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Heathfield Wins Devonshires Tournament

Heathfield participated in the Tournament run by the Kingdom of Devonshires. Excitement spread quickly amongst those involved which included two new faces. Jodis Njall and Elena Jasdzewski. The staff here and the kingdom thanks them both for their participation and a warm welcome to the lands. At the conclusion of the tourney, Heathfield took the top prize of the Loving Cup. The top female warrior was Jodis Njall and the top male warrior, with a tie breaker match with Caladan Hawkley of Devonshires, was Logan Cunningham. Congratulations to all.

```*+*```*+*```*+*``````*+*```*+*```*+*```      Queens Tea    ```*+*```*+*```*+*``````*+*```*+*```*+*```

The Queen's Tea has become a delightful event looked forward to. It has helped to strengthened relationships and introduce new faces. The last was changed to being held in our lands and so the idea was to have a fashion show. Eight couples presented varying attire and the Queens could choose one to purchase, all funds going towards mutual orphanages of those attending this evening. The Queens attending were our very own Honeee, Victoria of Devonshires,  Julia Noir of Telarus, Caillean of Solurius, Eliana of Salaria and newly introduced Adrienne Vespa of Verloren.  Others attending were Sarah, Henna, Llynya, Yahvi and Connie. After the votes were in on the cutest couple, it was realized that each voter chose a different one. The couples and outfits were so well varied they appealed equally so it has been decided they shall all dine at Sibios! A very well done job by all and the decision justified.

Attached is the flyer for the event, although, as with best laid plans, there was a minor adjustment of Andrew being paired with Lia and Meaghan being paired with Demitri.    --Queens Tea --

I have always found that the New Year is the best time for new ventures in life.  Be it dropping a few of those unwanted pounds or quitting bad habits.  For one local young man, he took on a whole new responsibility that would help not only him and his family, but the economy of the entire kingdom.

Sean MacGrath was raised on the farmlands of Ravanna, relocated with his parents when he was still a babe.  It was when his parents had born a brother and sister for him, he started to find the niche.

"I had to help watch them and so I picked up whittling so I would not go too stir crazy. I found I had a knack for it. I was the one to mend the furniture as needed and build new pieces because we could not afford to buy ready made."

Could that be the starting point for a destined profession when he came of age?  Many had to mend or build their own furniture.  Funds are not readily available to all, but there was also the pride of making something with ones own hands.  "It became more apparent by the time I reached my teens. Before it was just survival in helping my family. We first worked the fields and working with the earth and grains appeased me too, it took all of us to make ends meet. In the past few years my father and mother were rewarded for their hard work and loyalty. She having gotten work in the manor and my father being promoted to a foreman. This, with their aging years helped too on the physical level. It also gave me more time to explore working with wood in making larger pieces such as furniture."

Ambition is a good thing, and it drives home the desire to reach for the stars.  In this young man, still roughly in his teens, it is the opening of a great life and legacy that would reach local and distant homes.  "I am just in the process of opening it (the shop) up. I hope to gradually grow and those who buy what I make enjoy them for the craftsmanship. I am also becoming an apprentice under the toy maker so may incorporate what I'm taught there for even finer works."

Would this young entrepreneur allow others to take on the load and create the finery as well; or work on his own? "I am going to run it on my own. I can't say what the future will bring as I have to take the steps to get there first. It is possible if demands become too great for me to meet, I would hire on those who have the same love of woodworking as I do."

So with the future ahead and the seeds set to sow, this man has found a dedication that would create more than windows and doors.  It would be the dining table that a family has stories to tell around, or even the baby bed for a couples first child.  Sean MacGrath is on the pathway toward making memories for himself and the world around him, one piece of wood at a time.

Life Around Here

The winter has been a mild one so far, warmer days than are seasonal. Such has one wonder with the next two months will have in store. The teens have been out in force and those teens at heart to make fortresses out of the snow and snow fights organized. Businesses have been slower for the seasons but all doing well, some more than others as heavier clothing has been a need and more shovels sold. A few have been making use of the cabins and snow sledding starting up. Toboggans being sold or wood to make them. It is hoped that a race can be scheduled this month as other games and tournaments have settled presently. Many are found on the frozen lakes ice skating or out for midnight walks. Ships have not been grounded for ice encrusted waters so the port has been having an unusual thriving.

Teachers have been hired for the three kingdoms and buildings being propagated to start up the new classes in. It has been a great relief for most as now they will fall under the protection behind fortress walls instead of at a midpoint between the lands. Aids will be hired to help them according to the size class. Their Lordships Draven MacShire, Malcolm Douglas and Edward McAndrews are the ones overseeing this endeavor. Signing up for the school year will be stared in March and school to open in April. School hours will be from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm, allowing time for children to see to their chores and home early enough to help out or odd jobs to earn money. Libraries will be donating books. Businesses will be donating tables and such school supplies.

Births: A son, Cian Patrick Frasier to Patrick and Sinead Frasier, born January 1st after the stroke of midnight. A daughter, Cailean Rose Kearney, January 25th to Lochlan and Hannah Frasier Kearney. Marriages: None this month. Engagements: None this month

Monthly Horoscope

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19)

You must be figuring out by now that you're at a stage of your professional growth where your daily activities and long-term goals must address the depth and complexity of your spirit and of the world, if they are to be satisfying. That's a tall order, I know. Most of what we do even in fairly advanced careers is unbelievably superficial, and we're fortunate if we're not in positions where we're contributing to the destruction of the world. But if your conscience is nagging, listen to yourself. It is very likely that you're about to discover at least one extremely significant aspect of your life in which you've been deceiving yourself. But this deception was based on an earlier family lie that has absolutely nothing to do with you. The problem is, it's so big that, once acknowledged, it would call your loyalty to your entire heritage, and the actions to which this has guided you, into question. I say this is the opportunity of a lifetime.

-- submitted by Sassy Golden  (Planet Waves)

Job Finder:  Butcher needed, contact Draven MacShire. The Private Investigators are looking for a qualified applicant, contact Joseph McDonough. Dentist needed, contact Malcolm Douglas. Sign Maker needed, contact Malcolm Douglas. Teacher Aids needed, contact Malcolm Douglas for an interview.

Thanks to the Job Finder: The family of Valdez will be taking over the Blue Rhapsody Theater. Lindsay Stuart and Laura Cunningham have been hired as teachers for Tyremoor and Ballicastle. Imrielle O'Dray was hired as a Plumber. She will be opening up her shop soon. Michael Cunningham has been hired as an Ambulance driver.

Where To Find It - Services Offered

Want to better your business? Place a listing here!

OTHER LIFE FORMS

BROWNIES -- These kindly and dependable creatures (also called lobs, hobs, or if female, silkies) attach themselves to human households, where they help with chores and protect the well-being of people living on 'their' land.

Fiercely loyal, brownies well defend a home and its surrounding estate from burglars and goblins. They live somewhere on the land they protect, perhaps in an abandoned barn, an unused closet, or within the walls. Despite their love of cleanliness, brownies are rather shabby in appearance, often going shoeless or wholly unclothed. Even so, they expect no payment other than scraps of food and a bowl of milk left out at night; in fact, further gifts are likely to induce averse effects.

Shuffling sounds at night can be a sing of a brownie. The careful observer may be able to spy one at work if he or she can snake up quietly enough. Even if not actually seen, the brownie may disappear in the middle of a completing a task, leaving proof in the form of half-finished mopping or partially washed dishes.

Unusual organization of items is also common in houses with brownies. A brownie may alphabetize books by the initial of the author's name or file records by the titles of favorite songs.

Industrious themselves, even the gentlest of brownies hates laziness in others. If taken advantage of, or otherwise ill used, the brownie may become a boggart  -- from Arthur Spiderwick's Field Guide

There is a gentleman that I am fond of, but I am not sure if he feels the same.  We get along very well as friends, but there is a part of me that longs for more.  How should I go about finding out how he feels without seeming pushy? -- Wanting to Know

Dear Wanting to Know,

One thing I know for sure, is that men take not subtle hints very well, when it comes to emotional situations.

Being friends is a tight bond, and in this, discussions of any type should be easily approached. There are only two outcomes to a situation like this, either he will, or he won't ... normally. But, having come to learn some about the male mentality, there is also a gray area in which they tend to drift, that of complete avoidance of any answer at all. Safe for them, frustrating for the woman. So, a suggestion: A romantic dinner, followed by an after dinner drink before the warmth of a fire; preferably upon a fur rug. In this type of setting, one of two things should surely happen. Good conversation, or it'll set the mood for another step to be taken, that which will flow into the beginning stages of relationship's exploration. That way it's not considered being pushy, but setting the mood for things to happen, if they're meant to happen. Worse case scenario: A wonderful dinner with a friend, and good conversation, to learn more about one another.

Dear Tae...

A member of my family seems determined to see me married off.  I'm quite content in my bachelorhood and would like to remain happily single.  How do I discourage both the matchmaking and the ones looking for marriage? -- Confirmed Bachelor

Dear Confirmed Bachelor,

It's an unfortunate state that you find yourself within, and I assure you, you are not alone. Match making is an action that stems back into ancient times. There is always one, or more, out there, thinking they know whom best you should be with, and that being alone/single is not a good thing. When in fact, there's nothing wrong with not being ready to make a commitment in life, especially when it's not something that holds your interest to  begin with. With the frame of mind you're in, any relationship would be over before it ever began. You know those who try to set you up, only do so because they care! It's not out of malice. Always keep that in mind, first and foremost. I would suggest, when they approach you with this idea, joke about it. Have a good time, of course it will be at their expense, so be tactful of other's feelings. Maybe they'll take the hint and at least back off a little. When you're ready, you'll know, and it'll usually be when you meet the one that's meant to be. As for those looking, again, a tradition that surpasses time. Be polite, but not overly so. There are those who will view politeness as a sign they might have a chance. Be carefully of body language too. This too can sometimes be mistook as an indication of interest. Or be openly blunt, some may need this to get the hint of lacking interest. You, Sieheb, are in a pickle of life, though it doesn't have to be a sour event. Enjoy the socializing it offers, just be careful of how you socialize; don't offer false hopes.

Dear Tae...

I am seeing a wonderful man and absolutely adore him.  However, his sister doesn't like me and I don't want to cause more problems with his family.  What should I do? -- Flustered

Dear Flustered,

Unfortunately, you can't make people like you; as sad as that is. But, what you can do, is be the better person. Understanding this individual cares not for you, disregard unsavory comments made, ignore taunts and jeers to get you to respond. Be the bigger person, and in this, other's will view you the same way. Always be polite, cordial, and calm in their presence. Speak not ill of them, nor patronize. Maybe in time, this person will view you differently themselves. Until then, and as sad as it is to say, the burden rests upon your shoulders, to maintain peace and harmony. Good things come to those who do good by their actions. I also suggest, maintaining a journal. This way your aggressions, hurt, and anger has a venting place, so others will not be affected by the after affects of that which you face. This can be done without your even knowing it. Remember, it's the man you're with that's most important, by what you've claimed in adoration. That is where your focus should remain, no matter the interference of others.

Love Quotes for Valentine's Day

• Loving is not just looking at each other, it's looking in the same direction- Antoine de Saint
• Gravitation is not responsible for people falling in love- Albert Einstein
• Love - a terribly misunderstood emotion, although highly desirable malfunction of the heart which weakens the brain, causes eyes to sparkle, cheeks to glow, blood pressure to rise and the lips to pucker.,
• You have to walk carefully in the beginning of love; the running across fields into your lover's arms can only come later when you're sure they won't laugh if you trip- Jonathan Carroll
• Who, being loved, is poor? - Oscar Wilde
• Time is too slow for those who wait, too swift for those who fear, too long for those who grieve, too short for those who rejoice, but for those who love, time is eternity- Henry Van Dyke
• Take away love and our earth is a tomb-Robert Bro
• Love makes your soul crawl out from its hiding place- Zora Neale Hurston
• Love is a game that two can play and both win by loosing their heart- Eva Gabor.
• We don't believe in rheumatism and true love until after the first attack- Marie Ebner Von Eschenbach
• Love, and a cough, cannot be hid-George Herbert
• At the touch of love and heart, everyone becomes a poet- Plato
• Nobody has ever measured, even poets, how much a heart can hold- Zelda Fitzgerald
• Love is only a dirty trick played on us to achieve continuation of the species- W. Somerset Maugham,.
• Love is an irresistible desire to be irresistibly desired- Robert Frost
• Love is the greatest refreshment in life- Pablo Picasso
• Sometimes we make love with our eyes. Sometimes we make love with our hands. Sometimes we make love with our bodies. Always we make love with our hearts Love is a canvas furnished by Nature and embroidered by imagination - Voltaire
• "If music be the food of love, play on"- Shakespeare
• "It is never too late to fall in love"- Sandy Wilson
• Love is not finding someone to live with; it's finding someone you can't live without- Rafael Ortiz
• "Where there is love, there is life"-- Mahatma Gandhi
• "The heart has its reasons, which reason does not know."-Pascal
• "Why is it when you love someone so much that you can never find the right words to tell them?" -alb to Justin
• To the world you might be one person, but to one person you might be the world --Unknown
• What we love to do we find time to do. --John L. Spalding
• There's nothing in this world as sweet as love, and next to love the sweetest thing is hate. --Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
• Hatred paralyzes life; love releases it. Hatred confuses life; love harmonizes it. Hatred darkens life; love illumines it --Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
• A mother's love for her child is like nothing else in the world. It knows no law, no pity, it dares all things and crushes down remorselessly all that stands in its path --Agatha Christie (1890 - 1976)
• Love is life. And if you miss love, you miss life. --Leo Buscaglia
• Life without love is like a tree without blossom and fruit. --Khalil Gibran

Submitted by --- Sekhmirre J'Atar

Recipes of the Month

VEGETABLE SOUP

 4 tablespoons olive oil * 2 cups chopped onion * ½ cup chopped celery * 2 cloves garlic, crushed * 2 cups diced peeled sweet potatoes * 2 teaspoons paprika * 1 teaspoon ground turmeric * 1 teaspoon dried basil * 1 teaspoon salt * 1 pinch ground cinnamon * 1 pinch cayenne pepper * 1 bay leaf * 3 cups chicken stock * 1 tablespoon tamari * 1 cup chopped fresh tomato * 1 ½ cups cooked garbanzo beans * ¾ cup chopped green bell pepper

Heat olive oil in a stock pot over medium-high heat. Sauté onion, garlic, celery and sweet potatoes for about 5 minutes, or until onion is soft. Season with paprika, turmeric, basil, salt, cinnamon, cayenne, and bay leaf. Stir to blend, then stir in chicken stock and tamari. Cover, and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes. Add tomatoes, garbanzo beans and green pepper to the soup, and simmer for another 10 minutes, or until all of the vegetables are tender. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. - from Adara Giles

BARBEQUED APPLES

The light brown sugar and cider (or apple juice) form a delectable syrup as the apples cook * Makes 6 servings * 6 large green cooking apples * 1 stick butter * Scant 1 cup golden raisins * ¾ cup walnuts, chopped * ½ cup unrefined light brown muscovite sugar * 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional) * 1 cup cider or apple juice 

Butter 6 squares of foil each large enough to wrap an apple. Peel and core the apples and place each one on a piece of foil.  Cream ⅔ of the butter until soft and stir in the golden raisins and walnuts.  Spoon the mixture into the center of each apple.  Dot with the remaining butter and sprinkle with sugar and the cinnamon, if using. Lift the foil around each apple to form a bowl. Pour the cider or apple juice carefully over and around the apples. Loosely wrap the foil around each apple to form a parcel and seal the edges well. Place around the edge of the preheated barbecue and leave until the apples are soft, about 30 to 40 minutes. - from Adara Giles

Heat oven to 350. Grease 13x9x2 pan. Combine first 5 ingredients and beat until moistened. Beat 2 mins at med. speed untils smooth. Pour ½ batter into pan, sprinkle chips over batter - top with remaining batter covering up the chips. Sprinkle topping (below). Bake 35 minutes (top springs back).

Topping - Mix: ½ cup sugar,  ½ cup dark brown sugar (packed), ½ cup baking mix,  ½ butter softened, 1½ tsp ground cinnamon. Combine all ingredients until crumbly.  - Teri Douglas

Dice potatoes and boil in a large pot of water, water just covering the potatoes.  Add a little butter so that the potatoes don't stick to each other.   When potatoes are done, add lots of milk and butter to the water, and then salt and pepper to taste. - from Meaghan O'Leary

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Bone the lamb, trimming off any skin or excess fat. Cut into thin slices across the grain. Place in a heavy pan with the beer and onions, cover and simmer for an hour. Add the salt, pepper and butter and continue simmering for 30 minutes, or until tender. Though it's not in the recipe, I've found that adding 1/2 tsp or so of malt vinegar or cider vinegar really sparks up the dish. Serve with fingers of fried bread.  -- Submitted by Ms. Aptkins

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ALMOND FILLED PASTRIES BAKED IN HONEY AND WINE

 Finely ground almonds * Ginger - the powdered spice, not the fresh root * Sugar * Salt - use to taste * Pastry dough * Oil * Honey * Wine - red or white & slightly sweet.

Mix almonds with sugar, ginger, and a little salt - this should be a sweet, slightly spicy blend. Roll out the pastry dough. You may now make the pastry several different ways: by cutting out circles of dough, placing filling in the middle, and folding into a half-circle; by cutting out circles, squares, or triangles of pastry, placing filling in the middle of one piece and then covering with another piece of dough and sealing the edges; or by making small stuffed squares or rectangles, egg-roll style.

In any case, make sure the edges of the pastry(ies) are securely sealed. Fry the pastry(ies) in hot oil until lightly browned; remove from oil and let drain. In a pot, bring the honey to a soft boil, then reduce heat. Skim off the scum as it rises. Add just enough wine to make a thick sauce. Thoroughly coat the pasty(ies) in the wine sauce, then place on a baking sheet. Bake in a hot oven for several minutes. The pastry(ies) may be basted with additional sauce during baking or immediately afterward. - from Sara Devonshire

Erotic Magic

Ever since man desired women and vice versa, ever since people had unfulfilled needs in their everyday lives, some of us have been looking for a better way to get what we really want. There is a way through magick, not of the stage illusion kind, that can have you gaining the right man or woman in your life. What is surprising is that few know of these abilities all have within them to utilize. It is the ancient art of understanding and manipulating the forces of nature in such a way they serve you better than one who is unaware of their laws and his own powers. Nothing supernatural about it, no laws of science being violated, no miracles performed. What is being done may indeed look like suspension of ordinary scientific laws but it is a harnessing of energies within to powers outside and focusing them in the desired direction. First step is to realize that man is more than simply flesh and blood and death is the end. What makes the concept of magick work is the realization that man is a living power center. Thoughts are not imaginary nothings drifting through an otherwise empty mind but are formulated telepathic messages, programmed broadcasts at times, with substance, direction and impact. The trick is to know how, when and to whom to apply these broadcasts, and it's a trick that can be learned once you understand the guiding principles of magick.

Now the word Erotic has little to do with that sweet little angelic Greek boy-god Eros, at least not the way we and the majority of humankind understand the term today. Actually Eros was the god of life and, together with his dark twin Thanatos, symbolized the flow of man's life energies from birth to death, from day to night. In our concept of Erotic Magick we deal with the love and love making aspects of the term. As such we must address ourselves to Sexual Magick, as it appears to be the greatest the area of greatest impact in our lives next to the survival instinct itself. The sexual drive then is both a blessing and a curse. A blessing in that it causes the harnessing of the energies within us and a curse when the drive is frustrated or aborted. Since time immemorial the power of sex has been the greatest power of them all. Men and women possessed with unusual physical attributes, or perhaps only those whose attributes were ordinary, such as Cleopatra, but who knew how to make them count, have been in commanding positions in more ways than one as far back as the age of the caveman. But it was also that same primitive progenitor of the human race who recognized a second, equally powerful force in his world: the power of the occult, of the gods and demons, of the forces of nature he could not yet understand and even less control. Just as the choice specimens among men and women were worshipped, and sought after, for their sexual proclivities, so the purveyors of the occult, the priests, magicians, sorcerers, were much in demand .. for a long as they could deliver just as their sexual colleagues.

Power is derived from a knowing combination of these forces in the hands of the user. What sex is and why it brings fulfillment need scarcely be discussed. But the powers derived from occult utilization of the sex drive are of two kinds: the power to attract, possibly dominate, others and the power to enjoy on levels vastly superior to those ordinarily reached without its application. Sexual Congress is of course possible only if actually meet, therefore the power to attract another person is of considerable importance here. The important thing to remember is that eye contact is the hook to achieve desired results. Visualization of the thought of desired followed by rapid broadcasting of a glance at the opposite person establishes a link. This is followed by a combination of thought patterns and bodily movements. Example: Caleb went to a ball. Only one woman interested him but she was with another man. Caleb visualized himself in his place, held that picture for a while and sought to step into the direct line of view of the woman. As soon as she looked at him, Caleb shot the visualization at her. She blinked but ten minutes later she sought him out and the rest was not difficult. The dating scene will take on a whole new outlook with this knowledge in mind. Happy Hunting on Valentine's Day.

-- submitted by Kathleen Cleary Frasier  (Taken from the Magickal Almanac)

Gossip from the Wharf
"If you believe these - I have lands in Rhydin to sell you"
by The Wharf Crones - Matty and Pearl

All gossip that comes in through the port, and places least expected,  you can be sure that Matty and Pearl know every little tidbit and then some added. Embellishing is a way of life to make the tale far more colorful. If something is not certain nor clear, it is easy to fill in those gaps; there is nothing like assuming. They will make sure all gossip gets around come rain or shine and the sharing of a tea biscuit. There is a place for Drama Queens.

**Has the apparition that had been haunting forest and field been tamed by the Forest King?  A lost lass, not knowing much of common or life here, has taken a room in the Thistle and the apparition not seen since. Is this a coincidence or does the Forest King now collect his very own banshees?

**There is much to say about the Queens Tea and the pairing up of couples in fashion well suited to compliment the other. Such has one wonder if Cupid will be shooting an abundance of arrows this coming month with certain names on them all paired up. Will couples become real couples? Such notions continue to entertain those curious. Such notions make good speculation over a cup of tea. Care to join me?

**Monkey love? One could wonder with the disappearance of both male and female spider monkeys around the same time or has it been just monkey business of the two owners? Don't slip on the nut shells! Watch out for that tree!

**Where oh where have three eligible bachelors gone?  Rumor has it they escaped on a ship, perhaps to escape the latest plots of marriageable women? We still have the list and checking it twice, going to be adding some naughty spice.  Where is the sister of these men? Has she finally plotted and won?

**Why are all the teens suddenly laying low?  Has the cold finally driven them indoors? Have they got something to hide or hiding away in those snow forts that keep cropping up around town. Cupid is going to find them too. They can run but they cannot hide!

**The half-clad Egyptian has been seen in the company of his younger nephew out in that notorious tavern, leaving women to drool in the middle of winter when he discards most of his clothing for comfort. Is the nephew learning the ropes in how to attract women too? We will need to investigate this further to make certain the amount of bronze muscular skin showing is the higher proportion.

**Rumors had us spying at the Thistle and we just have to say, Thornbriar Manor is not just growing wheat and corn!  Two handsome men have been spotted in the company of the Lady of the Manor.  Inquiring minds want to know who and how old! Are they new lovers? She has been seen hanging out at a particular clocks shop. Do we hear male harem here or only tick tock? Is the King's man in the running or will he stay in his chair and sit this one out?

**Has the twin princess found her expertise in imp-ness? Or like her sister it backfired but she too didn't receive the ire in that backwash. Will Cupid's arrow soon find her? We'll be watching and may even slip her a copy of that bachelor list to investigate!

**Twilight at the lake seems to find ones about and situations that could lead to more. A certain toboggan run had one meeting a violinist serenading the wilderness. Call of the Wolf or is Cupid, that naughty imp, shooting unseen arrows from behind every snowbank to make status quo by the 14th? Pearl and I want to get in his line of fire! We'll be hanging out at the lakes until the that time! Maybe we'll get lucky and hit by a stray arrow. At least we can get a scoop if not a man, neither having to do with snow.

**Even the Marquis has been caught at night under the lake's twilight teaching one how to form snowballs and throw. Will the lessons accelerate to forts to hide in. Will the teens be found in the process?

**Old maps and strange creatures, layered in a puzzle will keep a certain clockmaker occupied. Or does another wish to keep him occupied in a different way? Tug of interest, will the clockmaker even notice? We're keeping an eye on the one to see who comes around. Maybe interests will grow.

**Onward to the clockmaker's sister off on a shopping spree north for her mother. Will the older brother survive the Elite or succumb beneath the crone's cane having stepped in her shopping path? She'd been sighted seeing one particular King's man in his office before leavng under the ruse of a shopping list. Sir Stoic a shopper? Even we are not that gullible! Proof had him later going to that very lass' room and behind closed doors. Wasn't a long time spent but maybe he is more the slam, bam, thank you ma'am kind? Rumors from the north say a jeweler was being seen, will there be a wedding ring? Do miracles happen? Man has his chair returned one would think him married already or at least securely planted.

**A dashing, but questionable, sea captain was seen entering the Florist shop. Heated words exchanged in a lover's quarrel?  Is he on the prowl since the other got married?  What of the surveyor? Did he procrastinate too long and will be left in the dust? We want to know! Land or Sea?

WANTED

Captain "Blood Bath" Black ... Dead or alive.

Crimes: High treason against England and Spain, Murder, Plundering and pillaging innocents, Thievery, Arson, Kidnapping, and Rape.  500 Gold for any who brings this scoundrel to justice.

Information on the missing woman - Nancy Forsythe

The young woman in her early twenties, average height, brown hair and blue eyes, has been missing for over a month at this point. She disappeared without a trace or even contact with her family and close friends. Foul play is suspected.