It's me, Ofra again.

Two Days before Thanksgiving I made the decision to invite Mother up to the City to meet Noah. I wanted to show her that I could make good choices in men after the whole Chistofer debacle. I love Noah. He is the most wonderful man in the world.

Or at least I thought so. I’m so unsure. I had tried to get the point across to him that my Mother is the embodiment of EVIL. She has been known in the past to reduce my boyfriends into so much whimpering pudding. But she’ll like Noah. “Noah is Different” I thought.

Boy is he.

It the moment that my Mother crossed the threshold of my apartment, he went into “interview” mode, like he was applying for some sort of grant from the pits of Government hell. I kept trying to get his attention, to make him stop. My mother just stood there in that uncomfortable sponge-like way she has, taking it all in.

Stop it Noah. Stop it NOAH. Stop IT NOAH. STOP IT NOAH!

But he kept going on and on. I tried to get things moving by handing him his coat; didn't stop him. I grabbed my keys. Still going. Mother said that she would drive. It continued on the drive to the City. He went on and on about her car as I was crammed into the back seat of her Baby. I tried to tell her that it would be safer if I drove, but she insisted that nobody would DARE to mess with us or her car. She was able to goad some people into leaving a parking space that they were trying to fit an Escalade into. Noah praised her “Negotiating” ability.

When we got our table at Capsouto Frėres I could see Mother get The Look. The one where she looks as if she is taking your soul out for a quick once over, trying to find the nasty bits you thought you had hidden away. I’d tried to warn him.

But then it happened. Not the usual look of disdain that she has for all my friends, but one of curiosity. Shock, almost.

"Noah is different," I thought.

A nice little Bistro in TriBeCa. Cozy and quite with a very helpful wait-staff who seem to be willing to bend over backward to please it’s guests. Service has only improved since I’ve been visiting it over the past week.

The atmosphere is perfect for an early evening Tate-a-tate, or for the most discriminating out of town guest. The tables are situated in such away as to allow the guests a sense of intimacy not seen in many restaurants. Parking is tight as with any place in TriBeCa.

We started with an impressive Provencal platter ($12 for two, $15 for four), loaded with lots of pretty food. We spread delectable duck-liver pate and bandade, a buttery salt cod and potato mousse, on bread rounds. We shared bites of transparently sliced apple salad and roasted pepper slivers.

-SNIP-

Our dessert choices included the apple tart tatin ($7). A tender crust topped by perfectly soft apples was set in a glorious butterscotch-y caramel sauce with whipped sweet cream. All apple pies should taste this good. We also gave thumbs up to a smooth Pernod and lemon-thyme creme brulee ($7) with a tinge of licorice under a crunchy candy layer.

Doctor: Niemi
Subject: C.J.B. Spender
Location: Dade Office

The Subject presents signs of severe distrust, paranoia and delusions of grandeur. The subject also shows signs of an acute oral fixation.

Topic: Follow up of previous consultation.

Subject did show sign’s of delight in finding out an important fact in the “Higher Power’s” make up. He would not share this info with me, saying it was his trump card for future use. He informed me that this had something to do with items found on the Island but refused to elaborate. The subject is weary, and not subject to hypnosis, or mind-altering drugs. Must find other way’s of prying this information out of him.

The Subject revealed that he got to observe one of the Family members of the “Higher Power”. He has advised me of the need to be diligent in the destruction of all fungi and molds. Must pick up some “products” on way home.

Subject stated that he had new tidbits to torment Skinner and Scully with. Seems smug beyond anything previously witnessed.

The Subject is not very hopeful on short-term outcome. He seems to feel that everything could go very badly for all concerned with in the week if his “gut feeling” is correct.

The Subject did say that the trip home was very uneventful. Except for an interview with some pervy writer named Hank Dziennik out of Chicago that he was listening to on the Radio. He loved listening to the man’s life become a train wreck over the course of the hour. He’s pondering looking in to why this was such big impact in the World at large.

Due to a chronological bottleneck that I've created in Miami, it's important (if at all possible) for the Chrysalis C group to meet this weekend (more accurately, "before Chrysalis A meets again").

Now, we are scheduled for the 3rd of January, which I believe is when Dave and Margie are juuuuust getting home -- something tells me that will be difficult.

What's I'd like to do as an alternative is meeting on Sunday the 4th in the afternoon. That will (hopefully) give the Consortium time to get settled in a bit, and still give us a session before the next "A" session on the 5th.

Thoughts? (Including the possible impact of Margie's tooth, which I'm sure might be a factor.)

Walking to the Heart.

And here he is.

1. Want, do be?

What do you want? Sometimes you know, sometimes you don't. Sometimes you know even if you don't--the times when you're pulled in a direction you didn't decide to go. Wise or foolish, at least it's what you want. I'm old enough that the question's not "what do you want" anymore, but "what in the Lord's name made you want that?" A few things, I still don't know.

I like helping people out, maybe not just to find out what they want, but that's part of the reason. Except Death, but that's another story. Now, I could just as soon be wrong, but I think I know what Macy wants. She's wants excitement, the times when the heart races and every nerve in your body has an exclamation point. The spice of life, mostly the cayenne pepper kind.

But Donner? Who knows?

2. It just encourages him.

Hank's in trouble again. I don't know much about the powers that be (honestly I don't), but I'd like to let them know here and now that it just encourages him. I told him when I bound him--before that, I told him before that--that it would be the end of all peace and quiet to know someone like me for too long. I hadn't heard his story yet, so I bothered to try to tell him that. If I'd known, I wouldn't have bothered. He's younger than I am, you just think, that's all.

I'd say it was the regular kind of trouble that he tends to get into, but it seems a little too deep and ugly--and what you don't want to see with deep and ugly trouble is coincidences, which we got. Unrelated, unlikely, un--what's the opposite of ironic?--out-of-place coincidences. Not like a day when nothing goes right, but a day when everything goes funny.

I picked up Hank and Vera (she'd been touched by Jealousy before, as I recall) and had them start hauling me back down to Storyville. Get them safe before I start digging into it, that's the important thing.

I should check the kids, too, while I'm at it.

The whole Familia plus La Fleur pooled their powers and vastly extended the area of their chancel. Each molded sectors to taste as well as blending their talents to create such things as fishing and hunting challenges suitable to Nobles and guest houses of lustworthy perfection. They eliminated the tech barrier en passant. June walked the borders into existence.

June’s anchor Hank prayed desperately for her help. She answered and allowed him to summon her. He’s written a book using what he’d seen and felt of the mystic side of reality which sold reasonably well as poetry and some of which (the less-racy bits) were being considered for a collection of children’s stories. He suddenly had money and a bit of fame. Then someone brought the public spotlight on an older piece, a very disturbing thing called Bruised and Bloody Hands. Parents objected to the author of BBH writing for their children. Hank’s explanation, live on Chicago radio, made it worse.

Hank was now besieged in his apartment by Hank-hating protestors and Hank-supporters. He wasn’t sure which group was scarier. He couldn’t write, he’d run out of groceries, he didn’t dare leave the apartment.

June invited Hank to visit Storeyville. She went out to deal with the crowd herself. She gave a nice Spirited speech that dispersed all but the most hard-core demonstrators. None of the rocks thrown at June dared to hit her. By a wild coincidence Vera, who’d given June a ride some weeks earlier, was one of the demonstrators. They had a happy reunion. Vera was getting her divorce. June was vague about getting called away suddenly… from a truck stop. They went up to Hank, who was relieved to learn that Vera had been on the free speech side.

Terminus felt a horrible twinge. He checked his Bonds and Gated to his oh-so-Special hospital --- which had just burnt to the ground. He examined the ruins and decided that the fire had been set with cheap gasoline two hours previous. A hard divination revealed the culprits: four men from the local village. He Gated there and gathered them up. Terminus killed one at once. “He didn’t tell me what I wanted to hear.” The others were very forthcoming: a white-haired man in white clothes with pale, pale, not-pink eyes had hired them. He’d even given them a business card to give to Terminus. It had a Madrid, Spain address on it and a phone number, but the man was staying at a nearby hotel – they’d gladly drive him.

As a reward for their helpfulness, Terminus allowed one of the men to live -- the group had to fight to the death, and the survivor could live out his life. That the survivor of the melee had colon cancer was merely a tasty ironic twist.

The gentleman in white was Esteban Alvarado, a notable sorcerer. He knew something of the Nobilis and of Terminus in particular. He even knew quite a bit about how Anchors worked. Alvarado had set all of this up in order to become a hate anchor for Terminus. Alvarado feared old age and death; he gambled on his usefulness and audacity to link himself to a Noble who’d lasted thousands of years.

Terminus liked Alvarado and liked his possible usefulness. He Anchored the sorcerer and warned him against intriguing against him. Anyone else was fair game. He then gave him his assignment: learn everything he could about Lord Entropy, their target. That worried Alvarado. Terminus invited him to think larger. Alvarado was to exhaust the chancel’s library first, then others as Terminus arranged for access.

To the death of all things!

Macy bullied Jessica into taking over the training of the new whores – all 7500 of them! – without any further complaints.

Macy continued on that note when her pet preacher accidentally prayed to her with the proper incense. She visited him and enjoyed rubbing his face in his enslavement. She left him bereft of his treasured faith (money) and facing the prospect of working his ass off for nothing, forever.

Macy visited her favorite angel for flirtation and gossip. Senachiel had recovered sufficiently to walk with assistance and to flirt back with more energy. Macy invited him to the Grand Opening.

Donner discussed the proposed duel of Strife and Festivals with La Fleur. She insisted on a five mile separation between the two and assurances of minimal property damage. Donner agreed with the precautions. He made some friendly overtures which La Fleur rebuffed.

Donner went to the World Tree and Locus Ambrolam to see Ada Willamette the Power of Strife. She accepted Storeyville as the site, had no problem with the rules or with Lust as a judge. She seemed to be just as confident as her foe about the outcome of the duel. Their vendetta had started with competition for the Pegasus, a unique creature. It had died in the conflict.

June, Hank and Vera began their road trip to New Orleans and Storeyville. Hank and Vera hooked up.

20 days until the opening party.

Fungus and Guilt start off the festivities with a nice little chat with Apathy, Extinction and Autumn after Spender brings Guilt in to talk to the other powers. Spender is secretly delighted to learn about Apathy's power to annoy and ignore Guilt. Guilt is not happy about the situation to say the least. The pit where the weapons were stashed was shown to the local powers and questions are asked. Once Fungus reveals that a mechanical creature was involved, Autumn mentions the possibility it could have been a golem from Jotunheim. Fungus and Guilt decide to enlist Autumn to assist.

Punishment completes her quest after subduing the Garden, ending up back at the same tree she started from. The tree advises her to pick all the fruits that resulted from Sian's experiences lest they take to seed and cause problems down the road. Sian picks them all but is understandably loathe to give them all up to Entropy. Anyone who eats one experiences some event from Sian's life. It is an extreme violation of privacy and could reveal far more information than is acceptable to Sian.

Crime follows Justice to investigate the sabotage of the building that disrupted the ritual battle. Alejandro asks Crime to help in cleaning up the mess. Crime readily agrees after confirming to Justice that a crime was commited to cause the collapse. Hours from the opposing chancel arrives and begins levelling accusations. Crime decides not to bitch slap her but refutes her claims, countering them with accusations of his own. She leaves and Crime works with Alejandro to rebuild the area, twisting it into a casino for future white collar crime possibilities. Once done, Crime gets Justice to commit to an investigation of Arnaud's chancel to follow up on the mechanoid lead. They drive to a mechanical looking forest where they are greeted by Lawrence, the Power of Circular Motion.

Guilt rounds up the apathetic victims and leaves the chancel to go attend the dinner that has been arranged with her daughter. *Cut scene* Noah and Ofrah are stressing over meeting Guilt for the first time together. Noah tries to be pleasant and give a favorable impression but keeps sticking his foot in his mouth. Guilt is alarmed to learn that Noah is empowered in some way and can't be read. Noah also learns that Guilt is empowered in the same way. The tension in the room increases.

Fungus' anchor Moonbeam drives around an area where some sort of gate ritual is being performed with Leon the Archbishop in tow. She alerts Fungus. Leon calls crime. It looks like majorly bad juju in Miami.

Sian contacts Haley to ask for advice on what to do about the apples after rowing back to Miami. they get together, drink a lot and discuss things. Haley samples a couple of fruit, then has Sian screen them for hidden memories. Sian finds a couple that she can't account for. At least one turns out to be the memory of meeting with Amaciel and learning of the chancel split. The remainder of the non sensitive fruit are Ok to give to Entropy but Sian contemplates making another deal altogether and keeping all the fruit

Crime and Justice question the inhabitants of Arnuad's chancel. Little Doc is unable to detect any direct indication of culpability and the style of mechanoids they encounter do not match the decription given by the Excrucian. Crime is becoming convinced that Arnaud's people are just convenient scapegoats for a more subtle plot engineered by someone else.

4pm today

Crysalis A and C schedule, that is.

Dec 06 - Chrysalis C
Dec 08 - Chrysalis A
Dec 20 - Chrysalis C CANCELLED
Dec 22 - Chrysalis A with two guest stars? :)
Jan 03 - Chrysalis C
Jan 05 - Chrysalis A
Jan 17 - Chrysalis C
Jan 19 - Chrysalis A
Jan 31 - Chrysalis C
Feb 02 - Chrysalis A
Feb 14 - Valentine's Day: Chrysalis C CANCELLED
Feb 16 - Chrysalis amalgam game?
Feb 28 - Chrysalis C
Mar 01 - Chrysalis A