milliways_bar | (no subject)

"It's alright. Been here about two years. Found more friends here than I have before. And adopted a little brother."

"I got one o' dose too. Who's yo's?"

Comparing extended families is fun!

"Guppy Sandhu. Know him? Yey-high, sorta fluffy?"

Yes, he's telling everyone this.

"Oh! Doctor Guppy! Oui. Good man."

She nods approvingly.

"Yeah," Fond grin. "Hey, y'wouldn't be Belladonna as in Belle, right? Girl who's teaching him self-defense?"

"Dat's me. Got tired o' seein' 'im covered in bruises."

She frowns a bit. "Seems his world's fulla bastards 'n' assholes."

"You and me both. And yeah, it is. Or maybe they're just drawn to Guppy - Me and another mutual friend, Sam, went and dealt with one of them, but they keep popping up."

"Hmmm. We should kidnap 'im, den. F'r a lil bit, anyway."

She thought for a minute, finishing her whiskey.

"He might eat us. Turn into a huge dinosaur and devour us bloodily," Beat. "But we could take him for a party. With lots of people who really like him - It can be an early birthday party, since I don't think anyone knows his birthday, though."

Beat.

"I can think of two people who'd help organise one. They're both midgets, but you can't have everything."

She nodded. "Dat'll work, too. Midgets, y' say? Ain't seen any o' dem runnin' 'round."

Hmm, what to get Guppy for his birthday?

"Yeah. Two midgets - One's a lot more midgetty than the other, really, but they're both tiny." This isn't so much true. One of them is about 5'7". "Also, smug. But nice."

"Alright. In Bar, or out? I assume we're tellin' him befo' hand, right?"

Maybe a kitten so something in his world would love him?

"Depends. Know of any really good locations for a party in your world?"

"My house is good. Big, secluded, got a wine cellar dat's able t' easily get twenty families o' hard drinkin' assassins drunk, 'n' not too hard to get t', provided a lil bit o' underground travel ain't a problem."

"Sounds great t'me. I doubt Guppy minds travelling underground. Just blindfold him if he does, it'll be fine."

"Indeed. Y' get y' midgets on de nuts 'n' bolts, I'll get de house ready f'r de particulars, 'n' in de mean time, we should inform Guppy o' de plan."

"They'll be like my two dwarf army," Atton says, nodding solemnly. "And yeah, we should. Whenever one of us next sees him, we should mention it."

"Oui. Y'll prolly be de one who does. . .I got shit back home keepin' me busy. Should be over soon. Mebe set de date f'r a mont' from now?"

"What sorta shit? And yeah. About a month from now sounds alright t'me."

She shrugged. "Family business."

This is the point where her face becomes carefully blank while her emotions are held even more carefully in check.

"Family business that y'don't want t'talk about?"

"Bingo. Y' up f'r dinner? I could use a bite."

It's both misdirection and habit. Feeding people is good.

"Not at the moment, thanks." Atton isn't so easily misdirected. But he decides to drop the subject anyway.

She shrugged. "Care if I eat, den? Not quite ready t' head back."

It would be a few hours and a couple glasses of wine before going home sounded good. The longer her brother waited, the more nervous she got.

"No, please go ahead," Pause. "'S that bad, then? Assassins aren't generally so easily deterred, in my experience."