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The party guest list includes a wide range of interestingnesses of rich people. There's a fellow who sits on various boards of various faceless corporations; there's two who started startups and swept up a few million dollars that way; there's a small handful of professional philanthropists, who have oodles of money from various sources and make a hobby of distributing the interest to worthy pet causes; there is a congresswoman, and a state senator, both from New York but apparently willing to travel to the West Coast on occasion. There's also a lot of dull old money who do this sort of thing and nothing but all the time, but they still concentrate a lot of financial leverage, and Bella would rather have ins with them than not, as long as she can.
She bikes up - speeding shamefully, hexing herself radar detection, and cutting the trip in half from its estimated time to just eight hours on the road. Tegu can go very very fast.
Alice made her a new dress for the occasion - this one's autumny, mostly a dark red-brown, with leaf patterns in deep gold and burnt orange swirling up around and soft ruffles in the same colors around her knees and puffing out over one shoulder. It stands out more than the little black dress - which is fine. She would like attention, and just being the hostess's son's girlfriend will not quite get her there at a rich people party, she thinks.
self_composed
self_composed
"Everything Hilary makes is good," Bella says. "This thing in particular is not only good, but also spicy and cheesy. Nathan... wait, Nathan Hall?" She's pretending she doesn't have all publicly available information about him memorized, aww. "Didn't you found Postnet?"
edgeofyourseat
"Spicy and cheesy! It's like they were made for me," he says, and grabs one.
"Yes I did. What's it to you?"
"Yes I did. What's it to you?"
self_composed
"I've heard of it, that's all. I don't have massive hard drives that need to go anywhere so I haven't used it, but I read an article about it somewhere," she says vaguely.
edgeofyourseat
"Well, if you do need to send a massive hard drive somewhere, I know just the people," says Nathan with a wink.
self_composed
Bella laughs. "Good to know. Anything else in the works? I bet you don't personally courier drives, so now that it's up and running they probably don't call you much."
edgeofyourseat
"Actually, funny story," he says, gesturing with his still-untouched popper, "I did do a run once. It just so happened that we were short a truck, and it just so happened that I was going in the right direction. I dropped off the goods along the way. It was all very exciting."
edgeofyourseat
"Well, we have people for that." He winks again. "And technically, I'm not qualified."
self_composed
Bella chuckles. He doesn't seem to want to talk about whatever else he's doing. That's okay. There are more people around. Bella averts her gaze and drifts away after a few seconds have passed in silence and she can do it without being rude.
edgeofyourseat
Across the room, Alice has found Sophie and they are getting along, or at least, she's laughing at his jokes.
self_composed
Oh, there's a good excuse. Bella wanders in that direction, touches Alice on the shoulder and smiles - just a gesture of having noticed that he's there - and now she's on the other side of the room, next to Mr. Faceless Corporations. "Oh, hello!"
edgeofyourseat
Alice grins over his shoulder at her and goes right back to his conversation with the apparently-fascinating Sophie.
Mr. Faceless Corporations smiles at her. In perhaps an overly friendly way. "Oh, hello," he echoes.
Mr. Faceless Corporations smiles at her. In perhaps an overly friendly way. "Oh, hello," he echoes.
self_composed
Bella doesn't like that; shades of Mike in a dude three times Mike's age is about three times less pleasant. But she is in a room full of people and she has freaking magic; she just won't go off anywhere with this guy, that's all. [Do you know this one?] she asks Alice, before politely, leaning on that acting pentagon, saying, "My name's Bella."
edgeofyourseat
"And I'm Arthur," says Faceless Corporations, offering her his hand.
Alice glances over his shoulder again.
[One'a Dad's friends,] he says. [Mom really likes his wife.]
Or neither of them would be here, is the implication.
Alice glances over his shoulder again.
[One'a Dad's friends,] he says. [Mom really likes his wife.]
Or neither of them would be here, is the implication.
self_composed
Bella shakes. "It's nice to meet you."
She likes true things. Sometimes she likes them so much she won't let other people have any.
She likes true things. Sometimes she likes them so much she won't let other people have any.
edgeofyourseat
"Likewise," says Arthur, with a big, big smile. "What's a nice girl like you doing in a room full of old farts?"
self_composed
Bella reaches behind her and grabs Alice's hand, although she doesn't pull on it enough to suggest he turn around. "Visiting," she says.
edgeofyourseat
"With Junior?" asks Arthur, raising his eyebrows at their joined hands, as though he can just imagine the sort of person who'd visit Junior. Alice does not, indeed, turn around, nor does he pay Arthur any attention whatsoever, but he does squeeze Bella's hand.
self_composed
"I don't think he really goes by that," says Bella, a faint edge to her voice. She squeezes back and lets go; she communicated her point.
self_composed
"'Junior' is a nickname," Bella points out, shrugging. "Ooh, watercress sandwiches." New hors d'oeuvres are being put out periodically, and she's going to be leaning heavily on that. She strides for the little sandwiches and takes one.
edgeofyourseat
Arthur follows, taking one for himself.
"Junior's what his family calls him," he says. "Or it was last I checked. See what I mean? I can't keep up."
"Junior's what his family calls him," he says. "Or it was last I checked. See what I mean? I can't keep up."
self_composed
"Check again," Bella recommends. She turns to a nearby Startup Lady and fakes enthralled surprise. "Holy cow, are you Marisa Page? I just missed your speaking engagement three weeks ago. Someone from my class on operating systems went, but I had a conflict."
edgeofyourseat
Marisa smiles. "Why yes I am!" she says.
"You're a very rude young lady," Arthur remarks to Bella.
"You're a very rude young lady," Arthur remarks to Bella.
self_composed
Bella gives Arthur one wide-eyed look of affected hurt, then huffs audibly and takes a step towards Marisa. She will get mileage out of being a rude young lady if that is what it takes to disengage from him. "I got a copy of the handout, though." And looked at it for exactly one second. "My classmate wanted to ask you why you're using Common Lisp instead of his favorite implementation, but there wasn't time. He'll flip if I tell him I met you and got to ask."