standsentinel: (alliance posterboy)
Kaidan Alenko ([personal profile] standsentinel) wrote in [community profile] forbarrayar_ooc 2016-11-27 05:11 pm (UTC)

Perhaps especially at her size -- a proper babka's arguments would instantly crystallize around the notion that she can't possibly be getting fed properly. Kaidan looks up at Zarya and grins. "Then you're going in warned that she might just take one look at you and break out the stew pot before you're allowed anywhere near the attic. Glad to have you on my team, Zarya."

The path to the cottage door has already been swept clean of snow, the work of a grandchild too young to be pointed at the roof, but not so young as to escape chores, and Kaidan's careful to knock the snow off his boots before stepping onto the porch. (Someone, somewhere along the way, has taught him proper manners.) Setting the shovel beside it, he knocks at the door and announces them with a "Ma Morozov? I'm done your roof, but we spotted some leaks..."

The woman who answers is Barrayaran-ancient, bent nearly double with years of hard labour and anywhere from a hard-won 50 to an immortal 80 in age. She's about half of Kaidan's height, but she looks up and over Zarya without batting an eye. Her greeting is in a polyglot of Barrayaran Russian and English, with a heavy hill dialect all thrown together, but the gist of it is clear: there will be a break before any further home repairs are started on.


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