Birdland listened to the smooth riffs of Charles, Miles and the Roach drifting through the chaos of party field, a soothing balm in the midst of menace of the red-headed stranger who was wracking her vengance on all things "newbie".
Birdie briefly considered telling Piosenniel that her Mama had only named her "Birdland" because she thought that the name was "cute", and that the closest Birdie had ever come to listening to jazz was the theme for "The Rockford Files", but decided to let it go.
Veritas has discovered a mysterious missive from Mithadan (clever Mithadan, communicating with the theives through his own laptop). Suddenly, Losthuniel and Belin burst into the clearing, vengance in their eyes, and descend on Veritas. Belin scoops up the REG and starts to make off with it. It admits a firey stream o green sparks. The drummer on stage immediately become a 6-foot insect and scuttles off into the bushes. The Sax player turns into a pink flamingo and flaps squalking into the air. Miles starts riffing on "The Road Goes Ever On and On." (Sorry: only pun I could think of that went with "Miles".)
Child and Piosenniel rush to defend Veritas. A strange elf named Rosseilantiel strolls into the clearing, quickly assesses the major cat-fight between the four combatants.
"Ooooh, a lovely fight!" Rosseilantiel dives into the fray.
Birdland stands on the edges of the donnybrook, chair raised over her head, wondering just where in the jumble of arms and legs she should strike first. But when she see Belin tampering with the REG, all thoughts of former alliances evaporate from her head.
"Nooooooo!!!" screams Birdie. She charges at Belin, chair raised high...
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