xp_logs | Epiphany Frosts: It's a Small World (Reply)

When one's conference doesn't start until the next day, what's a young man at loose ends in Moscow to do? Apparently, run into an old friend from Kashmir and make a real stab at drinking all the vodka the hotel bar has to offer.

In Moscow a day early, and Angelo had no plans to spend it sitting around in his hotel room, especially since he'd done all the prep needed for the conference on the flight. The concierge, when asked about nearby restaurants, had sent him to the Vogue Cafe, and it seemed a good place to spend a few hours with coffee, people-watching.

Though it was one of Moscow's hot spots, the Cafe was quiet during the day. The lunch crowd lingered over their food and soft conversation, and the staff moved smoothly and efficiently, smiling pleasantly. Angelo's very blonde waitress reappeared after a few moments, setting down the sandwich he had ordered.

He smiled up at her, offering a quick 'thanks' in Russian, before she moved away. The other patrons still got some of his attention, idly, as did the people passing by on the street outside.

The pretty, dark-haired young woman who walked in a few minutes later was bundled up against the bitter cold, and made a little noise of relief as she stepped into the warmth of the restuarant. As she opened her coat and unwrapped her scarf as she waited to be seated, she looked around with bright, interested blue eyes.

As her gaze fell on Angelo, interest turned to disbelieving joy, and a yelp of glee escaped her lips, drawing every set of eyes in the restaraunt to her.

"Angelo!"

Angelo's head snapped round automatically, sandwich dropping back onto the plate, and then he grinned and got up to greet her. "Samie! I didn't know you were in Moscow."

All but bounding over to the table, the first thing Samie did when she got there was hug Angelo soundly, giving him a kiss on the cheek. "I'm on holiday!" she informed him, grinning from ear-to-ear. "And at least my home is closer to here than yours - why are you here? Is Nathan here, too?"

"Not this time," he said, expression matching hers. "I'm out here for a conference. Solo trip."

"What are the odds?" she asked, beaming still as she sat down. "I have been here for... four days, and am staying for two more, before I go home for the winter break." She ordered a coffee as the waitress reappeared, then rested her chin on her hands, staring at Angelo, her eyes sparkling.

"Two days? Snap," he said with a laugh. "You know, if you're interested an' it's not too much work for your vacation, I can probably get you into the conference..."

"It is difficult to see much of Moscow when it is this cold." Her eyes were almost laughing, now. "And I would like to see more of you."

"Oh, really now?" was the amused answer. "Well, we've got two days an' a nice hotel, there's no sense stayin' out in the cold too much."

"You are so sensible."

--

"I do like vodka," Samie said merrily. Her cheeks were flushed with something other than cold, at this point in the evening. "These cocktails are nice. This is a very nice hotel - Nathan must still be paying you very well."

"Payin' me well an' payin' the expenses of this trip," Angelo said equally cheerfully, picking up his own glass. "He's not short of money, by a long shot."

"How is he?" Samie asked. "I remember he was not well, when we were all in Kashmir..."

"Oh, he's doin' better now," Angelo answered, even if he wasn't quite sure it was true. "Powers-wise, anyway, an' he got his alcohol tolerance back."

"That's very good," Samie said with the brightness of someone who was more than slightly drunk herself. "Because he was heavy!" She burst out into a fit of giggles.

The laughter was infectious, and Angelo cracked up himself. "He really was. An' a lot bigger than either of us."

"But it was all such fun," Samie said wistfully. "School is so boring, in comparison. I miss home. Things are so much more exciting in Kashmir than they are in London."

"Finish out school an' maybe you can get into the field yourself," he suggested, half-serious though the laughter kept bubbling up.

"That's very... tempting," Samie finally decided, and took another sip of her cocktail, a ruby-red concoction of vodka and something else. "But right now I think it is nice just to be here with you. This is much better than emails and phone calls."

"It is nice," Angelo agreed, smiling over the top of his drink, which had equal amounts of vodka but was green instead of red. "'specially since it was unexpected."

"How do you say it, spur of the moment? I've never been to Russia before."

"Nor have I," he said with a slight shrug. "Kazakhstan, but not Russia proper."

"So is this conference going to be interesting? Or boring?" Samie asked mischievously.

"Some of both," Angelo said, straight-faced except for the slight dance to his eyes. "Like most conferences... though I probably should behave an' go to the sessions."

"But the sessions do not take up the whole time, yes?" Samie persisted.

"No," he admitted. "They're pretty much only durin' the day."

"So there's time before. And between. And after..." Samie was looking downright devilish.

Angelo started to laugh again, lifting his glass for a drink. "Now you mention it, I guess there is."

"Good! Then I'll keep you company for the boring, and then you and I can make the interesting more interesting." Samie burst out in giggles again, resting her head in her hand. "Oh, my father would be so angry to hear me say that. Such improper behavior."

"Nothin' wrong with a bit of improper behaviour," Angelo declared. "An' your father's not here, is he?" He hoped not, anyway.

"Back in London!" was Samie's cheerful response.

"Then I say you should do just what you want, for your two days," he said with a grin.

"I think that sounds like a grand plan," Samie said firmly.

"It's a deal, then." He grinned at her. "Another cocktail?"