The Villa Is Open

[shipwreck_light]

Zephyr had a plan. "We are gonna make you the best electric milkshake that ever was!"

"Or will be!" Pip joined in, clapping her hands over her head as she danced along before him and Roa and generally got in the way of where they were trying to walk.

This gave Zephyr plenty of excuse to pause at the end of the hall and make himself a sweeping gesture. "In the historya... ah..." one that should have ended with him banging his hand on the wall.

Except for the part where the applicable wall had disappeared and not in the usual behold the busted drywall kind of way. It was just gone. Likewise, the hallway and the entirety of Sky Plaza.

Zephyr stood on some low, sweeping stone steps. That happened to be outside, while just a moment before been /inside/ and headed to the kitchen. "OK, what the hell?"

Roa took in the sudden sky all golden up the flanks of the villa before them and held her finger to her lips in curiosity. "I don't know, actually." Then, she attempted to walk down the way they had come. This got her over the steps and almost to the spray from the fountain in the drive before it became quite apparent merely turning around wasn't going to accomplish much besides dampening her shoes. Back up she went. "This *looks* like where they held the last Court of the Manor."

"You dunno?" his next sound was an odd one, not a moan and not a laugh, and awfully feline besides. "Yeah, that's not freakin me out or nothin. Dun you know everythin?"

"Zephyyyr. Same to you."

"You guys," interjected Pip, her bare toes rapping on the stone. "Think this's kinda the same thing happened to Seb."

"Hm?" Zephyr craned himself her way, and their hands tangled together, wires all a-flash.

"Mm!"

"Mnhn."

"Nnn~."

"Well, I like your theory so far," Roa nodded. Mostly, she wasn't being silly right back at their latest ridiculous display. Mostly. "Happened to Siebenkas...?"

"Yeah, he had this dream," the elder of the two evokers almost began to explain, digits working.

Whatever he meant to coax out of the recollections between them, Pip took over, swaying as she did. "He thinks was a dream, but is totally notta dream. I know. I touched him thinkin about it an it was all wrong fora dream. Still didn't make any sense, but not the same kinda way dreams do."

"Also, Seb never dreams he's nekkid. Fun fact."

("So useful, too," Roa remarked, quite to herself.)

"But, he walked outta his bathroom an alla a sudden, he was in this bar in Old New York an there were all these other people an he was almost kinda sorta mebbe flirtin with this mob boss lady over gin an tonic and then there was this real cute muddy guy. Seb didn't think he was so cute, but I did. He got way more distracted by the other lady evoked with her eyes and the booze was good an there were pretty blond polyamourous peeps bonkin in the restroom an... an... an..."

Her not so little description might have gone on another few hours, except that Zephyr reached around with his unoccupied hand and tickled her. The way they'd tangled up together, she must have known it was coming.

Which left Roa to conclude Pip wanted tickled more than she wanted to discuss any washroom adventures. "On one hand, that sounds very much like a dream to me. On the other, if there's some sort of precedent for people in our manor suddenly disobeying all known laws of physics. And you're not playing some sort of elaborate prank."

"Hey! I had my heart set on givin you your first electric milkshake an that's not somethin I'd go back on for any money." Next thing she did know with any certainty, Zephyr had play staggered over, clutching at his shirt, "'m so disappointed it /huuurts/."

"Well, you can make it up to me when the universe goes back to normal."

Grin for the time being, too.

"It is going to go back to normal?"

"Did last time. 's why we still gotta Seb an notta portal to someplace called Dan's," said Pip.

"Alright, so why don't we...?"

"Make the besta it?"

"Yes!" Roa swung from Zephyr's grasp. He only then reached for her, trying to find that place in her moments where the best meant [concrete] he could play after and with her. As it was, he missed her as she skipped the villa steps instead, swirling her skirt in her hands and calling back after: "We're going to get company, right?"

"Woul, that'd be nice, but if not," he shrugged. "We get blitzed an watch the stars come out." A quick little sigh and a pop of his shoulder after, he followed.

Pip watched the space in the sky where the clouds should have been. The end of her nose twitched. "We're so gettin company. Can smell it, almost. Somethin's zactly not right out there." Laughing then, she blew past them both and straight through the doors.



Stuff you actually need to know available in this direction:
http://rainbowlounge.dreamwidth.org/18653.html

Have fun!

ETA: This post has not been up thirty-six hours and we officially have more than 500 comments. SO I SUPPOSE THIS ISN'T FUN AT ALL AMMIRITE? XD

ETA II: I am really, really touched that everyone wants to take care of the deceased fellow in the pool. I'm sure he appreciates it (he didn't even have a name in the story where he first appeared ;_;). But, alas, there was only one of him and he's currently being handled. He may be installed in a bedroom shortly, and should that happen, I will give him his own thread for poking purposes.

Comments

[sarcasticsra]

"No, no I was not," she said, and smiled touch sheepishly. "I actually thought I was about to walk into a restaurant and meet my mom for lunch. She'd finally convinced me to try this new Indian place she found."

Marietta frowned suddenly. If she'd just vanished...oh, that could be bad. That could be very, very bad.

[bookblather]

"I was going to work," Jack said, oblivious. "I was going to go to that damn meeting and prove I wasn't an irresponsible dilittante. At least Miranda will believe me." He sighed, then put on his best winning smile. "Don't worry, though. Last time this happened Andy and I were only gone for about five minutes."

[sarcasticsra]

Marietta smiled back at him, and realized suddenly that he looked an awful lot like Matteo. How had she missed that? The resemblance was striking.

She was going to blame it on her inadvertent magic trick.

"That's reassuring," she said, and it was, knowing that her mom wouldn't be killing anyone in trying to track her down. "But someone's going to believe you? I don't even think I believe you, and I'm standing here. I don't really believe myself, for that matter." Marietta shook her head and ended up staring again. "You look so much like my cousin. Like, it's freaky. There's a doppelganger level lookalike thing going on here."

[bookblather]

"Creepy," Jack said, and resolved not to hit on this girl. Attractive as she was, there was no way he would actually get anywhere. "I'm pretty sure we're not cousins, though." Since the only cousins he had were Mexican.

Anyway. He shrugged, and stuck his hands in his pocket. "I didn't believe it the first time either, but Miranda-- that's my sister-- was there the first time. This happened before. That time it was a bar though." He smiled in wistful memory. "A fantastic bar."

[sarcasticsra]

"Yeah, I think I know all my cousins," Marietta added. "Though, I grant you, there are a hell of a lot of them."

She gave him a surprised look. "Wow, you've done this before? That's..." She stopped. "Is there a word for what that is? Weird as hell, I guess, fits the best. Though if I want a fantastic bar, all I have to do is go to Dan's, which I think is much handier."

[bookblather]

Jack started."Dan's? Hell, that's where we were. Best brandy I've ever shad, and I've had a lot." He sighed in remembered joy. "That was an awesome detour. Anyway, I bet I can beat you on cousins."

[sarcasticsra]

"Whoa, you randomly appeared at Dan's? When? That's so weird. Dani didn't mention that..." Marietta shook her head, then grinned at him. "What do you want to bet? I should warn you, my mom has eighteen siblings, and almost all of them have kids. I'm fair that way."

[bookblather]

"Yeah, talk about your luck, right?" He grinned back at her, and added, "I withdraw the bet. We're just Catholic. Sorta. Jesus, nineteen?"

[sarcasticsra]

"Nineteen," Marietta confirmed. "It's ridiculous. My mom is actually younger than some of my technical cousins. Like, Uncle L? He's really my cousin. But he's six years older than my mom."

[bookblather]

"Wow," Jack said. "I think I have nineteen cousins total. I don't even know how someone could physically do that, let alone afford it." And that was saying a lot, coming from a Hennessy.

[sarcasticsra]

"Well, not all of my mom's siblings have the same mother," Marietta explained. "Same father, nine mothers in all. As for affording it, well, we're Corlionis. Having stupid amounts of money is kind of what we do."

[bookblather]

Jack didn't usually bring his last name into things, but that last comment needled him somehow. "Yeah, we'll, I'm a Hennessy and we do cartloads of cash too, and I don't know if we could have managed nineteen kids. Different mothers or not."

He did some quick math and added, "So two or three kids permom? That sounds more reasonable."

[sarcasticsra]

"Don't ask me," Marietta said, shaking her head. "From what I know, my nonno supported all the mothers and all his kids, and never had a problem. It's kind of a ridiculous life to be born into, you know? I mean, you must, you said 'Hennessy' the way my cousins and I say 'Corlioni'--with the understanding that it means something."

She shrugged. "But yeah, that's about right. Mrs. Corlioni, Nonno's wife, had four, with the rest mostly in pairs except for my mom and my Uncle Gino and Aunts Elisabetta and Cristina. Those three have the same biomom. Technically they have two actual moms, though."

[bookblather]

"It does mean something," Jack said. "At least, in my original universe, it does. Scary, scary lawyers and film stars, mostly." He tilted his head to the side, considering her other comment. "So, what, that's a threesome relationship then? Or is your... nonno just the sperm donor?"

[sarcasticsra]

"Ours is more scary, scary lawyers and mobsters," Marietta said, smirking. If you couldn't have a sense of humor about your family being the mob, what could you have a sense of humor about? Especially since her mother was a serial killer on top of it. Just necessary, she felt. "Threesome, yeah. Nonno was married but allowed to have girlfriends. Those two--Elisa and Violetta--were already together when they met him."

[bookblather]

"Oh, hey, the mob," Jack said. "Yeah, we're not the mob. We almost were for a while there, but then..." He fell silent, remembering Miranda still and white in a hospital bed. "Well. Things changed. Anyway."

He whistled, long and low. "Your nonno must have had a lot of time and attention to give."

[sarcasticsra]

"Between you and me, I think he had a Time-Turner," Marietta said sagely. "Just hearing about it makes me dizzy."

[bookblather]

Jack rubbed his hands across his face, and shrugged. "Yeah, I think he must have. I mean, Mama and Dad had enough trouble balancing us and their work."

[sarcasticsra]

"I can't even imagine how I'd manage it. I doubt I could. One boyfriend at a time is enough for me," she said, then considered. "Not that the last one I had seemed to agree with that whole one-on-one thing. Which, hey, that's fine, but let a girl know ahead of time, right?" She shrugged. "Oh well, at least he's out of my life."

Well. Out of everyone's life, technically.

[bookblather]

"Ouch," Jack said, wincing in sympathy. "Yeah, fuck cheaters. I've done the poly thing but everybody knew about it ahead of time, you know?" He drew himself up in his best prim imitation of Charlotte. "Honesty is always the best policy. You might not get laid, but nobody will get hurt."

[sarcasticsra]

"Seriously," she said, nodding. "I've got nothing against the poly thing--I mean, I kinda entirely owe my existence to it, after all--but everyone should be on board from the beginning."

[bookblather]

"That's it exactly," Jack said, giving her a finger-gun and a wink. "I don't lie about what I want, means I get what I want more often than not, and nobody gets hurt." Samantha flashed across his mind briefly. "Almost nobody."

[sarcasticsra]

"Sometimes it can't be avoided, even if you're honest," Marietta conceded. "That's life, though."

[bookblather]

Jack turned sharply to look at her, hoping his expression wasn't as desperately hopeful as it felt like. "You think so?"

[sarcasticsra]

"Well, sure," Marietta said. "I mean, you get involved with someone, it's not an exact science, it's people, and people aren't always predictable. Whenever feelings get in the mix, there's always a chance someone's going to get hurt, even if it's nobody's fault." She shrugged. "Which sucks, sure. But it's worth it, in the end. Or at least that's the idea, right? Why we try?"