WAR:  Perhaps the Time Has Come for Us to Talk?
By Raven Cynthia Hoffman
Date: August 9, 1996
Time: 10:30 p.m. and on
Place: The Raven
Simultaneous with/overlapping and following Three Ring Circus, Part Three

From her seat amidst the rapidly dispersing and increasingly fractious
Natpack, Janette viewed the goings on with a keen eye.  She noted that
while Vachon's wolf-whistle had quieted things briefly, there was every
indication that the shouting matches were destined to continue well into
the night. 

//Nicola// she thought.  //Life can never be managed *simply* by you, can
it? And in so doing, you make all of our lives complicated.// Janette
stood from her seat and maneuvered her way through the crowds toward the
bar, where she smacked directly into a group of Raven/ettes in heated
conversation. 

"Be reasonable Felicia.  You know you can't go listen in to their
conversation," stated Jane firmly.  "They're entitled to a moment of
privacy amidst this insanity.  There are some things we are simply not
meant to know about, okay?  No matter how much we all may want ..." 

"Quite true," interrupted Janette.  "Those two have much to discuss and
those people" she gestured to the once again arguing Knighties and
Natpackers "are not in a position to make things easier for either of
them, n'est-ce pas?  We should leave them be." 

So, no one noticed when, shortly thereafter, the door to the private
office opened and Nick and Natalie emerged looking resolved, and headed to
a far corner table.  Most of the Knighties and the Natpackers were no
where to be seen, and the two settled in to continue their chat in
relative peace. 

Cynthia muttered something under her breath and began to turn away from
the bar.  Suddenly, all eyes were on her and Janette. 

"Qu'est-ce que tu dis?  Did you say what I think you did?" 

Cynthia spun around quickly and looked Janette in the eye.  "I keep
forgetting about your incredible hearing.  Some day I'll learn to keep my
mouth shut." 

"Since you have spoken, perhaps you might share it with the rest of them? 
If *they* are any indication," she paused, once more gesturing toward the
main floor of the club, "the lot of you must have something to share with
me as well, oui?" 

Jane looked pensively at her friend, knowing that with such an invitation,
Cynthia might actually say what had been on her mind for the last two
weeks, not to mention really since February.  The tension in the bar grew
thicker.  Tara handed off the bartending duties to Miklos and came over to
join the group of Raven/ettes.  Susan appeared, dripping wet and shaking
water from her hair, and the group was joined by Catherine and Jasmine,
who had given up attempting to study and were prepared to join the party. 
Even Melanie, who had been mostly quiet for the past few weeks showed up
to see what was happening. 

"You've never talked about it," started Cynthia.  "I mean we've never
asked either, since no doubt it's probably none of our business, but
you've never talked about what happened last winter.  You just showed up,
called us all here, and life went on like usual.  But it's *not* usual, is
it?  I know it hasn't been for *us* and we were only bystanders.  I mean
you do know there are still people who believe you are dead, don't you? 
That *he* would never ignore a specific plea and do something against your
wishes." 

Once started, the conversation quickly escalated. 

"You said no and he ignored you." stated Catherine angrily.  "He never
listens, does he?  He's always willing to make decisions for others." 

Tara nodded vigorously, and was joined by mj and Jasmine, who noted
quietly to each other that Janette's circumstances were quite similar to
Natalie's and that perhaps that was why she had so pointedly joined the
Natpack earlier in the evening. 

"I thought you two loved each other," Melanie said quietly. 

"I don't know.  I mean if he hadn't ignored you, I might have had to kill
him myself" added Felicia.  "Confusing, isn't it?" 

"I can only imagine what it's been like to live with that," responded
Jane, during a lull in the conversation.  "I mean he saved your life, but
you didn't want him to.  And now you're glad to be alive.  What a mess." 

Janette eyed the group surrounding her.  She looked to Susan for support,
but Susan was more concerned with getting warm and dry, not to mention
finding towels to mop up the rapidly expanding puddle under her feet. 

Janette was going to have to handle this one on her own. 

"I am most certainly alive," Janette began.  "As for the rest ..." 

With that, hordes of Knighties and Natpackers and assorted others,
re-entered the bar, looking worse for the wear than Susan.  The wet crowd
quickly discovered Nick and Natalie's hiding place in the back. 

Janette moved away from the assembled Raven/ettes and walked toward Nick
and Natalie's table, with a determined look on her face.  Nick felt her
presence, looked up and nodded at her approach.  When he turned his
attention back to Natalie, he was surprised to notice that she was nodding
at Janette as well.  The two women exchanged a small smile, and Natalie
stood, relinquishing her claim on Nick's attention. 

Janette place a hand on Nick's shoulder.  "Perhaps, mon vieux, it is time
for us to talk as well." Janette noticed Nick's obvious discomfort, but
refused to back down.  She looked back toward her followers, gestured
toward his, and added pointedly, "Privately." 

As Cynthia watched the two of them move through the crowd it occurred to
her that the Raven's back office was now going to be in possession of more
information than any one else in the war.  And as resident redecoration
expert, she knew more about what was in that office than anyone.