Reflections on Trials and Tribulations

This is going to be a short, late entry. At least, it better be - we're awfully busy.

Let's see... following up from last week: Billy and Crystal are back in their apartment. They have a new, stronger lock on their door, and some extra watchdogs following them around. That's a risk - no matter how unobtrusive the entity, there's always the chance that someone will be able to perceive it, and the things that provide good protection don't tend to be entirely unobtrusive. The Elders approved it, though, so they're safe enough as long as nothing actually goes wrong.

The police are very confused about the whole incident. As I understand it, one of the neighbors called them. We'd already gone by the time they arrived, and Crystal did something to make sure that nobody saw us leave. (That reminds me: I need to ask her about that. It could be a very useful thing to know.) So when they got there, they found blood on the floor and bullet holes in the walls, but no bodies. That last part was very disturbing to Billy and Crystal, but didn't really surprise me. I'm guessing the twins took care of it. How and why are open questions.

We told the police that Billy and Crystal had been out with me, and had decided to crash at my place rather than drive home after drinking. Naturally, we had no idea what had happened in the apartment - they only found out that something had happened this morning, when they went home. No, we had no idea who might have been involved. Billy and Crystal don't even own a gun.

After the incident outside the pharmacy, that's still a lot more police attention than I'm comfortable with; but I think it'll be okay.

Since then, it's been... quiet. Well, no, that's not quite right. The snake cult seems to have backed off. At least, I haven't seen any sign of them, and nobody I know has been attacked. On the other hand, there hasn't been any word from the Elders, so I assume they aren't in the midst of delicate negotiations or anything.

But it hasn't been quiet. We're way, way too close to Christmas for that. We are, in fact, up to our eyeballs in Christmas shopping and seasonal idiocy. In addition to the store decorations and the incessant Christmas carols, we have a huge run of people coming in to make sure that they have enough medication to get through the holidays. It'll only get worse as we get closer to the last minute.

Most of my stuff is now in storage, and the rest is over in Claire's apartment. Claire has finished her finals, and it looks like she'll come out with two B's and an A. So that's a bright spot in the week, at least.

Oh, and it sounds like her parents will be coming into town for Christmas. That's... well, terrifying, actually, but also pretty cool. Here's hoping they don't hate me.

Reflections of a Deranged Cultist is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual persons, places, or things is entirely accidental and most certainly does not mean that I have betrayed the cult or its allies in any way, so please don't send anything to devour me.