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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Silver Moon" data-source="post: 1469253" data-attributes="member: 8530">Game #6 - 4/04/04Chapter 50, “Dinner Preparations”, December 18th, 1881:Arcade heads off to go see his father, leaving the rest of the gang standing in the lobby.  The uppity butler continues to be snotty with the party.  Morgana makes a reference to her husband and the butler interprets her to be referring to Louie.   She corrects him, saying that she is the bride of young Lord Arkadiam.    The butler’s face takes on a surprised expression and he sarcastically comments, “It is nice to see that Josiah’s tromp through the hinterlands has paid off.”     Louie asks Hank, “Did he just call her Josiah’s tramp?”  Hank replies, “I think he said he likes her hinterlands.”  The gang complains again about being hungry so the butler brings them into a parlor and has the cook bring out a plate of cold mutton which the men tear into using their hands rather than utensils.   The butler watches this with a look of revulsion and says to Morgana, “And these people live with Josiah?”   With a large piece of mutton hanging from his front fangs, Louie replies, “We part of his respectable gang.”The butler asks her, “How many rooms will you…people be requiring?”  Hank  says, “Give us each one.”   “Except the honeymooners,” Sam interjects.   Hank adds, “But if you all are short on space I guess Sam and I could bunk together.”   The butler shows them to their rooms.   Louie asks if he can break up some of the furniture to get a fire going in the fireplace to cook rice.   The butler says, “Sir, I will send one of the house boys up with some firewood to make you a fire if you wish one.  As for the cooking, I am sure that the cooks will be more than willing to meet your culinary wishes.”  “Like to cook own rice,” Louie replies. Arcade soon joins Morgana in their room.  “Well, how is your father?” she asks.  He replies, “Confined to his bed.  And other than being totally insane he seems to be fine.”   “So he’d fit right in with our group,” she jokes.   He answers, “No, I mean it.  He’s crazy.  He’s in a good mood, but he keeps spurting off nonsense."   “And your brother?” she asks.   He replies, “Still in London.  He’s expected back for the weekend.  I surmise that he’s probably off spending away the family fortune.”  There is a knock on the door, which Morgana opens to find the other four gang members standing there.   Hank is looking on the wall at a framed map of Great Britain and comments, “No wonder there aren’t many places in England with the letter L in the name, this Wales place has them all.”    “Get in here,” Morgana comments.   They come inside and the door is shut.   “What’s the low-down?” Hank asks.   Arcade replies, “My father is totally nuts, as in crazy.”  Louie quips, “I thought that was just part of being English?”   “Was he happy to see you?” Qualtaqa asks.  “He was happy, but he didn’t know who I was,” Arcade replies.   Hank says, “That makes sense.  I’d be happier if I didn’t know you.”  “That butler no like us,” Louie states.  “Yeah, not exactly being welcomed with open arms,” Sam mutters.   Hank replies, “Still better than our usual reception of being met by people carrying arms.”   “So, should we try to fix the guy?” Louie asks.  Morgana comments, “He might have just gone on a wind walk and can’t find his way back.”   “A what?” Arcade comments.  Not wanting to hear the long explanation from Morgana that will follow, Hank interjects, “How’s yer Ma?” Arcade replies, “She was present in the room but she didn’t speak.  We will be joining her in the main dining room for supper.”   Morgana comments, “Dinner would be formal.  We should probably all wash up and change first.”  “I’ll go change,” Hank comments.  “I thought you only had the one set of clothes?” Arcade replies.  Morgana interjects, “I sewed him a new suit to wear on the ocean voyage.”    Arcade mutters, “We should probably burn the old ones once they are off of him.”  Hank replies, “I was just gonna put the new ones on over the old ones.”    Arcade looks to Morgana and says, “I’m telling my mother that he’s one of your friends, not mine.”  “Hey, I have my uses,” Hank comments.  “Name one?” Arcade replies.  Hank answers, “Well, if you ever need someone to call somebody a mangy sidewinder then I’m your guy.”  Arcade replies, “If I ever decide to call somebody that I can guarantee that you’ll be present in the room.”   “Good”, Hank replies, not realizing that Arcade was referring to him.  Arcade says, “Listen.  We need to get to the bottom of what’s going on before my no account brother shows up tomorrow.”  Hank replies, “You mean there’s someone in the family who’s worse than you?”  The conversation drifts back to how to handle Arcade’s dilemma.   Morgana suggests, “Well, if your brother isn’t competent why don’t we just tell them that Sam is a son who you fathered in America and leave him here to run things.”   Arcade replies, “That’s a hard sell.  He’s fifteen and I’ve only been away a decade.”  Hank says, “So what?  We told the newspapers he was twenty-two and they believed it.  If we can add seven years why can’t be subtract five and say he’s ten.”    “We’ll just say they grow’em big in America,” Qualtaqa jokes. Qualtaqa asks, “So, will this Queen of yours be joining us for dinner?”  Arcade says, “I doubt she’s in the neighborhood and I’m sure that she has made other arrangements.”  Hank says, “Dagnabit, I was hoping to meet the dame.  See if you can set that up before we go.”    Arcade just rolls his eyes.   Sam says, “I’m not too sure about formal dinners.  What are we supposed to do.”   Arcade decides to gear his reply to his audience and says, “There will be lots of silverware.  Just approach it like you would eating a buffalo, start on the outside and work your way in.”    Looking at the rest of the party, Arcade tells Morgana “Maybe we should just lock all of them in their rooms, and slip them some food later."  Qualtaqa says, “I’ve been to formal dinners before.  I dined with President Grant at the White House.”   This surprises them all and Hank says, “You’re just making that up!”  Qualtaqa replies, “No.  I serve as Ambassador for Comanche.  I bring Chief there to sign treaty.   We signed treaty, eat dinner, then leave.”    Arcade says, “If he’s been around civilized society before why is he such a mutton-head?”   Louie adds, “He eat mutton hour ago, maybe that why.”  Arcade calls one of the servants and instructs them to “Have the butler find appropriate clothing for my friends for dinner.”   He instructs the gang to “Let the servants help dress you.  They know what they’re doing.”    The group each goes back to their respective rooms.    Morgana, Arcade and Hank change into their formal clothes.  The butlers soon arrive at the rooms of Sam, Louie and Qualtaqa with the clothing that consists of starched shirts, pleated vests, wool pants and suit jackets with long tails.    Louie is disappointed that he wouldn't be able to wear his new (Chinese-style) clothes that he bought in New York.  Both Louie and Qualtaqa look surprisingly comfortable in this attire, but Sam’s ill-fitting suit makes him looks like a fish-out-of-water.  Everyone arrives in the dining room.   Once they are all present the butler enters, gestures to the main doorway to the room, and announces “I present to you Lady Willamena Arkadiam.”</blockquote>

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