"This is just great," Jaime sighed. "Maureen and Jamie gone, right out from under our noses." She took another handful of munchies from one of the bowls that Lynn had so thoughtfully placed around the house to feed hungry NatPackers, and crunched noisily.
Kelly looked up from the counter, where she was mixing margaritas. With Sharon back, there was no reason to save large amounts of salt (because those guys that they had "borrowed" it from would never turn up again, right?), so she had put it to good use. Dipping a finger into the concoction, she frowned for a second. "Hmmm...it needs something different in the next batch." She poured a few more drinks, then shouted through the doorway, "Leslie? How many more do we need?"
"Um...twelve? three? forty-nine?" a tentative voice came back.
Shaking her head and muttering something about people who had obviously had too many already, she handed a tray full of glasses to Jaime to bring out into the other room.
"I don't know what we are going to do about Maureen and Jamie," she continued, answering Jaime's earlier comment. "However, I've got to get some work done tonight."
"What kind of work?" Sharon Bhandari, who was lounging on the couch, asked.
"Well, I've been working in the Medieval Studies department here at U of T since..." a pained expression crossed her face, "the problems, and as an independent study to fill my supporting coursework in art history, I've been going to a number of art exhibitions."
Alora snickered. "Ah, the joys of academia, right?" She had been known to harass Kelly about her dedication to accumulating school loans.
Kelly handed her another drink and smiled. "You laugh now." Pulling an envelope, slightly crumpled, from her back pocket, she waved it at Alora and the others. "Here's my assignment for tonight. My advisor gave me his invite."
Alora grabbed the envelope and pulled the enclosure out. "The Museum cordially invites you..." she read out-loud, then skimmed the rest. "Treasures from the duchy of Brabant? Is that what I think it is?"
"Yep. Wanna come along?"