Hush!

We've always loved going to movies together.  We brought our infant son to a theatre showing Fantasia.  He was fascinated by the music and the animation, almost lulled to sleep - until the Russian thistles started dancing!  After that, we had to take him out to the lobby.

Once, at a Wehrenberg, when they played that signature pre-show clip of theirs, with the whispering "Wehrenberg, Wehrenberg, Wehrenberg," ,Robin turned around in her seat and shushed the projection booth.

When she turned back around, she had the most mischievous grin on her face. Cracked up the four rows behind us, and was forevermore a family in-joke. 

Admonition

When you have so much

that you couldn't possibly spend it all,

not even if you lived many lives,

there is so much more that could be done

before you start sending luxury cars into space.

So much more value to be wrung

from the cost of the politicians you can buy

than your next tax cut. 

Initiation By Fire

Game date: 1/28/2021

 The past month has been far too quiet.  I've been expecting a shoe to drop, and it hasn't.

This is not to say that I have not been busy.  Far from it.  Ryatt's lawsuit was decided in his favor, with a

very large settlement.  We split it, taking as much for the group as we could without shorting him and his family.  He got to start his business, and pay his lawyer, and his family got a nice million to boost their lifestyle.  I found a financial advisor for them, one that I had vetted for relative honesty.  

Additionally, the Chystari Estate was handed to the Nepeta family with virtually no fuss, another surprise.  They also received the monthly stipend, but soon learned that Foster had wiped the savings with his lavish parties.  If we hadn't stepped in when we did, there could have been a negative balance, and they might have lost it all anyway.

We found visual copies of all the lost Nepeta records in the Dawn drone's memory.  I made copies of that.  Aru has been studying the ancient language, which Ms. Blackrose calls "Creato."  He and his family are taking it upon themselves to re-transcribe the records back into physical books.  Once I had everything downloaded (and I do mean everything - every last bit of blackmail-worthy material, from every surviving drone), I wiped Dawn's memory, and all the Chystari iDolls.  

Of course, Aru invited us to stay at the manor, with express permission from his extended family.  I believe it's a good idea; they may be targeted again because of that vault.  I converted my lair to a Mech shop.  The first order of business was to repair or salvage all the drones, and upgrade the junk van.  I designed a specialized self-destruct, hoping to keep the Sunchild from possessing the anthros, yet not destroying them completely.  

2020 Hogswatch Letter

December, 2020

Greetings, friends and family.

For all that we have collectively faced this year, my own life has been comparatively uneventful.  My house is quiet, apart from the antics of too many cats, and I have done little to change it, or myself.  

Early in 2020, the BookMobile stopped running.  I took a long hard look at the value of the van, versus the cost of repairs, and sadly let it go, replacing it with a much smaller vehicle.  Kept the license plate, though. 

Last month, I had to remove another tree from the back yard, as it was beginning to drop branches so large that I could not move them by myself.  I felt that it was only a matter of time before one of those branches hit the house, the car, or a power line.

I'm still with the railroad, although I'm changing shifts again -- from second back to third.  This is partly to accommodate my need for a social life, and partly to escape from a horribly inept manager, about whom the less said, the better.  

My health remains good, which is about the best news anyone can report these days.  Being stuck at home has done nothing at all for my emotional recovery.  Often I feel as if I am simply going through the motions.  

For a while I was making regular visits with a good friend (Hi, Jerry).  The pandemic put that on indefinite haitus, seeing that both of us fall into "at risk" categories, and I'd much rather bank on more future visits.  I look forward to becoming more social, with an expanded group of people, once such things are possible again.  For now, I only see my daughter once a week, and my son's family on very rare occasions.  The kids and grandkids are my lifeline; they keep me sane.

Speaking of which, Arthur restarted his online game.  The family games have always been a core part of our togetherness, and it has been a great comfort to gather together in the spirit of adventure again, even if it does have to be in a virtual setting because of the distance involved.  

My original plans for the year were to re-integrate myself with the theatre community.  Those plans have been postponed to next year.  For now, I've been livestreaming a weekly book reading, from a list of family favorites, over FaceBook.  I've also started volunteering at LibriVox.org, honing my narrative and editing skills.  

I am working on a writing contract, and the other party has been very patient with me.  I hope to finish that obligation in the coming year.

My complete contact information was printed on the obverse.  It is available to those who answer me my questions three without falling into the pit of despair or the bog of stench.  

There it is, my Year of Maintenance.  I wish you all a warm and happy holiday season, and a year full of joy to follow.

 John L. Payton

(PS - I'll also post last year's letter, to keep them easily available)

Foster's Imaginary Friends With Benefits (Part 2)

(Game date: 12/10/2020) 

"You've come to play as well?"

It was an anthrodrone, of course.  Child-size, and incredibly realistic.  Had to be a custom job.  Housing something alien, and dangerous, and it was just standing there, making chit-chat.

Okay.  I'll play that game.  "Nice place," I opened.  Let no one say that I can't be suave.

"Yes,"  Mistress Dawn giggled.  "I do like what you've done with it."   

So.  The Sunchild was fully aware that I'd triggered the drone attack, and was allowing it to happen, for its own purposes.  

No one was making a move yet, though they had spread out, jockeying for position.  I decided to try for a veiled threat.  "Shame about the spot on the rug," I said, indicating with my eyes exactly the place the drone was standing.

Its rejoinder was swift, and equally threatening.  "All will be cleansed, soon enough."  

Ms. Blackrose could no longer hold in her frustration.  "This is it?" she demanded, with a fair amount of disbelief.  "This is the Sunchild?"

"One of them," Katrya snapped, and then she was off.  

Foster's Imaginary Friends With Benefits

(Game date: 12/03/2020)

Aru Nepeta never did seem to fit in with this group.  He just didn't seem like the "outlaw" type.  (The same can be said of Varfana, but I haven't yet figured that one out.)  From the very first gathering at the Tenner Hut, even though he was attempting to help Ms. Doe evade capture, he did it in such a forthright way, even going so far as to give the TekKnight who drew the short straw (literally) his real name and ID.  He simply doesn't have much experience breaking the law, nor, when you get right down to it, does he seem to have that much desire to do so.  Yet, something drives him.  

I didn't discover that impetus until I started meeting with everyone, one-on-one.  Only then did he allow the full extent of his bitterness to show.

Hot Blooded

 Phase One of our long con on SimSoft and SiNet had paid off, and just in time.  We had the new anthrodrone that we'd stolen from CyberTek, but until now very little money for outfitting them.  This was a big payoff for us.  Even with putting aside 20K for anticipated legal fees for Phase Two, that still left us with 10K each, and 10K for the group projects fund.  I had passed out the credsticks, and we were all a little giddy.  The entire group was at the Sanctuary, and it was as close to a celebration as

we've ever had.  Oh, sure, I was trying to pass on some advice, such as, "This might be a good time to invest in drone armor, weapons, and clothing," but I might as well have been saying "blah, blah, blah," for all anyone heard.  I'd already done a bit of shopping, but I don't think anyone else had much time for it yet.

This was unfortunate, because in the midst of our revelry, our comms spontaneously switched to a news report.  The 'caster was saying, "...terror in the streets as these strange, glowing figures are attacking everyone in sight. Law Enforcement has been alerted, and is working to blockade the area, but it's unclear how many people may still be in danger. If you're in the affected district, we advise you to stay inside, do not open your doors, and wait for an all-clear..."

All voices hushed, and we exchanged meaningful glances.  It had been a few weeks since we had received a bona fide Peaches mission.  I guess we were overdue.  The autochef itself hadn't spoken, but, as Katrya put it, "Does it really matter?  We know."