Jet-propelled Pete and -- wait no. Kitty-propelled, partially, mostly
because of the still laughing, and then the two of them are in the middle
of greeting people. The DJ's actually keeping up and being somewhat
tasteful - well, Pete's-tasteful, anyway. Possibly because he knew he'd
die from two directions if he started playing, say, Coldplay. It's the Who
playing now, which should at least help convince Pete's father that that
is /not/ in fact a clone, just an alternate-dimensional counterpart, which
/was/ explained already. At some point. THe kids couldn't hurt Jack, they
tried tried tried! They dropped things on his back, they lied lied lied.
They couldn't stop Jack, or the waters lapping. And they couldn't prevent
Jack from being happy! (I saw ya!)

"Furthest thing from my mind," replies Tim to Liam. By which he means he's
paranoid about all people equally, regardless of creed, color, or species,
but there's no need to go into that. He's about to say more, mostly to
fill the uncomfortable...well, not *precisely* silence...when Tulio greets
him in his own unique way. "Naah, you're thinking of my cousin," he quips.
"I'm Tim Who Does Vaguely Impressive Things With Decks Of Cards."

Kess gives Tulio a querying glance, topping a fond smile - huh? Tim's
answer gets a likewise blank look. Nope, no idea what that's a reference
to, but she looks cheerful anyway. Guinness held securely, she gives Liam
a reassuring look. "Don't worry, I'll guard it carefully. And not shake it
too much." She's learning Guinness-etiquette! She nods slightly in
agreement with the anti-assumption statements, giving Tim a pleasant look,
and glances off to Lorne again. Be there in a minute, there's odd social
stuff going on.

Bride and clone. Romany's mouth twitches at the corner, but her expression
stays mostly straight. "Think we can manage either of those for you," she
says, leading Sera directly toward the gathering of greeting. Determined
possessor of Family Privilege, /and/ pregnant woman, coming through.

Which ... leaves one Harold Wisdom entirely unwatched behind them. He
gives a crafty look, one direction, then another ... then stumps off in
Lorne's direction, shoving one or two people out of the way as necessary.
This can't possibly be anything but bad.

Liam is vaguely appeased, and not about to start an argument at a wedding
anyway. Besides, he's an amiable guy. "Good to know," he says -- to Tim,
or to Kess, either will do. And, "Excuse me," is added, "This needs
deliverin'." A gesture toward the Seabreeze, and then he's moving to pick
his way through the crowd, toward Lorne. The glass is held out as he
approaches. "I still don't have a suit," he says to the demon, "so you're
welcome to pretend not knowin' me."

The birdgirl gets a little wave from Lorne, who is aware that there's
social stuff going on. No hurry. Liam arrives, though, and that entirely
distracts the demon from noticing anyone else who might be approaching.
"Oh, sweetie, bless you. I was beginning to think you'd forgotten all
about me." He winks, not meaning it at all, and gratefully receives the
Seabreeze. "Thought I might run off with the brother of the bride. If she
has one."

Tulio adjusts his tie and pretends to look like he's comfortable and
making with The Socializing. It's hard for him to be himself in crowds,
and to resist the urge to scam or put on a different face. Must be
respectable for Kess' sake. So he lapses into an awkward silence as he
twirls the liquid around in his glass.

Timothy, were he a mind reader (instead of an occasional mind-talker),
would be forced to agree absolutely with with Tulio. His silence is less
awkward, though, and instead of swirling his drink around, he just drinks
it. Out of the corner of his eye, he spots the crazy man from the wedding.
His internal sigh doesn't register at all on his face, and he manages to
make it look like an utter coincidence (he hopes) that he happens to drift
in the man's direction.

And Liam is off, so Kess must follow, as she's bearing his drink. She
sends Tim a smile slightly warmer than politeness demands, before stepping
after the angel, giving Tulio a nudge on the way. C'mon. "Hi," she says
softly on arriving at demonside, holding the Guinness until Liam's ready
to take it. Uh, this could be awkward. But Lorne waved, so she doesn't
feel entirely like she's intruding. Incoming crazy fathers of grooms
aren't noticed. "Um, you know Tulio, right?"

An embarrassment of attention, all of a sudden. "I do indeed. Hi there,
cutie." Lorne gives Tulio a friendly-enough smile, but he's starting to
feel just the slightest bit crowded. To alleviate this feeling somewhat,
he stands. It's good for feeling less surrounded, but it doesn't do much
to make him less conspicuous, considering he stands six three. "Bigger
party than I'd expected."

Liam accepts his Guinness from Kess, managing not to give it an appraising
look. He trusts her to have been kind to it. Really. "Ta," he says to her,
and lifts the drink, taking a sip. Guinness makes crowds more bearable. He
is suddenly tiny next to Lorne.

A nod to Timothy at the nudge from Kess. Duty calls. Or something of the
like. Another awkward smile, and Tulio follows after Kess, glancing around
the crowd as he goes. To his credit, there's none of the reaction when he
first met Lorne, as in staring or fear. It's still a little awkward,
especially with 'cutie'. Ahem. Throatclear. "Uh...g'devening." The
Spaniard replies. See, a smile! A goofy, polite one. But a smile
nonetheless. A glance out of the corner of his eye. Am I doing okay, hon?

Not helping with the crowded feeling is the old man starting, upon getting
anywhere near Lorne at all, to give him a so-you're-the-latest look-over.
(It might say something about Romany's taste in men that, green skin and
horns and all, there's a note of decidedly grudging approval in that.)
Fortunately, Liam and Kess and Tulio got there first, so there's a
convenient wall of bodies - not to mention a Timothy wandering into
Harold's vicinity and distracting him. "Well," he grumbles to Timothy,
"what do *you* want?"

"Liam," Lorne murmurs, leaning down slightly to achieve it, "there's an
old man over there staring at me." Make him go away.

"Three million dollars and a puppy," quips Timothy to Harold. "But, you
know, I'm flexible. I'd settle for a kitten. What do you want?" And if he
accidentally manages to get between Harold and everyone else, well, that's
a happy coincidence.

Liam doesn't have a free hand, so he settles for leaning his shoulder
against Lorne's arm, peering over as he follows the demon's line of sight.
"No, there isn't," he responds, amiably. "He's talkin' to that other
bloke." See? Everything's fine.

He's checking his social skills with Kess? Oh, is Tulio in trouble. She
just smiles back, cheerful and sipping at her wine. Ahhh, wine. "It's, ah,
yeah, a lot of people," she agrees with Lorne, looking around. And trying
not to get nervous all over again. There are people behind her, and that
makes her wings itch. And... crazy old guy, hm. Not staring at the
slippers, nope. She looks to Tulio. "Um, maybe we should go say hi to
Kitty and Pete?"

Harold snorts loudly and jerks a thumb over his shoulder toward Lorne and
Liam and Tulio and Kess. "Want to meet my evil daughter's boyfriend," he
says. The man doesn't seem to *have* a 'quiet' setting. Or a 'tactful'
one.

Well - all right then. Lorne eyes the old guy with the slippers for a
moment longer, then shrugs. Fair enough. "You know there was a little guy
here earlier asking for my autograph? I think he mistook me for somebody
from Star W--" Harold's remark is heard and he blinks, and then grins,
unable not to. "*Somebody's* radar isn't quite working."

Holmes has been skulking around. Not leaving or neglecting to keep things
running smooth, as a best man should, but there's a distinct 'I don't want
to be around all these people' vibe that is never so pronounced as when he
slips away from the side wall to get a bit more punch. He doesn't even
look that tall, although he's too striking to be called nondescript.

Hugs all around, and Sera's bright, radiant even, smiling to Pete and
Kitty. "Of course I made it!" she says, laughing. "With present, even.
It's on the table, with the rest of 'em. It's not ticking, humming or
buzzing, and nothing will crawl out, when you open it," she promises.
"Congratulations," she offers Pete, and will give the same to Kitty, and
attempt a warm hug, if she can. And a whisper, while she's giving Kitty
that hug, unable to help herself.

Maybe it was the mistaken assumptions about his outburst about green men.
Or maybe it's just because he's in a mischevious mood tonight. Or maybe
it's the drink talking, though it sounds an awful lot like Timothy's voice
that it's using. "Oh, well, why didn't you SAY so!" he says cheerily,
matching the man's volume. "You're Flo's dad, right! I'm Bobby
Joe..bob...sen...ovich. Yeah. And it is a pleasure, no, an *honor* to meet
you, sir!"

Kitty quips cheerfully, "People are here and there haven't even been any
fistfights yet." A pause. "Have there?" She steals her turn to hug Sera,
equally careful, and also careful to keep it on the side that doesn't
involve Sera getting a faceful of veil - and whatever Sera whispers, it
prompts a fit of unabashed giggles.

"... you've found yourself a new girlfriend?" enquires Liam to Lorne,
amused, also overhearing. And then his lips quirk just a little further as
Timothy's voice joins the fray. "D'you know that bloke?" he enquires of
Kess.

Lorne sips his Seabreeze. "I was going to tell you, I swear, cupcake."

"Oh, hon...I forgot the gift in the car." A quick peck to Kess' cheek, and
Tulio's starting to make his way through the crowd. Through demons and
children and all the other assorted people that populate the hall.

Romany comments to Pete in a perfectly bland tone, "Where did you expect
them to be? Mars? The locals wouldn't've appreciated *that*." She pauses,
glancing over her shoulder. "Might be one more than you were looking to
have, though -" And her voice trails off as she searches by eye the area
where she left her father, and fails to find him to point him out from a
safe distance. Uh oh.

Kess blinks and casts Tulio a fond look, nodding and patting his arm as he
departs. "Okay." She watches him for a short distance, then looks towards
the loudly-talking pair. "No, I don't think so," she replies to Liam with
a shake of her head. Lorne gets a bemused, then amused glance. She catches
on eventually. "He thinks you have a girlfriend?" Even she's not quite
blind enough to assume that.

A young Caucasian man, perhaps in his mid-twenties. He is relatively short
(roughly 5'8") and sports a lean and muscular build. His copper-red hair
is cut short in a utilitarian, almost militaristic style. His pale blue
eyes stare out from behind a thin pair of wire-rimmed eyeglasses. He is
entirely clean-shaven, and his general complexion is fair, not to mention
mottled with freckles. His face as a whole is highly expressive...whether
he's happy, upset, angry, or anywhere in between, his emotional state is
on display for all to see...or so it would seem.

He's opted for formalwear, tonight. An expensive-looking (if not
identifiable by brand...perhaps something custom-made just for him)
three-piece suit, jet-black. Beneath the suitcoat, a white shirt, and a
black tie. His shoes are black and dressy, but have more in common with
hiking boots than with classic dress shoes. Clearly designed as much for
comfort as for style. He's wearing a gold watch, old and apparently
expensive.

Harold squints at Timothy, pauses to eye Tulio balefully in passing, then
squints at Timothy again. "That what she's calling herself over here, is
it?" He folds his skinny arms, wrists protruding from the ill-fitting
suit's sleeves. "Wait, no. You can't be. Y' look almost ... normal."

Liam makes a sound that just /might/ be a chuckle, but is lost in his
Guinness. See? Sipping Guinness. Not saying a word.

It's far past 'fashionably late' by the time Seishi finally comes rushing
in, heels clicking briskly on the floor, surreptitiously wiping a reddish
smudge off her cheek and smoothing her hair into place. She's looking
extremely self-deprecating. Albeit also very faintly pleased with herself.
The first thing she does is seek out Pete and Kitty - not hard; they're in
the epicenter of all the fuss - and hurry over to apologize profusely.
"I'm sorry - here I am. Later on I'm going to have to murder my roommate,
but I'm here now."

"Apparently." Lorne shakes his head, deeply amused. What a freak. "Can't
say I've met that man before either, but bless him for rescuing me
anyway." Holmes gets a glance, and then a slightly longer look. Cute. In a
pointy kind of way.

Pete's expression turns into a straight grin at Romany's comment. "No, I
know you made the trip specially so no one would /have/ to go to Mars.
Rocket fuel must be awfully pricey. And I haven't seen anyone we didn't
invite..." One hand goes on Sera's shoulder and the other on Romany's, and
the grin flashes bright again. "Have to keep going! See you two in a bit."
Brief tug at Kitty and a wicked look, and Pete wanders in the direction of
the bar. Where a lot of people seem to need to be greeted.

"Calling herself?" Timothy looks vaguely confused for a second, and then
shrugs. "Oh, I know, it's hard for me to believe too," he says with a huge
grin at Harold. "I mean, if someone had told me two weeks ago that I'd
meet a sweet wonderful girl like Flovina
Lichtenbergenschwarzwaldovitzenstein," which he pronounces admirably for a
name he's just made up on the spot, "let alone that she'd be...dude, I
don't mean any disrespect," he says, slyly, "but you and Mrs.
Lichten...Mrs. L have got yourself some fine fine genes, that's all I'm
saying." He winks.

Kess gives Tim a longer look, grinning into her wine glass as she sips.
"We'll have to thank him later," she announces, then turns back to Liam
and Lorne. And she's suddenly wondering if she should be elsewhere; three
feels like an odd number to her. Weight shifts from foot to foot. Um.

"Would you believe," Kitty says to Sera once she's capable of
comprehensible speech again, "Pete was lobbying for putting that in the
ceremony..." She grins broadly, then - is tugged, apparently, and eyes
Pete. "What, /already/?" she protests as he starts drifting barward - then
waves her free hand, at the sound of another voice, as if reaching for a
lifeline. "Can't you wait five more - Sei-chan! Let me know if you need
any help getting rid of the body?"

Liam glances across the crowd toward where Pete and Kitty are the centre
of attention, and he smiles at Kess as he lowers his beer. "Look bloody
brilliant, don't they?" He's sticking close to Lorne -- either to reassure
the demon, or because there's a nice crowd-free space there where no one's
nudging him. Or both.

More laughter, and Sera grins so brightly to Kitty, and blows Pete a kiss,
then glances around, wondering where Ray is. How long does it take to park
a car? She remains near Romany, and Seishi too, if the other woman stays
-- and if she does, she's about to get quite a hug. "That's the mark of a
real friend. One who'll destroy evidence for you," she notes toward
Romany, grinning.

Holmes sees Seishi arrive, steels himself, and moves through the crowd
with a kind of fixated determination. "Mislabelled chemicals. Bah! It was
eleven percent pure instead of thirteen. Such frauds ought not be
perpetrated on an unsuspecting public. I see by your expression that the
building did /not/ burn down, as you so colorfully and volubly surmised it
might."

"No no - Seishi! Hi! Again!" Un-tug, and Pete's suddenly hugging Seishi,
now. For a guy who tends to keep his distance, he seems awfully huggy
today. And there's a very quietly whispered, "Thank you /so much/," before
he's stepping back and trying to figure out where people are. And then
/actually/ fleeing to keep making sure everyone knows they've got
acknowledged.

Not apparently inclined to make Kess any more comfortable, Lorne leans
down again to address Liam under his breath. "Sweetheart, I do technically
have a business to run. Are you staying or can I persuade you to come home
with me?" And that's not an innuendo. Much.

There's something about cascades of German syllables, long enough to be
sentences in themselves, that's wonderful for producing glazed-eyed
expressions. Harold squints at Timothy for a moment, completely at sea,
then narrows his eyes further as he scowls at the 'fine genes' comment.
Which means that he's essentially temporarily self-blinded with sheer
disapproval. "Huh. Can't possibly be *my* daughter you're talking about."
A pause, and he cracks one eye open and eyes Timothy warily. "You didn't
... *meet* her mother. Did you."

Kess obligingly glances over towards the happy couple, and her smile
deepens. "Yeah, they do." And part of that was her fault! Which makes her
oddly proud. Then Lorne all whispering to Liam, and no, it doesn't make
her feel any more comfortable. "I should, um. Say hi to Kitty. I'll see
you round." Offered to them both, though mostly to Liam, and she turns to
wander to somewhere that'll be in the greeting-line of an overly-huggy
Pete. Not like she ever minds that.

It's not like Lorne to be rude, and Liam frowns just slightly, before
shooting another smile at Kess. He's awfully smiley tonight, for him, and
most of them have been put on just for the occasion, but there's fondness
in that one. "Aye," he says to the demon, with a hint of disapproval that
fades soon enough, "you might at that. I were goin' to say hello to the
bride an' groom but I think they've enough of that already."

Timothy shakes his head after a second, looking a bit sad. "No,
unfortunately, I was *going* to, but, and I swear to God this is the
truth, dude...Mr. L...I had to work a late shift at the Holy Compound of
Saint Ee." He smiles widely again. "Have you heard the Truth of Ee, Mr. L?
You should totally come to one of our weekend meetings. I mean, sure, it
sounds long, but after the first day or so you can barely taste the gruel
any more..."

Disapproval?...well fine! Stay here then! Only don't. "I'll go and find a
cab, then, honey." Lorne makes his way around the edge of the room, still
attempting not to draw too much attention. He wants out of here.

A new set of appetizers have been brought out, and the bar's already being
restocked, and the DJ's still flailing in a bit of a panic. He's gone from
the Who to the Cure to the Clash, and now there's a song meant to get
people to, well, waltz. The chiming measure-keeping is first, and then the
bass and guitar, and very quickly afterwards the unmistakable voice of,
uh. Sting. If I caught the world in a bottle and everything was still
beneath the moon, without your love would it shine for me? If I was smart
as Aristotle and understood the rings around the moon, what would it
matter if you loved me? Here in your arms where the world is impossibly
still, with a million dreams to fulfill, and a matter of moments until the
dancing ends. Here in your arms, when everything seems to be clear, not a
solitary thing will I fear, except when this moment comes to the dancing's
end.

Seishi laughs quietly, finding herself hugged first from one side and then
the other; when Pete lets her go, she pounces on Kitty, quipping, "Real
friends help you move bodies, huh? Did I miss anything? You guys look
fabulous." When she pulls back again, she turns a sharp little grin on
Holmes. "Yes, and we'll discuss *that* later. Right now," oooooh, Sting!
"I think you owe me a dance."

Pete's tugging at Kitty again and this time it's toward the dance floor.
"Come on, come on, if we don't start no one will and then someone's going
to actually play Hang the DJ and it might be me."

Liam is thus left by the chair. Which, well, seems convenient to sit in.
And he has a Guinness, or the remains of one. He's given up hope on
catching the eye of Pete or Kitty, and he amiably surveys the crowd.

Romany says aside to Sera, "Particularly if you're the sort that needs it
done on a regular basis -" She squints at Pete. He's hugging people.
Again. "... Beginning to think Dad might be right," she adds to Sera. "He
might *be* a clone."

Harold's scowl intensifies till it seems tempted to take on an independent
life of its own and scurry around the room, frightening small children.
"You're one of *them*, aren't you," he informs Timothy. "I knew it from
the second I laid eyes on you. You stay away from her." He pauses. "Her
mother, I mean. My daughter? Do whatever you like."

Kess is apparently destined to be thwarted in her hopes for company in the
crowd tonight. She watches Pete tug Kitty towards the dancefloor, can't
help but smile at that, and comes to a stop, cradling her glass.
Struggling not to feel lost, familiar faces glimpsed and lost again as
people move, she steps back to the edge of things again. Just for a
minute, yes.

Holmes says, "You make it sound as if I might protest, and you would have
to hale me to the exchequer to make me deliver payment." to Seishi, and
offers her his arm. Out onto the dance floor, but, naturally, not to the
middle. He dances close, and graceful, although if there is any indication
that he's enjoying it, it's a very, very subtle one.

Kitty's lips move for a moment as Holmes joins the vicinity. Building ...
burn ... down? She doesn't ask, just shakes her head and hugs Seishi back.
"Credit /still/ goes to Kess," she insists. "Except for the part about the
combat boots." Forty years from now, she's still going to be making
comments about those things. And then Kitty's being tugged and acquiring a
wary expression. "Pete? If you haven't noticed? You /can't dance/."

"One of who?" asks Timothy innocently. And if Harold happens to hear a
whispered voice from just behind his left ear say 'trust the holy
brotherhood...' in an echoey soft fashion, well, telekinesis has many
applications. "Oh, you mean that Brotherhood stuff?" '...they want to eat
your soul...' "Oh, I was just kidding, Mr. L. I work for Inusasha Fish
Replicant Parts." '...the fish of ee want your soul...' "It's not very
exciting, so I like to drop in the weird cult mention." '...the best fish
money can buy...' "Anyway, a pleasure meeting you, sir. I'll see you at
the next wedding, I guess," he adds with a grin, before turning away.
'...fish have fins...'

"I can't?" comes Pete's baffled reply, as he's still tugging at Kitty.
"It's a short song, you're going to miss it if you keep grousing. Come
/on/." Tug, pull, tug. As soon as he gets her to the floor, no matter how
recalcitrant she's being, he gives her a positively innocent look.
Apparently there are still things that have been assumed about
counterparts that don't necessarily carry over. "Why am I always the last
to know these things, anyway? You should've told me I couldn't dance
earlier." Holy mother of god in a lobster bib, you can waltz in combat
boots.

The little boy who'd earlier asked for Lorne's autograph is still making
his way through the crowd, bothering people cheerily, and a few moments
ago could be seen fleeing the Angel-admiring seven-year-old girl in the
froofy dress; he's not looking where he's going and nearly crashes into
Kess, then skids to a halt, /very/ wide-eyed. "You're pretty. Are you an
angel?"

Kate and Jack seem to be on the perimeter of things, watching and speaking
quietly, until a tune with a waltz-like meter comes up. That, Jack can
dance to, and leads Kate out onto the floor to do so.

People shouldn't drag their kids to weddings unless there're plenty of
other people their size about who they can bother instead of the
grown-ups. Or if there's actually candy in the table arrangements. Because
that's okay, too. The froofy little girl's apparently tired from all the
chasing she's been doing, and flops down in a chair next to Liam, starting
after a moment to give him surreptitious admiring looks.

*WHY* does everyone ask her that? Kess blinks at the boy, eyes widening in
surprise, and her empty hand scoots behind her to run down the side of her
wing, smoothing feathers that aren't physically ruffled. "Um, no, I'm not.
Just a girl," she tells the boy with a kind, hopeful smile. With wings!
But let's not mention that part. And... he said she's pretty? That gets a
faint blush.

"Fish *Replicant* Parts?" Harold repeats, after a couple of glances over
his left shoulder. And - well - it has previously been mentioned that the
man does not appear to come with 'quiet' or 'tact' options. That is proven
to be wrong: this has *been* his quiet and tactful behavior. He shouts at
the top of his lungs, over the music, toward where Romany and Seravina
stand, "I *TOLD* YOU HE WAS A CLONE!" That mission accomplished, he
glances over his shoulder toward his initial target, apparently intent on
zeroing in ... only to find that the six-something green horned demon has
apparently metamorphosed into a five-two blond guy in a very large
trenchcoat. With a little girl. Hrm. This might take a few moments to work
out.

The DJ - who, by the by, does have cards that he had been handing out
until he got freaked out, which read DJ Hunnicutt - sort of sets things up
during 'Until' so that the songs go 'slow fast fast slow slow fast fast
fast slow fast slow slow fast', et cetera. He wants to go have a quiet
nervous breakdown for a few minutes. Especially with all the talk of
clones. Zeroing in on the bar, once he makes sure Lorne's out of sight.

'...no, no, i said *clown*, not clone...oh never mind...' the whispered
voice says as Timothy drifts away from Harold. He's got that 'My work here
has been done' look on his face as he moves back over to the bar. Baiting
the elderly insane is thirsty work.

"What makes you think I wouldn't?" Seishi murmurs sweetly up at Holmes. He
may be playing it cool, but she's perfectly pleased to dance close and
smile up at him. Way up. The difference in their heights would make them
both look ridiculous if either of them was a bit less graceful.

"You're not? Well, I think that's good, because the paper was saying
angels are scary. I can read," confides the little boy to Kess, reaching
up to tug her closer so he can say it quietly. "I saw it! In the paper.
Daddy left it on the table on accident. Can you reach me some punch?"

Kitty's not actually being recalcitrant about being dragged, so much as
protesting verbally while ... well, being dragged. "Well, considering we
made a deal for me to /teach/ you how, and then you ducked out every time
we were going to try, it's a pretty obvious..." At which point she
actually notices, her body having automatically settled into the motions
without her conscious awareness, that they /are/ dancing. Cue poleaxed
look. "... conclusion."

Kess follows the tug, and gives the boy a sudden, fond smile. Someone who
has the right idea about angels! Liam being the one - and only - exception
in the entire city. "Yeah, you'd do good to stay clear of angels," she
agrees softly. "You can read, huh?" She remembers to look impressed at
that. "Punch? Sure. Just a minute." Turning, she puts her wine down to
pour out a glass of punch for the little fella. Yes, give him something to
concentrate on; children tend to bewilder her somewhat. "There you go."
Presented with a smile.

Holmes does indeed lean down to whisper differential equations and a few
important phone numbers into Seishi's ear, at the close of the first of
two slow songs - at least, that's what his rather awkward facial
expression indicates he is saying. Perhaps surprisingly, he stays with her
for the second slow song, even puts a little more energy into the easy
sway of their feet and bodies.

Timothy gets to the bar, orders another drink, has a seat. He's decided
that, for the moment at least, dancing is something that happens to other
people. (Even if dancing with an invisible person would *really* mess with
the old guy's mind...no, no.)

The waltz over, the second slow song is one that Pete deliberately got the
DJ to put in so Kitty wouldn't be able to kill him. The Ramones again - a
song off End of the Century, a song they did slow with a drummer other
than Marky - a song that's straight out of the ark. "So I'm in trouble
because I saved a surprise?" asks Pete, very quietly, dancing more closely
for the slow rock. "Or is it a good one? I still can't swing, that's what
you're going to teach me..." Have I ever told you how good it feels to
hold you? It isn't easy to explain. And though I'm really tryin', I think
I may start cryin', my heart can't wait another day. WHen you kiss me I
just gotta, kiss me I just gotta, kiss me I just gotta say--

And Liam being the only angel here, if the little boy keeps talking a lot
(as he's been), things might get awkward. He beams at Kess, taking the cup
of nonalcoholic fruit punch and drinks some of it, then seems to decide
he's an adult. "Thanks! Are you having fun? They're not playing any songs
I know. I know all of Bruce Springsteen's songs!" Yes, too young to have
his own musical taste.

"You're in trouble because this is all /your/ music." Kitty's expression
is distinctly unthreatening, though. Somehow that's not much of a
complaint. "Though if you still can't swing, I guess it explains /why/
it's all your music..." She debates almost visibly for a moment, then
decides that for one day in their lifetime they have license to be cute in
public, and leans in closer against him. Apparently it's a good surprise.

Kess glances to the dancefloor and wishes suddenly that Tulio was back
already. Where has he got to? Back to the boy, she gives an amused smile.
"Uh, yeah, I'm having fun. And I'm not too familiar with this one myself.
Bruce Springsteen?" A name from the past, that one, and it gets a
surprised lift of her eyebrows. Must be his parents' taste. "I remember
some of his stuff." She glances around - where /is/ Tulio? - and then
sighs softly. "I'd better go find someone. You gonna be okay on your own?"

"Nah, he's the touchy-sort, I promise," Sera says to Romany. "I ever tell
you about the time he sat in a beanbag chair on me?" she wonders. Ooh,
wait, that's not the kind of subject we talk about in public. Because,
well, dead Kitty. Ahem. "I think he's just really /happy/," she says,
chuckling. "And hey, if it's a clone, can we keep it--Kitty seems to like
this one better."

"Only so far!" says Pete, eyebrows up, defensive but grinning. "The Benny
Goodman comes later. Then you can mock me as I flail. And Muddy Waters,
right? The ones you gave him. And I went rooting and found something for
everyone." Dancing better, though possibly slightly more impractically;
the side of his face against her hair. "And the Bright Street Beachhouse
Back In Business Blues." Baby, I love you (come on baby!) baby, I love
you; baby, I love, I love only you. Who knew the Ramones could /get/ this
sappy.