self_composed | interesting rich people

The party guest list includes a wide range of interestingnesses of rich people. There's a fellow who sits on various boards of various faceless corporations; there's two who started startups and swept up a few million dollars that way; there's a small handful of professional philanthropists, who have oodles of money from various sources and make a hobby of distributing the interest to worthy pet causes; there is a congresswoman, and a state senator, both from New York but apparently willing to travel to the West Coast on occasion. There's also a lot of dull old money who do this sort of thing and nothing but all the time, but they still concentrate a lot of financial leverage, and Bella would rather have ins with them than not, as long as she can.

She bikes up - speeding shamefully, hexing herself radar detection, and cutting the trip in half from its estimated time to just eight hours on the road. Tegu can go very very fast.

Alice made her a new dress for the occasion - this one's autumny, mostly a dark red-brown, with leaf patterns in deep gold and burnt orange swirling up around and soft ruffles in the same colors around her knees and puffing out over one shoulder. It stands out more than the little black dress - which is fine. She would like attention, and just being the hostess's son's girlfriend will not quite get her there at a rich people party, she thinks.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

edgeofyourseat

"And I'm Arthur," says Faceless Corporations, offering her his hand.

Alice glances over his shoulder again.

[One'a Dad's friends,] he says. [Mom really likes his wife.]

Or neither of them would be here, is the implication.

From:

self_composed

Bella shakes. "It's nice to meet you."

She likes true things. Sometimes she likes them so much she won't let other people have any.

From:

edgeofyourseat

"Likewise," says Arthur, with a big, big smile. "What's a nice girl like you doing in a room full of old farts?"

From:

self_composed

Bella reaches behind her and grabs Alice's hand, although she doesn't pull on it enough to suggest he turn around. "Visiting," she says.

From:

edgeofyourseat

"With Junior?" asks Arthur, raising his eyebrows at their joined hands, as though he can just imagine the sort of person who'd visit Junior. Alice does not, indeed, turn around, nor does he pay Arthur any attention whatsoever, but he does squeeze Bella's hand.

From:

self_composed

"I don't think he really goes by that," says Bella, a faint edge to her voice. She squeezes back and lets go; she communicated her point.

From:

edgeofyourseat

"I can never keep up with these nicknames," Arthur says dismissively.

From:

self_composed

"'Junior' is a nickname," Bella points out, shrugging. "Ooh, watercress sandwiches." New hors d'oeuvres are being put out periodically, and she's going to be leaning heavily on that. She strides for the little sandwiches and takes one.

From:

edgeofyourseat

Arthur follows, taking one for himself.

"Junior's what his family calls him," he says. "Or it was last I checked. See what I mean? I can't keep up."

From:

self_composed

"Check again," Bella recommends. She turns to a nearby Startup Lady and fakes enthralled surprise. "Holy cow, are you Marisa Page? I just missed your speaking engagement three weeks ago. Someone from my class on operating systems went, but I had a conflict."

From:

edgeofyourseat

Marisa smiles. "Why yes I am!" she says.

"You're a very rude young lady," Arthur remarks to Bella.

From:

self_composed

Bella gives Arthur one wide-eyed look of affected hurt, then huffs audibly and takes a step towards Marisa. She will get mileage out of being a rude young lady if that is what it takes to disengage from him. "I got a copy of the handout, though." And looked at it for exactly one second. "My classmate wanted to ask you why you're using Common Lisp instead of his favorite implementation, but there wasn't time. He'll flip if I tell him I met you and got to ask."

From:

edgeofyourseat

"And what's your classmate's favourite implementation?" asks Marisa, smiling some more.

Arthur scowls at both of them and wanders off.

From:

self_composed

"Scheme," Bella replies, bouncing on her toes a little.

Edited Date: 2012-10-12 12:00 am (UTC)

From:

edgeofyourseat

"Well, your classmate might be disappointed with my answer," says Marisa, "but the truth is I'm just more comfortable in Common Lisp."

From:

self_composed

"I'll tell him," Bella says. "He might email you. I think he might have been planning to do that anyway. I'm all about Python myself."

From:

edgeofyourseat

"To each her own, I guess," says Marisa, with the air of one who definitely does not believe herself.

From:

self_composed

"Well, I know Lisp, I just get sick of staring at parentheses after a while," says Bella. "I'm trying to be versatile though."

From:

edgeofyourseat

"Versatility is good," says Marisa. "Are you in college?"

From:

self_composed

"Freshman at Stanford," Bella says. "My dad lives here, though, and also there's Laney, so I'm going to be up for the occasional weekend, and a party's a decent excuse for it to be this weekend and not another."