Thank you, Stilly.

With pounding heart and clammy hands, the emissary walked along the narrow piazza to the home of the renowned sword-master. She had parked up around the bend, in front of the home of another friend, to throw curious passers-by off the scent. As she strode, outwardly nonchalant, she wondered again if she was going round the twist herself.

In answer to her ring, the inner wooden door swung open, revealing in the doorway—NO ONE! With a breath of relief, the unwitting victim of dramatic irony felt a wave of familiarity and stepped inside. This was, after all, Rapaire's home. And he, master of the dramatic, was standing stone-faced between the open door and the wall. All awkwardness was gone.

Ever enigmatic, Rapaire spoke. "Cobwebs," he intoned. "Cobwebs are on this door." Feeling right at home, the gift-bearer tripped over to the table with a light heart and the Lovely Lady Pat relieved her of the smaller of her burdens: a plate of warm cookies.

Pat and Kat were soon joined by the erstwhile Ra, and after a discussion of Other Subjects, the newest member of MOAB waltzed into a long-winded, circuitous, foundation-laying explanation. She can't even remember the exact words (though they were all pronounced), but they included such things as Universe and Community and Horizon-L and Permission. Under Rapaire's mild and somewhat amused gaze, the words got smaller and fainter until Miz K. finally paused for breath.

"You're not telling me anything I didn't already know, EISELEY," Herr Direktor said. And the final shards of discomfort melted away. No wonder Rapaire had come up with that purloined rhyme for psychopath!

But he seemed pleased with the "I heart MOAB" cap, and Lovely Lady Pat seemed as distressed as Eiseley had been by the psychedelic model of a hippie dachshund Eiseley pulled from her bag.

So, after much more discussion, the spectacle of a lost golf ball, a bit of nose-blowing, some ammo show and tell (of course), a few tears, a couple of rapid MOAB posts, and friendship all around, Eiseley traipsed back up around the bend. She left knowing two things:

1. You can't pull one over on Rapaire, and
2. Where a door closes, a window opens.

Oh, and she has a cool new toy for her desk!