.I'm a sweet talker, I never hadthe need. But that was where we seemed to be heading."Ruby, here he is! You reckon you can keep him here for me for a ...week?"Ruby was the surprisingly young and not unattractive owner of this circleof ladies, in a surprisingly well-appointed "hotel." Quite plush, andthis bedroom was stunning, velvet curtains and all. She looked me up anddown with a raised eyebrow, and frankly, despite the situation, I waslooking her up and down too, with her olive skin and that. I wish I could..." Megan whispered, seeming to be upset. Elizabeth stroked her hair softly again."Shh, honey, it's ok. I'm not asking you to do anything. You're so special, Megan; I wouldn't have given you my powers if I didn't love you dearly. Relax, dear; I'm not Victoria. Just relax and enjoy. I owe you so much for what I've done to you." But... but I feel so bad. This should be your time with him!" Megan whimpered, quickly becoming overcome to where she was having trouble talking."It's ok,. There followed a rustling and more scraping of chairs as the class sat down. The instructor, an old, balding man, gazed at them all with piercing eyes. "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Guardian Training Centre. I am Thorientius, your chief instructor, and I will be with you throughout your stay with us."Over the next five years, you will all be pushed to the limit. Have no illusions, there will be many of you who will fall by the wayside; however, you have been prepared for this since you. With advice from his accountant, and the reorganization of his bank accounts, he soon had things under control. His accountant had taken him at face value when he introduced the fact that he had taken in a silent partner, and the bank seemed quite happy that he was making his loan payments on time. Overall, his finances were complicated, but it seemed that Matti had a handle on them that would be sufficient to explain where the money was coming from.By the end of the week things were pretty.