”The woman nodded and turned, slinking through the shadows. As the dawn broke behind him, he watched the woman stop to motion a man to join her. He ...ollowed them with his eyes as they crept, keeping close to the buildings, always keeping cover between themselves and the bell tower. Eventually, though, they ran out of cover.The woman fiddled with her waist a moment before removing what he’d thought was a belt but seemed to be a long, silken cord wrapped around her waist. From the resulting rope. Her appreciation of the design made me really look at the room for the first time.Naturally, I offered them a tour of the rest of the house, which Doris accepted without looking at her husband. We went from room to room, Doris gushing about the decor and Neill complimenting the builder, both of them recognizing little nuances that I would never have noticed on my own. They also saw defects; Doris with the placement of closets and Neill pointing out shortcuts the builder had taken.We were on the. Neither activity happened there and then, but the conversation had opened up more possibilities.After they left Carole and I discussed their stay in some detail and, without asking for it, was given permission to plant my seed for Carole’s ‘tongued’ extraction. Carole also suggested she and Mary could have some fun in and out of the hot-tub.The scene was set for a future meeting!Some days later John and I were having a beer together, I got all the feedback on our evening together and it became. What was it called? Super-clan? Tribe? Village? Hive? Somebody would figure it out eventually. George's parents were furiously making notes in a corner. I'm sure they'll explain it to us someday.All I know is that we were of one mind. Donna and I were taking the support and good wishes of the whole crowd with us.Mom was still concerned that we were too tired to make the drive tonight. It was nearly midnight."Don't worry," Brenda said to her. "Brian, there's a thermos of coffee in the front seat.