Ford is still around and about out here. He's switched from iced tea to the more traditional, and much better hot variety. He's got himself a patch of grass where he can watch the bonfire and its reflection on the lake.
He hears what he thinks is a familiar voice, and his head snaps around, catching sight of the girl.
Locating the source of the voice, he realizes it isn't who he thought it was. But he smiles amiably at the girl when he shifts back around to watch the fire.
"It's actually quite interesting that humans have a fondness for them. I've only ever seen one other race who places umbrellas in their drinks, and that's only because if the surface of the drink were to have direct exposure to sunlight, it would ignite."
Ford's not quite looking at her as he speaks. Most of his attention is still on the fire, but he's not so rude as to not turn at least a little in her direction.
"There's a distinct lack of drink umbrellas where I'm from, though I'm certain a friend of mine would be interested in a drink like the one you described."
Though Mia is confident something like that would only spark an argument between Kyle and Jessica.
"It's not so much the drink itself, as a peculiar sort of radiation emitted by their sun and their own proximity to it. It has an excitable reaction to any sort of liquid other than pure water."
He fishes into his satchel for a pen and a slip of paper and writes down 'Nuranti Beta'. Then, he passes the paper over to her.
"If your friend wants, they can ask the Bar for a copy of a book called The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and look up that planet name to read all about it."
"That's the one. One of the most interesting books in the galaxy, I'd say. Certainly one of the best selling. Then again, I'm one of the researchers for it, so I'm not exactly unbiased. Name's Ford."
He does look at her at that point. Mainly because he's now sufficiently distracted from everything he was thinking about before.
'Wow' is not usually the reaction that a Guide researcher gets. It's usually more along the lines of 'Cash only'. So, it's always nice when the former is more forthcoming than the latter.
"See the wonders of the galaxy on less than thirty Altairian dollars a day. Or, at least, that's the pitch line. It's part travelogue, part encyclopedia. I highly recommend it to any galactic traveler."
"I'll have to look it up. It might be interesting to look up the Blue Star as well, to see if anyone's actually been there. I've always heard legends that say the people of Lunar were descended from the people who lived on the Blue Star. Maybe someone out there knows if it's true."
As for his mood... well, he's been hoopier.
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Hey Ford! She might be interesting conversation!
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Locating the source of the voice, he realizes it isn't who he thought it was. But he smiles amiably at the girl when he shifts back around to watch the fire.
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She smiles back and notices the tea. She looks back at her lemonade glass, nearly empty.
"That's not a bad idea," she says quietly, but not too quietly, to herself.
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Arthur would quite possibly flip if he heard that.
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She finishes off her lemonade, taking the umbrella from the glass.
"Paper umbrellas might be a close second, though."
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Ford's not quite looking at her as he speaks. Most of his attention is still on the fire, but he's not so rude as to not turn at least a little in her direction.
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Though Mia is confident something like that would only spark an argument between Kyle and Jessica.
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He fishes into his satchel for a pen and a slip of paper and writes down 'Nuranti Beta'. Then, he passes the paper over to her.
"If your friend wants, they can ask the Bar for a copy of a book called The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and look up that planet name to read all about it."
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By "known," Mia means "engaged in drunken, naked dancing."
"The book sounds interesting, though. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy... Is that right?" she asks, to make sure.
Mia may have work, but she's always got time for books.
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He does look at her at that point. Mainly because he's now sufficiently distracted from everything he was thinking about before.
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Because let's face it, there's a lot to say "Wow" about.
"My name is Mia. I must admit, I've never heard of a book known to the galaxy, much less met someone who worked for it."
She's started to get excited about reading it.
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"See the wonders of the galaxy on less than thirty Altairian dollars a day. Or, at least, that's the pitch line. It's part travelogue, part encyclopedia. I highly recommend it to any galactic traveler."
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She's curious now.
"Has the guide ever sent anyone to research Lunar?"
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"If they have, it wasn't me. There's several million entries in the book, though, so it's entirely possible."
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