The earthquakes and storms have left Amber a mess.  The entire
waterfront is gone - I hope that everyone was able to get out of there all
right.  Even though I don't frequent the pubs down there as often as I did
once, I still think of the people there as my friends.

	Ariana seems to have forgotten that she's angry with me - either
that, or the fact that I can help treat the wounded outweighs the fact
that I "carelessly let the children walk the Pattern."  Ariana is right,
though - the coast is a mess, and we'll be a long time tending to the
wounded.  I am grateful that Da is all right - it was a similar storm that
not-so-long-ago landed Usires and I in the land of the bull pops (a cursed
place, if ever there was one).  The bull pops actually tried to converse
with me during our return trip home.  Remind me that going to Avalon is
not worth the trouble that the bull pops cause.


	Foster and his lot are going to go out into Shadow again - to
fully raise their children, this time.  I am going to miss them, and I
don't look forward to explaining just what happened to the boys...
Tamaryn doesn't think that it will be a problem, but I still remember how
shocked Vivienne was when Nicholas and Eris came back from Shadow.
Hopefully, none of Laughter's children will share Eris' rather cruel sense
of humor (hopefully, it came from her mother, rather than Driscoll).

	I wonder if they're going to come back with more than they left
with, or will they be content with the current batch for the time being?
I am disappointed that I won't be able to see them grow up, but I suppose
I understand Laughter's reasoning.  She's tired of having people mess with
her kids.  Maybe adulthood will be able to protect them from Briana.  Even
if I had told Ariana that the children were back in the castle, Briana
would have convinced the others that walking the Pattern would be a good
thing to do.  She got past Benedict's guards, for God's sake; her mother
wouldn't have been able to stop this plan once it was set into motion...I
don't care what Ariana thinks about me.

	Or maybe I do...and that's why I'm hung up on it.


	From the sound of it, Vixen's brothel is closed for the time
being...flood damage or some such.  I guess that makes my decision for me
- I'm not going.  I wasn't sure if I felt right about it, anyway.  I may
not be legally married to Tamaryn, but there is something to be said about
fidelity to one's partner.  Now if I could only get up the nerve to marry
her...even Gideon says I should.

	It's hard to be an available bachelor when one has children out of
wedlock - that you've acknowledged...and a regular lover.  Even before
Tamaryn came along, I wasn't really pursued at Court.  Maybe Amber women
just don't like the huge, muscle type - look at the problems Da had when
courting Mum.

	Maybe I skipped that whole eligible bachelor phase...the one time
I tried playing that game, I messed Irene's life up.  I'm afraid that that
probably put off her house and that of her husband.  I am young...and more
than occasionally stupid.  I accept that - why can't anyone else?  Why
aren't nobles allowed to make mistakes?


	I was able to get Mum's news out of her.  Turns out her mother's
house is descended from Osric...and that that entire house, and all of
Mum's brothers, sisters, and all of my cousins...they can all take the
Pattern.  This certainly throws an interesting twist on things...