hell of a party

[middlingalong]

Ivan must be drunker than he thought he was. He could have sworn he knew his way around Vivienne's parents' house, since she wanted to introduce him last week and showed him the place, but maybe they have a... secret... upstairs... bar? where Vivienne's room is supposed to be? And most certainly was last time he checked? He's never going to find the sweater she sent him up looking for here, anyway. Why is there a secret upstairs bar in Vivienne's parents' house?

Comments

[middlingalong]

Cards cards cards.

[dream_me_up]

Cards!

Lalita is good at cards.

[middlingalong]

Ivan is not that good at cards! But he has some experience with genetically engineered people and picked a game that's mostly luck.

[dream_me_up]

It's fun.

[middlingalong]

It passes the time.

[unmarred]

Is that the sound of somebody coming down the stairs?

[warpfairy]

"Oh, is that them?" wonders Isabella.

[isthisart]

"Unless someone else has been upstairs the entire time, yes."

[or_the_broken]

Dr. Hall glances over in idle curiosity.

[dream_me_up]

Lalita's curiosity is rather more than idle.

[unmarred]

"...Hell of a crowd all of a sudden," Mark observes, when he and Stalas emerge from the stairwell.

[thisvorlunatic]

They are holding hands. Stalas can't quite stifle a self-conscious glance down at this point of contact.

"Yeah, where'd all the extra come from?"

"A world with real FTL, apparently," says Miles.

"I have no idea what that means," says Stalas.

[warpfairy]

"Faster than light travel."

[isthisart]

"For more direct transit from point A to point B through the horrifying void."

[middlingalong]

"Bar says this one," says Ivan, pointing at Lalita, "is your half-alt, or something, Mark. Same half that finds me mysteriously entertaining."

[warpfairy]

"Your half-alt is my husband Lalita, and I'm Isabella, and this is Dr. Hall."

[unmarred]

"But Ivan," says Mark, "all of my halves find you mysteriously entertaining."

[thisvorlunatic]

"Hello," says Stalas, looking mildly uncomfortable. "Uh, this is Mark and I'm Stalas."

[middlingalong]

"You know, that's what Lalita said, too."

[warpfairy]

"So we're told. Rumor has it you have elves. Before you ask, I am not an elf."

[thisvorlunatic]

"I wasn't going to ask," says Stalas. "I've never actually seen an elf, and I'm sure in a place like this there are any number of ways to end up with somebody who looks like a shortish human with pointy ears."

"So," says Miles, "I can't help noticing..." His eyes flick to Mark and Stalas's joined hands.

[unmarred]

"I wanna come back to Barrayar," Mark says brightly.

[isthisart]

"I'm tempted to suggest putting you in a duffel bag. It would be easier to convince Vivienne that she simply hadn't noticed me carrying one in."

[unmarred]

Mark cackles.

[thisvorlunatic]

"And how would you carry me in?" asks Stalas. "Two duffel bags? Alas, my princely dignity."