Bansan-kai at Big City Su-Ran

From the Stratum XXXIII memory the party simply appeared there in Midtown amongst the chrome and electric blue fixtures.
  There was Fuchsia Bolt, Malinconico, “Buzz” Mattelli, Fake Grodin, Kayako Y., the Ice Queen, and several less-than-memorable characters seated at the long table for the awaited utage at Su-Ran’s.
  Fuchsia shared a “shooter” concoction that featured colourful strata of sake, ponzu, and masago. The varying viscosities of contents ensured a clumsy quaff to those who partook. Other sampled fayre included tiger beef (reminiscent of larb), beet & daikon oroshi, and various nigiri.
  “Buzz” had quite the memorable quips of the evening:

• “‘Take on me. Take me on.’ Eighties music definitely belongs in sushi joints.”
• Regarding ikura: “Tiny explosions.”
• “Remember that bass part for a future Fauxtet sketch.”

  Most everyone laughed; the Ice Queen unsurprisingly glared, and Fake Grodin wore a silent but mirthful grin, his brain already pickled since midday.
  Kanpai, y’all!

Mystery Hill: Disquiet for the Inquisitives

Cracked asphalt meets crumbling topsoil at the cloudy dead end of Ramble Place. Scraggly shrubs and pokeweed flank a ramping rise of the ground — a foreboding entrance to the dark woods beyond.
  Past that, thickening brush over a thin-trodden path, trees leaning in to block the grey sky. A gradual ascent, passing an abandoned, burned-out fort strewn with charred smut. As the hill plateaus, a golf green is visible through the trees to the north.
  To the west lay Horseshoe Canyon, but one would have to cross territory belonging to “The Farmer” to get there. Either way, you'd get yelled at by grown-ups.
  No one knew what he “farmed,” and the only livestock anyone remembers was the odd guinea fowl and cherry-eyed Basset that would wander loose as far as Sheffield.
  Still, traversing the hill was an adventure in itself.

The Lost Whet from G’boro

 

Cedar Waxwings

Bombycilla cedrorum

Orville Mesosphere Club Extends World-Class Hospitality to Global Travellers at Entebbe Debris Field

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

  The Ugandoid Autonomous Prefecture's Entebbe Debris Field (EBB), a partially-owned asset of the United Rally for Pan-Ugandoid Renewal party (URPUR) and Kanisa Fuju Temple, has handed over the operation of the lounge areas in the terminal to Orville Mesosphere Clubs, a leading global airport hospitality services provider.
  An Orville Mesosphere Club will open a new lounge in the international terminal at EBB. The lounge spans 520 square metres and accommodates more than 75 guests, social shunning be damned. With panoramic views of the airport runway, guests are invited to indulge in a wide range of services and facilities tailored to all kinds of travellers.

  New concierge services unique to EBB include:
  • Luxe Para-Vitals
  • Idol Access Division Security Assessments
  • Bungaloid Amenities
  • vPunge Proximity-Aware Virtual Pungeoning Cloud Applications

  Johnny Gutts, CEO and Head Solutioniser of the Orville Corporation shares, “We're thrilled to extend our SkyPunge award-winning hospitality services to Ugandoid Autonomous Prefecture and EBB Field, a favourite regional transport hub. This strategic expansion is a significant milestone for us during this unprecedented time, and we hope this revives global travel as we continue to bolster our connection with travellers around the world.”
  By partnering with Orville Mesosphere Clubs, Ugandoid Autonomous Prefecture now takes another important step in customer satisfaction as part of the Orville Corporation’s global vision.

Champion of Nuveti Hill

“First Flight”

The large crowd milled about the vast car park outside the Echelon Facility under a cloudless blue sky. A four-year-old Malinconico craned his neck, noticing a steady whirring coming from somewhere above the throng.
  “Everybody seems to think this is a big deal,” he thought. “What is it?”
  At that moment, a white civilian helicopter appeared, descending slowly to land on the tarmac beyond the roped-off mass of people. A Bell-206, perhaps?
  Courier One looked down at Malinconico, took his hand and made their way through the parting crowd to the copter where the young boy climbed the two steps up to the cockpit.

  Vague memories abound -- lifting off to watch down over the people in the lot, an array of avionics consoles, flight controls, headsets. The pilot took the copter higher, giving the two passengers a sprawling panorama of the entire Echelon Facility and environs. Most notable: a bird's-eye view of nearby train tracks, resembling the model railroad Malinconico enjoyed during the holidays.
  “What is the meaning of all this?” He was a quizzical youngster, with no answers forthcoming; the memories dreamlike.
  A few weeks later at home, Malinconico noticed a newsletter tacked up on the kitchen fridge. It was from Hertwall Codicil, Courier One's mission agency. On it was a photo of Malinconico pointing at a detail on the helicopter's hull.

  The caption read: “Young Malinconico (age 4), ward of Hertwall Codicil sales engineer Courier One, points out the Hertwall Ten-11L torsion latch assembly, the latest in high-carbon, forward flush latching systems. Through Orville market directives, Hertwall support is geared toward high security applications in the commercial and military sector. Malinconico enjoys drawing, swimming, exploring the Wedgwood frontier, and the colour blue.”