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]

You know what, I am very tempted to go knock on Stalas's door and ask Lalita to donate some blood. Even knowing what I'm likely to find there. Maybe it'll redeem me in Little Miles's eyes. I'd have to talk my way past Bothari with it, but I don't think that'll be all that hard. Especially if he gets to watch me make the experiment first.

[isthisart]

I certainly think it would be a good idea to do this sometime before Little Miles leaves, but have little idea how long that's likely to take. How are Isabella and our little one doing?

[warpfairy]

"What's Linyabel in the middle of?" Nika asks Isabella.

"She's taking apart a piece of technology from my world so she can see how it works. She's an engineer."

"Ooh. What are you?"

"I used to be a deep space surveyor, but that was cover for bringing some technology to people on planets that didn't have it, so they'd get to join a big federated government we have in my world and use all its stuff. Then I got caught and now I can't do that anymore, so I'm a political activist."

"Ooooooh."

[thisvorlunatic]

They're talking. Seem to be getting on all right. Is there any reason whatsoever for me to delay getting Lalita's blood?

[isthisart]

The dim hope that he'll turn up of his own accord, I suppose. Also, I can be down there with my medical scanner to evaluate the effects once Isabella thinks that our little one - what is her name? - will be able to live with it. I'm not sure whether to worry more that she has Barrayaran prejudices about my origins or that she'll explode when she finds out we're married.

[warpfairy]

"My world is pretty different from yours. We have faster-than-light travel, instead of wormholes, and it's earlier, and there are other different technologies - that's why Linyabel is taking apart the PADD. So she can bring home books that are supposed to work with PADDS and read them at home."

"Ooooh. Next time I play pirates I want to play faster than light pirates."

Isabella winces.

"What?"

"Nothing, really. I ran into some people who were unpleasant but weren't pirates, once."

[thisvorlunatic]

I'm definitely worried about both. The enticing aspect of getting Lalita's blood, you see, is that it gets me out of this room. And maybe I can go cry in your lap a little bit while I'm up there.

[isthisart]

I'm in room 2109.

[warpfairy]

"So that's what me and Linyabel do. What do you do?"

"Me?"

"Yes, you. You're little but you must still do things, mustn't you?"

"I... read! I read. And I ride horses. Well, I have twice, but I'm going to do it more. And I play that I'm a magic fairy."

"Are you?"

"Probably not," shrugs Nika. "But it's fun."

"That's as good a reason as any."

[thisvorlunatic]

"She's a magic fairy because she came from a basket," explains Little Miles.

Less Little Miles goes over to Bar to acquire the proper equipment for extracting blood from Lalita.

[warpfairy]

Which Bar is happy to supply.

"Is that how fairies work?"

"There might not be any fairies," amends Nika.

"Well, you found a little magic today. I've never met a fairy, but if I was going to, it would probably be here."

"...That's true," says Nika, beaming.

[thisvorlunatic]

"Maybe we're all fairies," says Less Little Miles flippantly. "I'm going to go upstairs and get something; I'll be back soon."

"Whatcha gonna get?" challenges Little Miles.

"It's a surprise," says Less Little Miles, and off he trots. Heading up now, wish me luck.

[isthisart]

Luck. I love you.

[warpfairy]

"Do you know what he's gonna get?" Nika asks Isabella.

"No. He didn't tell me." Isabella hmmms, and judges that it is a reasonable time to introduce the relatively safe fact that she's not just some ordinary human. "And I always get permission before reading minds."

Nika gapes at her.

[washed_in_blood]

[warpfairy]

"How do you do that?" Nika demands.

"I usually don't," says Isabella. "It wouldn't be very nice to just go around doing it all the time, don't you think?"

Nika nods. "But is it magic?"

"We don't usually call it that, but it might be a little bit magic. It's the only thing that might be magic that I can do."

[washed_in_blood]

Bothari continues to quietly stand there and hold Little Miles.

"How come you can read minds?" demands Little Miles.

[middlingalong]

"All right, Bothari?" interrupts Big Ivan, glancing at Isabella.

[washed_in_blood]

Bothari nods. Of course, he would have done that almost no matter what was wrong with him, as long as it wasn't something that interfered with his ability to guard Little Miles.

[warpfairy]

Isabella receives her message, anyway.

She goes with: "I learned how starting when I was about your age. Textbooks and everything."

[pythbox]

"Real people can't just learn how to read minds," insists Little Miles.

[warpfairy]

"In my world, people can."

"Why did you learn it, though?" Nika asks. "Since it would be bad to do it much."

"Well, I use it sometimes. My husband doesn't mind if I do it with him. And I didn't get to pick my classes when I was that age, either."

[pythbox]

"Can everybody learn it in your world?" little Miles asks next.

[warpfairy]

"No. You need to be from the right planet."

"What planet are you from?" Nika asks.

"I was born on a planet called Vulcan. There might not be anyone living on it in your world, though. I've never heard of most of your planets."

[pythbox]

"There's no planet called Vulcan in our world," declares Little Miles authoritatively. "Why is it only people from Vulcan that can read minds?"