Venus in Venice: The Goddess of Love's Dinner Party

"Would Madame prefer the white or the canary diamonds?" asks Clarienne Boniface, the couturier.

Eva cannot decide. Then slowly, she smiles. She will wear both.

Red arrives at the window of the venetian palace in her scuba gear and her thrifty nifty wrist watch she recieved from Q. After she pulls out the collection of dead silverfish in her back scuba pocket, she throws her tank in the river while thinking about taking the gondola next time. She then slips into a red dress and pops in a cigar and walks up to the steps to greet the Bachus!
"I apologize if I smell like fish, you see I was on a mission in Versaille and I thought I'd scuba dive across the mediterranean! M decided to give me a short vacation and Money Penny is taking my calls!" :wink:
Door slams in face and Gustav steps in!

She Knocks on the door even though eva is expecting her (hopefully)! Wow I didn't know there was a doorbell!

Waits and waits and waits! And thinks: Hmm I wonder how my thrifty gadget watch is doing? What's this button?

BBB opens the door to find a shivering Redhorn, fiddling with her watch.

"What a lovely red dress that is! Please, please come in! You'll find the powder room to the right, just behind the coromandel screen. You will find several bowls full of jewels in there. Pearls, rubies, emeralds, sapphires... Feel free to choose a few to complement your ensemble. Compliments of the Goddess, of course! Oh, and if you wish to freshen up after your journey, there are basins filled with Chanel No. 5 and several servants who can attend to your needs."

(knock, knock) Cav opens the kitchen door.

"Hey man, it's Louie. I've gotcher chocolate here," the short, unshaven man says.

"What chocolate?" asks Cav.

"Goddess's orders. There's gonna be fountains of melted chocolate, I hear. One dark, one white. Got 375 lbs. of the stuff here, air freight from Belgium. Sign?" He pushes the clipboard toward Cav.

"Why thank you"! Red grabbed a ruby to match her dress and slipped directly into the bathroom to powder up! She looked around to see if no one was looking and suddenly cracked open the medicine cabinet behind the large gold venetian style mirror with intricately carved cherubs. She dug and dug and found the Chanel No.5 and splashed it on! Suddenly on the lower cabinet she grabbed a magical blow dryer that could blow her dress dry in one minute. After a minute or so she put back all the things she took out and stared for a little while at the potpourri basket. Why is that a dried orange, so she thought. Quickly she snapped her wrist watch on along with the ruby necklace and elegantly made her way to where the guests were staying. She caught the eye of Bacchus and requested a scotch on rocks with the cute little umbrella thingy! Suddenly she made her way to the interesting glass bowl, marvelling at the sight of the refracted light from the facets carved tediously within the glass! Hmmm, she thought!

Liberty quickly notices the green thigh-high boots Gustav is wearing, and so, covering her nose with a handkerchief, she approaches the smelly creature.

"Hey, uh.." (cough cough) "I like those boots. By the way, the Goddess has basins filled with Chanel #5...I think they're in that direction." (cough cough...gag)

"Oh yeah, thanks. I got these out of Donatella's trash...not a scratch on them at the time." Gustav explains.

(cough cough) "Cool...uh, like I said, the basins of Chanel are about 20 feet to your right...everyone's wearing it, go ahead...please!"

Liberty holds her breath, moves her handkerchief, smiles graciously, and runs to the chocolate fountains.

Red wonders if the stench of the dead silverfish is still on her but she could only smell Chanel No.5! Thank god, she mumbled. Boy was she glad that it was Gustav and not her! Once again Bacchus makes his way torwards her with the scotch on rocks! He then opens his mouth to say,
"How about some wine madame? I have it in abundance!"
"After Im done with my scotch can you fetch me a merlot? I hate to have you dilly dallying about? Would you?"
"why yes madame!" Bacchus grabs her hand and leans into kiss it and said,"the pleasure is mine!"
Red takes back her hand as soon as Bacchus leaves and sniffs it!

Cav looks at the clipboard and notices that Callebaut is indeed onboard. Also, all varieties of The Balvenie are availible, including the lovely Doublewood. Bacchus says to Red: "Dahling, a kitchen that does not smell of fish is a kitchen not worth visiting..." Cav says: "My friend, enough Barolo....Red smells nice enough, and has cool Bond gear..."

"I don't get the comment, but I do think my bond gear is kind of cool!" :wink:

Liberty notices that Red has arrived and looks ravishing. "What? You're opting for Scotch with an umbrella instead of the Barolo?"

"It's been a rough day...swimming up the channels, fighting international terror, you know, typical spy stuff. A glass of wine just isn't going to cut it. Besides, I'm tired of Barolo...I drink it all the time."

"Well, you smell wonderful, at least!"

BBB sees Liberty heading for the chocolate fountains and stops her. She is still wearing her wrap. "Please, allow me to put this away for you!" she says to Lib. "So sorry I forgot!"

Lib removes her wrap and hands it to BBB, who stands there, mouth open, staring at Lib's unbelievably gorgeous dress...

"OHHHH LALA" replied RED!

Ossobuco takes the train from Modena and arrives tired at the Stazione. She clambers onto the Vaporetto with her piccolo duffle, and, jolted alive by the sight of the Accademia Galleria, twirls to her right to the charming Accademia pensione, where has stayed before, in the olden days...because, you know, it has a giardino.

It is late, she is tired. but she walks out to the Accademia Bridge and looks around in the evening light. Memories of her own and memories of thousands, and thousands, of Venetians swirl in this place.

Memories of visitors nudge from the side, so many visitors over time. What would the Doges think now, eh? And what would Scarpa say?

Meanwhile, Vincenzo, Lucinda and a couple of the palace's finest spaniels walk through Alba, seeking truffles, "white diamonds" if you will, for the feast. Could romance be on the horizon?

Cav looks at the clock in the kitchen and stamps his foot. What could be taking those two so long? It is almost time to begin serving, and they still aren't back with the ingredients for the pasta course!

Eva assembles the entourage for her grand entrance.

"Okay, the Nubian slaves will go first, then the two with the fans, then the dancing girls, then the elephants and tigers, then...

"Clarienne, dear, I'd like this a little bit tighter around the waist if you don't mind. And the decolletage is not, well, provocative enough. Oh! I have it on backwards...hee hee! Come on then, help me turn this around."

"Sacre bleu!" The Parisian couturier is beside himself. Being the head dresser for the Goddess of Love was a study in frustration. Never enough jewels, never enough silk, never enough fur, never enough TIME!...

Cav thinks upon an old joke regarding a restaurant that claimed to serve everything....one night, an elephant steak was requested. Thankfully, we have elephants tonight.

Vincenzo and Lucinda amorously fold truffle essence into the hand-made pasta, a la 'Godfather III', but I assure you, they are not related, just in love. The passion makes the food. Chef is happy, and knows the feast will be spectacular....

"Vincenzo, Lucinda, you both look rumpled, and the spaniels need a bath. Did you get the truffles, and did you make the pasta?"

"Oh yes," they said in unison, giggling.

"Hmmm...bueno" Chef said in his best Spanish. "Carry on then, young friends, heh heh...."

Vincenzo furrowed his brow in worry...did Chef know? Did it matter? Now he was nervous that Venus might be displeased by his indiscretions....