Been driving all day and found me a nice little cafe where I can post from and insult you all some more. People there were nice and willing to talk about the weather and the sites. Something you lazlo folks ought to try to do. Be nice, that is. I ordered a mocha and sat in a corner. After tipping the waitress and admiring the smell of burnt grease, I felt these eyes on me. Across the aisle and situated at the other wall was this old fella, staring at me like I had just run over his best hunting dog. I took a slow pull from my cup and motioned him over. He glared all the more and did the best imitation of a gargoyle I'd seen in years.
I shrugged and went over to him and asked him what up and how do.
He instantly started cussing me out. "We don't need no stinking vagrants. Take a hike!"
Huh. Must be from lazlo. 'Cuz he exuded your charm and manners. I smiled and sat next to him, offering him my hand, my name, and a coffee, on me. He was a little more amiable after that, and started talking about the local going on. After a couple of teens passed us, it was easy to steer the conversation toward the younger generation and their awful habits.
And that brought the old codger into talking about Cynthia Swain. The missing girl.

Cynthia Swain...? Deacon, please, please, PLEASE tell me you're not in Crystal Lake, IL...

Okay, I won't. But it don't make it less true.

...shit. Shit shit shit shit SHIT. >_<;

I think I know her parents. I'll call them on my ride home... In the meantime, I've gotta go.

Yeah. I know her parents. They're always ordering stuff from QVC, and they requested we always get signatures. I haven't had their route for quite some time...

According to her parents, she fell in with a bad crowd at school, and started getting into drugs. They said they were starting to worry that she was getting into "Satanism". Apparently, she started blaspheming openly, though they didn't want to say how, and I wasn't about to press the issue... I'm gonna head over there tomorrow, and talk to them in person. Maybe I can help, somehow...

Heh, hey, everyone... You'll never guess who I'm stranded on the roadside with.

Two mini-adventures in 72 hours... I think I'm setting some kind of track record or other.

Deacon. XD

Only now we're not stranded together... We got tows called, and we're chilling at my place. He'll be staying here tonight.

We found Cynthia, along with a few of her friends. It's War Stories-worthy, so it'll go up there when I have time.

I'm not. I gave him a chance without knowing who he was. He gave me a chance, not realizing who I was.

When I found out who he was, it didn't change the fact that this was a guy who'd just helped me find a group of missing teenagers, and who I had chatted amiably with just before we chased his muffler through the woods.

Even Shu and Wu were able to agree that Wei was the larger problem that neither could face alone.

As it is with kingoms, so it is with men, that hatred and strife can swiftly be put to the side when the desired outcome is important enough. It is hard to hold onto hate when one has the uneasy comradery and reluctant reliance upon one anotherthat battlefeilds generate.


Mr. Shaytan, if the coffee was terrible, perhaps you should switch to a pleasantly soothing tea?