[piosenniel]

The sweet, low sound of an alto sax was weaving through the darkness, sliding up the bank like a cat crawling on its belly. Bird was in the house, and no wizard could match the magic of his playing. 'How High the Moon' bebopped it's way into the ears of Birdie and C7A and wound itself tight and cool around their brains. The hobbit's foot started tapping the rhythm - Max Roach on the drums, Miles Davis on the trumpet, and Charlie 'Bird' Parker on the alto sax. It was Birdland, and the All Stars were jamming.
Birdie, her eyes glazed over, approached as if in a dream, her finger snapping out a counterpoint beat.

Pio and Veritas sat at a small table with a large bottle of wine and 4 glasses. Two filled; two empty, beckoning.

'Come on over, you two! See what we've done. We tweaked the REG a bit, hotwired in a couple of modifications, programmed in a new access code, and got this on our first try! Cool venue, eh? A party at Birdland tonight, tomorrow the world!' exclaimed pio.

'Or at least the BW's treasure trove.' added Veritas. 'I've sent off emails to BW and the Red-haired princess and Mithadan. We should get some action soon.'

Soon seemed like an eternity away as the four settled back in to groove to the music and drink wine. C7A was taking notes on the structure of the phrasings, and Birdie had settled back in her chair with the ease of a soul gone West. Pio smiled at Veritas and thought to herself, 'Perhaps this unlikely foursome will work out after all!'

But the REG had a will of its own . . .