Mark Pierre Vorkosigan / "Peter Kane" (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
jacksonian) wrote2016-03-05 11:05 am
jacksonian) wrote2016-03-05 11:05 am
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[ voice / video / text / in-person ]
[ That panic, weirdly, soothes Mark a little. He feels a little steadier. ]
We're going to stay calm, for a start. I'm in a very different situation now than I was back then. And you're under my protection, as far as I'm concerned.
We're going to stay calm, for a start. I'm in a very different situation now than I was back then. And you're under my protection, as far as I'm concerned.
We're hiring someone who nullifies powers. Someone to live in this house full-time until things are worked out. I'll give you a room here.
[there's a pause in replies. It's a generous offer, and he's struck for a moment by that. Miles and Mark are targets enough on their own, but Mark would be willing to bring Rincewind in as well? Draw further attention just to look out for him?]
April has the house warded, where I live isn't the issue. [it's everywhere he doesn't.]
How are you possibly taking this calmly? You really aren't afraid?
April has the house warded, where I live isn't the issue. [it's everywhere he doesn't.]
How are you possibly taking this calmly? You really aren't afraid?
Are you fucking kidding?
[ But...He feels sick, like he's simultaneously hungry and nauseous. And he feels miserable. But - ]
But Lucifer already did the worst he could do to me. It can't get any worse than it was last time. So if I've already faced down the worst, then nothing coming can be that bad, right?
[ But...He feels sick, like he's simultaneously hungry and nauseous. And he feels miserable. But - ]
But Lucifer already did the worst he could do to me. It can't get any worse than it was last time. So if I've already faced down the worst, then nothing coming can be that bad, right?
Edited 2016-12-24 04:36 (UTC)
Every time I've thought I've hit rock-bottom, someone's been kind enough to open a trap door and prove me wrong.
But if you need delusion to cope, I won't blame you for it.
I didn't consider him coming back in a different host. I didn't even think about it, even though I knew he could. Imagine if she hadn't gone and announced herself, we wouldn't have even known.
But if you need delusion to cope, I won't blame you for it.
I didn't consider him coming back in a different host. I didn't even think about it, even though I knew he could. Imagine if she hadn't gone and announced herself, we wouldn't have even known.
[ Mark stuffs down the ripple of dread he feels at those words. No. He has seen the worst. ]
Okay. Fine. Then last time he was here, I wasn't rich enough to hire an entire fucking army if I wanted to. Now I am.
And we would have figured it out. Subtlety isn't his thing. Have you talked to this one?
Okay. Fine. Then last time he was here, I wasn't rich enough to hire an entire fucking army if I wanted to. Now I am.
And we would have figured it out. Subtlety isn't his thing. Have you talked to this one?
Mr. Vorkosigan? My name is Sabriel. I had an account with you before I was Ported out, and I'd like to inquire about its status.
[ ...ugh, dammit. Still, although Mark is...somewhat dishonest at times, he's definitely not going to ruin his business reputation by being anything less than forthright here. As much as he wants to hold onto that money. ]
Yeah. You've had a return on investment of...about eleven hundred percent.
Yeah. You've had a return on investment of...about eleven hundred percent.
[There's a long pause. When Sabriel speaks, she's both stunned and grateful.]
Eleven hundred. Not a hundred and eleven? Thank you.
Is there- anything else? Any forms I need to fill out or anything like that?
Eleven hundred. Not a hundred and eleven? Thank you.
Is there- anything else? Any forms I need to fill out or anything like that?
[ He grunts, his crabbiness at the loss of the money quite assuaged by his pleasure at just how impressed she sounds. ]
You were gone, so I was playing around with it a little. Plus you were gone a while. Anyway, yeah, you can come by my office and we can work out withdrawal - if you want to withdraw it.
You were gone, so I was playing around with it a little. Plus you were gone a while. Anyway, yeah, you can come by my office and we can work out withdrawal - if you want to withdraw it.
I should probably withdraw a portion of the funds, and leave most of it with you.
[Sabriel's not a spendthrift, but she can think of several uses for extra money.]
[Sabriel's not a spendthrift, but she can think of several uses for extra money.]
[ He's clearly pleased by that. ]
Yes, that seems reasonable. Perhaps keep eighty percent of it in the fund?
Yes, that seems reasonable. Perhaps keep eighty percent of it in the fund?
Mr Vorkosigan, this is Gwenaëlle Wynne-York - you probably remember me.
( dryly. she imagines at this point in listening to her message he's probably rolling his eyes; hopefully he hears her out for the good part. )
I've heard back from the jeweller and I'd like to invest ten thousand with you. Please let me know as soon as possible how we should move forward; I'm thinking five towards high risk, high reward and five towards more conservative options. Thank you.
( dryly. she imagines at this point in listening to her message he's probably rolling his eyes; hopefully he hears her out for the good part. )
I've heard back from the jeweller and I'd like to invest ten thousand with you. Please let me know as soon as possible how we should move forward; I'm thinking five towards high risk, high reward and five towards more conservative options. Thank you.
[ Ah.
Hm.
Yes. His instinct was, indeed, to ignore this message, but...ten thousand is a lot to just brush off, even at his level of wealth. So he hesitates a moment, then decides to text her back. Texting is, after all, a bit more neutral and safe. ]
We can meet to discuss options.
Hm.
Yes. His instinct was, indeed, to ignore this message, but...ten thousand is a lot to just brush off, even at his level of wealth. So he hesitates a moment, then decides to text her back. Texting is, after all, a bit more neutral and safe. ]
We can meet to discuss options.
( her answer is prompt. )
Your office in MF? When can you fit me in?
Your office in MF? When can you fit me in?
Perfect.
( not believing in fucking about, gwen is strongly in favour of having this particular ball rolling sooner than later. she's promptly on time to see him, tying her (big) dog's leash up outside the office and habitually, briefly checking her own reflection in the nearest window before she goes inside. the clothes she arrived in are the nicest she has, for now, so it's all sleek white and high, bouncy curled ponytail and she does make a decent first impression when she's, you know, not talking.
this is familiar ground, unlike more or less everything else about being here. of the many things gwen's never done for herself, dealing with the investment manager isn't one of them; her father's never actually mismanaged their money, but a lack of stability in life will tend to send a person looking for things they can control to protect themselves.
it just makes her feel better to know she wouldn't need to rely entirely on someone else. )
( not believing in fucking about, gwen is strongly in favour of having this particular ball rolling sooner than later. she's promptly on time to see him, tying her (big) dog's leash up outside the office and habitually, briefly checking her own reflection in the nearest window before she goes inside. the clothes she arrived in are the nicest she has, for now, so it's all sleek white and high, bouncy curled ponytail and she does make a decent first impression when she's, you know, not talking.
this is familiar ground, unlike more or less everything else about being here. of the many things gwen's never done for herself, dealing with the investment manager isn't one of them; her father's never actually mismanaged their money, but a lack of stability in life will tend to send a person looking for things they can control to protect themselves.
it just makes her feel better to know she wouldn't need to rely entirely on someone else. )
[ Mark has many weaknesses. One of them is beautiful women. His only salvation is that Gwen isn't really his type - his type tends to be smiling and bright-eyed and feminine and frilly and cute and big-breasted - but even so, as she walks into his office, elegant and gorgeous, he can't help but feel like he's already at a disadvantage. He should have had someone else negotiate this, he thinks. It's not fair.
Mark's taste generally runs to a modern nouveau-riche sort of tackiness: everything in his office is expensive chrome and mahogany and brushed steel, like James Bond made into a room. Mark himself is likewise: he's a tiny man, well below five feet, grossly obese, and yet the suit that his bulk is tucked into sort of works for him. If you pour enough money into something, it'll be decent, even if you don't really have taste yourself, and so his surroundings are decent, and he's decent. In spite of everything.
He reaches out to take her hand. His palm is soft. ]
Lord Mark Vorkosigan.
Mark's taste generally runs to a modern nouveau-riche sort of tackiness: everything in his office is expensive chrome and mahogany and brushed steel, like James Bond made into a room. Mark himself is likewise: he's a tiny man, well below five feet, grossly obese, and yet the suit that his bulk is tucked into sort of works for him. If you pour enough money into something, it'll be decent, even if you don't really have taste yourself, and so his surroundings are decent, and he's decent. In spite of everything.
He reaches out to take her hand. His palm is soft. ]
Lord Mark Vorkosigan.
( her assessing gaze - frank and unfiltered, not bothering to try and bat her lashes over what she's obviously doing - takes in everything from room to man and doesn't so much make new judgments as confirm for herself what she'd already concluded. her hand when she gives him hers - unsure if it's a handshake or something else and prepared to roll with whichever - is ... also soft, but differently, oddly smooth and noticeably cooler than his. or most people's.
the tight smile suggests her face is better suited to smiling; full mouth not ideal for the thin line she so often presses it into. it's brief, but she's not unfriendly.
unnecessarily forthright, but not unfriendly. )
Gwenaëlle. Thank you for meeting me.
( see, mark. manners. )
I have a loose plan, but I'd like a second opinion. And a couple of recommendations, if possible.
the tight smile suggests her face is better suited to smiling; full mouth not ideal for the thin line she so often presses it into. it's brief, but she's not unfriendly.
unnecessarily forthright, but not unfriendly. )
Gwenaëlle. Thank you for meeting me.
( see, mark. manners. )
I have a loose plan, but I'd like a second opinion. And a couple of recommendations, if possible.
Of course that's possible.
[ He exchanges only a handshake with her. No matter his claim to the title of lord, he's not particularly lordly; his brother Miles would perhaps bow over it, kiss the back, having been raised in courtly environments, but those flourishes are unnatural to Mark. So it's simply a firm businessman's handshake, the grip soft with fat but almost ungodly strong.
He returns to his seat after that handshake. It's a specially engineered chair, one that's positioned so that he doesn't have to hop up into it. Someone as small and as flabby as he is usually has to hop. He settles in, gestures to her chair. ]
Should I have my receptionist get you something to drink?
[ He exchanges only a handshake with her. No matter his claim to the title of lord, he's not particularly lordly; his brother Miles would perhaps bow over it, kiss the back, having been raised in courtly environments, but those flourishes are unnatural to Mark. So it's simply a firm businessman's handshake, the grip soft with fat but almost ungodly strong.
He returns to his seat after that handshake. It's a specially engineered chair, one that's positioned so that he doesn't have to hop up into it. Someone as small and as flabby as he is usually has to hop. He settles in, gestures to her chair. ]
Should I have my receptionist get you something to drink?
[ Perhaps it's a bit old-fashioned, but the message arrives for Mark via mockingbird. Sealed closed by a wax mockingbird sigil, the letter is hand-written in careful cursive. ]
Dear Mr. Vorkosigan -
I write to you on behalf of a project I am working on within my city. Construction has already begun on rebuilding a much larger library, but I wish for this to be more than simply a bigger structure. I hope to inspire education and the spread of knowledge to the natives of Maurtia Falls as well as provide an invaluable resource to new arrivals here. But more than that, I wish to use it to pay homage to the natives who lost their lives within Maurtia Falls due to imPort related tragedies. Their names will be honored within the library itself and donations will be set up to be made to the families.
For this project to succeed, I need your help. If you are able to donate anything at all to the cause, it would be most appreciated -- whether that is books, money, or simply your time. Donations are always an excellent tax write-off, after all.
I thank you for your time, and I do hope to hear back from you soon.
Sincerely,
Ambassador Petyr Baelish
[ OOC: You can feel free to just respond to this OOCly if he would donate anything or not! ]
Dear Mr. Vorkosigan -
I write to you on behalf of a project I am working on within my city. Construction has already begun on rebuilding a much larger library, but I wish for this to be more than simply a bigger structure. I hope to inspire education and the spread of knowledge to the natives of Maurtia Falls as well as provide an invaluable resource to new arrivals here. But more than that, I wish to use it to pay homage to the natives who lost their lives within Maurtia Falls due to imPort related tragedies. Their names will be honored within the library itself and donations will be set up to be made to the families.
For this project to succeed, I need your help. If you are able to donate anything at all to the cause, it would be most appreciated -- whether that is books, money, or simply your time. Donations are always an excellent tax write-off, after all.
I thank you for your time, and I do hope to hear back from you soon.
Sincerely,
Ambassador Petyr Baelish
[ OOC: You can feel free to just respond to this OOCly if he would donate anything or not! ]
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