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

[nicoletta_corlioni]

"A crime," she said flatly, then shook her head. Not the point. "I told you it would sound weird. That answer means you're definitely not the Harlow I know. Different parallel universes, apparently. Which means if I confessed to anything, there's jackall you can do about it. And by the way, in my world, you just married your second husband about a month ago."

[sarcasticsra]

Second husband. Him. When he'd been only really out (beyond a few people knowing here and there) for the past six or so years, his father was only just starting to be okay with it, and he worked ridiculous hours chasing after people like her.

"Yeah, sure, okay," he said, and shook his head. "This has to be a dream."

[nicoletta_corlioni]

"Please, I wouldn't be telling you you have a happy enough relationship with a second guy to have two marriages if it was a dream. I'd probably be stabbing you or you'd be shooting me or something." She gave him a considering look, and then it clicked. "Monogamy means Christian majority means homophobia, right?"

[sarcasticsra]

"You have a point there," he said, and then snorted. "That is an utterly succinct way of putting it. Yes," he confirmed.

If this wasn't a dream, he really had no idea what the hell was going on.

[nicoletta_corlioni]

"Points for polygamy," she said with a smirk. "My religion doesn't have room for homophobia. It's a little strange to not have an opposite-sex partner for the sake of procreation, but it's a lot more usual than monogamy or being childless. Which you're not. I don't know if you have kids in your world, but in mine, you have two right now."

She was getting way too much of a kick out of his expressions.

[sarcasticsra]

Kids. He was married--twice, apparently--and had kids.

Alex could admit to himself that this world of hers didn't sound half bad. He'd pretty much given up on that particular fantasy by now.

He gave her a sidelong look. "Those two kids better stay safe," he said, though it was more of a general comment than real worry. If there was one thing he could (grudgingly) respect about the Corlionis, it was that, for them, children were off-limits.

[nicoletta_corlioni]

Nicoletta narrowed her eyes at him. "Insinuate again that my family would ever hurt kids, and I will hurt you. Kids are untouchable for us. Hell, if someone else hurt your kids, there's the possibility we'd help out. We might not like you, at all, but you're our agents and kids don't do anything to deserve shit. Even your kids."

[sarcasticsra]

Alex met her eyes and nodded. "Fair enough," he said, after a moment. He knew it was true, and he added, "Even George and I couldn't blame you and your sister as much, this time around."

He thought about those two kids, and what it might be like to have them. What he'd do if someone tried to take them away. It sure as hell wouldn't be pretty.

[nicoletta_corlioni]

That, she did not like the sound of.

"What happened in your current case?"

[sarcasticsra]

He hesitated. If it was true, that they were in separate worlds, he didn't think it could hurt anything. "You and your sister gutted the Morettis," he said slowly. "Everyone knows it, no one's saying a damn thing about it, and frankly, it's no surprise. They kidnapped Diana and Anna."

[nicoletta_corlioni]

Nicoletta stilled. Diana. The name she and Liam had decided on if their child was a girl. And Anna was the name Is had picked. "They took my daughter," she said carefully, "and my niece. They're lucky if we didn't make it last."

[sarcasticsra]

"I saw the bodies. Believe me, they hurt plenty," Alex said frankly. He might not like Nicoletta or her family, and he might think they deserved to be locked up, but there were some things...you just didn't fuck with people's kids.

[nicoletta_corlioni]

"Good." No more needed to be said on that subject, except, "Anyone who hurts kids deserves what they get."

[sarcasticsra]

Alex merely nodded, because it was hard to disagree. After a moment, he ventured, "What year is it? Where you're from. You look...younger than I know you."

[nicoletta_corlioni]

"2014," Nicoletta said promptly. "I'm planning my wedding to Liam, which I imagine is pretty much the FBI's worst nightmare when it comes to what we supposedly do. Or was, in your universe, considering you're at least five years older than last time I saw you."

[sarcasticsra]

"Yeah, that was fun," Alex muttered. The chatter had been a nightmare, and all those visiting mobsters and various underworld associates in the same place at the same time...talk about a fucking headache. "But it's more like ten years. I'm from 2024."

[nicoletta_corlioni]

Nicoletta grinned, not as sharp as he was used to. "I thought about inviting you, but feds are such downers. 2024, really? You're aging surprisingly well."

[sarcasticsra]

"Gee, thanks," Alex said dryly, and covered his mouth when a yawn started to break through. "Christ, I'm tired. Is there somewhere around here to get a cup of coffee?"

[nicoletta_corlioni]

"There's an espresso machine at the bar," Nicoletta said, and pointed. "Try not to be too shocked by the age of the bartender."

[sarcasticsra]

"As you so kindly pointed out earlier, it's not like I have jurisdiction here anyway," Alex said. "I'm getting coffee," he said, and after a beat, grudgingly added, "You want anything?"

Today was already too fucking weird. Might as well embrace it.

[nicoletta_corlioni]

"An espresso sounds great," Nicoletta decided. "God, today's weird."

[sarcasticsra]

"Tell me about it," Alex muttered, and made his way over the bar. He did do a double-take when he saw the girl behind the bar, maybe twelve, and asked her for a cup of coffee and an espresso.

Shaking his head, he took both drinks and walked back. "She's twelve," he said, handing her the espresso, and took a sip of his coffee. Not bad. Actually, really good. A lot better than the Bureau's, that was for sure, except for the week every month when George broke down and brought in some actual decent beans.

[nicoletta_corlioni]

"I told you not to be too shocked." Nicoletta shook her head. "This is so much weirder than last time."

[sarcasticsra]

Alex glanced at her askance. "Last time?"

[nicoletta_corlioni]

"Yeah, it was...about two months ago." She thought a moment. "Yeah, two months, because I had that meeting with... Anyway, I was on my way to a meeting, stepped into their building, and wound up with Dan's, complete with a whole bunch of my family from different worlds and Angela showing up naked the third time she got there."