Sheesh, I'm late for the Penny Party. I'm not even dressed yet. I dig under my bed and find my dragon shoes, and blow off the dust bunnies. Black jeans, white shirt, leather jacket. That'll do.

Let's see if that burn is done yet. Looks good. A mix of timebootlegged live recordings of Duke Ellington from various points in his career. Also, three times a year, on the birthdays of Duke, Billy Strayhorn and and Johnny Hodges, if you play the CD you're transported through time and space to one of his concerts, either at the Cotton Club in the 30s, or Cafe Society in the 40s or Newport in the 50s.

I hear the train coming, I'd better catch it...

I hadn't seen Susan for awhile, so it was good talking to her. She and her DH also own a pub over in Tangley Mews, and it gave us a chance to compare notes about the trade. Found out that they can still get liability insurance for their place, so it means my agent was fibbing when he said that it wasn't just my bar being singled out, but that none of the other bars in town could get it, either. I was able to give her the names of a couple of Maxwell's Demons looking for work as refrigeration specialists for a skating project she's working on. Good to see old friends. Even if they are competitors. At least they don't own one of those pervy hobbit bars.

I wander over by the entertainment center where Phred is sitting on a couch, watching TV. I give him a stern look. "You aren't mingling. You should be talking to people. Have fun."

"I was. The news just caught my eye. They announced the winner of the election."

"Oh. Who won?"

"The evil dead penguin."

"You're kidding, right?"

"Nope. The bird won."

"He's dead."

"But he had one heck of a platform. Anyway, they say that since he's dead, the election is null and void, and the Mayor's still in charge until the next election. Apparently somebody actually put that possibility in the city charter." He points the remote at the screen, turns the set off, and stands up, nearly hitting his head on a chandelier.

I look around the room. The bird is flapping away, dancing with Holli and Lizard at the same time. "The penguin's gonna sleep well tonight. He'll be pooped. Holli and Lizard sure are cute, aren't they?"

"Special hell, boss..."

I give him a nasty look. "Not what I meant, and you know it. They're too young. They're all too young." I grab a couple of hors d'oeuvres off a tray proffered by an InstaGolem(tm), then start needling Phred. "So InstaGolems are the latest thing, and Penny can't possibly have one yet. She invented them!"

"How was I supposed to know?"

"Read the thread once in awhile!"

DavidS has the best taste in music, ever! He's also told me where to find all the good book and music stores. What with fighting evil and fixing up the house, I haven't had much time to browse. Before I forget, I circle April 29, July 25 and November 29 on my calendar. I can't wait for my first concert!

DavidS heads to the buffet and I notice his shoes. Must ask where he got those as well. Knut has joined the dancing group, and is surprisingly light on his feet for a huge stone giant. I must join them in a minute. Maybe I'll ask Slacker to dance, although he seems perfectly happy with his stack of potato products.

As I go to put on the CD I pass DX and Phred, who are watching television, of all things. At least the sound is off. Something Phred says catches my attention, so on the way back I ask something that has been bugging me for a while.

"Hey, guys, stupid question, but who is the mayor, anyway?"

"Hey, guys, stupid question, but who is the mayor, anyway?"

Penny voices a question that I've often wondered about, but have never gotten a proper answer. Who is the Mayor? His name is never used. I wonder if that has anything to do with that scheme David thought up for dealing with Aeshma.

"I don't really know, but I've been wondering the same thing for a long time. The Mayor tends to keep a very low profile. When I first came to town, I thought Hec was the Mayor, but he disabused me of that notion. He's the one to ask, though. Where'd he get to?"

Penny and Ed corner me by the bar where I'm in mid-gulp on my margarita.

"Well, see the way checks and balances works in Sang Sacre, being Mayor is actually a curse. Literally, taking on the job accurses you to the most tedious adminstrativia. You're compelled to attend meetings, speak in wonk-ese, smile and dissemble. It's horrible. The guy who's serving as Mayor now used to be... t looks around and drops voice a Fox executive. It's a punishment really."

Penny and I listen with growing horror as David outlines exactly what the Mayoral Curse entails.

"Wait, you mean he actually has to read every single post in the Bureaucracy Forum? He can't skip? That's inhuman!"

"There is a dark side to this place, you know. Yeah. Every. damn. post. in Bureaucracy. That's just the beginning. He's got to write position papers. I know! It's just about the worst thing that can happen to you here, especially when you see everybody else manifesting their dreamlives. But it's just too, in it's way. This guy certainly deserved it."

"This guy certainly deserved it."

Dawn breaks over Marblehead. "He's the guy who replaced Firefly with Joe Millionaire, isn't he?"

Another thought occurs. "You know, I was suspicious about the whole election thing, because I never thought of Aeshma as being smart enough to think of it. I wonder if somebody didn't whisper the idea in his ear. Maybe the Mayor needs some more to do, like coming up with a preference based voting system that is simple, understandable, fair, and acceptable to every single Buffista. That should keep him occupied for awhile."

"Good Dog! You're right. The mayor is clearly trying to escape!" I think for a moment. "I think that after he figures out a voting system, we should set him to reconciling the Pro-Tara and the Get-Over-It factions."

DX rubs his chin in a sinister fashion. "Hmmmm. But do we want to drive him to madness?"

I leave David and DX thrashing out the matter and head over to Slacker who is explaining to Susan how his new boss is a real tool.

"Dude. Wanna dance?"

"Siempre tarde. Apurense."

I can hear music playing and conversation. The door's open and a very strange and not entirely friendly looking plant is stationed just inside of it. I'm hurrying my charges along, but it's not easy to organize a group this large.

"Cinco, seis, ocho, once... Where's James?" All I see are sheepish looks being exchanged. "Come on, speak up. We're already late."

"He got hungry." It's the pretty blonde one. He's nothing but trouble.

"Well, go get him. And don't let him eat anything. You know that you shouldn't eat before a performance." Since we have to wait, I busy myself checking the costumes, making sure the seams on all the stockings are straight, all the ties are straightened. I check one last time that the music is cued to the right spot. Just then, the two vampires stroll up. I only have time for a stern look.

"Ok, remember what we've practiced. You all are ready, you look great. If you make a mistake, asi es no mas. Just keep going." I give them a final look and we go into the party.

They immediately clear a space in the middle of the room. A group of 12 vampires will do that. I set the radio on the ground and turn the music on. Carlos Gardel's voice floods the room and the Dead Can Dance Tango Troupe starts their performance. It's no mambo, but they do a fine job and it's sexy as hell. They finish and leave silently to do... whatever it is that they do when I'm not around. I've found it's usually best not to ask.

I spot Penny over by the couch and walk over to introduce myself. I give her a kiss on the cheek Chilean style.

"Hi, I'm Kat. My husband and I own the hotel in the Bresilico and the Dead Can Dance Studio. Welcome to Sang Sacre. I hope you liked the performance."