By Ingvar: After a long day of patrolling the streets of Fort Corallium, Trigger Snowflake returned to the combined office and home of the Snowflake family. Somewhat tired, he ascended the stairs from the office part to the domestic part of the building.

“Beloved Cor…”

“Trigger! Trigger! You know we couldn’t travel to the Pluto SysLiCon? Good news! They have decided that the Annual Meeting of the Systems Literature Association will be held in electrospace!”

“Oh. I guess that means we can actually make our voices heard. Well, since the only problem was that we could not find the buffer days for travel, I guess this means we’ll just do SysLiCon from afar.”

“No, as it happens, it will take place four times, spread over a whole month.”

“Oh, well, I guess…”

“And it will be the month before the actual SysLiCon!”

“But? What? How is this convenient for anyone?”

Trigger and Coraline ate dinner in silence, only interrupted by the occasional longing glance and excited sigh, like any other couple in a decade-long relationship that still felt like that initial rush of crush.

* * * * *

The following morning, Trigger started his patrol, as always, by stopping by the Coffee Emporium.

“Sheriff Snowflake, the usual?”

“Thank you, Mx Ologist, I think I would, yes.”

“It should be with you in a few minutes.”

Trigger leaned back, relaxed, and opened the newspaper, for a quick scan of the latest.

“Here you are, Sheriff. One black drip coffee, no sugar, and a delightful strawberry Danish, made fresh this morning.”

“Thank you, Mx. Ologist.”

“Oh, Barbara is on her way over, she said she needed to talk to you.”

“Ah, well, Ms. Dimatis is always welcome company.”

A few sips of coffee later, Barbara arrived and sat down at the table, opposite to Trigger.

“Sheriff Snowflake, have you heard?”

“The Annual meeting?”

“Yes, it’s terrible, I have the entire month prior to SysLiCon booked up, just to get everything I need in order to be at SysLiCon!”

“Oh, I had not considered that aspect. I was mostly baffled as to why the Meeting was taking place before, not during.”

“That’s another thing. My reading of the writs and statutes seem to say that the Annual Meeting must be held at, and during, SysLiCon.”

“Ooooh, that is a thorny piece of wrangling. I must say that this was an exceptionally good roast. In-house?”

“No, not this one. Would you like a cup of the house roast, as a second toe?”

“I think I would, yes. Now, isn’t it a problem, if the Annual Meeting is incorrectly convened?”

“Well, as far as I can tell, it makes all the formal structure crumble, leaving things open for all sorts of administrative hi-jinx.”

“Perhaps, then, it would have been better to hold it during SysLiCon, and simply allow electrosphere participation during?”

“That, or hold the electrosphere casting from a room at SysLiCon, with only the word-leading table present in the casting room.”

Soon, Trigger started in on a second cup, with evident delight.

“Ms. Dimatis, this house roast is excellent!”

“Yes, but it is quite labour-intensive to make, we can only roast 200 g of beans at a time, it takes half an hour to do, and requires constant supervision from me or Anthrop. And that’s less than a quarter of a

day’s consumption. Which is why we have it unlisted. Only for special regulars and friends.”

“I am happy I am counted in that small, elite number, Ms. Dimatis.”

“Sheriff Snowflake, being married to Coraline, you are practically Emporium family!”