After returning to campus, Daniel heads to the gym to relax for a few minutes. He races quickly around the indoor track, ignorning the rest of the wold and paying attention only to his breathing. After an hour of running, He sits down and lifts weights, trying to remove his might from more pressing matters. Finally, his two hours up, he heads outside and jumps on his Hog, and rides to the will reading.

Acton heads up to his room and studies for a couple of his other classes.

Jessica hits the gym with Daniel, she paces him for his running, but when he leaves the track she continues. After another half hour of running as hard as she can, she hits the showers. She heads home, dresses in her knee length blue dress and shoes. She hits the print button on her terminal to get a couple of copies of each picture before emailing them to Danny and Acton. What the hell, the runt too, she thinks as she cc's the satyr. She picks up her cell and dials Actons number, "hey, can I get a ride?"

"Of course," Acton replies. "Do you know if any of the others need a ride too?"

Upon return to campus, Angel catches the crosstown bus to her parents place. It's a two hour commute, every day. Most days she loves it, as it's a chance to meet new people. Today it was just a bummer. When she gets in, she reflexivly checks her messages, then crashes. She doesn't even bother to get out of the funeral dress.

Hank and Shiela were the last to leave the Necropolis, sitting together in almost silence. Afterwards they went to a Starbuck's downtown and swapped stories about the Professor they had shared when she was still in school. Parting ways after about an hour - She to her shift, and he to wander the streets of downtown until the appropriate time.

---------

"Yo, Coach? Yeah ... It's 'Goatee' Petrovich. Hey yo, lissen, I'm not sure yet, but I may be late for practice tonight ... yeah yeah ... I know I won't be able to start if ... Hell yeah it's important! .. It has to do with Prof. Navarro .... Frag coach! That man's the only reason you still got me on the team, much less starting! Without him, I woulda flunked ... Frag. Yeah, I scan. Whatevah, coach. Latah."

----------

"Media Office, Department of the Mayor. How may I help you sir?" the voice on the other end of the line answered.

"Yeah," the satyr said, his faint New york accent still playing across the lines slightly, even after seven years at U-Dub. "Is Mr. Strauss in? This' Hank Petrochic at the University of Washington. I have urgent news for..."

"Mr. Strauss isn't in right now, would you like to leave a message for him?"

"Just tell him that McBacchus called please, it's regarding Professor Navarro's funeral and .."

"I thought you said your name was Petrochic?"

"I did, Ma'am. Pete'll know who I am, thanks."

Hank clicked the wristphone shut as he kicked a piece of trash out into traffic. He was more than sure that Brother Straussonovich was aware of the situation with Prof, but the whole thing was so sudden, and rushed, that he wanted to make sure.

The trip's rather boring, nothing really interesting to see except for the holo-ads. Arriving at the firm's HQ, you pause to take a look at it. Dubois, Cooper, Tanaka and Associates is housed in a glass and steel shoebox, probably a relic from the 1970s (that or they intentionally built it to look like old crap).

As you enter the building's hall, a pretty secretary smiles at you. They probably paid her the surgery (corporate image, you see...)

"Good evening, and welcome to DCT&A. May I ask the purpose of your visit?"

Jessica steps forward, "Were here to hear the will of Professor Navaro."

Angel had taken a taxi to the firm, and was waiting when the others arrived. She was dressed a bit more like herself now, her electric blue dreads flowing freely, her clothing form fitting, yet with the illusion of flow. She nods to Jessica as she enters, and falls in alongside her. Still, she is silent.

Daniel rides to the reading on his bike and walks in, seeing the secretary he nods. "I'm here for Professor Navaro's will reading."

McBacchus climbed up the shallow set of stairs outside of the office and strode meaningfully through the sliding doors, his attention only barely on where he was walking. Faint audio could be heard coming from the wristphone on his wiry wrist, but it was mostly drowned out by the whoosh of the door.

".. so yeah, anyway, thanks for getting back in touch with me Pete, I just wanted to give you a heads up. If anything else pans out, drop me the scan, eh?", the satyr paused, then laughed in response to the return comment. "Yeah .. yeah, I know. You been bugging me about that for years .. but why end a good thing, right? I'll give you a ring the next time we have a get-together .. maybe this weekend, right? Late, and thanks."

Hank flipped the screen shut, then looked up at those assembled. Flashing a smile to Dan, Angel and Jessica that was honestly friendly, but slightly forced due to the days events, he pointed at the group and mouthed the words "I'm with them" for the secretary's benefit. The satyr flashed the woman the winning smile that he was so well known for on campus and walked over to the group.

Stepping up to Daniel, he nodded to the girls and gave the troll a patented single-handed manly comforting shoulder squeeze. "Yo, D. You doin' a'ite Omae. All this official stuff's almost over, Brah. Hang in there" he says in a low voice.

After Daniel's reply, the Satyr turns to the two women and introduces himself in turn offering his hand. "Sorry I didn't say hi at the Necropolis .. I .. Well, still just trying to get a handle on all this, like you guys, I imagine. I'm Hank .." he pauses, thinking back to the cold reception in general, back at the Necropolis. "Listen, the Prof and I go way back ... if it weren't for him I'd be back on the streets in B'ooklyn doing spirits know what. Personally, I'm kinda fragged up about this, and could use chummers to talk to, no matter what you think you know about me - or think you've got me pegged for ..."

He paused, furrowed his fuzzy eyebrows together for a moment, then shrugged as he stared straight at the wall and composed himself again.

"Oh, I see you know each other. Please use elevator 2, Mr.Jameson awaits you in office 302."

A couple minutes later, you find yourselves in front of office 302. It's basically empty except for Jameson's desk, two bookshelves, some chairs and a trid set. the fat lawyer's working with some papers, but stops when you enter.

"Hello kids, come in please. Mr.Navarro's Will was recorded in several datachips, here's the one for his students" -he picks one from his desk, slots it in the trid and turns on the box.

For a brief moment, nothing happens, but then the screen blinks and the professor appears. He's in his living room, stroking a black cat and drinking soykaf. Navarro looks serious, his receding gray hair falling over the glasses.

"Good day, I hope you're not skipping school because of me. I'd be royally upset."

He pauses and stares at the camera, with the legendary "you're-getting-a-D" look in his face. A few uncomfortable seconds pass in silence, and then he smiles and chuckles.

"It's all right kids, I guess you can take the day off. Just don't go around telling people I said so."

Daniel smiles, and tries to withold his laughter. He continues to listen to the datachip.

Angel was about to introduce herself the Satyr when the receptionist cuts in. She'd got as far as accepting his offered handshake with her own slender hand, the skin of which was a pearl-like white.

When they're told where to head for the reading, she follows the others. Their numbers lend some strength to her; she is not alone in her greif as she had worried.

The image of the Professor brings tears to her eyes, though she bites them back, and smiles despite the pain at his last comment. This was why she'd admired the man, his empathy, and his presence. Even on a recording she could feel it.

"To those who did not come, I hope that they're studying. This year's exams are going to be... interesting."

"To those students that did come, I leave 25,000 nuyen. This money shall be used to pay a trip to Aztlan, where they'll bury my heart's ashes on the next Festival de Muertos. The ceremony must be performed in Punta Magrobe, my family's ancestral home. The place is in the Gulf of Tehuantepec, a few hours from Oaxaca."

"After you're done with the ceremony, I hope you enjoy the area. It hasn't changed much in the last five or six hundred years, and the beaches are fantastic. Same as tequila."

"If there are too many students watching this, then please choose a delegation of five or six. If no students came at all, the money goes to Miss Vicki Rivers for the same purpose. If Miss Rivers is unable or refuses to do so, the money goes to the U-Dub."

"Finally, because I appreciate underdogs giving a good fight, I leave my house and everything inside it to Mr. Daniel Smith. I also leave a sealed envelope that BCT&A has kept for me. Just remember what Honest Abe said: Whatever you are, be a good one."

"That's about it. Class dismissed."

After that, the screen goes blank.

Daniel looks very stunned and unsure of himself as he hears Professor Navarro's words, and then he bursts into tears.

Mr. Jameson let's a few minutes pass before approaching the group.

"Excuse me, but I need you to sign these papers. The money for the Aztlan trip will be stored in a bank account until a month before the Festival's date."

He hands Daniel a magnetic card.

"Here's the key to Mr. Navarro's -I'm sorry, your house. I need you to sign here... and here. Oh, and this is the envelope he talked about."

Daniel nods and begins to sign the papers, and when the lawyer gives him the envelope he places it gingerly into his coat pocket, still too shocked to say anything.

Jessica's eyes go wide at the anouncement. Daniel got a house, a whole house! And the rest of us get a trip to Azzie territory to burry the professor in his ancestrial home. Now that will be worthy of the man.

Having grown up in a wealthy family, Acton is not as amazed as the others at the mention of 25,000 nuyen. However, he does understand that owning his own house must have been a dream for Daniel, coming as he did from an impoverished background.

It also occurs to him that Daniel might now be the owner of something that would help them find out more about the profesor's death. "You should rummage through his home office first chance you get. Might be some clues as to who killed him there. Do you want me to drop you off there now, or are you coming straight back to school?"

"Acton, I think thats a little inappropriate to talk about right now." Daniel speaks slowly, trying not to be too angry.

"Is there anything else Mr. Jameson?"

McBacchus sat in stunned silence as the will was 'read'. Even at the Necropolis, the truth of the situation failed to sink in and the satyr had not fully come to grips with the fact the the Prof wasn't going to be "kickin' it" around campus anymore. As the dawning of realization crested above the filmy waters of the horizon of denial, Hank struggled to keep himself centered. His hand found Angel's in the chair next to him and grasped it reassuringly - though for whom's benefit could really be wondered.

As the trip to Aztlan, Daniel's House, and the sealed envelope were each covered in turn, the satyr drowned his emotions in an increasingly more forced facade of stoicism, his knuckles turning white on his other hand, which squeezed the arm of the normally comfortable chair. He continued to stare at the blank computer screen even after the playback stopped, his well-tanned face nearly ashen in complexion.

Biting the side of his lower lip, Hank Petrochic lowered his gaze to the floor in thought and then shifted it over to where he still held Angel's hand. He let go immediately, then patted it twice and looked back to the floor and mumbled an embarrassed apology.

"Oh no, that's about it, just need all of you to sign the other document. If you have any further doubts, don't hesitate to contact us. Now, if you excuse me, I have to attend a meeting. Good evening."

With that, Jameson leaves.

"Thank you," Daniel replies to Jameson before he leaves the room.

Then turning to the document he gives it quick read.

Jessica quickly scribbles her name on the dicument, trying to smile through the pain. Her effort to keep her tears in check are obvious.

Acton writes his name on the document as well. He has no intention of just setting the matter of the profesor's death aside until it is time for the journey, however. Turning to Jessica, he says "Hey, can you give me Miss River's telecom number? I want to ask her what day she saw that ship on. Oh, and e-mail me the photos once you get them as well, please." He hands her a scrap of paper with his telecom number and e-mail address. "I'm going to try and find out more about this ship she saw. If I can get a good look at the photos, as well as the day on which they were taken, I should be able to find out which ship it was. From there I might be able to get a crew roster. Incidentaly, have any of you guys ever scuba-dived before? I have a couple times, but I'm not really any good at it. I'm thinking about diving down and taking a look at those drums, if they are still there."

Angel signs her name to the document, something in her electric blue eyes.

Acton's mentioning the office and the ship may have been ill timed, but they reminded her why this was all happening. It was happening because the Professor knew something, and someone didn't think he should. Uncovering that something, revealing that someone, would be a fitting tribute.

Inside the envelope, Daniel finds two things. The first one is a letter signed by Navarro, petitioning for an UCAS SIN to Senator Kate Holstein (R-Seattle), undated and with a blank line where the applicant's name should be. The other is a light-green business card, with a waving UCAS flag hologram. A phone number is hand-written in it, but nothing else.

After dropping off the rest of the group, Acton goes to his dorm room and takes a look at the photographs Jessica sent him.