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

[alicornucopia]

"Maybe. It's a magic bar."

[thisvorlunatic]

"It is, that's true," he says. "Well, if you want to go get Miles, then in the finest Vorkosigan tradition you can get your Cousin Ivan to hold the door for you while you go do that."

[middlingalong]

"That's the finest Vorkosigan tradition?" Big Ivan asks, as Tiny Ivan hops to. "Getting Cousin Ivan to hold the door. Start 'em young."

Tiny Ivan giggles and holds the door for Nika, and she goes to get her Miles.

[thisvorlunatic]

"Well, of course," says Miles.

The other Miles, meanwhile, is plopped on a couch watching some age-appropriate adventure holo or other.

[washed_in_blood]

Bothari is standing nearby, not paying very much attention to the age-appropriate adventure holo.

[alicornucopia]

"Miles, Ivan found a thing, you have to come see. Bothari, you gotta bring him," says Nika importantly.

[washed_in_blood]

Bothari looks down at Miles to see what he has to say about this.

"What... kind of thing?" asks Miles, looking reluctantly away from his age-appropriate adventure holo.

[alicornucopia]

"I think it's magic. Come and see!"

[washed_in_blood]

"Magic?" asks Miles, fascinated. "Actual magic? I wanna see the thing!"

"All right," says Bothari, and he picks Miles up.

(Bothari does not think that it might be actual magic.)

[alicornucopia]

Well, Bothari will of necessity also see the thing.

The actual magic thing to which Ivan is holding the door.

[washed_in_blood]

That's... an actual magic thing.

He halts several steps away and stares at it uncertainly.

[alicornucopia]

"It's okay!" Nika says. "Ivan found it."

Ivan is probably incapable of finding actually dangerous things, right?

[washed_in_blood]

He's not sure he finds that very reassuring. But...

"C'mon c'mon show me the thing," says Miles, squirming and stretching his arms forward.

"...all right," says Bothari, against his better judgment. He proceeds into the actual magic thing.

[thisvorlunatic]

[alicornucopia]

"I knew you would want to see the thing," Nika says. "He didn't think you would but I knew."

[thisvorlunatic]

"Hey, that's me!" accuses little Miles. "Who said you could be me!"

"Nobody did," sighs less-little Miles. "It just sort of happened."

"And you're all grown up and you can walk! How old are you?"

"Twenty years older than you."

"Well... well stop," says little Miles indignantly. "I'm not twenty years older than me yet."

[alicornucopia]

"There's a me too," says Tiny Ivan, hopping back into the booth to pick up his hand of cards. "But they don't have a Nika."

"I want a grownup me," says Nika. "If you don't want yours and I want one that isn't there that's just very silly of this magic thing, but at least it's a magic thing. And it has hot chocolate."

[washed_in_blood]

"...Lord Miles...?" murmurs Bothari.

[thisvorlunatic]

"In the abbreviated flesh," he says, with a weak smile. "Twice the size, five times the age, and ten times the trouble."

[middlingalong]

"Hi, Bothari," adds Big Ivan, unexpectedly croaky.

[washed_in_blood]

Bothari looks between Big Ivan and Less Little Miles.

It's not hard to connect these dots. He just—has no idea what to say, in front of the children.

[alicornucopia]

Nika doesn't notice. "Should I give the letter or should Bothari do it? Whenever people come back? Most everybody else's gone, now, there's a thing."

[thisvorlunatic]

"I think... I think I'll give it to Bothari," says Miles. "A little more official-like, going through an Armsman."

Which means he has to: pick up the letter (check), climb down from his barstool (check), and... approach Bothari...



...and hand him the letter. Check, check. All done.

[washed_in_blood]

Bothari takes it and puts it in his pocket. "For my Lord Regent and milady?" he guesses.

Little Miles takes this opportunity to glare suspiciously at Less Little Miles from closer by.

[thisvorlunatic]

"Yeah," he says quietly. "About... some things."