<<Friday Night - March 31, 2079 - Gates Hotel and Casino, Bellevue>>

AM and Raven go to the Gates where the find a Friday-night party full of young urban professionals from Ares Macrotechnology, Microdeck, Gaeatronics, and Global Technologies. The young, rich corpers spend lavishly to relieve the pent-up stress of their corporate jobs.

AM and Raven don't have to pay for anything. The Gates is eager to cultivate its image as a place where attractive people come to play, so AM and Raven are waved through without a cover charge. Once inside, there is a steady stream of well-wishers who would like to buy the ladies drinks, dance with them, and then take them home. Inebriated as they are, and blessed with the Talent as AM and Raven are, it is child's play to toy with them.

Rachel arrives at the Gates in a tiny, black neckholder mini dress and fitting high heels, showing off the majority of her beautiful self. Gotta give the guys (and some of the girls) something to look at. She enjoys the attention, maybe a little too much. Of course, there are plenty attractive ladies around, and probably half of them are employed by the Finnigans to keep the guests happy (and keep them spending even more money on expensive drinks and even more expensive company).

After a little stroll around the casino, nodding and smiling to anyone who might recognize her from her previous visit about a month ago, the young witch heads straight for the club inside the casino to listen to the music and lose herself on the dancefloor. She switches between dance partners and smiles at their offers. Not saying yes, not saying no. Keep them wanting. The tension building up in her mind, as her mentor is playing into her own desires, is getting hard to resist.

A few hours into the night, she is getting tired of the constant struggle. The guy she is dancing with at the time is handsome and he wants to impress her with the nice (and very expensive) suite he has here at the Gates. He's a gentleman even, offering his arm to escort the lady upstairs. Who could resist that?

Hopefully AM isn't planning on anything birthday-related for breakfast. Rachel is definitely going to miss that...

I am a bit surprised that Raven picks up the Gates, but they have this lady singer with crazy outfits on stage and after watching Neomi in simsense the other day, it is fun to see her live. Then I dance with Raven a bit but the crowded place makes me a bit more tense so I go to the bar and drink some lady drink. The alcohol kicks in and I flnd myself flirting with the bartender, and then leave my link number on a piece of paper. Which I would never do without a background check. Alcohol... ! His chances are low considering that I'll be sober in the morning but I don't think of chances. I say my goodbye to Raven but she seems so blissed and happy that I feel intruding.

I have an early boxing session and Cutty would literally punch my face if I am not focused. So I go home feeling refreshed.

The next morning, Bobby surprised AM with a hot cup of real coffee, a bottle of water and an Aspirin as well as carefully wrapped grey silk shirt.

"Happy birthday. Made the shirt myself." Bobby left open to interpretation if he only sewed the shirt, or if he himself created the silk from scratch...

"Get up, you don't want to let Cutty waiting."

Bobby hadn't slept during the last week, but kept himself refreshed through meditation. In the living room he prepared a little dog sized back pack with his gym clothes, before turning himself into a czechoslovakian wolfhound.

<<Monday Morning - 07:00 - April 1, 2079 - Gates Hotel & Casino, Bellevue>>

Raven wakes up alone. Troy (or was it Toby?) is gone. The room shows some evidence of last night's festivities, including half a bottle of champagne that's sitting in a bucket of melting ice, plus a pint of picture-perfect strawberries.

Troy is in town from Ares headquarters in Detroit. He's under the impression that Rachel (or whatever name she gave) works for Gaeatronics. Who knows where he is.

<<Monday Morning - 07:00 - April 1, 2079 - Highlands, Bellevue>>

Iktomi doesn't waste any time. AM wakes up late, her alarm somehow failing to have gone off. Luckily Bobby is there with a cup of real coffee to wake her up. Whether it is wise to consume a diuretic right before two hours of exercise is an open question, especially one that has a known laxative effect.

Bobby transforms, puts on his critter armor with some workout clothes in a backpack, and is ready to run. AM switches into her workout gear and also ready to go.

The morning air is cool. The run takes Bobby and AM along the edge of Marymoor Park, where they had a memorable encounter with Green Toes about four months ago. AM thinks she sees someone watching her from the bushes, but it could just be a squatter.

They arrive at Cutty's gym with moments to spare. AM is already warmed up and Cutty immediately puts her through the paces. He doesn't take it easy on her. Iktomi has AM slip on a puddle of sweat, causing her to lose her balance at the exact moment that Cutty unleashes a pinpoint liver shot. AM's body shuts down and she has to take a knee; it feels like her innards are boiling. AM can feel that Iktomi is well-pleased.

"Hands high, elbows low, move your head," Cutty advises, although AM has heard this dozens if not hundreds of time already.

"Long jabs, short hooks," he continues with another of his constant refrains.

The rest of the session is less eventful. At the end of the hour, you're rehydrating with Cutty at the water cooler waiting... and waiting. No Tom & Rat. You check outside, but no Tom & Rat.

How long will you wait?

Friday night and the elves are out partying, Mato is comatose somewhere, and Bobby, well, Bobby isn't someone that Tamarind is ready to relax with yet. He seems to come at life from odd angles that she can't predict yet, so talking with him feels a bit like sparring in the dark. So she makes use of the hot tub, and sends her Pellipers up to follow delivery routes around Bellevue, watching which stores and restaurants are busy with pick-ups from drones, watching which flight channels see regular use, and just enjoying how Bellevue looks at night. She eventually brings her drones home to roost, and heads to bed before her skin ends up one big wrinkle from the water.

The next morning she was up in good time, but kept quiet. She had to do some shopping in a bit, but for the moment she she re-read an old favourite story, waited for the sound of AM heading out, and told some drones to get ready. Once Elf and trusty mag-dog head off on their run, she sends both Pellipers into the air, the Uncle and Aunties riding inside the delivery drones, and a Kanmushi clingining to each of the two delivery Pellipers. She keeps an eye on the two from a decent elevation, making sure that nothing happens to them. Then she parks her drones on the gym roof during the work out. She could easily enough infiltrate something in the gym, but she doesn't see the need, she just has a drone watch the gym doors.

When the appointed time comes, with no Rat and Tom in sight, she puts the drones back in the air, and starts looking around. Maybe she'll spot the two, or maybe she'll spot trouble that has kept them away from the gym.

I don't have many words at mornings, not many good words. I suppress a "frag" when I realize that the alarm didn't go off, because frag seems inappropriate response for a happy birthday... And there is coffee and a shirt Bobby has made. "Thanks Bobby you are the greatest" I say, he really is. I quickly get dressed drink a quick cup of coffee with a spoon of sugar to have something inside, and head out. With Bobby as an armored wolf on tow, or realistically ahead of me. My physical stamina has improved so much with a combination of magic and hard work. This jogging was not something I could attempt last year.

The entire boxing session, all of them started as a way to approach the complex great spirit from an unexpected angel. Yet here I am, actually boxing. Not very good at it, but I am getting into the very physical sport. I smile dispite myself when I stumble. Well, I swear and then smile. Feeling in pain, but also cared for by Cutty that punishes me for a misfortune without feeling sorry about it.
****

"Thanks Cutty" I say with an appreciative look and then after recovering from the session I clean up a bit waiting for the two street kids and I eat an energy bar. When they don't show up I ask Trouble to look for them. Figuring that the spirit is more mobile than any of us, and I continue to mop the floor. Making sur nobody else stumbles like me. "They should have been here already... Odd to be be late for a payday. " I muse with Bobby

Tamarind lifts off and scouts out Touristville.

It's Saturday morning and, honestly, on the quiet side. Touristville is a red-light district, and most of its activity happens after dark. Especially on a Saturday morning, when so many people had been up (or had been kept awake) late on Friday, the neighborhood is slow to get moving.

Sure, there are some industrious types trying to make a nuyen, like the Vietnamese family that makes donuts. There are fat Knight-Errant officers lined up outside of it, eating donuts and drinking soykaf and laughing and doing anything but working. (The Redmond posting does not attract the best and the brightest. It is usually a dumping ground for officers who have fragged up royally somewhere else, hence the higher-than-usual levels of incompetence and corruption.)

Some factory workers whose "weekend" might be a Sunday, or maybe even just half a Sunday, trudge to their jobs. They look worn down and sour. A disproportionate number of them are trolls and orks. A few enterprising vendors with food carts sell them breakfast, or things to put in their lunchbox for later in the day.

In short, there's remarkably little trouble going on at the moment. Certainly no disturbances that Tamarind can detect that would delay Tom & Rat. It's also possible that, like most of the neighborhood, they are nocturnal creatures and not awake at the moment.

Bobby, who had put in his own workout at the training dummies was sipping down some water as AM fretted about the two gangers.

"You know, we have their number, we can just call them."

He proceeded to do exactly that.

<<Hey, we are waiting at the Gym - do you hate money all of a sudden or what?>>

"Seven? Gee... you are up early." She probably had no more than three hours of sleep.

Normally, she would just stay in bed for another couple hours, but she isn't at home, so... after a bit of stretching, Rachel forces herself to get up. She can still catch more sleep tomorrow.

She heads to the bathroom, looking for a towel to wrap around her waist like a makeshift mini-skirt, grabbing one of the strawberries on her way there. Mmmhhh. She could get used to those.

A quick look around the astral is just a routine for her, as is casting her Makeover spell to save some time getting ready. Magic is fine inside the suites, as she recalls, just not outside and especially not in the casino area.

Afterwards, she collects her five pieces that she brought with her to the club, which are probably scattered all around the suite, slip, dress, two shoes, and her commlink, and places them on the couch together.

Then she looks for the room's comm unit and calls the service line.

"Good morning! Just a few questions. I have been invited to this suite last night, but the host seems to have left early. Did he leave a message, maybe? How long is this suite rented still? And, if you are allowed to tell me that... under what name? First name is good enough, really. You can tell me that much, right? Yeah, I know, weekend, party, too much champagne, you know how it is... but those strawberries are amazing!"

"Good morning, Miss Moore," the receptionist greets Raven. It's up to Raven to decide that whether the hotel knows 1) who she is and 2) that's she's in the room is A) grossly intrusive or B) just highly polished customer service.

"You do not have any messages waiting for you. I am not at liberty to say how long the suite is reserved for, but I can assure you that you do not need to check out before 11:00.

"Mr. Johnson traditionally extends room service to all his guests. I would be happy to send anything up that you like."

The receptionist waits patiently for any response. Raven has to do decide whether 'Johnson' is his real name or just what he asks the hotel to give to... 'all his guests'? Guess this isn't his first time.

~~~

Bobby gets a bunch of static in response.

Tamarind is also getting interference with the signal from her drones. It's not deliberate; it's just Noise. Most of Redmond is on the public grid - except the Z zones where it's completely absent. Touristville is on the very fringes of the Emerald City local grid, but even then you can still tell that you're in a part of town where the Matrix signal is strung together with Styrofoam cups and twine. It was better when the Brain Eaters were around improvising solutions; things have slipped since the Crimson Crush chased them off. Perhaps this is more of Iktomi's work, but right now you can't get a consistent signal.

Trouble finds Rat but not Tom. Rat is hiding in an alley a couple blocks away. He's looking around the corner at the front of the gym. Trouble can tell that he must have line of sight on AM and Bobby, but his aura shows that he is frightened.

"Thank you! Seems like 'Mr. Johnson' is quite busy. I just wanted to know if there is still time to take a quick shower, really. Oh, maybe you could send me a card and pen up. And a single praliné. Something a little extraordinary. Thanks again, and have a wonderful day!"

Since there is still plenty time, Rachel hops into the shower and cleans herself up before putting the clothes back on.

When she gets the items, she writes a small note on the card Last night was fun! -- R. with a fancy, stylised 'R' and leaves it on the couch table together with the praliné.

Gotta show the gents how you do it in style.

It is late morning, when Rachel gets back to the HQ.

When AM notifies Bobby about Trouble's find he says to her: "Looks like there's trouble for someone around here. Do you want Trouble talking to them, or should I sneak up on him to get some answers?"

"Praise the Trickster for keeping my birthday interesting." is a more appropriate response than the "Oh, frag" I let go when I learned about Rat hiding in an Alley - watching us and being afraid to approach "Something is wrong. Rat is hiding right at that, Ally, but he is afraid." I say softly, and then when Bobby suggests talking to him with the cat spirit, I respond, "He might not respond very well to a spirit if he is already afraid; let me have a closer look. Say something if I need my eyes here." I subtly cast the Bumblebee vision spell. Then I allow my vision to leap out of my eyes and move it around to look at Rat and his surroundings - to see if I spot any foul play.

"I once took Jawsey on a mind trip above the city with that spell... That was fun... I wonder if he'll remember my birthday." The view of the city at night is considerably more pleasing than these rundown streets of Redmond, and watching a dumpster in eight colors is hardly romantic or fun. This is good because I need to focus on the task rather than miss Jawsey. Still, the richness of texture, colors, and refreshing perspective invade my mind and flood my brain making everything appear strange and less repulsive.

Rachel showers and the shower is ah-MAZING!! There are shower heads on the ceiling and on each wall, so she gets blasted from every direction. It's like being in a spa.

The requested card, pen, and single praliné arrive without delay.

She has no trouble leaving the Gates, although she gets plenty of turned heads from walking through the hotel lobby at 10am in a little black dress.

~~~


AM's eyes zip out of her head and speed over to Rat's location.

There's nothing obviously wrong around Rat. He keeps stealing glances around the corner.

Hovering over his shoulder, AM gets a good sense of what Rat is looking at: it's AM and Bobby.

Are AM and Bobby in danger? After some investigation, they ('we' AM corrects herself) don't appear to be.

The conclusion is that Rat is frightened of AM and Bobby, or of the prospect of speaking to them.

"Oh crap, I think you scared him shitless in Bellevue, and now he is afraid to approach you." I say-- deducing that if Rat is afraid of us, he is afraid of Bobby. I don't see myself as intimidating; I rarely raise my voice, and I tend to avoid conflicts in 99% of the cases. Perhaps after my radical physical transportation, I may be physically imposing. However, I am still not very aggressive, and I don't carry a firearm now, making me more approachable. It's funny to think he fears me, but I am 99% sure he fears Bobby because of their earlier incident.

"Let's just approach him. I don't see an army of Haloweeners lurking in the shadows." I suggest, and if Bobby agrees, I'll wave a little to show Rat I see him and then walk to him, trying to appear friendly rather than homicidal. I'll need to return to my natural vision and cancel the spell - but it is of no consequence. I'll agree to whatever plan Bobby has because I trust him.

Tamarind sighs about the noise. She'd rather have her RCC mostly running programs, but she shuts those down, cranks up the noise reduction, and in her datajack+ she runs noise reduction software. Then she makes a concentrated effort to look for either their contacts or what is keeping them away.

While she does not do anything with her magic in the hotel lobby, Rachel will use a spell to change her appearance before she returns. Don't give the neighbors more fuel than necessary.

She will cast Physical Mask to change into a more casual outfit (like jeans, t-shirt, hoodie, sneakers) before she heads back to the HQ.

Rachel feels a low-level happy hum in the back of her head that she associates with her mentor enjoying the hunt.

And yet... there's a subtle tingle too. A tickle, a question mark asking why didn't Raven lie more? A good con is a pleasure, and something her mentor actively encourages. Why didn't she lie more about her name, or her job, or her true intentions? Deception is power. Come to think of it, a fake SIN could be fun...

She arrives back in Bellevue looking much less scandalous. Since it is late morning and the weather is acceptable, many residents are out gardening.

~~~

Tamarind fights through the noise and tightens her grip on her drones.

It's sleep Saturday morning in the Barrens. She doesn't spot any signs of Trouble. She can eavesdrop on Bobby and AM's conversation and, should she do so, it wouldn't be that hard to track down Rat. Investigating his position would tell Tamarind what Trouble already knows: Rat is frightened but doesn't appear to be in any danger. He is not obviously armed. If he has a vehicle, she cannot see it. He appears to be on foot.

Bobby waited for AM to report back. To the team channel he sent: <<Right, enough of this. I'll go and talk to the boy directly. Doesn't do anyone any good if we just wait.>>

In his usual boarish way, Bobby left the gym, heading for the teenagers hiding place.

Rat sees Bobby coming and takes off in a sprint the opposite direction.

He's nimble and elusive and it would be almost impossible to follow him on foot, but you have Trouble and Tamarind's drones to track him if you wish.

I accompany Bobby, and when the kid starts running, I have Trouble following him. "Aham, Bobby...We shouldn't run after a terrified kid. Let's leave their money with Cutty and text them to get it whenever."

Rat zips, bobs, and weaves. He seems to know every hole, every tunnel, every little space that a tween like himself could fit but that a grown man could not. It's a wonderful example of Rat being a Barrens rat.

Trouble, on the astral, has little difficulty following. The only challenge is the on-and-off waves of background count that accompany Redmond misery. Trouble also reports that Rat's aura is completely awash in terror. He's running like his life depends on it because, in his mind, it does.

(Tamarind can follow with any drones that are size Small or less.)

Trouble's gaze locked onto Rat, his feline curiosity dancing with mischief as he trailed the fleeting figure. The cat spirit wanted to do something more involved than just trailing a kid and staying invisible. The cat reviewed its orders carefully and found no explicit orders that forbid him from talking to Rat. With such an opening, the cat spirit autonomously decides to give in to its sense of curiosity and mischief and manifest as a semi-transparent hovering black cat."Cats play with their prey - the kid is named Rat, and it's April fools. She can't expect me to just follow the kid without having a bit of harmless fun..." it thinks, justifying the spark of independence to himself. Trouble finds the freedom to act autonomously in such a moment is both liberating and intimidating. The cat spirit manifests as a floating face and slowly manifests the rest of its body in a tribute to the Cheshire cat. The manifested black cat ignores gravity and follows Rat like a guardian angel, zipping so fast between places and appearing almost to be teleportating from one point to the next, while waiting for the frightened kid to notice and realize the the futility of out-running a spirit. At the right moment, Trouble speaks with words that echo in Rat's mind in a blend of genuine concern, compassion, and curiosity. "AM sent me to keep you safe; she was worried when you didn't get to the gym on time. So why are you running? She only wishes to pay you what Mato promised."

Rat yelps when he first spots Trouble. He takes off and runs.

Of course, it is no trouble for Trouble to pursue his prey.

Finally Trouble gets him cornered. The cornered Rat now realizes he must fight. His fear turns to anger, and he lashes out at Trouble's hovering head!

Of course, Trouble is an astral apparition, a mental construct with no substance. Rat flails a few times before his brain catches up and realizes that he's shadow boxing. He can't seem to decide if the futility is alarming, or if the lack of a physical opponent is reassuring.

"AM sent you?" he stutters. He gulps and his guard drops ever-so-slightly.

"Why am I running? WELL WHY ARE YOU CHASING ME?!" he yells. "Her chummer's a monster! I've heard the stories! He'll eat me alive!"

It's hard to know if he means that literally or metaphorically.

(Tamarind is able to eavesdrop if her drones pursue.)

Trouble

"Yes! She thought you were in a bind when you didn't show up and sent me to help you," the cat exclaimes. Then, with a formal tone, it declares "Consider yourself protected even from Bobby! Now go get your payday, you earned it."

... but the cat spirit cannot ignore such juicy gossip about Bobby, so it whispers "What did you hear about Bobby? Did he literally eat someone or?..."

While the rest is still out, chasing poor Rat around in Redmond, Rachel changes into actual, non-illusional casual clothes and continues with some preparations that she had begun on the previous days already. When she is done, she places the result on a table in the entrance area, where it is easy to see. It's a card wrapped with a red ribbon and a nice bow. Other than that, she keeps herself busy with anything that needs to be done around the house.

Bobby didn't hurry after rat - if he had wanted, he would have just changed into something faster. He certainly wasn't displeased, that his reputation was that grim. Though he was pretty sure he never ate anyone. And not just because it was really dangerous to have shapeshifting flesh in your stomach...

It's the beginning of spring, but you haven't lived in the house that long so there's not a ton of spring cleaning for Rachel to do.

The hot tub in the back could use a weekly cleaning. Mato uses a sponge and some white vinegar on the spa’s shell and jets. It can also be used to scrub away the scum line at the water’s edge.

The sauna needs a quick scrubbing of the benches, walls, and backrests. It also needs to be aired out.

Plus there's anything Rachel might want to do in the garden.

~~~

"He's a werewolf!" Rat cries. "But not just at the full moon. He can explode into wolf form whenever he wants! That's why he's always wearing cheap clothes.

"His power depends on the flesh of his victims. He prefers children, because they're fattier and more innocent.

"Some people say he can only be killed with silver. Bullet will hurt, but only silver can kill him. Some people say they packing Ruger Super Warhawks with silver rounds to finish him off!"

He shakes his head.

"I didn't believe them, but the way he came after me yesterday..." His voice drifts off, horrified by the memory. "He said 'Piss off now before I make you' and... I pissed myself." He hangs his head in shame.

"If those witnesses hadn't been there, he would have eaten me right there. Or taken me back to his den to feed to his pups. I know it."

Trouble
Trouble says "You secret is safe with me Rat -- Bobby is a scary man, but he is just that.... the cat pauses and then continues, "but you know what, Rat, Mato is your friend now, and he is quite powerful and if you play nice AM is your friend as well - and she is a sorcerer, and most important - they are friends with Bobby; they all live together in a commune you know. Bobby would never harm you if you were friends with them. "

****
AM
Trouble informs me of the situation, and I am a bit proud of the cat for trying. I tell Bobby , "Bobby, it's better to keep your distance this time. The kid thinks you are a werewolf. Never seen anything like it with mundane techniques, the Wakan Tanaka has blessed you. Given the circumstances, I'll approach him alone and try to keep him as one of our contacts. "

I'll need some help because Bobby is terrifying, and a terrified kid is not helpful now. Besides, I'm not particularly eager to kick people when they are down. I mean, the rest of the world already does. I ask for Iktomi's blessing and quietly approach Rat. With my charm amped to a maximum, I try to show the kid some different angels of our tribe.
"Rat...? Please don't run. Can we talk about what happened in Bellevue?" I say quietly.

AM - being a full-sized adult, double-sized in fact - has some trouble maneuvering to reach Rat. She has to crouch down and crawl in a few places. Eventually she arrives at the basement corner where Trouble had cornered him.

Rat relaxes a bit when he sees AM. He casts some glances over her shoulder to make sure she's alone. His aura shows that his fear is receding a bit. AM's magical charisma seems to be helping set him at ease.

He doesn't run. He slumps down in his corner, his head over his knees. AM sees him as he is, an eleven- or twelve-year-old boy who is largely on his own in the Barrens. He's exhausted. He smells bad and looks worse.

I continued softly, "You two showed up and embarrassed us in front of our neighbors who have never seen a gang member up close or a street kid. They have millions of rules and regulations about everything and will make our lives miserable for that incident. I'll need to bake cookies and play nicer to some unpleasant people." I say truthfully without being judgmental or angry.

Then I look at the kid and add "I apologize for my behavior and Bobby's behavior. We did what we could to save face in our new residence. You did a nice job and deserve to be paid like Mato promised. I even learned something from your work. You are a creative person, Rat, and I am glad I can pay you in person rather than leave your credstick at Cutty's."

I take the credstick from my sports bra and hand it to Rat. Old habits die hard, and the bra is harder to pickpocket than the training 1k for you and Tom; I think it is what you agreed with Mato?
I also shared my link number - I got the most secure one once we got the last payday.Do call if you need me. If you can't call, I usually am in Redmond during the days; I spend a lot of time with the Five Fingers and at our old home... I wanted to introduce you to Cutty and show you our rooftop garden. The Gym has an excellent roof for some closed-loop hydroponics. Give me a buzz if you're interested."

"You solve your problems by baking cookies?" Rat asks skeptically. "I wish I had those kinds of problems!"

He takes the credstick as a hungry man might seize food. The metaphor may be apt.

"I gotta go," he says. "Tom will be mad if he wakes up and finds that I've gone. He'll be mad anyway that I talked to you but..." He trails off.

He stands, then moves to leave.

I take out of that cramp hole Rat has run into and head back to Bobby. "So Werewolf... heh?" I tease as I try to get the filth away from my clothes.

Bobby shrugged: "Not the worst rumor there could be. Hopefully, they do understand that they can't just show up at our home. At least not while they are wearing colors.
Any other plans for your birthday? I'm going back to my meditation. I'm this close to reaching the next level of enlightenment. I'll finally be able to change my aura as well as my form."

Bobby indicated towards the direction their new home lay: "I'll ask Cutty to accompany you back if you want to stay a bit longer."

"You make a remarkable progress in that." I sigh I usually stay at the FiveFingers to study with Fenghuang, but the call of Iktomi is strong today. So, I had a few Jests for friends, contacts, and people I'd like to be more friendly with.

I smile at Bobby . You seem protective of me today. Is there any particular reason I need an escort? Do you think I overdid April's fool's pranks last night? Or...?

I quickly muse my pranks for the day; I sent Urubia a 5th world Dragon movie, saying, "They Know too much!" though go figure if she sees it. It's a drone delivery to her palace. Jawsie received a fake invitation for my wedding with Mato. Jhonney got a film about a Mossad agent who quits to open a barbershop. Not a prank per se - but I wonder if he'll figure out who it is from. I signed it Hummus Lover 31.

Clive should get a box of all the left shoes for his shop per his explicit request from the supplier (his Trix security is a joke), with the right shoes arriving tomorrow. Black gets a new Cyber 7 cyberdeck - well, just the box of it because it costs over half a million yen, and a greeting card, "Thanks for an unforgettable night, kisses." Heather Huxely should get a box of unlabeled mint pills, which she'll mistake for drugs if Iktomi finds it amusing enough. All in the theme of the holiday. I did not prank Andrew but sent him a greeting card saying Happy April's Fool. They don't play tricks in his culture - but I'd wish to keep things more friendly and personal. What can I say? I like that he treats me respectfully, even if he screws me over.


"I can go back, I usually study with Fenghung until evening, but I wanted to play a small jest on a few of our neighbors. If I am lucky I can spin Rat and Tom as an early April's fools jest. "

Bobby looked at AM incredulously:
"It's your birthday, you venerate the trickster and you played a lot of jokes on a lot of people - not to mention that the gangs have a crude sense of humor themselves. Drek yes, you need protection today."

"That is sweet of you." I say, Well, if you have the time - Touristville is the perfect spot for shopping for the following jest. I wrote a fake HOA memo about the neighborhood watch's new uniform- green bandanas - gang style. I figured I'd deliver it to every volunteer's house with a matching bandana. I am genuinely happy saying it - as if this stuff is what I should be doing rather than the detective gig. It is fun to let go for a day of mischief.

If Bobby is willing, I'll stop at some shops to buy the Bandanas and then jog/walk back to Bellevue to deliver the memo while everyone is at work.

Bobby chuckled: "Oh boy, that will be great. The fallout will be horrible, but while it lasts, this will be really great. Rachel will have to work overtime to get the ruffled feathers back when they learn what this was about."

Bobby turned back into his wolf form to accompany AM with her shopping.

I wanted to say something more but Bobby is a wolf again before I can open my mouth. It seems like it is going to be a quiet walk. I collect his clothes and help him into the critter armor, and off we go - me and my pet wolf. If one can call Bobby a pet without losing a hand...

It takes some time to find the Bandanas and to print the fake memo, but I dedicate it and make an effort for our would-be community. I'm not sure that everyone would appreciate my kind of humor - but some might -and these can be friends despite being rich. I found the duchess endearing, perhaps because she did not use her money to pull my strings. Like every other rich person I ever met. I bend to their will every single time - it is just a matter of price. Fixing my thoughts, I enjoy doing the jest, placing the bandanas and memos in the mailboxes of the neighborhood watch members. Legwork and all included - but when I return home, I am exhausted. I find it very nice to care for their entertainment. These guys at Bellevue play a jest on me every day of the year simply by existing and feeling safe, giving quality education to their children, having children to begin with, and in general, when they care about things like property value and shit which is not essential. Their mere existence constantly reminds me about the injustice in this world and how I was born on the other side of the fence. I never quite fit in - even if I do, it is by deception and trickery, which is the most apparent in my unofficial birthday.

There is a gift - or a fancy letter on the table where I usually place my bag. Per Bobby's paranoia - and mine usually I carefully inspect the letter with astral sight, matrix signals, and visually without touching it. Then I pick it up, embracing anything unpleasant or funny to happen.

AM's shopping is somewhat complicated by the fact that she doesn't have her Erika, nor did she take a credstick with her to Cutty's. In fact, she's not even broadcasting a SIN, so she has to use Bobby's critter goggles to pretend to be Bobby, or Bobby's fake SIN. She can feel Iktomi's pleasure in the situation. But cred is cred and vendors are willing to do business, even if you are walking around with a wolf that may or may not be wearing goggles to authorize your purchases for you.

The deliveries are made - Trouble helps push AM to the peripheral vision of any onlookers - and then it's back home to find a card that says...

... nothing.

AM does notice that the card is magical, however, when she examines it astrally.

It's an invisibility preparation, and she recognizes Raven's signature, of course.

But there is something else there, she cannot quite make it out with her astral sight, a very faint trace only.

If she still picks it up, she turns invisible. It's nothing but an empty card, though, at least on first glance.

AM examines the card and relaxes when she identifies Raven's signature. However, as a good disciple of the Trickster, she activates her counter spelling, never-the-less in case the sexy lady has a very unorthodox sense of humor.

It really is just an invisibility spell, that triggers as soon as AM touches the card.

Examining it further, she does notice there is something on it, but it is very, very faint.

There is also a faint smell of... is that citrus?

"She shouldn't leave a preparation out of her envelope - it would lose potency," the pragmatic part of me says. When I smell citrus, I think of invisible ink. I bring the steam iron to heat the card. Hoping I don't look ridiculous. I should really learn a fire spell for such tasks. I place the card on a shirt and quickly give it a heating with the iron.

AM's instinct is right, the invisibility preparation was probably meant as a hint, and under the heat of the iron, the script becomes visible.

It reads:

Happy Birthday!

... oh, and take a look underneath.

I flip the card and look underneath, grinning like a girl.

There is nothing there.

I scratch my head, trying to figure out what Raven had in mind for underneath. I check the astral and also look under the table.

After some head-scratching and looking around, AM checks underneath the table. There is nothing there on the astral, but her physical eyes make out something that is taped underneath the table plate.

It's a ... keychain for lack of a better word. A small card attached to a cut-out silhouette of a train with a small metal ring. The card has four numbers on it: 4-1-7-9.