Drinks?

Artemis took a glass from the waiter. After a drink, he looked into his glass while he swirled the liquid within. A small smile played at the corners of his mouth. All that was needed was a few balding old men arguing in the corner and it would feel like home.

PakPao had drawn him out of his musings. Artemis drank the remainder of his wine and placed the empty glass on a passing tray. He turned and gave her a devilish grin. With little effort, he removed the cloak and placed it around PakPao's shoulders. He had to stifle a chuckle. The cloak that had been made for his tall frame now engulfed her.

"There is that better?"

She blinked in surprise. Granted that was the one piece of his wardrobe tonight that she had been coveting, but she hadn't planed on swimming in it. But it was enough to stop any costume moping that she might still have been prone to and made her laugh.

"Superb. I think it looks much better on me... and about five other people."Â?

Following his example she finished her wine and looked suspiciously at the rest of the room. OK, so they were late. She didn't have a lot to say to most people, present company excepted.

"I can't decide if I want to socialize or if this is quite enough."Â?

Hell, did she know anyone else here?

Artemis chuckled. The sight was rather amusing. He reached around her and folded up the cloak a bit and readjusted it on her shoulders before pinning in a style a bit more manageable.

"There I think that will be a bit better."

Artemis followed PakPao's gave around the room. He was sure they would run into Alfarinn eventually, but they couldn't stand around waiting for him. Artemis let out an almost inaudible sigh, he wanted his comanion to have a good time. It was a feat that just might require him making a complete imbecile of himself.

" I am afraid this attire did not leave me many places to hide my usual toys. So we will have to cause meheim the old fashioned way, by dancing. Excuse me. Pardon me. Did I do that?"

Artemis began to make a mockery of all things that could be called dancing. In the choreography of a nutcase, he switched from one style to the next. A tall Roman with hair down to there doing 'The Butt' was truly a something to see.

OK, now she felt like Superman, but it wasn't an altogether bad thing and it was sure better than being Clark Kent.

She went from suspicious to disbelief when he started dancing, if you could call it that. A huge grin and a delicate laugh were hidden behind her small hand and she gave up, promising herself that she would have a good time. Grabbing his hand Pak tugged Artemis further out on to the floor so they could dance properly.

"They should have invented pockets much soon than they did would have saved everyone in the room that whole room that spectacle."Â?

Next time she would have to think this through dancing with much taller men was always a bit awkward and involved looking up a lot. Of course, she did look up at him with a lopsided sarcastic teasing grin in place.

"I forget, have I always known you were a bad dancer or is this new?"Â?

Artemis laughed and tried to think what he would have been like if he had had pockets sooner. the pranks probably would not have been as elaborate of effective, but they would have been numerous.

" I think the divine powers knew that some people should not have pockets too soon. Now if i could find a way to make black leather cargo pants stylish, I would be a happy man."

He let himself be led further onto the floor, pleased that his antics had lifted her spirits. As the passed the occasional couple he had to resist the urge to give a nudge and thus make good on his threat of causing trouble. Looking down at Pakpao he tried to look insulted at he comment, only to give up an settle into a grin of his own.

" Whatever do you mean? I have been the clan dance champion three years running. Of course The Butt and the Funky Chicken are not on the list of generally requested dances."

With a wink and a grin he scooped her up into a gentle bear hug and spun her in a circle before setting her down.

" O.K. You lead."

"Black leather is always fashionable, just not always appropriate; but in a cargo? No. Tight leather is better, and pockets don't always ... add to the design."Â?

Ha! She was pleased to have halfway extricated herself from that little slip.

She was waiting for him to lead them 'accidentally' into another couple, something she was fully aware he was capable of. Next time there would have to be more planning ahead, something to keep them both out of trouble as he had her contemplating how easy it would be to step on the train of one of these overly elaborate gown... he he train wreck.

Filing that idea away for later Pak instinctively tightened her grip on Artemis as her feet left the ground. She tried to look reproachful, she really did but failed miserably and just kept smiling.

"I must have missed those. Right, I'll lead if you promise not to go all John Travolta on me. I avoided the seventies with moderate success and would like to keep it that way."Â?

Artemis smiled. Don't add to the design? Does that mean she had been looking? he found himself rather glad that he had handed over his cloak, and maybe waving his ass around had advantages too. The mention of John Travolta brought him back from the thoughts that she might have actually been looking.

" Aww, but I can do Travolta without going into the seventies."

He ran his fingers, in the shape of a 'V', in front of his eyes for emphasis. He did however stop short of doing the Swim or the Mash Potatoe. The twist might have had promise but he figured he had pushed his luck with the previous montage. Artemis laughed litely.

" You might want to be carefull what you say about the seventies though. They are said to be retro, they could come back to haunt you."

“You are the only person I know who can use pop culture as a weapon.”

Pak’s face had taken on a very pained expression but she couldn’t help laughing again. He’d won that round but there would be retaliation. Awww hell why wait, they were already looking ridiculous so she did finish the ‘choreography’ doing an abbreviated version of the Swim before settling back down.

”Ugh! You take that back. I refuse to deal with avocado green anything, shag carpet, bellbottoms or machines that can’t compete with a graphing calculator. Oh and then we’ll get to do the eighties again, this just gets better doesn’t it?”

All right, she was glad she’d come, this was proving highly entertaining and they hadn’t even run anyone over yet.

“You’d think if people wanted to go retro they’d go way back try out the 1890s. It might give them an appreciation for the present.”

Artemis laughed. One of the hazards of being a genious was that useless information tended to get stored in his mind with all of the other clutter. Though occasionally the useless became useful. Great for dancing montages and Trivial Pursuit.

" You would think so. The problem with retro is that people tend to pick and choose. And not always wisely if fashion is what we have to go by. Legwarmers were not a terribly bright idea the first time around."

About that time, something large and green caught his attention. Turning Pak around, he placed an arm around her shoulders and leaned closer to her ear. With his other hand he pointed out the Godzilla by the bar.

" Think we could him to lead everyone in the Monster Mash?"

“Yeah the same idiots who that they were a good idea the first time will bring them back. Come on you can’t think that parachute pants are going to work out well for you.”

Turning she saw the green monster. Oh lord who’d let that in the door? Ten out of ten for style though.

Oh, that was a terrible thought, he did not just say that! Working hard on a straight face, she leaned closer conspiratorially and spoke very low.

“Gozira!”

She’d given the pronunciation a reasonable facsimile of a Japanese accent, not perfect but enough to get her point across.

“We can dance or you can pretend to be a small Japanese costal city and I’ll run away screaming. Which do you think would get more attention?”

Tempting fate, that is what she was doing and Pak was ready to do either, run away screaming or attempt to lead a dance she only maybe knew a quarter of.

Artemis laughed at the thought. His mind had skipped over the part about pretending to be a city and went to stomping and chasing her about in his own rendition of Godzilla. While an amusing thought, it was an idea best left for a time when they didn't have an audience. A wicked grin played across his features.

" The best times to cause trouble are when you have someone else to blame it on. Let's see what we can get into and later say he did."

Artemis took her into his arms and spun her around a few times pretending to be looking for someone to bump into. Finally he settled into something that resembled normal dancing.

Oh boy, from the look on his face Pak was certain he was thinking and equally certain it would be trouble. She almost pouted when he took the high road, the high road could be so very dull.

“Alright, you win but this brings us back to you not having any pockets and if you think I managed to carry anything you’d be wrong.”

Hmm there was running into people, which would be highly entertaining and better than throwing things. You could always pretend running into people was an accident. Watching the waiters move around with the drinks it hit her.

“We need dribble glasses.”

The thought had promise. He did a mental survey of the 'tools' he had available to him. There was his dagger and the brouch the currently fastened the cloak to her. Yes, it definately had promise. Artemis spotted a waiter on one edge of the dance floor. he moved them in that direction. Sometimes, as they were moving, he would pick her up and spin her around using the cloak as a weapon as it flared out from her shoulders. The devilish grin was unmistakable.

As they reached the waiter, he grabbed two glasses of wine. One he handed to Pak, and the other he drained. Artemis examined the glass. There was not much he could do with his present tool set that would not do perminant damage to the crystal.

" Well this may come as a surprise to you, but I think these glasses may be Artemis proof. If only I had a thin piece of glass or some chewing gum."

Looking down he spotted a smashed bit of strawberry or was it a rasberry. It was kind of hard to tell in its present state.

" Do you have your lighter with you?"

Ideas were dangerous, but fun and as they moved towards the waiter Pak knew, he had one. Brilliant.

Hardware was not her specialty and so all Pak could do was watch, toying with the wine glass he’d handed her, she was currently far to interested in his plan to think about drinking it, that would come in a second.

“I didn’t think any thing would be Artemis proof, did you tell people you were coming and make them put out the safety glass?”

Totally lost now she nodded and fidgeted around in her belt; the lighter and her cigarette case were the only two things she’d managed to carry with her tonight. Locating the lighter, she handed it to him.

“Of course. Since I’m now officially an accomplice do I get a hint?”

" Nope."

Artemis grinned but didn't look up. Instead, he removed his dagger from its place at his waist. Crouching down, Artemis scooped up some of the fruit on the blade. Standing, Artemis flashed her another grin.

" Now if anybody comes, you have to be flirty and distracting....Just not too flirty or I might get jealous."

He gave her a wink and then went back to his task. Holding the glass by the top rim, he scraped the gooey remains from the dagger onto the bottom of the glass. He then wiped the blade across the side of the glass. Carefull not to get the stickey mess on himself, he switched which hand held the glass. with the glass and the dagger in one hand, artemis used the lighter to heat the base of the glass. The heat alone would have created mild suction but would have likely cooled before it could adhere to anything. The addition of the fruit would allow it to stick to the passing tray that he stuck it on. The prank would not be enough to break the glass but it would serve to frustrate the waiter for a moment. The sticky fruit juice on the side was an added bonus. Artemis took a napkin from the tray before it got out of reach and wiped his dagger before replacing it.

" So how was that? Not dribbling glass, but it was the best I could do under the circumstances."

“Flirting with me while reeking havoc, you do know the way to a girl’s heart.”

She grinned back at him and did her best to keep watch without attracting attention and at the same time keeping an eye on what he was doing.

As she started to understand Pak let the waiter walk away before she raised here eyebrows at him, pleased with the idea.

“Next time we stick a full one back on the tray and stalk the waiter to see who tries to pull it off the tray.”

Thaddeus raised his eyebrow at Alfarinn’s comment, though he was still smiling when he sent.

[I went by Lord Thaddeus Grey for the short time I used the title…I think of my father when I hear Lord Grey.] Chuckling inwardly, he added: [Emma told me that was quite a mouthful and I was forced to agree, though I think in retrospect it was all a convenient excuse to be more familiar with one another.]

He tilted his head a little, brushing against Alfarinn as they moved, finding he was suddenly talkative. [It must be the clothing…I find myself remembering so much tonight. I should likely quit while I’m ahead; I tend to go on, I know.]

He smiled, shaking his head at memories; his best friend attempting to drag him to the piano, hiding in a library from a girl everyone was trying to fix him up with, sneaking out for no other reason than to walk about freely at night…he wondered if Alfarinn would be scandalized to hear of his exploits, though in reality, he knew, it was all relatively innocent.

Seeing that they were approaching Artemis and his lady friend, he grinned a little, though he wondered just what they were up to.

[Shall we say hello then? I wouldn’t want to impose.]

Alfarinn smiled at his companion and amended his statement.

"Well then, Lord Thaddeus Grey, you look stunning tonight."

He could see Emma saying exactly those words about such a title and at least partly for that very reason. It was probably a good thing Alfarinn didn't have a large official title to go along with his name some people found Alfarinn long enough on its own. He had been the Jarl's son and had been expected to take his place but that title did not go to him until he had done so.

[Do you honestly think I'd want you not to speak? I love listening to you and learning all these things. What else have you been reminded of tonight?]

Shaking his head at his companion's remarks or the thought that he would be opposed to hearing more of them, Alfarinn wrapped and arm around Thaddeus's waist and watched Artemis with amusement. At the mention of saying hello, he nodded.

[ I suppose we should if for no other reason than to keep him from finding a way to cause more trouble. ]

Or to help... Alfarinn smirked but refrained from adding that thought to his sending.

Coming up behind his fellow Evenhet, Alfarinn raised his eyebrows and spoke

" Not enough gadgets in here to keep you busy, I see."

He turned to PakPao and smiled.

"Good Evening PakPao. This is Thaddeus Grey of Anantya, Thaddeus, PakPao of Evenhet. She is one of the chief programmers that works with MARI. -Which- I've been meaning to speak to you about...."

His eyes narrowed looking at her suspiciously a moment before he smiled and turned towards Artemis.

"So how did you manage to get him out of the lab?

Oh look, more people. Pak straightened up and did her best to look like they hadn’t been up to anything sending Artemis a quick thought as she did so.

[“Gozira! Should we run now?”]

For Alfarinn she just smiled sweetly.

“Good evening Alfarinn, nice to meet you Thaddeus. But I haven’t noticed any problems with MARI, we can talk about that later though.”

Yes, much –much- later; the truth was Pak really hadn’t noticed any problems, the AI was working just perfectly as far as she was concerned. Perfectly was a matter of opinion tough, wasn’t it?

Looking back to Artemis she casually retrieved her lighter and stashed it back in her belt and shrugged as if getting Artemis out of his lab was an easy and every day occurrence.

“Him? I just promised he could dance, after that he practically drug me here.”

Artemis was comptemplating the damage he could cause with a full glass of wine when he heard the familiar voice behind him. At Pak's comment, images of Alfarinn stomping around in a Godzilla costume were replaced with images of a large green big toothed Alfarinn. It was an amusing thought he would definitely have to revisit.

Artemis draped an arm around Pak's shoulders as he handed her the lighter. The amount of focus on a single thought that was required for sending was not an easy task for Artemis. It was even more difficult when he was moderately sober. He found the physical contact made it easier for him. It would take at least three more glasses of wine before he could reply to her without it.

[ Probably should. But at least this way we have another Godzilla to blame.]

To Alfarinn and Thaddeus he grinned. He also extended his free hand to Thaddeus in greeting.

" Hello Thaddeus, all is well with you I hope. And no Alfarinn not enough gadgets, but I have learned to make the best of my environment. A bit of chewing gum would have been helpful though."

Artemis gently hugged Pak and gave her a conspiratorial wink.

" What is wrong with MARI? I haven't noticed any problems. I think it may just be you."

Artemis knew what Alfarinn's complaint was. He too suspected that Pak may have gotten a bit creative with the AI's personality functions. He also found it amusing and absolutely perfect.

A snort and then a cough escaped him as Pak mentioned dancing. It had just occurred to him that his display had given her ammunition for at least a month.