(no subject)

[balletrat]

*Meg's got her French vocabulary spread out in front of her again tonight - the list now spans three pages, and she's working on a fourth. Current section: slang and insults.

After three pages of generally useful verbs and handy phrases, Meg figures, she might as well put in something entertaining.*

Comments

[musical-muse.livejournal.com]

*Tere is over on the piano playing the guitar and singing. Her hat sits empty and sad in front of her*

[balletrat]

*Meg glances over at the hat, and grins.*

Waiting for somebody's two cents? *she calls out.*

[musical-muse.livejournal.com]

Have to earn my keep some way. What else's a poor musician going to do?

*She calls back amusedly*

[balletrat]

Wait for a muse to inspire them to write something that'll earn them riches is what most poor musicians do, I think, *Meg retorts, laughing.*

[musical-muse.livejournal.com]

Here I am. Inspiration going begging. I can't even get one lousy coin.

*She's exceptionally good-humoured about it*

[balletrat]

It would help, *Meg offers,* if anyone knew what the actual official currency of Milliways was.

I mean, you might get a coin from Antar that wouldn't do you much good on Earth, and then you might get in trouble for false coinage or counterfeiting or whatever - which just makes people want to avoid the whole issue, n'est-ce pas?

[musical-muse.livejournal.com]

*She mock-pouts*

I don't care what the coinage is. It's not as if I couldn't change it to suit me...

[balletrat]

*Sagely:* Ah, but your average humble Milliwayser doesn't know that, does he? Or she. Or it.

[musical-muse.livejournal.com]

Point.

*She flicks a finger and a small tasteful placard appears in front to her hat reading All forms of coinage gratefully accepted*

Better?

[balletrat]

It could help, *Meg agrees, cheerfully.*

Now the better question is, what do you need the coins for?

[musical-muse.livejournal.com]

*She blinks*

It's what musicians do when they don't have specific jobs. They play on street corners and in bars for coins.

[balletrat]

*Patiently:* Oui, je sais.

But - I mean, you're the Muse of Music. I've never known a semi-deity to be short on cash before, is all.

[musical-muse.livejournal.com]

*More blinkage*

I'm not. That's an impossibility. But it's what musicians do.

[kitchen_maid]

"Is that terribly important, or can I interrupt?"

[balletrat]

*Solemnly, and without looking up from her worksheets:* YOu can interrupt, but it's going to cost you. Time is money, you know.

[kitchen_maid]

Amy blinks, surprised, and then grins.

"How about if I buy you a cup of coffee? Will that do?"

[balletrat]

*Meg considers this offer.*

- well, I was thinking more actually in terms of amusing anecdotes, tales about how you're driving the bridal party back home crazy or being driven crazy by them, that sort of thing -

*She looks up, finally, and can thus be seen to be grinning.*

But considering, I guess I'll waive the fee. This once.

'course, if you want to volunteer any -

[kitchen_maid]

"Coffee and anecdotes," says Amy. "And that's my final offer."

A pause.

"My sisters have started arriving."

Amy may actually need coffee herself this evening.

[balletrat]

*Meg's eyes widen, to show she properly appreciates the gravity of this news.

Setting her papers down, with a decisive air:* You can get the coffee if I can get you your - tea, even, if that's what you want; and some to take home maybe for good measure.

[kitchen_maid]

"I think I want coffee," says Amy. "They're just all so . . . so . . . so . . . proper.

"And Pearl is a little put out, I think."

[balletrat]

*A short pause, as Meg lets her mouth drop open in exaggerated shock.*


Two coffees it is, then - and I'll ask Bar to make them strong. And then you can tell me about Pearl's problems when I get back -

*She hops up, leaving the papers scattered on the table behind her.*

[kitchen_maid]

Amy taps her foot, drums her fingers on the table top, and then stops herself. She has rather a lot of nervous energy these days.

She glances at the paper's Meg has left on the table, idly, and then her eyes widen and she starts to giggle.

[balletrat]

*A few seconds later, Meg returns, a steaming cup of black coffee in either hand.

One mug gets deposited smartly in front of Amy; the other accompanies Meg to the other side of the booth.*

So - Pearl?

[kitchen_maid]

Amy adds a rather obscene amount of sugar and milk to hers before she starts drinking it.

"Well, you see, two years ago, Pearl married the Crown Prince of Crystalvia. Perfectly proper and respectable match, really. But, heir to the throne or not, he's still a prince. And she's still a princess. Which means that in twelve days, her Ordinary little sister is going to outrank her. And she's not happy about it."

Amy suspects that the fact that King Algernon of Ambergeldar was mentioned repeatedly as a match for Pearl and nothing came of it might have something to do with it, too.

[balletrat]

*Meg snickers, with possibly a little less sympathy than it might be specifically proper to display.*

Well - you could tell her that 'Crystalvia' is a much shinier-sounding name than Ambergeldar? *she offers, somewhat less than helpfully.*