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

C'mon now! Up an' at 'em everyone!

The night is but a puppy!
[as a dear friend of mine used to say]

Finish up the drinks, and the Baked Alaska. They seem to have put out all the fires, and I don't think we've done any permanent damage to the Atrium...although I don't know if Norman will want to show up for a while. I think I saw him peek in through the door, earlier. To make sure they were treating us right. But virtual celebrations are easy to recover from. So I am sure everything will be fine.

Spiny, do we need a cab, or can we walk? I could practice a few dance steps, but not in the cab.

Limber up those fingers [or toes] Greebo, get ready to tickle the ivories. Skelly, are you ready to dance????

}:=8

~hugging The Fiery One Hard~.... Oh me so happy to have found you again.. ~happy grin~

~Looking around~... where's everyone else?

*hugs furry one back*

Well, Greebs, I dunno where everyone is. Actually I thought you might be Spiny checking in at work a tad early.

It's 2:30AM here right now and I am suffering from a small case of insomnia.

That's AM, as in the middle of the night...so I hope to be toddling off to bed very shortly.

What time is it where you are??? Although I know cats are nocturnal, I am not sure if it's nocturne where you are.

Anyway, I am sure Spiny will be along soon, so lets just curl up here together until he comes along. And you never when that Skelly will pop in, either.

Here.just curl up between my paws where it's warm and cozy. Maybe I will fly out and get donuts...*yawn*... later...

zzzzzzzzz
}:=8

Hey girls! How ya doin? Gosh I don't know - I go to the toilet and when I come back you've moved to another table...

Skelly's gone very quiet, hasn't he? It wouldn't be neighbourly to head off to the Assembly rooms without him, but if you just kept a small flare going, blu, I'm sure he'd find us in this fog that's suddenly come down outside. It makes all the Christmas lights in the trees in Princes Street Gardens look really atmospheric, so if we walk (and it's only ten minutes), we can appreciate them more than from a taxi.

I don't mind waiting for a wee while with my coffee and vintage port. It'll settle the stomach for dancing later. Do you ladies want to have another drink while we wait for Skelly, or shall I tell you how to get there and you can go on ahead?

Port and coffee???!!!
you BETCHA!
besides, I dont know if you want to let me out in the fog alone. Have you ever heard a dragon foghorn....???

*strrrreeeetch, yawn*

Greebs? you awake? how about a little bit of milk punch?????

Oh, Skelly!!!! Skelly!!!! Over here!!!

}:=8

Yeah, where are ya, ya bag o'bones?!

Well let's give him a little while longer and enjoy our port and coffee. You ladies enjoyed your food so much (euphemism for "shovelled it in like there's no tomorrow...") that I've hardly had time to catch up. Reminds me of a recent disgraceful incident with an unfeasible amount of doughnuts.

Looking forward to playing for the dancers, though I might have to zoom home for my Fender if it's an upright bass on the stage. Just can't handle those bull fiddles, I'm just a wuss bass guitarist, I'm afraid. Maybe one day...

What shall we play for them Greebz?

Ohhhhh Spiky One... ~hugging Spiny hard~... ~removing arms very fast~... Ouch... ~grin~

Me not know where The Boney One has got too... ~sad smile~... but a nice glass of mulk whilst we wait sounds wonderful...

Me not mind what me plays Oh Spikey One... Me will follow... where you lead... ~grin~

Here you are, I have written all of these requests for the piano player. Illegibly, on cocktail napkins.

I will translate them for you:
'A foggy day in London Town'
'Skylark'
'A nightingale sang in Barkley Square'
'Always'
'An affair to remember'

And, of course,
'Stardust'

That's just for starters. Oh, and yes, I was an incurable romantic in my youth. Vestiges of it still remain. You may also add to your playlist anything from the Sinatra albums: 'Swing Easy' 'Only the lonely' and anything [of course] by Glenn Miller.

Understand, that I may begin to sing any and all of these. One of the talents [some say curses] of my life is that I know ALL the words, and sing them at any opportunity. [I will do 'affair to remember' in French, too]. Thank goodness I dont know all of 'La Vie en Rose'.

After you have reduced me to a maudlin puddle, you may choose something more upbeat from your own repetoire.

So, if you are sure you still want to take me where there is a piano, lets leave a note for Skelly [I think he went on holiday] and head to the Assembly Rooms.

}:=8

Well, alright - let's go!

*wipes mouth with linen napkin, pays by virtual credit card leaving ridiculously extravagant tip*

*realises he might now have a virtual overdraft*

Erm...it's a lovely night, ladies, what with this romantic December fog, let's not waste money on a taxi, we can walk down to the West End and along past the Christmas lights in Princes Street Gardens. You just keep a small flame going, blu, which should bring the traffic to a standstill and make it easy for Skelly to find us.

So, Greebz, lets have a look at blu's request list: d'you need charts for any of these? I could probably do "Foggy day.." and "Only the Lonely", and a band I was in used to do "In the Mood" as an encore (because if we got the length of an encore, nobody had noticed how badly we played, hell I even used to sing "Nutbush City Limits"!) Anything else I'll need the chords for. blu obviously is in a romantic and mellow mood, which is nice, because Friday in Edinburgh there's usually lots of boy dragons out for a burn. Looks like waltzes and quicksteps for the fiery one first before we can get into some nice blues-based rock'n'roll!

So, we're on Princes Street - look over the gardens through all the fairy lights in the trees and you'll see Edinburgh Castle perched high on its rock and looking imposing in its floodlights. It's gonna be one spectacular castle when the Hogmanay fireworks go off above it. And there's the Ross Bandstand where Texas and the Mavericks and the Bay City Rollers and others will play on Hogmanay. We pass the foot of the Mound which we went up earlier in the taxi - oh, let's take a small detour along past the two art galleries - the Royal Scottish Academy and the National Gallery of Scotland - and there's the very tall Scott Monument with the seated statue of Sir Walter underneath, so's we can see the outdoor ice rink and fun fair...ho wait a minute, maybe a dragon on an ice rink isn't such a good idea! Okay, maybe we'll head back to the Assembly Rooms...past Jenner's department store, last independently-owned store in town and beloved of tourists and natives alike...onto George Street and past the huge converted bank now a very posh pub and nightclub called The Dome, past the Hard Rock Cafe, and here we are! The Assembly Rooms!

Okay ladies, do you want to check your coats in to the cloakroom, freshen up and meet me upstairs in the Ballroom? You can't miss it - It's the one with the huge mirrors and chandeliers and a band playing in it! See you in a minute!

Oh, Spiny!
What a lovely night for a walk! And there's Edinburgh Castle up on a hill, just like I imagined it. And the lights, and the fog...delightful.

And, Ohhhh....the Assembly Rooms. Mirrors and chandeliers. Reminds me of the great dance halls of the 30s and 40s. Didja ever hear of the Greystone Ballroom in Detroit? It was quite famous here, but maybe not so much elsewhere. It was right down the street from where I grew up, but unfortunately by the time I got old enough to go there, it was no no longer open. Later it was torn down. *sigh* There IS still one of them left near where I currently live. Vanity Dance. With it's famous 'floating dance floor'. All boarded up, tho. And we are on the verge of losing that one too.

Well, now, [she said briskly, shaking off the nostalga] let's go Greebo! Here, I'll take that light cape that helped keep the dew off your fur. I'll slip the coat-checks into Spiny's pocket, so we dont lose them. C'mon, let's freshen up, then it's up the stairs to the ballroom. I can hear the music from here!

Hope the piano holds up when I sit on it to sing...

}:=8

I can twiddle along to most things... except the modern junk that people seem to think is music... ~grin~

Wow... my paws are itching to dance... me not a bad singer either...

(...back tomorrow)

Front now... ~grin~

Hey blu - you must have been watching The Fabulous Baker Boys! How IS your Michelle Pfeiffer impersonation?

Well, it's a shame Skelly's not appeared yet. I'm sure he'll find us, but what'll you do for a dancing partner in the meantime, blu? Maybe you'll meet somebody interesting on the dance floor, who knows?

Yea, your Detroit Dancing Palace sounds like the business. I don't know if the old Ballroom here lives up to it, but there's acres of space, I'm sure the floor is sprung, and there's lots of mirrors to check yourself out in - though now that we've ascended the marble staircase and appeared in the doorway, it's obvious from the crowd's reaction that we've made the desired impression (you'd think they'd never seen a dragon wearing sparklies before) - that we don't need to check ourselves out, and as for those ten foot diameter chandeliers! There's the band on the the stage in front of the big curved bay window - great! A Fender Jazz bass and a nice Trace Elliot amp! That's me sorted. Hmm, only a baby grand piano, Greebz - can you cope with that?

*Take your partners please for an eightsome reel*

Aha, Scottish country dance music - oh, oh, er...what are we going to do about another partner? Can you see anybody big enough to dance with blu?

Actually, I was thinking more along the lines of Edith Piaf...
[sings softly]
Hold me close and hold me fast
The magic spell you cast
This is la vie en rose...

When you kiss me, Heaven sighs
And though I close my eyes
I see la vie en rose...

*coff, coff*

Well, now, enough of THAT! How about a good ole Scottish Reel!!!!

You two go 'long now, just dont get your tootsies stepped on by the other six in your group.

I will just hover slightly above the floor and beat my wings [lightly] to the rhythm. I usually dont have a dancing partner, anyway.
[thinks about the image of two boxcars crashing about, in time to the reel]

*shakes head vigorously*
NOPE! I dont think so...might do some serious damage.

Here we go now!

}:=8

*attempts to yell to blu from the whirling mayhem*

Well sit this one out and I'll get the bandleader to play a waltz next! Oops, sorry Greebz. My, this dance is fast!

Ooofff!!!... ~grimacing slightly... gritting teeth and grinning gaily~... No worries Oh Spiked One... isn't this just fantastic... and The Fiery One is overhead... keeping us cool... She is so wonderful... ~grin~

Yep, there's some down draught from these wings! And doesn't her flame look amazing filtered through the crystal on these chandeliers? But wait a minute, Greebz, when we do the circle bit again *pant, pant*, isn't that a lonely looking boy dragon over in the corner?

Hey, Greebz, hop on over to my home page if you want to see who you're dancing with!

From a position high above the whirling dancers, the bludragon looks down through the glittering chandeliers. Watching spiny one and furry one careening wildly about to the music. Enjoying themselves tremendously.

Looks idly around the room, and spots interesting sight over in the corner. It looks like, like...why, yes, I believe it is...my old friend Digi, the Digital Dragon. He must be on holiday from Alfandra. [Normally we let other dwaggies describe their own actions, but since he is from out of town, I will tell you what is going on.]

blu glides over [just missing the chandeliers] and lands beside Digi. A conversation takes place; laughter and animated gestures. Hard to make out what they are saying over the music.

They rise in the air, flap energetically around the ceiling [both love scottish folk dancing] and after a few near-misses with those danged chandeliers, head out the bay window [which is a real trick if it doesnt open] into the misty evening.

As they fade into the distance, dragonly flames can be seen dancing in the fog...

[discreetly fade to black]