The atmosphere in the bar of the Monte Triana hotel was a gay one - both inside and outside of the closets.
The dinner had been a magnificent one, courtesy of the hotel, thanks to such a large booking - starting with pastel de berenjenas y gambas de Huelva con salsa mariscada (aubergine and prawn terrine with shellfish sauce). The name may be a mouthful but it just melts in your mouth. Next, there was, cochinillo confitado al aceite, pina y cogollo (suckling pig confit in olive oil with pineapple and lettuce hearts) and finally finishing off with the most delectable flan. All the names quite a mouthful and an effort to pronounce as well. With their stomachs full, the crew now sat down with jugs of Sangria a-plenty, to wash down the heavy meal and unwind.
Earlier, as the guests arrived, there were squeals of delight and of recognition as old friends gathered to meet after a long time, or people who had never quite met in person caught their first sight of each other.
Snatches of, "Wolfie, is that you?" and "Pooky! I knew you right away! You're sooooooo cuddly!" were heard.
There was the occasional "oof" and "thud!" as Werebear sneakily tackle-hugged most people in sight. The flash-flash of cameras as Cadmium arrived with a gaggle of gushing girls in tow and the ringing of the service bell as the receptionists paged bell boys to take up all the luggage.
The party had begun!
Now, there was the silent murmur of conversation, the tinkle of glasses offered in cheers and health. The occasional burst of laughter as Someone told a joke. It was a happy group.
Eventually, people started to break up into smaller groups.
Some people gathered around Mackay, asking her about the Wizard of Oz. She sighed inwardly.
Others gathered around Soothsayer, asking their fates to be foretold. He sighed inwardly too. "Don't they get it's just a handle?!", he thought.
Cadmium, Flying Dutchman and Thoth were taking turns telling people all about Amsterdam and its sites and sounds. The coffee houses, the tulip gardens, the dykes. Most of their listeners sighed inwardly. Some desiring to see the city's natural beauty, others just craving the augmented beauty. Still others just fell like getting some coffee!
And so it went on...
Eventually,
rite
felt like he could use a breath of fresh air and he decided to go out for a moonlit walk along the banks of the Guadalquivir.
Musing to himself about the day's events and all the fun people he had met, rite was smiling a little as he met one of his friends beneath a street lamp. Out for a smoke, he offered rite a fag as well but he declined. They got to talking - about the meeting, their routines, interesting happenings in their lives and so on. That's when rite came to hear the story about his friend's iron knee. Something to do with a logging accident and whatnot - a rather long story, not to be related here. rite had seen and heard about wooden limbs before but an iron knee was something new to him and he wanted to see it. His friend was more than ready to show it to him. In fact, maybe a little too eager? As rite started bending down to examine the curious limb, it came up to meet him. Right in the gut. A knee in the gut would probably cause you to pass out at worst but this was iron and it caused severe damage to rite's internal organs. He did pass out, but he isn't going to wake up. Poor rite. He did have time however, to reflect on his friend's doings. He murmured, "I forgive you, for you know not what you have done. But remember, there's the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit and by Jove, the Spirit shall come and serve divine retribution!"
He had created life and now, God reflected somewhat amused in how life itself mirrored some of its more inconsequential elements - like mafia games.
rite was God and has passed back into his own realm.
Back at the hotel,
inHimshallibe
was sitting at the bar. He needed something more stronger than Sangria and was downing shot after shot of cointreau. Not the best of ideas. No one really knew what sorrows he was trying to drown. Maybe the guilt of having eaten all those babies had finall caught up with him. A tall figure sidled up next to him and inHim was far too wasted by the time to recognise anyone. But hey! A free drink, is a good drink! No?
Well, no. Not if it has been garnished with arsenic, rather than salt...
inHimshallibe was InternetStranger and has been poisoned.
He should've known about the girl's brother. Maybe.
However, as the conversation lulled and the impromptu mafia games started, some people decided to head up to bed and the others were too busy arguing their cases to pay too much attention to inHimshallibe.
Eventually, the tiredness caught up with everyone and some just crashed on the couches in the lounge. inHim just remained part of the scenery till the all the cocks crowed. Everyone sat up and bashed theirs on the head but inHim's just went on and on.
That's when the police came and reported having found rite crumpled in a heap on the riverside and all hell broke lose.
It wasn't until the police announced everyone was a suspect and needed to be interviewed that they took a head count.
Fuldu
was found to be missing. The concierge reported that he had checked out immediately after having received an emergency phone call, late at night and seemed rather upset and unsteady and needed a taxi to be called for him.
The switchboard operator, who had been surreptitiously listening in on the phone call reported that one of her children was rather unwell and she was summoned back immediately.
Her?
Fuldu was Talitha and has needed to go back to Kiwiland immediately.
Nobody thought much of tracing the number, but if they had, they'd have seen it was from a local call box and was a hoax. Tally kept wondering what exactly was happening in Seville when she got home to find everyone hale and hearty and rather surprised to see her home so early.
