Gabriela plans for Gasperilla.  Max buys some guns.  Macair and Ursula go to France.  Gabi passes gas at the opera._ 

Tarots drawn:  Gabriela receives the Knight of Questing - upright,

Max the 4 of Blades - upright, Macair the Tower - upright, Ursula the Devil - upright.  Ike Black did not attend.

                        *     *     *

Gabriela's studies have proved fruitful and she has increased her Life Sphere as well as her Medical Knowledge.  She has committed another Mind to these studies.  She doesn't want them to interfere with the truly important things like sending out party invitations for her three planned Gaspirilla celebrations.  And of course all the preparation involved. 

The parade floats are coming along on schedule and she has hired the ghoul Bradford to handle security for her events.  He is to work with Ira Levin on the details.  At her New Years celebration the undesirable vampire Salo was boorish and made a snack out of one of her guest.  No permanent damage was done, but Gabi can't tolerate rudeness, party crashers are OK, in fact she secretly encourages them.  They add spice to a gathering.  Some of her best friends were and are party crashers.  There is a certain skillful competence to proper party crashing that she admires.

Some of those enlightened guests she's invited are: Shelton (her awakener), Paula Civello, Flower Electa, Andres, Rosaline Sumners, Mataio, Flea, Austin Thorell, Leandra (Max's friend), Uri (Macair's friend) and Jacek.  Some of the sleepers are: Ursula's friends from Gator's Bar, Felix Kincade (Sony Productions), Israel Gold (International Nightclub owner), Bert Skiles (Water Commissioner), Deputy-Mayor - Taylor Gordon, Ybor City Fire Chief - Charlie Tomms and numerous others (too many to list here).

Gabriela also has a meeting with her jeweler/fence, Samuel Stein.  He and Gabi offer to pay Bradford and Dedra 3.5 million dollars for their items.  Bradford and Dedra agree and Gabriela makes arraignments for the money to be deposited in an off-shore account.

Bradford and Gabriela later meet with her party organizer, Gloria Small.  They all go over the plans and Bradford insists on a few changes.  Gloria doesn't want them, but Gabi waves off her objections. 

Gabriela uses her influence to have the paperwork for a business license for Dedra expedited and backdated to include some grandfathered regulations or lack thereof.  She also has Ira procure some weapons and the proper permits for Bradford.  A few calls from Gabi and the permits are stamped and rushed over by courier.

                        *     *     *

Max heads over to the seedy nightclub Bottoms Up to meet with a weapons dealer named Benito.  Macair goes along and they also take an order for some not-off-the-rack guns for Bradford.  Benito says he can get everything including a RPG-launcher and they set up a future meeting at the docks to finalize the trade. 

                        *     *     *

Macair and Ursula make a quick trip to France to investigate some killings in Marseilles.   Macair cases the police station using Entropy to find its weak spots.  They determine that he should walk right in trusting his Arcane to hide him from nosey cops and Uri has a way of taking out the security cameras.  Ursula will use Forces to detect any Technocracy activity.   Macair succeeds in obtaining the correct files and they make a clean escape, although Ursula did feel a Mind effect going off near the end of the caper. 

                        *     *     *

Gabriela has a vision amongst her nightmares:  There is a Disturbance in the Sky above Tampa as if there were a rift from another dimension.  Something comes through the rift. It is invisible, but Gabi can feel its presence.  At times it seems to be looking for her and at other times not, but it is sure to be trouble for her and her friends here in Tampa.  It had better not interrupt my party, she thinks when she awakes.  She'll be sure and mention this "dream" to Ike and the others when they return.

Gabriela gets the party employees list for Bradford from Gloria Small.  Then she goes for the last fitting of her dress for the Opera this evening with Austin Thorell.  At the fitting she experiences a horrifying bout of flatulence, although the smell isn't what you'd expect, fresh baked cinnamon rolls.  She laughs nervously and says, "Boz must be baking."  The tailor is much too polite to say anything. 

She's perplexed; this is her first experience with "paradox flaws". 

But as they say "the show must go on" and she gussies herself up for the Opera.  She tries a few enhancements with her newly acquired Life skill and they workout for her.  Although her flatulence does not.  It seems to know when others are about and it's not quiet, oh no, these are big ripping man farts.  A cornucopia of smell arises from our poor Gabriela:  Cookie dough, pine scent, fresh paint, gasoline fumes, and "are those ribs?" are a just a sampling.  (Paradox bad, bad, paradox.)

It's not a complete disaster at least Il Trovatore was good.

                        *     *     *

Max cons $50,000 from some internet dweeb, enough to pay for the guns.  And then he's off to make the buy.  He does something he usually wouldn't do.  He goes without backup and just as Benito is displaying the goods for him on his boat three fellows come walking down the docks with pistols drawn.   They claim that Benito sold them some damaged merchandise and demand recompense.  They think Max is part of Benito's crew, of course. 

Thinking quickly Max fast-talks a coincidental effect (something about them not maintaining their weapons) and uses Matter to cause their guns to fail and fall apart just as the goons are about to use them.  The unsatisfied customers run away and Max completes the transaction with Benito.  Benito tells Max he's always welcome at the Bottoms Up Club.