Topher Lydon

I have a soft spot for Caleb, I've been him. A conservative in the room, the pretty one that... well things are just as predatory in Canada as they are south of the border, and just as hypocritical. Caleb's loyalty to Will is well earned, and his presence in Will's inner circle is vital. Without him, Will's team is very liberal, and Will is not, not any more. He can't afford to be, Caleb balances that team, and as Will's spokesperson- director of Communications, he is probably the only one of the team that can speak to the side Will most needs to appeal to, the rational Conservatives, the ones who value the old order. The ones who want to lead, not ... well, you all get it.

tomorrow: Tommy vs the World.

morning, I am eyeing going back to bed

CHAPTER FOURTEEN: THE COST OF ENTRANCE Location: Mar-a-Lago Club, Palm Beach, Florida. Time: January 8, 2024. 21:00 EST. Status: The Court of the Crimson King. The gold leaf was peeling in the humidity, though no one seated at the table would dare mention it. The decay was everywhere if you knew where to look—in the slightly frayed edges of the resort towels, in the subtle water stains on the coffered ceiling of the loggia, in the way the waitstaff moved with a tension that suggested

It is the most remote place on the planet. It is uninhabited and about as brutal a place as you can find.

We all know Will's reaction to Bullies and his fondness for kids like Tommy and Orel. IF Will finds out Tarquin might get a diplomatic posting to Devon Island (and those that know, know)

Graves is going to learn, sometimes getting what you want... isn't what you want.

Yeah like that's gonna stop Will. ROGUE Skating! Rebel! King of the North and kids steal the reflecting pool to go skating... Park Services furious... everyone blames Obama...

Will promised his boys Ice, and the reflecting pool is a gorgeous ice rink in winter time.

Agreed, a lot of this stuff was accusations, extra crimes, things that weren't on Finn's arrests/juvvie record. Things that could cause the Police to side with Tarquin if the matter or question of Orel came up. It is a bluff, one hundred percent a bluff. I think he was trying to slam a wedge in between Orel and Finn, the "Look at who this is, this is who you love" Kind of way. But as usual with Tarquin, he doesn't know Orel the way that he thinks he does. Orel knew and loves Finn anyway. Tarquin just doesn't get that, loveless creatures often don't understand love, and Orel's a mighty little thing.

Orel trying his best to express himself in his own way. Genuinely just a sweet character. I find him refreshingly pure in his approach.

Will and Andrew both make mistakes, they fight, they hurt each other. that kind of long term relationship is built on two people finding a way to get through things. You are right, Andrew can be sanctimonious, but oh BOY can Will be as well These two will piss you off along the way, but never doubt, Will and Andrew through fire and ice, thick and thin, even when things seem at their darkest, Will and Andrew.

Doesn't matter where you've been, all that matters is you're here. Orel isn't broken so easily, and has made his choice.

Chapter Ten: The Unacceptable Deal The morning sun did not simply rise; it unfolded, a slow, golden yawn across the oil-stained concrete of the garage floor. Finn stood in the doorway of the "nutrient-preparation annex," holding two mugs of coffee, watching a miracle. Orel was on his hands and knees on the linoleum, a tape measure stretched between the legs of the old stove and the wall. "Twenty-seven and three-sixteenths of an inch," Orel announced to the empty room, his voice

Help is going to come from the most surprising of places.

I am currently editing the Columbus chapter now, and it brings back a lot of memories of arenas for me. A theme of many of my books, I existed inside them for so long when I was young. Cathedrals where boys became legends, girls became princesses of the ice. I became a man, earning my first pay from working hard. My little striped jersey, borrowed thermal socks... ha... god I was 14, all elbows and knees and glasses. My friend Nathan got me the job, the team was stuck, the arena was short an official, and I was there in the stands. And poof stuffed into a jersey, given my buzzer, and told to watch a line, and if the puck crossed it, push my button. I was so scared I'd mess it all up. One of the best days of my life.

And Tommy has one last challenge on the road to Olympic Qualifying, Columbus, the Nationals.

There is a part of Will that was clinging to a faint hope that he wouldn't have to do this. He knows what this is going to cost him and his family. But he know knows there is no choice at all, he's trapped inside his own competence and loyalty because there is no one else.

Tomorrow Caleb proves his loyalty to Will, and great personal cost. West is put into an impossible position when Graves makes a demand.

Good morning... excuse me while I shake my coffee pot and beg the kettle to work

CHAPTER THIRTEEN: THE LION IN WINTER Location: The Willard InterContinental, Washington D.C. Time: January 8, 2024. 08:30 EST. Status: The Belly of the Beast. The suite smelled of old money, starch, and Peter Harding’s anxiety. Outside the bomb-proof windows, Pennsylvania Avenue was a slush-grey scar cutting through the heart of the capital. Washington D.C. in January was a city of damp wool and frozen breath, huddling under a leaden sky that seemed to press down on the neoc

I had one boss panic, grab my phone and try to throw it out of a window ( we were on the 12th floor of an office tower) because I had recorded that she'd bragged about lying to the PSB (Chinese KGB). She was trying to extort a 10000$ exit clause for my contract out of me, threatening to lie to the PSB in order to get them to arrest me if I didn't pay her. Nothing funnier than a panicked Chinese woman bolting through the school, trying to find an open window, screaming for everyone to get out of her way. Her husband had to catch her, return my phone and profusely apologize for his wife's behaviour and ask, quite politely, that I not turn the recording over to the PSB. The funny thing was I dated a PSB officer for over two years, and he (the husband) was VERY aware of this having been for drinks with us on a few occasions. Ahh Victor, one of the best and most handy people I've ever dated. I was paid, released from my contract without problem, and had the NICEST recommendation letters of my career out of that. LOL