I'm sorry if you were embarrassed by the curse the other day. I think some of that stuff is worth a laugh but not much else. The people who know you will know none of it is true.

[Obviously this is the perfect time to do some squats. Don't mind him while he does a few before continuing.]

I guess the city was just trying to get a rise out of you. [He's amused that he wasn't affected by the curse.] They probably knew it wouldn't work on me. I don't mind laughing at myself.

[A few more squats. Can't do enough of them, really.]

What I'm saying is: pick your battles. If you can laugh it off, don't bother with it. If you can't, either ignore it or do something about it.

[His smile turns a little sad.] And seeing as we're in a place where we can't do anything about it, ignoring it is your best option.

We are all creatures of habit.

We are even more creatures of pattern. If you deny that, you're lying, even if you don't think you are. Habit is biological. It is an ingrained evolutionary survival skill. It was very carefully bred into us. Habit says we do things every day that keep us alive.

Of course, humans turn that into something more. Humans make habit holy, sacred, religious. I don't particularly ascribe to religion. It doesn't suit me. My shoes are more sacred.

So when you say things like you're comfortable here or you like it here better than home, even with the curses, what you're saying is that your habits have grown familiar here, and you have a routine.

But memory is fickle.

Now, now.

Don't lie.

I know you all think that, at one point or another.

This has been a weird month. I didn't so much mind smelling like a peach that one day, but the things with teeth and the secrets being told and, well, people being stabbed. I could have done without those.

For some reason, living alone in this huge house has felt particularly lonely lately. I don't think it's the living alone part, I mostly have done that for the past ten odd years. It's just so big. But I can't quite bring myself to move somewhere else. The location is perfect, out of the way, but just off the beach and close enough to the woods that I can have a great run whenever I want. And really, the hot tub and fireplace? Who could give those up.

Speaking of running, though. I wouldn't mind a running or sparring partner, either regularly or on occasion. And the running can be on 2 feet or 4, I'm good either way.

We all done stabbing each other and being drunk and hungover as shit? Could've done without that, but then I guess that's not news for anyone here.

Anyway. Some of you folks already figured from how I was dropped into the fountain in full gear, but I'm a firefighter. Squad, even — [ he flashes a quick grin, almost mischievous. ] — which is way better.

Point is, you see a fire, get stuck somewhere, a building collapses, that kind of thing — call the fire department and we'll get you out, all right?