Darien, Hobbes, Claire, Alex and Eberts all sat around the round table, staring at one object in the center: a black envelope. Each of them had received one, but now only Darien's remained. When Hobbes had gotten his, he had immediately thought it was a bomb and had thrown it into the pot of water that he had been boiling. It was unreadable after that, not to mention a little soggy. Eberts had remembered his last ordeal with unfamiliar mail and had picked it up with salad tongs in order to burn it outside. Claire had gotten home late from work and was greeted by little bits of shredded black paper and a very happy Pavlov. And Alex had thought that it was merely another piece of junk mail and had thrown it away. Like anyone send something important in a black envelope.
No one had known that the others had received the same letter until Darien had curiously brought his to the Agency the next day, unopened.
And now, they all sat at the table, starting at the black letter with his address written in red.
"Who's going to open it?" Darien asked the group while refusing to take his eyes off the letter.
Everyone else just slightly raised their heads to stare at him. When he felt their gaze upon him, he too looked up. "What?"
"It *is* your letter there, partner."
Darien sighed. "You're right." Slowly, he reached forward and tentatively picked up the letter. As he slid his finger under the seal, everyone breathed in sharply, intent on holding it. When the first rip was completely and nothing had happened, the all relaxed and let Darien finish tearing it open. Inside was a black card, with fancy calligraphy in red ink lining the page.
"Well?" Both women's curiosity were getting out of hand, and they looked at each other after they said the same word simultaneously.
Darien cleared his throat and began reading aloud. "'Mister Fawkes, your presence is requested at the residence of Dark Ravenette on the seventh day of December. Transportation will be provided. Casual dress. Be prepared.'"
"'Be prepared'? What does that mean?" Alex asked.
"I have no clue."
"We all panicked over a party invitation?" Eberts pondered.
"Who's Dark Ravenette?" Claire asked.
Everyone shrugged. A stunned silence filled the room until Darien broke it.
"I'm gonna go to it."
"You can't be serious," Alex stated.
"Why not?"
"Well, you didn't read the PS, my friend," Hobbes interjected.
Darien looked over the card again, front and back. "What PS, Hobbes?"
"You know, the part that says 'PS This is a trap!'"
"I thought about the, Hobbesy. Why would we all be invited? I mean, if this was a trap, why would Eberts get invited? No one knows about him." He looked at Eberts, who was looking a little hurt. "No offense Ebes."
"None taken Darien," he sighed.
"So, do we all party?" Claire asked the group.
Everyone looked at each other, and in one voice, they echoed Darien's earlier sentiment. "Why not?"
"What are the odds of us all getting a party invitation on our day off?" Eberts asked aloud.
Everyone went silent to think about that.