The Lounge's Summer Pool Party!!

[Britwitch]

Robin Williams, Lauren Bacall AND my grandmother in one week. This week officially sucks, birthday or no birthday.

smiles weakly and offers a rather damp hug

You're not alone, handsome. My birthday week has been filled with loss too. Unfair. Beyond unfair.

Sorry yours is the same.

 

[DesEsseintes]

<With Monroe's muscular help, drags in the life-size golden replica of the Trevi fountains into the scene. At the press of an elegant filigree button, the fountain leaps to life, spouting champagne which helter-skelters down the nymphs and gods into the circular river which feeds it. Peacocks stalk the grounds with their poltergeist cries, and the silver evening shadows still the moving waters with gentleness.>

Lobsters and mayonnaise, caviar, smoked salmon, langoustines and cold rib of beef on the side-table; the gramophone is churning out sweet dance music from the '20s, and, in short, all is in place to cheer ourselves up a little at the end of a torrid week for many. So eat, drink and be merry here among friends: for who shall know what the morrow brings?

 

[Britwitch]

smiles excitedly at the fountain and the peacocks, a personal favourite of hers

What a wonderful way to chase away the blues. Well thought of, good sir.

kisses his cheek, hoping he won't mind

For now, I must head to my bed. A full day awaits me tomorrow but I will drop in as and when I can to enjoy the delights of this wonderful place.

 

[DesEsseintes]

My dear Brit, a kiss from you is sweeter than nectar and ambrosia: how could I be other than delighted? I shall dance alone for now, but I hope you will be here, in your own time to dance your cares away, as the Fraggles had it. Have a wonderful birthday - and do not forget, by the way, that this is your creation and your place, regardless of any little fripperies we happy few may add to it from time to time.

 

[prettyserpentine]

rises from the deck and walks with purpose up to Des, her hand outstretched, in a 1920's number

Now now, we can't have you dancing on your own. Not at the end of a week such as this.

 

[DesEsseintes]

My dear Ms. Serpentine, how ravishing you look in that little pillar-box hat! I shall be honoured - shall we fox-trot to build an appetite for a little late supper? I feel as if I could even dance on water tonight, but perhaps I had better not try it in my tails.

 

[prettyserpentine]

A fox trot sounds delightful. I doubt I could dance on water. In it, maybe... But not on it. I beg you not to get my dress wet.

 

[DesEsseintes]

I would not dream of getting your dress wet, Ms. Serpentine, especially when it becomes you so well. My talk of dancing on water was the merest persiflage. This mysteriously immaculate parquet flooring will be far more convenient for our terpsichorean needs.

<Slightly out of breath, as they whirl and slide under the stars> When is your great journey to America, may I ask?

 

[prettyserpentine]

enjoys the dance' moving swiftly under the stars to the music from days gone by

Early November actually. I'm going over for just shy of four weeks. I'll be there for Thanksgiving, so I'm really excited about that. I think the thing I'm looking forward to the most is coming out of the arrivals gate and knowing that it's only seconds until I'm in the arms of the man I love again. It's only been two months since we last saw each other, but in my heart I feel the distance very keenly.

 

[DesEsseintes]

<As the music ends for the time being, moves towards the verandah, hands Ms. Serpentine into a wicker chair and sits down himself. Monroe, on cue as ever, arrives with the cocktail menu and a tray of canapes.>

I can quite imagine how keenly you long to be reunited. Long-distance relationships must be terribly hard - I wonder how people maintained them in the days before broadband, email, Skype etc? And yet some people did. The lost art of letter-writing, I suppose. Or sextelegramming.

 

[prettyserpentine]

True. My dad was away in the army for three years, and he and my mum wrote letters every week. They were kept for years and years, until quite recently actually, when they had a major de cluttering session and burned them all. I thought it was kind of sad.

has a little canapé and orders a martini

 

[DesEsseintes]

That is sad. A bonfire of the vanities, but such sweet vanities ought to be kept. Still, they were theirs to do with as they willed. I shall join you in a Martini, please, Monroe - a Vesper, in fact. Though I fear I may be called away soon by, as Buchan put it, 'that damned harsh task-mistress Duty'.

 

[StarryEyed665]

Crawls in, attracted by the noise, and the attractive people sitting attractively, eating some very attractive food. Worms towards them happily.

Hello, friends!

 

[prettyserpentine]

Same here. I'm in work early in the morning.

 

[TheAntiRebel]

crashes by the pool with a laptop, furrowed brow as I'm determined to write two posts today before the weekend

 

[StarryEyed665]

Smiles and waves at TheAntiRebel, quietly cheering him on, before claiming a much-needed glass of water from Monroe, who helps her up into a chair.

You're a sweetheart . . . my body's all achey today, urgh.

 

[prettyserpentine]

Well? How'd you do?

 

[StarryEyed665]

I did . . . A-okay! Got into my first choice, had drunken antics afterwards, and paid the consequences today

Everything is fine! Wooooop!

 

[DesEsseintes]

That's fantastic news, Starry - well done and thoroughly deserved! I thought about asking you and then figured you'd tell us if it were good news, and it wasn't my business if it were bad. Many congratulations - your life is about to get even more interesting and you will meet some amazing people.

Ah, student years...<Remembers punts, champagne, poetry by the river, endless dinners, decadent parties in disused palaces, ice statues and carousels and madrigals at dawn with mouth cocktails...ah, yes, and no student loans. Sorry. Your generation really got screwed over when it came to university.>

 

[prettyserpentine]

I did . . . A-okay! Got into my first choice, had drunken antics afterwards, and paid the consequences today

Everything is fine! Wooooop!

Well done! It's such a relief when the results come in. I'm made up for you.

 

[Essie1]

Wakes up on the jetty, where she has been left to sleep amongst red velvet cake crumbs... sees the fountain and evidence of general merriment, once again cursing her timezone conundrum

Upon hearing the echo of Starry's stellar study results, leaves a gift with a tag saying "From Essie and Ted" then tucks a tube of Berocca tablets in to help with the celebration recovery...

 

[Niceandbrutal]

smiles weakly and offers a rather damp hug

You're not alone, handsome. My birthday week has been filled with loss too. Unfair. Beyond unfair.

Sorry yours is the same.

I'm sorry to hear that, Brit. *hugs her right back*

A toast, to absent friends and better times ahead.

 

[StarryEyed665]

Thanks guys! It was such a relief . . . waiting is hell. I literally had like three hours sleep the night before. Then I found out and was just

https://31.media.tumblr.com/7c5de0ec4295da8b005f91a39160cc79/tumblr_n6urqnkVP21rjmwnbo1_250.gif

(I'll be broke as fuck in London but nevermind that for now)

Throws arms around Essie, thanking her for the much-needed tablets.

Oooh, and I has a Ted of my own now! Thankyou! I shall name him . . . Calcifer.

Bestows a kiss on his head, before diving excitedly into the water, forgetting to remove her clothes.

 

[Essie1]

Ted puts a comforting paw around Calcifer, as he watches Starry splash about fully clothed in the water.

Guiding the young bear to safer territory, Ted proceeds to teach Calcifer the ways of the Lounge Pool - Lesson 1: Using a Sandwich Plate to Defend Your Owner's Honour...

 

[prettyserpentine]

Ooh London. Haven't been there in too long, I'd love to get a few days there again. I want to try and visit a few more UK places again before I make The Big Move in the not-so-distant future.

Also, it seems to me there are two things I need to geek about right now. Calcifer? As in, the Howl's Moving Castle Calcifer? That's like, in my top three animated movies dude. Studio Ghibli is just ... words don't do their abilities justice. I have the book too, by Diana Wynne Jones.

And John Green? Starry... Are you a Nerdfighter?

bites lip hopefully

Because that's awesome, if you are. So awesome I might be able to condone the addition of another imaginary teddy bear to join the other imaginary teddy bear and imaginary duck and not get annoyed by tall the imaginary creatures I could trip over now...