Doing it right...

[Sgt. Howard]

Atsali had gone to the lagoon she had visited with her sister the first time she had been at the estate- she moped around in the crisp Autumn air, remembering Nadette jumping out of the water as a fish and hitting the ground in a most ungraceful manner, how she had inadvertently terrified Dan in her exuberance of gratefulness, and the joy of once again being with Nadette- she wondered how she could overcome her fear of her own hormonal responses to such things when a ripple in the water caught her eye.
A large fish head poked out to see who was there- and started growing soft brown fur. Atsali excitedly watched... but soon it became apparent that the ursamorph she saw was Berdine... Nadette's twin. There was an awkward moment as they looked at each other...
"Oh!" Bedine spoke at last, "Um, hi 'Sali- I don't suppose you've seen Cinnamon around here, have you?"
"No... but I think I hear... " hoofbeats announced the arrival of Daisy's daughter. Cindy burst into the clearing as Berdine stepped out of the water and shook.
"Oh, Hi 'Sali!" she chirped, " care to go for a ride with us?"
"Naw- you two go ahead... I've got some... stuff... to think about..."
Berdine change into her centaur/bear alter(she had gotten much better at this btw) and walked over to Cindy...
"Are you gonna be alright?" she asked.
"Yea... I just need to... I dunno... I'll be fine..."
"Atsali," Cindy ventured, "you can't master your emotions by keeping them bottled up. You gotta let them out and see what they do... then you learn how to handle them,"
"IT'S MY DARN HORMONES I'M AFRAID OF!!!" Atsali blurted out, " THERE IS NO CONTROLLING THEM!!! IT'S LIKE TRYING TO STEER A ROCKET SHIP WITH TRICYCLE HANDLEBARS!!! AND NO BRAKES!!! I'M A SIRENE, DARNIT!!! IT'S SCARY AS... and WHAT is so FUNNY?!?" she demanded of the two who were laughing.
Cindy again responded- "You (snerk) you popped your cookies in your sleep, didn't you?"
"HUH?!?"
Berdine giggled "You had a wet dream, right?"
"Uh... I ... I guess... what was that anyway?"
... and the three had a very revealing discussion about the female body that Katherine lacked the experience to relay to her daughter at the time...

"Can- can I adopt you as my Gran'Pa?" Castela asked Greg.
"I suppose so- how many Gran'Pas do you have so far?" Greg chuckled.
"I- I lose count.... but there's- there's a few... Unka Neil was gonna be a Gran'pa but he got young again so he'- he's an Unka instead,"
"Uncle Neil got young again? I don't understand,"
"Unka Neil, he's -he's two hunnert, no, two thousand... he's two sumpin years old... he- he's real old, but he does sumpin with some 'lixer an'- an he gets young again, an'- an' he's been doing it a long time... he's REAL old, he remembers when- when TV was only black and white..."
"Do tell..."

[Julie]

LOL! No secrets are safe when a small child is present.

[Just Old Al]

Al sat at the desk in his comfortably furnished room, thanking various deities that he'd drawn the quiet spot at the far back of the house. Isolated from the rest. It suited his generally singular tastes well, with dresser, desk, chairs and comfortable bed. The windows showing a broad swathe of pasture, and a glimpse of the lake suited him quite well also - though a city dweller at present he really preferred the pastoral.

Opening a battered leather volume, he took out a Cross pen, extended the writing ball, and started to scribble in his shaky but still readable script.

Siege: 16th day:

This has been an interesting time, as the Chinese would phrase it. Greg and I have been pulled into a war not of our making, with a known but nebulous threat and dire consequences for all involved - not just us but those we love.

In short, for the civilians, it's a disaster of unimaginable consequence. For us, it's Tuesday.

Yawn. Yet another day at the works, but instead of a spot welder it's back to the .303 and Webley. Old friends they are (writing this he glanced fondly at the scarred old-style weapons case at the foot of the bed) but at my age this was a challenge I would just as leif have left for younger warriors to handle. However, needs must and when one must gird one's loins and sally forth one does.

With all honesty to myself (and no one else will ever read this) it feels good to be back in harness (apologies to my hosts for the equine analogy). While I love what I do in the civilian world, the taste for battle and victory never leaves the blood even for those of us who have seen the horrors of war in person far too many times.

War is war, no matter the scale. We are incredibly lucky to have a redoubt like this one - the Alexander home is admirably suited to this task, with the barriers of water, forest and large open pastures which make lovely fields of fire. Now that Greg has recovered to an extent from the damage he foolishly allowed to happen in the early hours of this battle, he and I have been over the property again (with Neil, of course...speaking of old warriors) and made decisions about weapon settings, coverage and so on. Deities willing they will never be needed but old habits die hard.

One war may be much like another, but one thing about this conflict that is entirely new to me is the world this is impinging upon. I was aware of its existence peripherally though my dealings with the suits (my comrades at MIB) but this is my first contact with the true core of the paranormal world - and it is no mere contact but immersion.

Godlings, Titans, immortals, shape changers, Sphinxes, hybrids and any and all variations in between - and let's not forget those while dead are still with us corporeally. These are all interacting freely and with no concerns in this large, extended household in a manner that fills me with amazement. How I could have been blind to all of this wonder amazes me even now.

One household that points the whole amazing mix out to me is that of Katherine Gilchrist and her brood. Katherine (from conversations I've had with others) Is a Lanthan who still walks the earth by exact means I do not know. However, she is just a kind, gentle mother to her two children - Atsali and Castela. They are (again found out through conversation) a succubus and a sentient plant - how this family formed I have been told but still can't believe it for its twists and turns.

Another family is Phix and Neil. To again be honest these two scare me, old warrior that I may be but just a stock mortal. Given who they are (a sphinx and an immortal of over 2000 years) I have every right to be frightened - but no reason. They're just another family with their little one Dixie.

Centaurs, vampires, our dear barista (who is a rule unto herself) and the other paras here are a delightfully bubbling stew of magic and (I overuse the term) wonder.

Stirred right into the middle of it is the bunch of us who are not paranormal, but paranormal-aware. Stan (and that damn Tiger of his), Greg and Miss Annie, Alan, Kevin and your humble servant are treated the same as anyone else and aren't looked down on for not being paranormallly inclined.

Days here in the fields and woods keeping an eye on things, mealtimes, discussions in front of the fireplace in the evenings, laughs and cameraderie help greatly offset the lurking worry of the present situation. The grande dam of the house (pun very much intended) sets a wonderful table and I have had to be rigorous in my exercise to avoid my natual tendency to portliness.

In short, it is never a good day to die, but there are things it is worth dying for - and this wonder I've been summarily dropped into is one of them.

More on the morrow.

Al put down his pen, stretched and closed the book. Setting the pen back in his pocket, he heard the subdued chime of the bell summoning folks to dinner. With that, he pushed back the chair and left the room, carefully checking the weapons case to ensure it was locked before doing so.

[lake_wrangler]

Neil remembers black and white TV??? He must be old!

Wait a minute: I remember black and white TV... Does that mean I'm old?

[Just Old Al]

Neil remembers black and white TV??? He must be old!

Wait a minute: I remember black and white TV... Does that mean I'm old?

You are only old if you remember mechanical TV....look it up.

I had one of those atrocities in my workshop once...scariest damn thing I've ever seen.

[jwhouk]

Alexis and Devyn strolled down the street to the front door of Mucho Mocha.

"I'm surprised that we both got A's on that report on the Civil War!" Alexis said, bundling up from the late afternoon cold.

"Well, we had that insider..." Devyn was a bit shocked as she pulled on the door to the shop - and it was locked.

"What the...?"

There was a sign on the window: Closed for Cleaning. Will reopen soon.

"WHAT?" Both girls said in unison. They looked at each other.

"That portal - still around the corner?" Devyn nodded.

A few moments later, they were in the alley, and through the portal - and into the Library.

The lobby by the entrance to the portal was filled with numerous paranormal beings, all who seemed a bit agitated.

"What's going on?" Alexis asked, looking around.

Shortly, a rather tall woman with metallic-green hair stood on a hastily-erected dais in front of the throng.

"If'n I ken have y'all's attention please?" The din quieted down a bit as everyone turned their attention to Euryale. "I unnerstan' that y'all are missin' yer Mucho Mocha fix. Sumthin's come up with ar Miss Tina, so'n she's not gonna be able ta open that shop fer a whal."

"Does this have something to do with all those shootings we've been hearing about in the Twin Cities?" A voice asked. Devyn recognized the voice as Mrs. Adler, the swim teacher.

"Unfort'nately, yeah," Euryale's face dropped. "Tha MIB believe there's sum bounty huntin' goin' on with some norms over wha happen' to Epimethus. Tina got caught in tha crossfire."

"Is she okay?" Another one of Devyn's teachers - Ms. Pfefferman - asked. Euryale nodded in the affirmative.

"Phix is workin' on tha' possibility of her settin' up shop here in the Library, but it's gon' require a bit of time - maybe a few days." There was a murmur among the crowd. "We'll def'nitley letcha know when she's got sumthin' goin."

The group dispersed after a bit, everyone to their own portals.

"Those norms don't know what they're up against, do they?" Alexis asked Devyn.

"Yeah. Most of us can put up with a lot - but don't deprive us of our coffee."

[Julie]

I just got a mental image of a horde of angry paras marching into the Twin Cities area with pitchforks and torches (and maybe the occasional picket sign explaining why they're angry), in their natural forms no less (because the incongruity is so much more amusing that way), ready to take on every "norm" in town until they figure out who is depriving them of their daily caffeine fix.

[jwhouk]

Bud was looking at the whiteboard as Brandi came down the stairs of their duplex.

"We need to do something about the coffee issue," she told Bud. "There's a bunch of rather upset paras at the corner of Nicollet and Franklin who are upset their caffeine fix was suspended."

"Hm." Bud pointed over to the lower left corner. "I think we have the plan over there..." She looked, then went over to a touchpad built into a stand. A holoprojector flashed up some words and symbols up on the wall perpendicular to the whiteboard. "Yes, there. Tina can open up a cart in the Library. We can borrow that espresso machine from that gal in... is that two words or one?"

"Northampton? One word," Brandi said, waving her hand and magnifying the section Bud was reading. "She keeps the spare down in the basement, because she doesn't have spare parts. The Library has access to them, though we have to make sure Thymbris doesn't touch the thing."

Bud nodded. "I think we can get... hm, Jin knows her, right? We can portal her over there with Alan." She turned to Brandi. "I don't think this bounty thing's gone beyond the Minnesota-Wisconsin area - yet."

Brandi only nodded. She took a step back. "We've come a long way since we started this project - what, 10, twelve years ago?"

"Huh," Bud replied as she swiped off the display and went to pick up her cell phone. "Yeah, it's pretty stunning how we got these contingencies in place after... well, my little incident with the news crew on Calhoun Beach."

"I still can't believe they bought the Shakespeare thing," Brandi said.

"Wasn't one of my best moments," Bud replied.

They studied the board for a moment.

"I'm pretty sure we have everything covered for the moment." Bud turned to her.

"Now, we need to find out who's responsible."

[Sgt. Howard]

I just got a mental image of a horde of angry paras marching into the Twin Cities area with pitchforks and torches (and maybe the occasional picket sign explaining why they're angry), in their natural forms no less (because the incongruity is so much more amusing that way), ready to take on every "norm" in town until they figure out who is depriving them of their daily caffeine fix.

I can imagine the reaction of the crime boss when he realizes what dragon's tail he just tweaked

[Julie]

Well damn...that was too neatly tied up. I was looking forward to pissy paras.

[Dave]

Well damn...that was too neatly tied up. I was looking forward to pissy paras.

Just wait until they find out that someone (possibly Thymbris?) has replaced Tina's coffee with Folgers Crystals.

[jwhouk]

Who says it was neat?

[jwhouk]

Bud swiped off the phone. "That's done. Bianchi's more than happy to unload it for us - and for more than she was expecting for it."

"Fantastic!" Brandi idly considered the board again, even as they were about to head back upstairs for dinner. "Wait a minute..."

"What?"

"Brian. Shelly's dad. What about him?"

---

The kid walked along the edge of the alleyway across 36th from the shop. He'd been one of the first to get the "list" from the Boss - and, as luck would have it, he'd seen the one target a day earlier when he'd been casing the BP across the intersection for a holdup.

He figured it'd be an easy job - the guy's office was just inside the shop, off to the left of the main garage bays. Slip in, take him out, head out the back door to the shop that led to the alley. He'd seen at least two or three of the shop workers using the back door, as it led to a dumpster.

He had the .357 in his side pocket, ready to pull out, as he walked along the side of the parts store next to the shop. He was just about to enter the service bay when a woman with long, dark hair intercepted him.

"PHILLIP!" she said, her speech slurred somewhat. "PHILLIP! I knew it wuz you! I tol' the guys that it wuz you," she motioned back at a car that was parked by the entrance to the offices. "But dey din' (HIC) b'leeve me!"

He was a bit stunned by the goth-like drunk. "Look, lady, my name's not..."

She put her arm around him and hugged him tight. "PHILLIP! Iz lahk de old days! You always trying to say you not YOU!" The lady was all over him, leaning on him for what he thought was support.

It was getting annoying.

"Lady, you better step off, or..."

Suddenly, he was falling onto his back. This woman had fallen on top of him, thinking he was someone else! He tried to say something, but he felt her hand go over his mouth.

"Darlin', you are in too much trouble," she said, her eyes flaring down at him. "Cause I'm beyond angry without my COFFEE."

The last thing he remembered seeing was multiple sets of eyes suddenly appearing out of nowhere - before everything went black.

[jwhouk]

In case you were wondering who our little perp was talking to, take a gander at the last panel of this comic.

[Julie]

In case you were wondering who our little perp was talking to, take a gander at the last panel of this comic.

YAY!!! Pissy paras!!

[Sgt. Howard]

In case you were wondering who our little perp was talking to, take a gander at the last panel of this comic.

YAY!!! Pissy paras!!

O ho ho ho, Darlin' you ain't even BEGUN to see 'pissy'...

[Julie]

In case you were wondering who our little perp was talking to, take a gander at the last panel of this comic.

YAY!!! Pissy paras!!

O ho ho ho, Darlin' you ain't even BEGUN to see 'pissy'...

Excellent! *gets comfy with a bucket of popcorn and a big grin*

[Sgt. Howard]

"Daisy," Greg approached the great Mare in the main parlor, "Is there a place on the property with a berm, or ridge, where rifle practice would make any amount of sense?"
"Rifle? Why sure, Grandpa had a range scraped together out in the east 20- twelve-foot berm with target pits, twenty shooting stations, 400-yard range... I imagine you need to polish up your skills?"
"Yes, that would be perfect- in fact... why did your grandfather build it?"
"War effort- we were training our people to take on Kaiser William's boys- from what I'm told, we made a good showing for ourselves at Flanders Field- here, hop up and I'll take you to it,"
"Now Ma'am, I'm every bit of two hundred pounds,"
"Pish tosh! If you were EIGHT hundred pounds, there might be an issue... git on up here, I'm a good part draft animal and not afraid of work,"

A pleasant ride brought them to the range- it was overgrown, but otherwise everything Daisy had promised. Greg walked it as much as his recent injury allowed, and satisfied, rode back to inform Al of his findings. His arsenal, along with that of his British counterpart, had already been transported to the estate and dispersed in a fashion that both men approved of... not that they saw an invasion likely, but preparation beats being caught flat-footed. Soon enough Dusty, Cindy, Justin, Shelly, Amanda, Stanley, Tina, Alan, Jin, Kevin and Edward (the head Butler) were in the old bleachers while Greg and Al delivered their standard "Military Safety and Marksmanship" discussion to all.

[jwhouk]

Billens had found my request to use the password combination "Badger – Mushroom" a bit annoying, but after doing so he stepped into our apartment and announced they'd had a lead in the case.

"Apparently, the paranormal community is coming together over this little affront. A kid was nabbed just outside of the auto shop that Shelly's dad owns."

"Not surprising," I said. "I'd have thought they would have gone after him first."

"We think this might have been the third attempt on him," Billens said. "The other two times, we've had paras helping out other undercover MIB agents."

"What about the gang at the Alexander compound?" I asked.

"Security around the compound's been tighter than a drum. The Alexander family has a fantastic defense system around the farm, and their private cops are the best there are."

"Pinkertons?" I suggested with a raised eyebrow.

"You know them so well." He smirked. "Add to that a gaggle of other paranormals that have volunteered to monitor where the Pinkertons can't reach, and things are going just swimmingly." He paused a moment. "Of course, those two gentlemen from Ms. Guzman's shop are helping out in their own way as well."

"Teaching the others how to shoot?"

"Something like that."

[Hansontoons]

Neil remembers black and white TV??? He must be old!

Wait a minute: I remember black and white TV... Does that mean I'm old?

And when the youngest sibling was the "remote"?

"Get over there and turn the dial or I'll pound you!"