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."

Yay, Kat's here and she brought dancing undead! How cool is that?

I scamper over to grab a kiss before she's whirled away in the party.

Ooh. Kisses from Hec. My favorite kind. I flash Penny a quick smile and gesture towards the radio.

"Do you tango?"