Scenes From Our Family Vacation, or Bonding Over Investigative Reporting

[mctrillian]

"I hope you understand that the entire time we're here, you're going to have to keep to your role."

Her daughter nods, and Trillian is slightly calmer for it.

"You are mute, but you can hear, and you can play -- you will remain a musician, you are free to act as one, but you are not here with me, you do not know me under any guise, and you are

Comments

[notsoharmless]

"Azia Kent?" reads the social club's maitre'd, a nervous leggy blonde woman who manages to actually pronounce 'Azia' right. Then again, of course she was. Azia Kent was a very famous pianist, and it was a shock to many that this club hadn't yet heard of her.

She stands, and half-smiles, and holds out her tablet, which reads in her own fine lettering,

I am mute. I can hear you fine, you may speak to me, but give me some time to compose my answers. Thank you.

The maitre'd's eyes squint slightly as she reads, Random notes. Character flaw. It's obvious when you're bewildered. When she's finished with the note, she smiles again, that same sickly-sweet hostess smile.

"Of course. Let me show you to a table."

[mctrillian]

"Yes, that's right," Trillian says into the phone, "Lue Farinelli. Yes, I am looking for information on--"

Click.

Trillian sighs.

Nobody's ever willing to talk to the newspapers.

[notsoharmless]

"-- and I hate men, I really, really do," the redhead across the table from Random keeps rambling on, and as much as she agrees with said redhead, she would very much like some quiet until she's sure she's found the woman her mother is looking for.

Amen, she writes, regardless, because she does also hate men, and she's already lying enough, isn't she?

"Do you want to go somewhere more personal, to talk about this?" the nervous redhead asks suddenly, abruptly, and Random blinks.

She's supposed to be watching. Waiting.

But on the other hand, the redhead is kind, and she's timid, and pretty, and hates men.

Plus, she's fond of piano.

It's a hard choice.

[mctrillian]

After calling every Farinelli on Vega Prime -- and every Farinelli on Vega Beta, and Vega Epsilon, for that matter, as well as trying a few vacation moons registered under 'Farinelli' and businesses owned by families named Farinelli -- Trillian has come to simply hope and pray that her daughter is doing better at Lue Farinelli's known hangouts than she is trying all of Lue Farinelli's possible phone numbers.

Sometimes she wonders why she trusts Random with such a careful job involving such a quiet, personal and yet very important sort of woman.

And that's when she realizes it must be because Random and whatever the news knows about Lue Farinelli are really very similar.

She tries the holonets again.

[notsoharmless]

"I don't know why I find it so easy to talk to you," the redhead -- who Random has learned has such vibrant red hair because she's not really Vegan, she's Centaurian but without the extra limb, and having only four limbs makes her feel like an outcast, so she lives on Vega Prime instead -- goes on. "Maybe it's because we're so commonly miserable about the same things."

I actually rather like you too.

It isn't a lie.

"We can call ourselves friends, then?"

I think so.

Still, to Random's surprise, not a lie.

"And I know you're Azia because your card said so, but I never actually told you my name, did I?"

No, actually, you never did.

"It's Lue. Lue Farinelli."

...

That's a very pretty name.