No need to ask, he's a smooth operator

[dodgy_decarabas]

The lovely thing about the island was that one could go about doing whatever one wanted unregarded. Within limits, of course. The Marquis de Carabas would not, for instance, go about murdering people. For one, he didn't particularly dislike anyone here enough to kill them, and for another, it would draw unneeded attention to him, not to mention

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[stranded_ford]

Ford Prefect was not by nature a solitary creature. Oh, he had spent months alone in the blackness of space without seeing anyone, a few days in solitary confinement after a particularly spectacular party, and fifteen years on Earth (which really wasn't that less lonely than the other two), but when it came right down to it Ford needed other lifeforms around. A party wasn't as much fun when you were by yourself and neither was sex. His job depended on his talking to and writing about others.

Not to mention that having other lifeforms around stopped him from stooping to the level of insulting himself or the houseplants.

Ford looked up from his notebook when the music started and blinked rather exaggeratedly at the Marquis from behind his glasses. Ford didn't actually need glasses, he just thought that particular pair made him look both knowledgeable and cool at the same time.

"Is it your friend now?"

[dodgy_decarabas]

'It certainly seems to think so,' said the Marquis jovially, turning to give Ford an amused look. He was pleased to see he didn't appear to be drunk, though that didn't help de Carabas's assessment that the man was, indeed, a few cards short of a full deck.

That was all right, though. He could relate.

'Nice glasses,' he added, swaying along to the music in a vaguely motion-sickness-inducing way. It was probably intentional.

[stranded_ford]

Ford smiled proudly. "Aren't they? I won them off of a Zetarian Mega-librarian down in Zetar 9. That's the thing about Zetarian Mega-librarians. Pretty hoopy froods in most respects, but no head for gambling or alcohol."

Ford was fairly certain it was because that most Zetarian Mega-librarians had already filled up three of their heads with books, and the other two with various ways of saying 'quiet' in multiple languages.

"Nice jacket," Ford said to continue the ritualized compliment giving ceremony.

[dodgy_decarabas]

'I see,' said the Marquis, who didn't, but he'd never admit to such a fact.

'Isn't it?' He smiled proudly and held his arms out. 'I won it from a dinosaur. Well, technically, 'won' isn't the proper term. The proper term would probably be "killed, eviscerated and cured the hide from a dinosaur".' He shrugged as if this was normal fare. It probably was, for him. After all, he'd faced down the Beast of London and come out of it only a little muddy and annoyed at the Upworlder who had shoved a spear into it, thus taking all the glory.

It was probably a good thing Richard Mayhew wasn't here, or he'd be getting an earful of the Marquis's glorious deeds right about now.