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]

Ivans find this very entertaining.

[isthisart]

And eventually:

"This medical scanner is now twelve percent more optimistic about your natural bones' ability to handle shear and impact stress, which is well outside normal error range."

[thisvorlunatic]

...Less Little Miles grins.

"That means it's working, right?" says Little Miles, leaning forward eagerly.

"It sure seems to!"

"Awesome," says Little Miles. "Can we do mine now?"

"I don't think it's done working on me yet... might as well wait and see how good it's going to get," says Less Little Miles.

"Sure," says Little Miles. They go straight back to yelling at each other about Strat-O, but more happily.

[isthisart]

Awww.

Nika has whipped cream on her nose again. Her alts don't mention it. Nika eventually figures it out for herself and wipes it off.

Linya periodically reports on percentages, as much to keep Nika occupied talking about Isabella's world instead of wondering where Linya is from as to inform people of anything. "Fifteen percent. Eighteen. We're looking for a one hundred forty percent increase above its baseline reading before you're within normal ranges, although it's already substantially improved. This is a lot of metabolism to be doing without eating anything, aren't you hungry?"

[thisvorlunatic]

"Huh? Oh," says Less Little Miles, blinking. "Starving, actually, now that you mention it. I didn't notice."

"Because you were too busy getting your butt kicked," says Little Miles smugly.

"You wish, kid."

And back to their game. Perhaps someone should get Less Little Miles some food.

[isthisart]

Rather than risk looking excessively married by fetching her husband food, Linya gives Big Ivan a significant look.

[middlingalong]

"Uh. Bar. Recommend me something for my miraculously healing cousin," says Big Ivan, interrupting his game with his small alt.

He brings Less Little Miles the resulting steak and potatoes and bowl of raspberry custard.

[thisvorlunatic]

"Thanks, Ivan," says grownup Miles absently. Once the food is actually in front of him, he doesn't have any trouble eating it.

[isthisart]

Linya gets a little something to eat too. "Anybody else hungry?"

"Nah," says Nika.

"Probably all the hot chocolate."

"Yeah," beams Nika.

[warpfairy]

"I had my priv, I'm fine."

"What's priv?" asks Nika.

"It's a kind of grain that grows on a planet where I spent a few years as a political refugee. I didn't like it at first, but when I left I missed it."

[middlingalong]

"Come to think of it I'm hungry. What about you?" Big Ivan says to Tiny Ivan.

Tiny Ivan is also hungry.

Ivans get matching meals of mismatched portion sizes.

[thisvorlunatic]

The Mileses play Strat-O.

When Little Miles actually manages to win a game, he gets very excited and waves his arms in celebration. Grownup Miles sits back in his chair and glowers.

"How about we play something else now?"

"You just don't wanna lose again," says Little Miles, accurately. "Loser."

"Oh yeah?" says Grownup Miles, narrowing his eyes. "Fine. Let's play Strat-O again."

[middlingalong]

"Little Miles, food?"

[thisvorlunatic]

"Yeah, sure," says Little Miles. Most of his attention is on the game.

[middlingalong]

Little Miles gets Bar-recommended food appropriate for someone who may presently be making substantial skeletal alterations.

[thisvorlunatic]

Now both Mileses are absently eating food while playing Strat-O and yelling at each other.

[alicornucopia]

Nika goes and sits with her brother and peers at the game and eventually produces a suggestion.

[thisvorlunatic]

"No helping!" exclaims Little Miles. "If you help then I'm not beating him all by myself!"

...Grownup Miles can't help laughing. Yes, they are definitely alts. No one could possibly deny this.

[isthisart]

Nika tosses her head and goes back to her own alts, and this time she has enough cocoa in her not to be distracted from asking Linya:

"So she's from Vulcan which is some planet that isn't a planet in my world. Where are you from?"

"I travel a lot -"

"But where are you from?"

"Don't interrupt."

Nika just stares at her intently.

"I live on Barrayar like you, actually."

"Were you born there?"

"...No."

"So where were you born?"



"Eta Ceta."

[washed_in_blood]

"WHAT," yells Little Miles.

Bothari's jaw tightens slightly, but that's it.

Little Miles is less restrained. "Grownup me! Why's she Cetagandan? Did you know? Why didn't you say?"

[thisvorlunatic]

"Maybe," suggests Grownup Miles, "I didn't say because I knew it would result in you shrieking like a teakettle."

[isthisart]

"I didn't like it on Cetaganda so I left," elaborates Linya. "I don't really talk to them anymore. I have not been back to visit in years."

"But still," says Nika.

"Nika, all the things you've heard about happened long before I was born."

Nika scoots closer to Isabella instead. Isabella checks her ponytail half-consciously.

[thisvorlunatic]

Little Miles glares ferociously at Grownup Miles.

Grownup Miles sighs.

"'Bad' and 'Cetagandan' are not synonymous. On my word, she's fine," he says.

"Fine," grumbles Little Miles. "But you better not have more weird stuff you're not telling me."

...ulp.

"You do!" says Little Miles, pointing accusingly at his alt. "You do have more weird stuff! Tell me all the weird stuff right now!"

Grownup Miles winces.

[isthisart]

"What weird stuff?" agrees Nika indignantly.

"Can you be mature about the weird stuff?" Linya asks. "It's pretty weird."

"Stop keeping secrets!"

"Nika."

"...I'll try."

[thisvorlunatic]

"No shrieking," says Grownup Miles firmly.

"Try'n stop me," says Little Miles.

"No shrieking or I just won't tell you the rest of the things."

"...No shrieking," agrees Little Miles, very grudgingly.

"All right," says Grownup Miles. He glances over at the Linya-cluster to see if Nika's grownups verify her as ready to hear weird things.