His Royal Wingness Bartholomew, Prince of Faerie, was stuck with waiting outside the Chamber of Assembly. This chamber was the largest meeting room in Balihee's palace, and right now it was packed with Protectors, all in deep discussion with his father, HRH Grumpus, his mother Vibrissa, Queen of Feline Faerie, and Viridia, Grand Chief of the Balihee Islands.

Barty had been told to wait until summoned, since his arrival in the Katsuhiro Shifting Dragon pinnace, as well as the presence of the ominous Piazzan warship, were to be factors in the final decisions.

Not that the waiting room was uncomfortable; far from it. It was a lovely lanai, complete with deeply cushioned rattan furniture, and a sideboard filled with delightful drinks and snacks. There was even a steam powered gramaphone for music cylinders. Barty always carried his own favorites, and one was playing merrily now.

With his Portico Tea in hand and fresh fruit arranged on a plate in front of him, he was quite content, and he considered the reason his mother has really called him to come: three eligible princesses to meet. How many had he met now? Dozens? Hundreds? Too many. anyway, but it was his lot in life.

He was, after all, a Tom, a royal one to be sure, but Toms could not inherit any throne in the Feline Realms. They were consorts only, and suitable matches were never to be ignored. No matter how many times Barty had explained that he would never settle, no matter how many times his well-meaning mother introduced him to another lovely and eligible maiden, it would not work. He would pick his own mate, regardless of station. He wanted a thunderbolt to set his heart on fire.

Right now, it was enough to have the prospect of an intriguing adventure ahead in front of him, full of daring rescues and twisted webs of intrigues. So he would simply relax and wait for the excitement to start.

His eyes were only half open when the lanai screen slid open and another occupant arrived. He idly turned his head, and...

... the thunderbolt hit!

SHE padded gracefully over to the settee opposite him, her simple flower printed sarong floating above stappy sandals. SHE smiled.

"You must be Prince Bartholomew," SHE said--no, SHE purred. "I'm Adaysia, and yes, I have titles, too, but this is Balihee, and so I'm comfortable with just Daisy."

Daisy! Of course, it would be a flower! How could it be otherwise! She was so, so, perfect!

He could barely speak, but he managed to choke out. "Just call me Barty, please."

SHE smiled again. "My pleasure, Barty. Is that your music cylinder? I haven't heard the tunes before."

[i] Calm down, Barty! SHE--calm, controlled--she asked a question.[/i}

"Yes, they're off-world, from Terra. I picked them up from Squirrely's Offtime Saloon."

"Oh, I've never heard of Squirrely's, but I'd love to hear about it. The songs all mention cats, don't they? How many are on the cylinder. It's very large."

OCC

Oh, my! A budding romance! Surely you can handle this, Protectors. While you compile all the information, and decide on the best plans of rescue, can you also give Barty a list of his cylinder songs? Simply provide a team list of songs with "cat" in the title for 10 points each, up to fifty for a full score of 500. Send it smail to me by May 2, at or before 11:59 pm Subeta time. Have a Portico tea and some fruit while you think. :)

Frieda sniffed the tea and wrinkled her nose, she wasn't fond of earthy or flowery teas of any kind, she liked the Earl Grey they had back on her home world of Terra. The fruit looked suspicious to her too. What kind of fruit had tentacles or oozed sweet motor oil? Finally she got up the nerve to ask the waitstaff "Do you have any Poppy's Famous Wheezle Ale?" She plunked down a gold coin and waited patiently, half expecting that they actually did. She sat in a soft cushy-chair and became mezmerized by the songs emanating from the music player. She was soon flooded with thoughts of home, her children and her Weldon. What was she doing here eating fruit and drinking ale? Shouldn't she be at home with her family and friends?