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"Are you looking for a boyfriend or a groupie?"
"I'm not sure I could really...belong with someone whotreated my drawing the way my mother does – a nice little hobby, admirableenough, but always to be put aside in favour of everything someone else thinksis important." Madeleine sighed,then gave Noi a steady look. "Andare you ever going to give Pan a chance?"
Noi lifted brows in exaggerated surprise. "What, you think I'm falling over forwant of someone warm to hold? You don'tget trapped with a small group of people and have one of them just happen to beyour one true love. Or–" She broke off, and gave Madeleine anapologetic grin. "Well, the oddsare against it, and I think you've used all the good luck up. Pan's just a nice kid."
"Noi."
A single word to add cherry tones to Noi'swarm brown skin. The shorter girl lookedaway.
"The way I am about him, it's not me," she went on,the words low and rushed. "I'musually the together, lightly-invested one. But, hell, all I want to do is throw myself at his feet and beg to bethe Tink to his Peter. I want to do flighty, charming things whichmake him break out into speeches, and then I want to do…everything. He treats me like his Mum."
"No, like Wonder Woman, remember? He thinks you're awesome."
Shoulders hunched, studying her toes, Noi shook herhead. "It's all because of theSpires, the disaster. I can't trust theway I feel right now. I wouldn't havelooked at him twice, in the real world. Well, I'd have looked, but I sure as hell would never have wanted tofind myself a green mini-dress and a pair of wings."
"Tinker Bell's an inch tall. I don't think she'd be much usefor…everything. Wouldn't you be betteroff being the Noi to his Lee? Pan canhardly be the right role for him today, not on his birthday. And he really admires you."
"That's not helpful." Noi was recovering, and shook her head so hercurls bounced. "Enough. The whole world doesn't have to fall in lovejust because you have. This is the dayfor fun, not serious talk."
She climbed to her feet in time to inspect Emily, shylyemerging in a delicate white shift. Approving this enthusiastically, Noi bustled them off to see to hair,and regret the lack of makeup. Theydecided not to risk the jewellery shop, the contents of which were locked awaybehind an extra level of security.
"But in a way I like the whole mix of formal andunderdressed," Noi said as she led the way to the menswear store, pattingthe upswept Grecian style into which she'd wrestled her curls. "It's a bit like a beach wedding."
She took several dancing steps, fringes flaring as she spun:a lively girl of eighteen more than a little tired of ru
"Man, Noi is totally in Goddess mode tonight." Pan had emerged, knotting a blue-blacktie. "Told you Nash coulddance."
Madeleine studied him carefully, but decided to shelve thequestion of what kind of admiration was bright in his eyes. "Enjoying your birthday?"
"Unbelievably. And I refuse to be guilty about it. Tonight we live!"
He grabbed her hands and, head tipped back in abandonedlaughter, spun her into a child's whirl across the marble, then fumbled formore formal movements. Fisher, in crispshirtsleeves, offered Emily his hand, and stepped her carefully through thebasic movements of the waltz until Min, with a James Bond air in a suit alittle too long for him, dryly recommended they fool around somewhere otherthan in full sight of the glass entry doors.
Furnished with coats to protect their finery, they made aquick detour to the kitchen, heating and bringing down the last of the dishesto where most of the feast was already laid out in a small room off the dancefloor on the Mezzanine level. Nash openedand poured champagne, which was Fisher's suggestion to resolve Noi and Min'spositions on cutting loose during alien invasions. They would start their meal with a glass ofchampagne, close the evening with a single cocktail, and otherwise stick strictlyto juice and soft drink. Fisher hadvolunteered to be 'designated driver', steering them away from any suddenimpulses to play chicken with Moths.
The meal was despatched with Blue gusto, Madeleine samplingparmesan-dusted gnocchi, handmade personal pizza, and sweet potato frittatabefore sitting back with a sigh and deciding she was glad they'd pla
"Gift-giving time?" Nash suggested.
"Wait, you guys went shopping?" Pan pretended amazement. "Or have the Moths started a home delivery service?"
"If you'd shut up for more than five seconds at a timeyou might find out," Min said, swiping casually at Pan's head. Pan ducked, but they didn't launch into theirusual mock-fight since Emily was stepping up with the first present.
"This is from me and Min," she said, presenting astuffed pillow case serving as wrapping paper.
"Thank you, Tink," Pansaid, twinkling at her. "I'd sayyou shouldn't have, but really, a daily shower of gifts would bemost..." He paused as a mass of foldedblack cloth spilled out of the case. "Sheet set? Caftan?" His eyes widened ashe held it up, then with a delighted grin he swept it around him, a black cloakwith an ornate golden fastening, and leaped up to stand on his chair. He preened and posed until Nash threw a breadroll at him, then leaped down to hug Emily.
"Totally awesome, Tink. Where the hell did you find it?"
"It really is sheets. We made it. Min did most of thework."
"Really?" Pan held out a hand, and shook Min's firmly. "Thanks, man. Appreciated."
The departure from teasing imp obviously startled Min, but herecovered and shrugged. "Somethingto do while sitting up on watch."
Madeleine, after careful questioning of Nash, had drawn Panin a fictional rehearsal scene of Henry V, and offered it up to earnherself an appreciative hug.
"Someone's been spilling all my ambitions," hesaid, with a muted grin in Nash's direction. "You guys are too much."
Nash simply produced another pillowcase and watched withcharacteristic quiet enjoyment as Pan drew a slim stack of paper out andfrowned down at lines of type fresh from the hotel's office printer.
"This is...?" Pan flushed bright pink, turned pages and looked up at Nash indisbelief, his cocksure edge lost to wonder. "You wrote this?"
"With a great deal of input from Fisher. It's only the first act, but something to goon with."
"The Blue Musketeers: A Play by Avinash Sharma."
Pan's voice was reverent, and it was only with difficultythat he could be distracted from an immediate read-through. Nash had inserted a Moth invasion into theplot of Dumas' adventure, tailoring the role of D'Artagnanfor Pan. He admitted that he couldn'tface writing anything set in the modern day.
During the chatter Noi disappeared and returned wheeling asweet-laden trolley topped by a two-tier candlelit cake.
"I haven't anything so impressive as a play," shesaid, "but it's as chocolate as you asked for."
Noi was underselling herself: she'd worked on the cake in theMezzanine floor kitchen, and produced a glossy triumph of confectionary. Pan immediately put down the script and gavethe cake its due, declaring his need for an urgent injection of chocolate,bowing and flourishing his cloak as they sung to him, and lustily bellowing 'Happy Birthday to ME' before blowing outthe candles.