h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

*while waiting for the , the goes directly to the supply room closet to look for tables for the buffet*

*runs through looking flustered*

*sticks her nose in and goes 'ooooohhh' before being yanked back out again to maintain the surprise*

*bots arrive to strengthen the stealth field protecting the exhibition space*

*Walks by to see the bots.*

Eh heh heh...

*Walks back to the main room.*

Whoa! Stealth Field.

*wanders off toward the library to finish some cataloging until the decorating is finished*

Ooh! A secret party!

*Tries to lift up corner of stealth field*

*Fails*

*Waits for party to begin *

The stealth field dissolves to reveal the sunken floor of the exhibition space. Along the walkways near the guest rooms, bots stand to attention next to strategically placed operating tables piled with all manner of costumes inspired by the academic and medical fields: gowns, mortar boards, nurses uniforms, scrubs, white coats...

Walking down the steps found at each corner of the party space, and past the potted palms you reach the fountain of champagne bowls being filled by Titania's Bottomless Champage Bottle, currently suspended on a wire at just the right height and inclination.

You find your seat at one of the round tables by looking at the names on the patients' charts hanging on the back of each chair. A bot steps forward to attach a heart-rate monitor to your forefinger; blood pressure and temperature measurements will be made every four hours by the waiterbots wearing the luminous stethoscopes. Full ECGs are available on request and the alcoholic IV drips and catheters are optional. Please ask your waiterbot.

Dotted around the floor are Anthony Gormley-esque statues in white plaster of Paris illustrating a number of interesting medical conditions. A cluster of Gray's Anatomy balloons, rescued from the other room, is attached to each statue for reference.

The sides of the sunken area have been tastefully decorated with tie-dyed bandages in blue and green and tied, at intervals, with bunches of inflated latex gloves covered in sequins. The wall at the end sports banners reading "Congratulations Z: You're a Doctor" and "Go Kat Go", the latter borrowed from a pet food manufacturer.

Each table sports a rack of large syringes containing cocktails, which you are invited to taste and name. Additional drinks can be ordered by writing illegibly on the stack of prescription forms supplied. Kidney bowls of pink potato salad are provided for your dining convenience.

At the Salon end of the exhibition space you'll find the buffet tables laden with delicious food. At the centre of the display is a magnificent cake.

Yay!

*Takes a seat and has a glass of .*

*enters and finds her chart, and takes a seat, awaiting the guests of honour*

*signals to a bot to bring her champagne and potato salad while waiting to learn what Wolfgang has prepared for the banquet*

*Brings stones and pieces of rocks of different textures and interesting colours. Leaves the multicoloured pieces in a descreet pile in the far corner for the decorator's usage*

Uuuh, oohhh!

*Heads towards table with outfits and chooses a gown and a nurse's cap*

*Stands in the same place slowly turning to take in all the different details*

It's like , Amy.

*Heads towards fountain and fills a glass. Finds her patient charter and sits down*

*Greensleeves steps carefully into the Exhibition area, trying hard to be seen, but not to make an exhibition of herself*

*She is wearing green scrubs, in honour of the medical nature of the occasion, with a mortar board perched on top, in honour of Scandrea, and Kat, and what appear to be 5" heels, because she just can't not*

*Unfortunately, she hasn't quite understood that jewelery is not normally worn with scrubs, and peridots can be seen under the mortar board, dangling from her ears, (pray that what you see glinting under the mortar board isn't a tiara!) and of course, bracelets, bangles and neclaces... She would claim that this is in honour of Scandrea's Geology degree, but this is surely a little tenuous*

*Luckily for the assembled company, she is tired and a little hung-over, so she doesn't quite feel up to singing*

*She does, however, bear gifts - a bottle of something 'medicinal' for Z, (creme de menthe? - she does take the green-thing seriously, doesn't she). There's a bottle of something made from a medieval monastic recipe for MR, (green chatreuse, it seems), and a bottle of Johnnie Walker Green Lable for Scandrea, (for serving on the rocks). For Kat there,s a bottle of Teen Spirit. One thing about Greensleeves, her imagination may be narrow, but it drinks deep.*

*Miraculously, when she catches the legs of her scrubs in her 5" heels (as we all knew she would) one of the bots catches the bottles, and puts them on the tables at the appropriate guests' places*

*bounds in joyfully, trips over her dress before righting herself and selecting a white coat, arranging pens along the pocket, shoving an Oxford in her pocket, and awaiting the new Doctor at the door so that he may accompany her into the party as the guests of honour*

*Z wanders in wearing a rather stunned expression*

But not a white coat, due to them being an infection risk they are now only worn by Medical students for exams, as the Medical School insist, and elderly consultants who don't like changing things.

*takes Kat and accompanies her into the party*

Thank you all so much.. this is utterly wonderful...

*Helps self to a large serving of Pink Potato Salad, and some more *

Now look at these cocktails

OOh we haven't got a banner for Scandrea?

Look here's one saying 'Compressed Carbon is a girls best friend'

My word you're right Z!

*they string Scandrea's banner up next to the other two*

I like wearing a white coat, carrying bacteria, iodine, and the like stained along my sleeves has always been a pride of mine

Apparently my application forms arrived today! So I can fill them out tomorrow and get them back to the school on Monday.
Geography
Economics
Eng Lit
Maths

Yup, I'm taking maths!

*Kat allows a bot to fill her plate with smoked salmon cream cheese wraps for her starter and two barbequed spiced prawns.*

*pokes her head around the corner, dashes in, gives Z, Kat and S & T small boxes, and pauses only long enough to say*

Sorry all. Back to studying. Z, that's a find-itself stethascope (if you lose it, it finds you). Kat, it's not much, but it's a self-note-taking pen. And Scan, for you...well, for you, I decided that the best thing to have in grad school is time. So you get the "1 hour a week extra" pocket watch. And Tracer gets a month's supply of his favorite meat.

Gotta run!

*and she dashes out the door*

*Kat pops a piece of salmon in her mouth and stares in astonishment at the box in her hand*

Presents? Gosh!

Wow! This is so awesome of you guys! Thank you so much!

*Sits down at her chart, and decides to go for a bit of vegetable curry.*