Ivan shrugs, not sure where to begin describing Beta. "If you're looking for a true native perspective, you'd have to look elsewhere. I wasn't born here," he explains with a wave of his hand. "But it's not as complicated as everyone makes it out to be -- all the information is there for you to access, just like everything else is. Living like this, with how our government works, why wouldn't we want an atmosphere of openness and equality?"
His mother had found it difficult to adapt, Ivan thinks, while he'd been barely a year old by the time they got settled. Raised pure Betan, much to his mother's displeasure.
"That's all their is to it?" he asks, blinking back his surprise. That seemed too simple. No backdoor dealings or trades made in secret? He's not sure a planet could exist on that alone, but he supposes that's where Beta Colony's export of military goods comes in.
"If you're not from here, where are you from? If you don't mind me asking," he quickly adds. He's not sure how much personal information a LSP is allowed to divulge to their clients.
"Pretty much. The economy is founded on technology and sex; and the rest of the Nexus knows what we do and how we do it. Well , except for the technology we keep for ourselves." See, David, simple. He doesn't mind the question, although he does shift his grip on David's hands, rubbing slow circles into the palm of them. "Barrayar. M'mother and I came here when I was a baby -- refugees, you know, from that civil war they've still got going on. After my father died I guess her sister-in-law helped her get off sent and back to Beta."
"I'm sorry to hear that," he murmurs. David knew vaguely of the conflict, Komarr shared a wormhole with the planet when it had reentered into the Nexus. His gaze settles on their hands though he doesn't shy away from the touch. It's relaxing in its own way. "That must have been quite the adjustment for your mother."
Because what he's heard of Barrayar is far from flattering.
Relaxing is what he's aiming for, David Galen. Ivan doesn't mind spilling about where he came from -- that's all old news, anyway, and barely relevant to his life growing up on Beta Colony. As for his mother, well. She still included the Lady Alys Vorpatril on all her business cards. Ivan might have grown up Betan by default, but his mother had never shied away from making sure he'd had the important parts of being a Vor Lord instilled in him at an early age.
Which didn't mean running off to become an LSP in her view. "She manages," Ivan says, with a small grin, "And manages social functions for the politicians here in Silica. Very prestigious and very in demand. Even if her flat out refusal to organize orgies leaves some of her potential clients flummoxed."
Right. Beta Colony. They did that here and even considered them politically important at times. Even for Komarr, the thought of planning out orgies seemed far beyond the scope of what anyone would even dream of doing in an official capacity.
Davud glances up long enough to catch Ivan's grin and lets his gaze linger. It really is an attractive look for the man. "I imagine that hasn't harmed her business model much if she's able to continue refusing," he replies a little lamely. "I'm glad you've found your places here."
And not only because it meant that Ivan was his LSP.
He'd wondered briefly why David didn't opt for a hermaphrodite, but the lingering gaze tells him enough. He supposes if you're going to find out if you're attracted to men you'd want someone you're attracted to; that's good, that'll help them in the future. "The galactics appreciate it," Ivan points out, grin going slightly wider as the hand massage he's giving David dips towards sensual before he pulls it back again.
"What about your family?" Surely the man has some.
"I'm sure," he replies with a shrug. He can imagine other galactics have the same reaction to Beta Colony that he does. Overwhelming and far out of his comfort zone in many ways and a novelty in many ways.
The question about his family catches him by surprise. "Ah -- well. I have an older brother and both my parents, all of which are involved in the family business. Trade and shipping, nothing exciting," he glosses over somewhat smoothly. If there's one thing he doesn't want to talk about, it's how influential his family is on Komarr. "My aunt Rebecca does similar work to your mother for our politicians."
Ivan hums in understanding, dropping one hand to pick up the other and doing the same gentle circles as he had before. "The most lucrative profession on Komarr, though," he points out but doesn't follow through. "I can imagine that's a lot of work -- it takes a certain type of person to wrangle everyone and get them where they need to be. God knows how m'mother does it, but I think she likes the satisfaction of a job well done."
She's not the only one, but Ivan's job isn't really one she approves of. A point of contention in their relationship, one of a few.
"Yes, and one many engage in." His family is hardly the only one to do shipping and trading. He smiles faintly as Ivan moves onto his other hand. This isn't too bad. Sitting and talking, he can handle this if that's how their first few sessions are going to proceed.
"I'm not sure how she handles it even after watching her a few times," he says with no small amount of admiration. "It's impressive."
His own face lightens at the fact David is at least enjoying this, hopefully. Good, instinct told him he was on the right track. Encouraging intimacy in a professional relationship isn't too difficult, especially one where they'll eventually have sex, but he knows that it's important to make the other man feel comfortable with it. Although they'll really have to work on getting him comfortable with his own body when it comes to sex.
"Better them than me," Ivan confesses with a smile. "I've got no talent for things like that." Where he has plenty when it comes to having sex.
It's talent Duv is hoping to acquire and learn with time. He's not sure how much he should tell Ivan before he hesitates and changes the subject to something in the same vein.
"I'll stick to my students and research. They're enough of a handful without adding anything else to the mix."
Ivan laughs at that, remembering getting his own degree. "I can't say I envy you. I was awful at school, but they don't let anyone become an LSP without getting a degree." He did manage it though, so he feels like that says something about him. And with a perfectly average GPA, too.
"It can't be all bad if you keep going back to it, though."
"No, it's not bad at all." His smile widens slightly. It had been difficult to take leave for this long and he wouldn't have done it had he not thought he really needed it. A vacation, a chance to research, and a moment to figure out his sexuality. What a life.
"I teach only a few upper-division classes, but the introductory ones are were I get a wider range of students. It's an interesting balance."
"I'd say I know he feeling, but it's not like my clients are real students." Just people he's paid to hep and teach. "And it's more one on one than a whole classroom, although there's some LSPTs who like teaching groups." Ivan isn't one of them, although he's been involved in his fair share of threesomes, professionally organizes and not.
Ivan lets go of his hands to shift closer towards Duv -- he doesn't push anything, instead just smiles kindly at the other man.
He almost feels at a loss when Ivan's hands move and he stares blankly at them before realizing why Ivan let them go. Ah. He doesn't shy away and his breathing quickens for a moment before he clears his throat. Down, boy. The man only moved closer. And smiled more at him. God, how was he going to survive this?
"I can't imagine trying to do this in a group." He shrugs and rests his hands on his knees. That seemed like a safe place for them. "The only chance I get to talk to my students individually is if they choose to seek me out. Most don't unless their grades are in danger."
David still seems jumpy as hell, which is something Ivan thinks is only going to go away with exposure. At least he doesn't move away, even in on instinct. Progress. He could pull the other man in closer, but Ivan decides for that to wait until their next session, once he's gotten more comfortable and after another massage.
"It's more general discussions with a group. Like... getting called into a school to give the basic course to kids before they're turned loose, y'know. Nothing too in-depth." Just a here's what you do, here's how you do it, here's how you check for consent, things like that. Simple, to Ivan. "Well they're both coming in with questions, hoping to learn something, right?" The corner of his mouth twitches upwards at that and he takes another chance to move in closer to David.
Skittish and jumping, but determined not to let that stop him. If Ivan wants to move closer then... David will stay right there and offers the man a shy smile to let him know he's fine with it. Mostly.
"Yes, they are, though I spend much of my time providing them with proper reference materials for their inquiries if they're wishing for more than a basic explanation." Which, David realizes, is entirely what Ivan's been doing as well. A parallel he didn't quite see as clearly as he did now. "And that's why you gave me that material last time," he mutters.
"Yeah," Ivan says, with another, wider grin. Everything about this is encouraging, although Ivan doesn't consider for a moment moving their timetable up. David seems to respond best to this closeness, the slowness. "I've got more if you want them and you think it'll help. Some on bisexuality, too."
If being an academic about it helps, Ivan can only encourage it.
He nods eagerly. Reading was simple and it would give him something to focus his thoughts on before their next session.
"I would like that a lot. What else did you have available?" he asks, turning more towards Ivan. The movement causes his knees to brush against Ivan's and he blushes faintly as he moves away. "Sorry," he mutters.
Blushing at a brush of legs? Yeah, David Galen was going to be a project -- but the man seemed to be in this for the long haul, which made things easier. No need to rush things. Ivan places a reassuring hand on the other man's leg, giving it a reassuring squeeze before letting his hand fall away.
"Just a few pamphlets. Some of them are written by galactics who struggled with coming to terms with their own sexuality if you wanted a specific interest. They've all been through their own LSP sessions, and graciously wrote about their experiences when we asked." That sort of thing might be appealing, right? "There's also some guides to sex meant for beginners--"
God. The warmth left by Ivan's hand makes him smile as his gaze dips to glance at where the contact had been before returning his eyes to his LSP. It's Ivan's final words that startle him.
"I'm not--I've had sex before," he starts as his face flushes more. He stops there, takes a deep breath, and begins again, "If it's regarding sex with other men then I'd be interested." His sex life has never been flourishing by any means, he's been far too busy to pursue an active relationship, but that is one area that is entirely foreign to him.
"The rest sounds like exactly what I'm looking for."
It's bad form to laugh at a patient's expression or outburst, but Ivan has to bite the inside of his cheek anyway. "I didn't mean to imply that you hadn't," he says, by way of an apology. "But yes, it includes information how to have sex with other men. We'll go over it later in a more practical way, but it will help you know what to expect."
With a small smile, Ivan pushes himself off the couch and ambles over to his desk -- pulling out the promised documents. "I'd still highly recommend swinging by our shop sometime, but continue what you've been doing, although you might try for more than two times a week." Handing over the information over to David, Ivan continues, "my goal is to make you feel as comfortable and as prepared as possible, but it's about you. You'll get as much out of this as you put in, but I think we're making good progress."
He feels the loss of the man beside him immediately and tries not to dwell too much on it. Should he join him back at the desk? He didn't think his session had been over so quickly, but it's not like he's keeping strict track of time. Already he finds himself looking forward to their next session.
"More than two times?" he asks weakly as he stares at Ivan. "I'll try. What would you recommend I get from the shop?" Because as embarrassing as it is to ask Ivan, it's less than what he'd feel asking the random store clerk.
"More than two times," Ivan confirms. "And that depends, what are you most comfortable with? I think we can avoid anything having to do with penetration for now -- we'll work at that together -- but maybe something with a bit of vibration. Something with a bit of stimulation to help." And maybe make it seem less like a chore. He can only hope that perspective goes away in time, but it doesn't seem completely likely.
Still, he offers the other man an encouraging grin. "I might have some things I can rent out to you, if you'd rather."
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garrulously2016-05-25 07:47 pm
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His mother had found it difficult to adapt, Ivan thinks, while he'd been barely a year old by the time they got settled. Raised pure Betan, much to his mother's displeasure.
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"If you're not from here, where are you from? If you don't mind me asking," he quickly adds. He's not sure how much personal information a LSP is allowed to divulge to their clients.
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Because what he's heard of Barrayar is far from flattering.
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Which didn't mean running off to become an LSP in her view. "She manages," Ivan says, with a small grin, "And manages social functions for the politicians here in Silica. Very prestigious and very in demand. Even if her flat out refusal to organize orgies leaves some of her potential clients flummoxed."
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Davud glances up long enough to catch Ivan's grin and lets his gaze linger. It really is an attractive look for the man. "I imagine that hasn't harmed her business model much if she's able to continue refusing," he replies a little lamely. "I'm glad you've found your places here."
And not only because it meant that Ivan was his LSP.
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"What about your family?" Surely the man has some.
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The question about his family catches him by surprise. "Ah -- well. I have an older brother and both my parents, all of which are involved in the family business. Trade and shipping, nothing exciting," he glosses over somewhat smoothly. If there's one thing he doesn't want to talk about, it's how influential his family is on Komarr. "My aunt Rebecca does similar work to your mother for our politicians."
In a very loose way.
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She's not the only one, but Ivan's job isn't really one she approves of. A point of contention in their relationship, one of a few.
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"I'm not sure how she handles it even after watching her a few times," he says with no small amount of admiration. "It's impressive."
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"Better them than me," Ivan confesses with a smile. "I've got no talent for things like that." Where he has plenty when it comes to having sex.
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"I'll stick to my students and research. They're enough of a handful without adding anything else to the mix."
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"It can't be all bad if you keep going back to it, though."
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"I teach only a few upper-division classes, but the introductory ones are were I get a wider range of students. It's an interesting balance."
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Ivan lets go of his hands to shift closer towards Duv -- he doesn't push anything, instead just smiles kindly at the other man.
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"I can't imagine trying to do this in a group." He shrugs and rests his hands on his knees. That seemed like a safe place for them. "The only chance I get to talk to my students individually is if they choose to seek me out. Most don't unless their grades are in danger."
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"It's more general discussions with a group. Like... getting called into a school to give the basic course to kids before they're turned loose, y'know. Nothing too in-depth." Just a here's what you do, here's how you do it, here's how you check for consent, things like that. Simple, to Ivan. "Well they're both coming in with questions, hoping to learn something, right?" The corner of his mouth twitches upwards at that and he takes another chance to move in closer to David.
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"Yes, they are, though I spend much of my time providing them with proper reference materials for their inquiries if they're wishing for more than a basic explanation." Which, David realizes, is entirely what Ivan's been doing as well. A parallel he didn't quite see as clearly as he did now. "And that's why you gave me that material last time," he mutters.
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If being an academic about it helps, Ivan can only encourage it.
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"I would like that a lot. What else did you have available?" he asks, turning more towards Ivan. The movement causes his knees to brush against Ivan's and he blushes faintly as he moves away. "Sorry," he mutters.
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"Just a few pamphlets. Some of them are written by galactics who struggled with coming to terms with their own sexuality if you wanted a specific interest. They've all been through their own LSP sessions, and graciously wrote about their experiences when we asked." That sort of thing might be appealing, right? "There's also some guides to sex meant for beginners--"
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"I'm not--I've had sex before," he starts as his face flushes more. He stops there, takes a deep breath, and begins again, "If it's regarding sex with other men then I'd be interested." His sex life has never been flourishing by any means, he's been far too busy to pursue an active relationship, but that is one area that is entirely foreign to him.
"The rest sounds like exactly what I'm looking for."
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With a small smile, Ivan pushes himself off the couch and ambles over to his desk -- pulling out the promised documents. "I'd still highly recommend swinging by our shop sometime, but continue what you've been doing, although you might try for more than two times a week." Handing over the information over to David, Ivan continues, "my goal is to make you feel as comfortable and as prepared as possible, but it's about you. You'll get as much out of this as you put in, but I think we're making good progress."
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"More than two times?" he asks weakly as he stares at Ivan. "I'll try. What would you recommend I get from the shop?" Because as embarrassing as it is to ask Ivan, it's less than what he'd feel asking the random store clerk.
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Still, he offers the other man an encouraging grin. "I might have some things I can rent out to you, if you'd rather."
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