Stop," ghem-Yulang says, and Sonia's would-be whine tirade abruptly comes to a stop. The ghem-major looks over at Tarn and Byerly, lips pursed. "You do understand that the Princess's life is not under threat at the moment. That isn't part of ghem-General Zefyst's current plan."
"No, that would be stupid," Sonia laughs, apparently unable to keep quiet for long. "All that would do is piss them off, and if you killed me, you wouldn't have anything to bargain with at all, just a really, really pissed off Count and Countess with fresh motivation. If you killed me, you'd just be fueling the fire. You'd make a martyr out of me." She lets out a disjointed laugh. "I'm good for morale, you know. And Piotr Vorkosigan will call your bluff every time, but you'll never call his."
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"You have it all wrong anyway. For one, she's a Countess now. And my sister isn't going to go hare off and do something stupid. That's something I'd do." A giggle escapes her. "And you make the mistake of thinking that she'd go behind Count Piotr's back like that. I don't think you get it. They're partners." The word comes out sing-song, all crystal cheer. "Nobody believes it because it's Barrayar, and I think sometimes even Count Piotr doesn't want to admit it. But my sister is brilliant. And he knows it. And if anyone's making the decisions about me, it's Olivia. Count Piotr always lets her handle that. I suppose," she says, suddenly sighing and drooping in her chair, "they still think of me as a child. Someone to be handled. What do I have to do to prove I'm an adult around here?"
"Stop," ghem-Yulang says, and Sonia's would-be whine tirade abruptly comes to a stop. The ghem-major looks over at Tarn and Byerly, lips pursed. "You do understand that the Princess's life is not under threat at the moment. That isn't part of ghem-General Zefyst's current plan."
"No, that would be stupid," Sonia laughs, apparently unable to keep quiet for long. "All that would do is piss them off, and if you killed me, you wouldn't have anything to bargain with at all, just a really, really pissed off Count and Countess with fresh motivation. If you killed me, you'd just be fueling the fire. You'd make a martyr out of me." She lets out a disjointed laugh. "I'm good for morale, you know. And Piotr Vorkosigan will call your bluff every time, but you'll never call his."