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

[thisvorlunatic]

I'm blaming you anyway, because it makes me feel better.

[middlingalong]

Finest Vorkosigan tradition.

[thisvorlunatic]

Yep.

[middlingalong]

Ivan returns his attention to whirligig with Tiny Ivan.

[isthisart]

Nika's grownups, meanwhile, are explaining the fine art of notebooking to her.

"Miles, do you think Simon will let Nika keep a pen if I give her one?"

[thisvorlunatic]

"Maybe. He'd definitely take it apart. The likelihood of there being some left over that still work afterward increases the more you send along."

"A pen? Like that thing you're writing notes under the table with?" says Little Miles.

"...Yes," says Grownup Miles.

"I want one too!"

[isthisart]

"Then you can have one too. I'll get an assortment and send the plans for more, may as well. Bar, can I get a copy of my catalog?"

Bar supplies a copy of the catalog. Nika wants her pen to be pale blue. She gives the catalog to her brother after placing her order.

[thisvorlunatic]

Little Miles goes for the fountain option, wood finish.

Grownup Miles grins.

[middlingalong]

"Do I want one of those?" asks Tiny Ivan.

"I dunno if you'll get much out of it now, but I like mine. 'S got games on it," says Big Ivan.

"Okay. I want a red one."

[isthisart]

"Noted."

[thisvorlunatic]

"How're my bones doing?" asks Grownup Miles. "And can somebody get me more food?"

[isthisart]

"Seventy-seven percent improvement. Bar?"

Bar recommends a vegetable-laden pasta in a green sauce and a slice of cake and a cup of hot apple cider. Linya brings it over.

"You're bringing him his food," observes Nika.

"We are, in fact, really and truly, married," Linya says, and to prove the point she kisses her husband on the top of his head. "So sometimes I do things like that."

[thisvorlunatic]

Grownup Miles beams and gives his wife a quick hug before he goes back to his game.

Little Miles makes a face.

[middlingalong]

"Bleah," agrees Tiny Ivan.

"You are going to have a very interesting age twelve," says Big Ivan.

"Bleah."

[thisvorlunatic]

Which just makes Grownup Miles think of his alt's upcoming Very Interesting Age Fifteen.

Nope. Not thinking about it. Playing Strat-O instead.

[isthisart]

"Am I going to have a very interesting age?" Nika asks her grownups.

"I'm not a good barometer. Isabella?"

[warpfairy]

"I'm not a perfect barometer, but - fourteen, I guess."

[thisvorlunatic]

"How about me?" asks Little Miles.

"I don't remember exactly," says Grownup Miles.

"Why're you making that face?"

"You're happier not knowing."

Little Miles gives him a look of extreme skepticism.

[middlingalong]

"Also twelve," supplies Ivan, "judging from when you started scowling at me whenever I mentioned doing anything more than looking across the room at a girl and sometimes even then."

[thisvorlunatic]

"Thanks, Ivan," says Grownup Miles, masking sincerity with sarcasm.

[warpfairy]

"And I'm supposed to start doing notebooks things when I'm six?"

"That's when I started. You can start earlier if you like; Linyabel did."

[isthisart]

"Some of it depends on being able to write pretty fast, though."

[thisvorlunatic]

"Hey," says Little Miles suddenly. "I get a magic dwarf alt, right?"

"Sort of, yes..."

"And Nika gets a magic alien alt?"

"Arguably."

"Why doesn't Ivan get any magic alts?"

"Because he's Ivan," suggests Grownup Miles.

SPOILERS FOR EFFULGENCE: SUPERLUMINAL FOLLOW

[isthisart]

"But that's not fair," objects Nika. "And he also only gets one grownup and me and Miles have two. There should be a magic Ivan. Baaaar, make the door give us a not a boring human Ivan so it's fair."

I don't control the door, but your Ivan is already not a human.

Nika blinks at this napkin.

"Ivaaan," she says, "you didn't tell me you weren't a human."

[middlingalong]

"What?" say both Ivans at once.

"I'm a human! Look at me, I'm totally a human," continues Tiny Ivan. "I don't even have elf ears or anything."