Walter had no good answers and nothing got solved. Theresa said that she would have to think about all this. She shut her door in his face.

Walter was perplexed. Hadn't he saved her life. Hadn't he brought her back from the dead once? what was this fight really about? certainly he hadn't told her everything but naturally he didn't think she would understand...and he was right. Angry and hurt, he went out to work and see if he couldn't take his mind off his troubles.

Thaddeus was not having a good morning himself. He awoke naked cold and hungry on the floor of his studio. Lucibell had apparently left some sustenance for him that had long gone cold. He found his worktable filled with small mechanical widgets. He also found a glove like apparatus with a separate stone working tool on each fingertip and a pneumatic compressor of some type on the floor connected to it. testing it out it appeared to be some sort of automatic chipping tool. Then he remembered that his last conscious thought had been "If only I had an apparatus that could make this a chipping work a bit easier...)

After clothing himself. He went in search of Lucibelle only to find her a bit strained and skittish of him. Apparently he had been glassy-eyed and uncommunicative for two whole days while he worked tirelessly on the machine.

Two whole days?

Meanwhile in another part of the city. Rose was finding to her horror that Count Malvolio was making some headway in securing the help of the Home Office in locating her. This made her even more twitchy than she had been. She went through the business of consulting with the neighborhood people that frequented her place of business in a very desultory fashion.

Walter decided he needed a bit of guidance. Theresa had left while he was at work and had taken all of her things with her. the note he had left her apparently unread. Leaving home himself he looked in some of their usual haunts and came up empty. With no better way to go, He decided he needed to talk to his mentor.

Sam had told him that he could sometimes find him if he observed the old rites out in the woods on nights of the full moon. Walter left the city and went a short way into the country. he made a sacrifice and spoke in the language of the Wyck...which he had not done in so long. Sam made himself known and came to sit down by the fire. He greeted Fred as "Tal' Ferresh' Ra'Fek." and asked him how he was. This puzzled Walter until Fred mentioned that he'd been around and that Fred was just simpler to say.

Sam was looking different these days. His time in America had also altered his speech patterns a bit. He sounded like a Texan. Walter explained his plight. Sam for his part said that his problem was twofold. Firstly and most importantly, He was not being true to himself. He was a Christian but he also observed the old rites? Was he confused? Was he ignorant of the past? He was trying to live in two worlds and succeeding in neither...necessitating lies.

Secondly, he had lied to his woman. "No magick will get you around that." he said. It doesn't matter if it was to protect her. She's not going to see it like that. If you have friends and lovers you must be as truthful with them about your true nature as you can manage. Lying always led to tragedy. especially lying to yourself about your real feelings.

Feeling a little bit better and certainly a bit more cleansed. Walter asked his mentor about going into business. While Sam Haine didn't really think much of that stuff he did offer to help with the making of a new and larger still. Walter and Fred headed home with a lot on their minds.

That morning a ship pulled into port. Jack Anniston had returned home with a lot on his mind but resolved to enjoy his homecoming as much as he could manage. His friends and compatriots, spoke like Englishmen but neither had ever smelled the Thames in their life.

Charles Wilkins and Lucy Chang were underwhelmed to say the least. Although the bustling city was a bit more of a marvel to their rural Californian eyes. "This looks like a likely spot for a bite to eat." Jack said pointing to the sign of the Dancing Jenny.

Meanwhile, Thaddeus and Rose were responding to a disturbance in the street. Apparently, some police were trying to roust some old crazed beggar woman. Shock and dismay followed when they realized that the madwoman they were rousting was Mad Hetty.

A quick scan of the involved policemen located at least one mage among them so this was no ordinary roust at all. Hetty's caterwauling had become somewhat strident and was drawing attention from the nearby restaurant. Walter stepped out of the back door where he had been delivering his Cider Beer.

Things took an ugly turn when Hetty shouted out "Creo Ignis ! Conflagratio! " Setting one of the police aflame and flying across the street. Their leader began to look alive and the others unlimbered their truncheons.

Lucy had gone into the street and had apprehended the situation very quickly. One swift kick in the head later, the leader of the police had been put on the street. and with Rose's and Thaddeus's help the other police were put to rout. It got hectic there for a bit. Only one person noticed that Hetty was standing stock still in the middle of the street, looking at the newcomers.

"...Jack ?..."

"...Cordelia ? Sainted mother of god...Is that you."

Minutes later, A few introductions had been made and a decision had been made to move the happy reunion to a less public venue. Namely, Thaddeus's hard to find shop.

Her Paradox derived blindness gone. Her faculties returned. Cordelia wanted only a shower, fresh clothes and to be held in Jack's arms. In that order. Ms. Chang realized that a meeting was in the offing and decided that some food was in order. Following Lucibelle into the kitchen, the two of them began whipping a meal into shape.

With Jack's hand in Cordelia's. They began to recount the various adventures that had led them to this bizarre pass. Walter began to drink heavily as the story wore on. Feeling the loss of his friend...

Lucy found all this a bit hard to take in all at once. Being at the mercy of destiny meant for interesting times but even so.

Mr Crowley burst in. (jack had sent him a message) Once having the full story of the mess in the street. He began to fume.

"Let me see if understand this correctly...The Technocracy spends a great of time trying to outmaneuver the Order of Hermes which in effect is doing very little to either side. Monsters like Hawthorne Rausch are allowed to go about their business, and if this business in Crookes street is as bad as you say....Why in the purple blazing hell are they harassing an old woman on the street?"

"These fools have forgotten what it is like to fear. They've gotten so intent on their private little war that they've forgotten their real job. The Hermetics are worse. They ought to know better by now. They've forgotten all the lessons of history in their drive to keep this corner of their imagined fiefdom."

"I have had enough...I will change this."

Cautioning his friends to understand his future acts and not to interfere for fear that they might be caught up in the firestorm he was intending to brew up. He took his leave.

2 minutes later, Emily arrived...Too late to stop Alexander Crowley's fateful decision.

Since, the two cabals ran in different circles it was decided that it might be good to have someone be a go-between. Lucy Chang was elected to this job.

The rest of the evening was spent trying to sober up Walter. When this happened, it became clear that he would spend a lot of time trying to keep himself busy with his new business and with a desire to go and deal Crookes street.

Nobody was really keen on this plan but certain preparations might be good to make.