Piano Bar Car, France, 23:15
This sophisticate carriage contains a long bar staffed by a bartender at one end and it opens its doors at 10AM to allow entrance to the Dining Car if need be although it doesn't serve alcohol until midday at which point the bar remains open and staffed until midnight wherein guests can mingle, listen to music, dance, and drink either on stools at the bar or on long couches upholstered in brown that face each other over the central aisle with a polished mahogany coffee table between them and a set of lamps on tables between each couch to provide additional lighting on top of the dim overhead lighting if need be. The couches are quite comfortable and the room is always nicely warm. Oftentimes this carriage is filled with the heady scent of cigarette smoke and ashtrays are plentiful on each table. A bartender works his magic at the bar which stands on one side of the car (closest to the door to the Lounge Car), with a pianist playing piano at the other end of the car alongside a gap about as wide as it is long which is used as an impromptu dance floor on occasion by those enjoying the bar.
Durante and
Erminia Pontarelli speak together in low voices in Italian, gazing sidelong at a lonely
Magdelena Bartenstein who seems to be desperately trying to ignore them.
Charles Gavigan, a gentleman in an expensive suit, remains on his bar stool with
Johannes Sprech, watching the conductor head toward the dining car.
Farooqi Al-Rassam sits on a couch furthest away from everyone else, looking up at
Kieran.
Farooqi smiles grimly. "Perhaps you should speak to
Lord Linscott? He will be returning here shortly with my son. Hopefully he will arrive before things get any worse."
Monsier Stephane Thayer shakes his head a little after
Wolfgang checks, in vain, for lumps. "If you'll excuse me, I'd better go see the Train Manager. I'm rather sorry to have disturbed your rest. I am, of course, at your service. It must just be a little migraine. Please, if you would wait here I'm sure the puppet show will commence shortly. Please enjoy the onboard entertainments." He says it all a little stiffly, obviously trying to cover up the aches and pains, before starting down the corridor to the Dining Car.
PRESENT: Charles Gavigan, Farooqi Al-Rassam, Durante Pontarelli, Erminia Pontarelli, Kieran, Magdelena Bartenstein, Johannes Sprech, Stephane Thayer, Wolfgang Ritter, Elene, Mr. & Mrs. Roby.