<div class="floatleft">(https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/51c9/cfifc9wq9nn40a46g.jpg)<br/><div align="center"><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Circe</div><div class="spoiler_body"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="bbc_font" style="font-family: times new roman;"><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 13pt;">● Portal traveler<br/>● Adopted by witches <br/>● sometime nasty nurse<br/>● uncertain witch experimenter<br/>● Cosmo drinker<br/>● Personal assistant to Mistress Anjela (Wow!)<br/>● rebellious reactor <br/>   <br/> </span></span></div></div></div></div></div><br/><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 11pt;">In a recently conducted survey, two out of three restaurant-goers think Circe somehow is responsible for recent developments—at least based upon EM’s ‘be more careful’ and Chloe’s ‘ease up Cirse*’.  <br/><br/>When Chloe starts playing with the salt and then makes a pattern on the pizza, I start thinking that Chloe may have been sneaking drinks or maybe hadn’t had enough to eat and is a little tipsy.  And, after all, she did slur my name ever so slightly—Cirse(?).  But then I think back to my growing up years (which I think is not super dangerous even in these circumstances): my mothers would use salt and pentagrams at certain times, problematic times or for certain visitors.  I’ll have to think on that more.    <br/><br/>It’s pretty clear that we have to take charge of the situation.  Take charge of a situation that we don’t understand.  In a recently conducted survey, at least one pizza lover was found to be uncertain on what is going on and what needs to be done.  <br/><br/>What do we know?  We know that the book is magical.  Does the book have a mind of its own that it takes the three of us to concentrate on what we want?  Are there spells we might want to explore (yes, I vote yes)?  Or is the book more indifferent and there’s someone like Loki that’s fucking with us—is that possible?<br/><br/>The nipple clamps are doing the job of reminding me to not wander with my thoughts.  Of course, EM and Chloe have done their part in the reminder department as well.  Have I been thinking in a mode that doesn’t trigger more problems?  For at least a few minutes nothing weird or odd has gone on—it’s sort of like those factory safety records: for the last ______ (days), no accidents.<br/><br/>What has caused the calm seas we find ourselves in?  Me not mind-wandering?  EM being more assertive?  The three of us concentrating on holding up a wall, eating pizza?  Salt and pentagram?  Loki resting while he plots his next chicanery?<br/><br/>The hostess is rushing around but seems to work her way near us whether it’s her best route or not.  I think they’d make a cute couple—I mean assuming EM would be a lesbian in her current state.  I think that must be the case—she hasn’t flirted with any guy, just pretty much trashed Chloe’s ex with that dominatrix thing.  (Yay me!  I still didn’t mention she who should not be mentioned).<br/><br/>I wonder if the circle of salt would prohibit the hostess from approaching EM.  I reposition myself at the table and with a foot nudge make a teensy break in the circle—that’s for the hostess to enter.<br/><br/>As I resettle in my seat I do a long-neck, chest-out example for EM—reminding her of posture.  Her chest is magnificent, but really no slouching, not a good look.<br/><br/>“This pizza is great!  But if that’s the protector we can’t just rely on it.  We need something more.”  For myself I’d rather risk uncertain adventures and spells than gain weight from eating pizza.<br/><br/>For an instant I wonder if there’s a spell where you eat and don’t gain weight or if pizza is a free food.<br/><br/>I shift strategies slightly.  “What if we experimented?  We can take a look in the book to decide on a spell”  I hope there are pictures if we do that.  “Or we could assume that we’re charged with some sort of magical power and experiment.”   <br/><br/>Just in case the spell trigger is super-sensitive, I add for whomever or whatever is involved: “I’ve not said to do anything specific, and discussion is just that, not an identified object or event to come about.”  What’s clear is that I don’t have any known power to make rules, but I hope that this which sounds like a rule is a rule.<br/><br/>My list of what not to think is growing: the dominatrix scenario; EM being a lesbian; EM and the hostess getting it on; . . . (           ).  Oh dear!  Oh my!  Uh-oh!  There’s that (blank) which is just begging to be filled in with wandering ideas.<br/><br/>I reach for another slice of pizza.  “Any thoughts?  Hypothetical ones, not for certain ones I mean.”  It gets a little tricky on the thought/saying things plane.  And if I think about it I don’t think it’s totally fair that I’m being chastised for my role—although if we were to re-poll on the survey of me being responsible, I think I’d have to say yes too.  (Sigh).<br/>____________  <br/><br/>* As to Chloe’s (*) in her post above: Circe is pronounced as one syllable—Cirse to shorten it just sounds the same.<br/></span>