Video

[water_wine_wizard]

[Laruna's usual bright and cheerful face appears.]

Hello, darlings, a few things.

I am in need of some taste testers, if anyone is willing. I've got a batch of wine ready to go but as any good food or drink requires, it needs to be tasted before I release it into the wild. Anyone willing to give it a shot?

Chekov, I'll be needing your help in a week or so.

Also, is there a place to give tithes to the deities? First fruits to the gods, and everything, is important.

[She'd looked around and hadn't see anything... And yes, she is saying she wants to give the deities wine.]

[Then, because she hasn't figured out how to use the filters, and probably wouldn't use them even if she knew how...]


Don't forget about our lunch date, Meyer. I'll be waiting for you!

Comments

[recognize_an_opportunity]

[Let him just gape at you for a second before regaining his composure.]

My lover? I thought I told you, I don't have a lover.

[water_wine_wizard]

[Hee.]

Then what's wrong with a little kiss?

[recognize_an_opportunity]

[A pause.]

Okay. Fine.

[water_wine_wizard]

Wonderful! You're such a sweetheart, you know that?

[recognize_an_opportunity]

[He doesn't even know what to do with a statement like that.]

Most people wouldn't agree.

[water_wine_wizard]

Well, I'm not most people.

[She takes a sip of her own wine.]

You remind me of my little brother, you know?

[recognize_an_opportunity]

Yeah? How's that?

[water_wine_wizard]

Alec - that's my brother - and Jono have been friends since Alec punched him on their first day of class when he was five.

[Great way to start a friendship.]

Anyway, they sort of recently started getting a bit more involved, but both of them deny that they're anything special. They just have sex. As well as do other friend things.

[recognize_an_opportunity]

That's very nice for them, but I don't see what it has to do with me.

[Nope. Nope.]

[water_wine_wizard]

The two of you react just the same. When I brought up that picture of you and the other gentleman?

[She still has that picture, btw. He never asked for it back...]

[recognize_an_opportunity]

It was a strange implication. Can you blame me for being surprised?

[water_wine_wizard]

It was?

[She seems surprised to think it was a strange implication.]

[recognize_an_opportunity]

Most people don't look at a photograph of two business partners and see anything...

[He gestures, looking for a word.]

Suggestive.

[water_wine_wizard]

I didn't know you were business partners.

[recognize_an_opportunity]

I would have thought that would be the first assumption, yes? Not... whatever you assumed.

[C'mon, two guys in suits standing together? Definitely business partners. What else?]

[water_wine_wizard]

[They could have been at a fancy party... and besides, she only sees Meyer dressed in business suits. How does she know that's not his normal "everyday" wear and not made especially for business?]

Oh. Well... it didn't look like that to me.

[recognize_an_opportunity]

Why not? What about it made it look different?

[He needs to know so he can remedy this misconception, obviously.]

[water_wine_wizard]

Different as opposed to what?

[Yes. Yes.]

[recognize_an_opportunity]

Different than how two guys standing around together would normally look.

[water_wine_wizard]

[She thinks for a moment.]

Um. Well... there's a definite familiarity between the two of you. You're very comfortable with each other... at least that's what the body language looked like. And there's the expressions on your face... very warm...

[She goes on for a bit describing the details.]

[recognize_an_opportunity]

So we're friends. So what?

[You can have a definite familiarity with someone without sleeping with them, Laruna!]

[water_wine_wizard]

Yes. But it looks like he wants to grab you off somewhere...

[recognize_an_opportunity]

[There's a protracted silence while he tries to decide whether to dignify that with an answer.]

Maybe he's just making a stupid face. He does that.

[water_wine_wizard]

[She takes a drink musingly.]

That doesn't look stupid to me.

I have no appropriate icon for this. This will have to do.

[recognize_an_opportunity]

I'm not going to ask you what it looks like to you, because you've made that extremely obvious.

[He's taking a long drink now, in an attempt to hide any discomfort. Congratulations, Laruna, you're one of the few people who's actually managed to rattle his nerves of steel.]