Jabari went to the Rose Garden one day, and found that something unusual
was *ahem* afoot. As usual he came right into the middle of it and it took
a while before he started figuring out what was going on... or at least
thought he did...
[To make a few things a bit more obvious: The guest started as a female
pachycephalus then switched to a lantern fish. The other (significant)
species should be well known.]
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Bob churrs, "I thought she saw it from a Mentos ad."
B.J. says, "I need a cloth sack, an egg, some milk, um - some flour, some
 baking soda, and an egg. Er - did I say egg already?"
Austin says, "I believe he's learning."
B.J. says, "Yeah. Scary, innit? ;)"
You purr, "Yes. But just get another one. The first one might break."
Argon gives B.J. the bottle of milk he usually has for TugsBear.
Lia hmms. "You sure you don't need butter with that, Beej?"
B.J. oops. "Right, forgot that. I need butter, too. Or shortening."
B.J. says, "Er - and preset the oven to 425 degrees."
Bob had an obscure joke about crisco here somewhere.
Lia glances briefly in Bob's direction. "Better go with the butter, then."
"Err," churrs Bob, "Needing to shape your hair into an 'Astro boy' do?"
B.J. cranks a dial on a tree to 425.
Bob churrs, "I think I remember it now. It was one my father taught me."
( The tree starts heating up. )
Bob churrs, "Not as funny as the 'cookie' joke, though."
B.J. says, "I still need an egg. I've got the sack..."
B.J. holds up a canvas shopping bag.
( A number of Elves jump out of the tree, dropping cookies and muttering un
 Elven like phrases. )
( Kooky, Kooky, lend me your comb.  Kooky, Kooky? )
B.J. okays. "Now - Steve, I need you to put your foot in this bag."
Bob looks for an egg.
Guest2 Erks.
Jabari looks for a chicken to see which comes first.
Bob churrs, "Say, can someone get Rhea here?"
Steve chatters, "I have to walk on egg shells around here, don't I?"
Austin says, "They're not egg shells, they're igloos."
Lia shrugs. "Sure, but if you're thinking what I think you're thinking then
 she's gonna be a bit ticked off when she finds out. ;) "
Bob chirps, and tries to look innocent.
Guest2 hasn't a clue as to whats going on.
Austin says, "You're two-thirds of the way to being an old hat around here,
 Guest2."
Steve hmphs.  "I am *not* going to ask Rhea where she got her cybernetics
 from so I can get a cybernetic foot, so don't even think about it."
Steve cautiously puts his foot in the bag.
Rhea bangs around inside a file cabinet.  Finally a small, smug cat bangs
 on the side, which opens a drawer and lets her leap out.
Rhea has arrived.
B.J. says, "Hi, Rhea."
You preen Rhea!  
Bob wavies to Rhea.
Lia says, "I don't think that's what he had in mind...hey, Rhea, Bob wanted
 to talk to you."
Bob hops up to Rhea. "Say, we need your help."
Rhea hmms? "With what?"
B.J. ers.
Bob churrs, "Well, erm, Beej needs an egg."
Jabari takes cover.
Guest2 says, "don't look at me..I haven't a smeg'n clue whats going on
 here."
Rhea says, "Oh. I see. And why exactly do you need this egg?"
Guest2 would like to know as well.
Bob churrs, "To get Austin out of Steve's leg, of course."
Austin says, from somewhere inside Steve, "You could just try a convenience
 store, guys."
Jabari looks at G2 and wonders if pachys are oviparous as well.
Guest2 says, "uh?"
Guest2 says, "erk...looks like I got the wrong gender....BRB"
Guest2 has disconnected.
Guest2 is enveloped in a purple-tinted vortex and disappears.
Guest2 has left.
Rhea nods, face carefully expressionless. "You want an egg. To get Austin
 out of Steve's leg. And you are asking me...why? I do hope it's not for
 the obvious reason."
Guest1 arrives from Newcomer's Island.
Guest1 has arrived.
B.J. peers at Bob.
Guest1 says, "er ok well guess this'll have to do for now."
You purr, "Hey BJ, can you use a fish instead? ;)"
Guest1 smirks, "hey!!
Bob churrs, "We need to know where the Supermarket is."
"The obvious reason?" you purr, "Wouldn't that be that he wants you to fly
 over to 7-11? ;)"
Bob churrs, "And since you're cybernetic, I thought you would know."
Bob blinkies to Beej. "I panicked."
Rhea ahs. "Can't help you there. I generally fly down to the bulk discount
 store - it's a bit of a trip but it saves time in the long run."
B.J. says, "Austin's inside it and his foot's gone flat."
Guest1 says, "and how'd Austin get in it?"
Guest1 =0.o=
Austin says, "Who remembers?"
Austin says, "I think it was a retractable tail."
B.J. says, "Spring-loaded tail."
Bob nods. It was.
B.J. ers. "Austin was holding onto Steve's tail, he gave it a tug, and the
 whole thing retracted."
Roofus_roo oohs.
Guest1 could do surgery if need be.
Rhea nods sympathetically. "Good sneakers with arch support are really all
 that'll help, then."
B.J. roots through his toolbox. "Aah. Never mind. I found my fridge."
Rhea thinks a bit. "If you really need it, I may have some of that
 synthetic vegetarian stuff that comes in a carton."
Jabari hmms. "Anyone tried this yet?" He picks up Steve, turns him upside
 down and shakes him.
B.J. says, "Really? ...That might work. Could I have it? I need the carton,
 too."
Guest1 frowns, "er oh..."
Bob stretches and yawns.
Bob eeks at the time.
Bob has disconnected.
B.J. waves. "See ya, Bob."
Guest1 lates.
Rhea tosses it Beejwards. "Sure thing. It doesn't taste like much, though."
Guest1 says, "opps."
B.J. says, "Thanks."
Lia ducks out, closing up a redundant window.
Lia snaps her fingers and vanishes, replaced by an elf-shaped silhouette
 which then collapses to a point. *zzzrp*
Lia has left.
B.J. pours the contents of the carton into the cloth bag, then tosses the
 carton in.
B.J. pours the milk in next, then shrugs and tosses the milk carton in,
 too. Couldn't hurt.
Rhea peers into the sack. "You making a cake?"
Guest1 smirks at BJ.
Guest1 pulls the cartoon out.
Jabari stops shaking Steve and drops him into the bag too.
Guest1 says, "oooo, gross you were going to put this in there too?"
Austin says, "I think he's finally got things moving, Steve."
Guest1 tosses the milk cartoon into the trash.
You purr, "Hey that should go in the recycle bin!"
B.J. shakes a few cups of flour into the bag, then closes up the
 drawstring.
Guest1 says, "oh it was one of those..."
Guest1 digs the carton out of the trash and puts it in a recycling bin.
B.J. looks up at Steve. "Ready?"
Rhea takes out a black sharpee and crosses out the word 'trash' on the side
 of the bin, replacing it with 'recycling'. "That ought to do it - it was
 cartoon litter to start with."
You purr, "A cartoon carton?"
Steve looks up.  "Should I be?"
Guest1 erks.
B.J. says, "Er - just think happy thoughts, I guess. About your leg being
 back to normal and Austin being free of it. Or something like that."
Bob has connected.
Steve chitchats, "I don't know, B.J.  I think Austin likes me...really..."
B.J. shrugs. Good enough. He opens the bag to reveal...
Guest1 says, "ya well do get too attached to him..."
Austin taps from the inside of a large cardboard container..."Uh...Steve?
  You out there yet?"
Steve taptaptaps on the inside of his eggshell.  "I don't know.
 I feel...so...fuzzy all of a sudden."
Bob blinks.
Guest1 blinks, "fuzzy?"
Bob looks to Beej. "What happened?"
B.J. shrugs. "Dunno."
B.J. looks at the carton and the eggshell.
Bob churrs, "You turned Steve into a small, yellow, chick. Didn't you?"
B.J. avoids Bob's gaze, looking slightly embarrased. "...maybe..."
Austin says, "Wasn't this an episode of Dangermouse?"
Steve's egg develops some cracks...and out he comes.  With a rather lumpy
 avian body, little useless wings, and a long hooked beak.
Steve stands up and stretches out.
Steve chatchits, "A dodo.  It figures."
Guest1 blinks.
Austin pushes up the lid of the egg-substitude carton..."Why, hello there."
Austin says, "Cor!"
Guest1 says, "oh great...."
Bob scolds. "Beej, how many times do I have to tell you not change people
 into small fowl?"
B.J. stares. Whoa. He did magic, sorta. o.o
Bob churrs, "Oh crumbs."
Austin says, "I think you're being a bit hard on yourself, SN."
Steve nudges Austin with his beak.  "You don't *look* like a little brown
 mouse in a business suit to me."
Austin says, "Well, sure, Steve, but you've always been a bit cynical."
Steve erfs, and sits down beside Austin, and sort of absentmindedly puts a
wing 'round the coati...
Austin says, "Feeling a little down, Steve?"
Steve hmphs, and pecks at Austin's forehead.  "What a bird-brained pun."
Steve takes Austin under his wing, as it were.
Steve looks down at himself.  "What I'm wondering is where my clothes went
 to."
Austin says, "Don't look at me; I didn't take them, I think."
Austin hms, and checks himself..."No, don't think I've got your clothes,
 Steve.
Austin erps, and wakes up a little...he looks up at Steve.  "Oh, it *did*
 happen."
Austin grins, and tugs Steve's wing over him.  "Look at it this way, Steve.
  You'll finally get to work on that suntan.  None of those clothing items
 in the way.