milliways_bar | (no subject)

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"Pink," River says to the bar, solemn and earnest. What she gets is, indeed, just that: a drink that looks like some kind of smoothie, smells of several different berries, and is a mildly unnerving shade of bright pink. The spiral straw in it is a complimentary shade of unnerving purple.

River beams, and takes it carefully in both hands. She turns away from the bar to head towards a booth, to tuck herself under the table and sip happily.

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"I wasn't aware pink could be a flavor," Ben says.

River's face says, Now you know!

It's a bright enough pink that it's not entirely clear what else it could tate like, really.

Ben shrugs, accepting that, and says with a grin, "It must be, since you're always right."

Oh, River likes him.

"Statistical correspondence," she agrees, and has another sip through her curly straw.

Ben looks into his empty glass for a minute. "So how did you get that drink? I didn't see a bartender, and you didn't get it out of a machine, at least not that I saw."

"Bar rearranges the molecular geometry on demand. The equation balances in secret. Asking about the thermal quotient is impolite."

Beat.

Helpfully, "It's magic."

"Magic," Ben repeats. "God. That's two people talking about magic. So I just... tell the bar to synthesize something? I had hoped my drink was real."

River looks at him blankly.

And, after a moment, profers her drink as if it's evidence of something.

Ben shakes his head. "Not real like not imaginary, real like not synth." He looks sadly into his glass. "It tasted right, at least."

"It's real."

She's still looking at him blankly.

"Add an extra step in the transportation. Trade secrets. She's very private."

Ben narrows his eyes at River's disjointed explanation, but finally accepts 'trade secrets' as a valid source of non-synthesized vodka and non-synthesized orange juice. "Fair enough," he says after a long pause for thought.

River is always right.

Duh, Ben.

Ben studies his empty glass a little longer, and then says, "Thanks for your help, River," returns his glass to Bar, and heads out for the door.

That was sudden.

River's not too bothered, though. She has a pink drink, and she's going to be an aunt; she is, for once, in a solidly good mood.

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