The party was going full swing, with no signs of slowing and no visible crises, Perri mused over her Baileys -- Nick had managed to survive every conversation so far, no one had killed anyone else, and Knighties and NatPackers were drinking together more or less happily. Not a bad night's work.
Except that there were a few Knighties and NatPackers not drinking together.... She downed her drink, got another, caught Cath's eye, and crossed the room to Jennie's table. "Can we talk somewhere?"
"Sure," Jennie said without looking up, staring somewhat cross-eyed into her drink, which was, Perri noticed with satisfaction, not orange. Looked like the reversed whammy had stuck. "The office?" she suggested after a second.
"Why not? Eeveryone else is." Perri headed over and Jennie dragged herself to her feet to follow; Valerie tagged along apparently for the hell of it, and Perri didn't feel like protesting.
Jennie closed the door behind all of them. Someone had stashed a table and chairs in here at one point -- probably a good thing, given all of that evening's conferences -- and they made a beeline for it.
"Thanks." Perri pulled out a chair and sank into it, hiding her bare feet -- she'd disposed of her soggy shoes hours before -- under the table. Jennie followed suit. "Jeez, I haven't been to a party like this since Sanctuary. Music's better here, though."
"At least no one's shouting 'Let's get naked,'" Jennie agreed, looking up with a small smile. Valerie snorted into her drink, taking a seat across from the other two.
"Give 'em time," Perri grinned, slouching down in her seat and kicking her feet out. "If certain members of this crew get drunk enough, there's no telling what'll happen. It's been that kind of war."
"Tell me about it," Jennie groaned, taking a long drink. "I need sleep. Why does everything in a war happen at night?"
"Vampires," Perri and Valerie explained succinctly and simultaneously.
"Right." Jennie stared into her drink some more. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you about Natalie," she said abruptly.
Perri shrugged. "You were keeping her safe, I know. I'll live, so will she. End of story. Besides, if I'd known where she was, I don't think I would have been able to keep it from Nick, and who knows what would have happened."
"Yeah." Jennie smiled again. "Things could have gotten really ugly."
Perri started to comment, stopped and took another drink. "Right. And I'm sorry I got in your face a little while ago."
"Me, too," Jennie agreed softly.
Then Perri grinned again, mischievously.. "But I'm not sorry about the bucket of water."
Jennie started laughing instantly. "Well, I'm not sorry about putting the hose down your shirt, so there!"
Perri started laughing as well, and the tension between them was gone. It was that easy.
"At least someone's having fun," Cath said, pulling up a chair of her own, having somehow managed to open the door without any of the others noticing. "Someone just tried to pick me up."
"Mortal or vamp?" Perri asked curiosly.
"Hey, I'm not sure if it was male or female," Cath said with disgust, which naturally set the other two off again.
"Too much fun in here," Dianne said, appearing next to them, Christina behind her. "We'll have to get someone to cite you for that -- I think it's against the rules."
"We are Warmistress," Cath shrugged. "We make the rules."
"Hah," Torrey said mildly from Perri's other side, Sherri echoing her. "We don't need no stinking rules."
"Hey," Lisa McDavid and Tok protested, "That's a Cousin line."
Perri looked around her, mystified. "Where did you all come from?"
"Illinois." "California." "Washington."
Perri rolled her eyes as everyone wise-cracked at once. "Never mind."
"Are we having a meeting?" Partly asked perkily, materializing out of thin air, Soulseeker right next to her.
"Did we move the party in here?" Tigon waved her mineral water in greeting, cradling Timon with the other hand.
"No, it's a meeting," Felicia said.
"If it was a meeting, more fur would be flying," Susan observed. She and Cynthia were carrying trays of appropriate drinks. Laura was behind them; Perri was beyond surprise at everyone's ability to walk through walls.
"True," Dianne agreed, reaching for her Virgin Blood. Perri and Cath instantly started snickering and got a dirty look from the Merc. "Like, very cute," she snarled.
Perri and Cath only grinned wider. "You know, everyone's going to be wondering what we're doing in here," Cath pointed out.
"Let 'em," Jennie waved their respective factions off. "We've got more important things to do."
"Amen. Let's fight."
"Noooo... I have a better idea."
********
An hour later, they still hadn't emerged, and said factions were starting to wonder.
"What do you think they're doing in there?" a Knightie actually whispered to a Cousin.
The Cousin just looked mystified. "Leader stuff, I guess. Either that, or they decided to hold a duel."
The two listened for death cries, then exchanged looks. "Nah!"
"Sure must be important, though," a nearby NatPacker mused.
A Die-Hard yawned. "Yeah, they haven't even come out for more drinks."
"There's a refrigerator in there," a Ravenette pointed out.
"They're plotting," a Merc decided. "The overthrow of USA Network, I bet."
"Yeah," everyone agreed enthusiastically. Then, having decided that their leaders were involved in important, appropriately leader-like work, they went back to partying, secure in the world.
*******
Snores filled the air. The leaders were sprawled everywhere, sleeping their first uninterrupted sleep since arriving in Toronto. Perri was on the floor, her head resting on Jennie, who had produced a NatMare seemingly from thin air to use as a pillow. Valerie shared the tail of the NatMare. Partly lay on her back under Janette's desk, while Lisa had appropriated the top; Susan snored in the chair. Cynthia half-sat, half-lay on the floor using Susan's feet as a pillow. Cath was at the table, head down on the wood -- and scribbled quotes all over her body, where someone (read: Jennie and Perri) had run out of paper for a quote list and resorted to every single wall and, finally, Cath.
Christina was curled in a uncomfortable-looking knot next to Tigon and Timon (the vamp-rat was using the Merc as a bed); Laura snoozed in a corner next to Felicia. Soulseeker slept quietly in a heap with Torrey and Sherri, while Dianne sprawled on her back in front of the open and emptied refrigerator, her feet inside and her arms outstretched.
Peacefully, they dreamed of vampires and caddies and trips to Toronto and laughter and chocolate.