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A Curve Toward a Conclusion

The vote in the last poll was relatively close, with "Screw it, stay here" holding a slight lead. But that was narrowly offset by some GPs for the other side, so that is the choice that gets published today:

* Interactive: "She So Mad" 
* Public: "She So Mad" 

For the record, the final, adjusted tally was:

* Go home: 57.1%
* Screw it, stay here: 42.9%

And this is where I'm going conclude the branch, at least for the time being. It seems like a good breaking off point.

If you read today's chapter, you will also notice that it seems to curve around and intersect the subject of the other poll (still running: [Deleted poll]). That is mostly a coincidence. I had it in the back of my head the entire time that the Libra would reassert itself, and I knew that once it did so, a trip back to Arnholm's would be a possibility. While writing "She So Mad," it occurred to me that if Will and Sara were to meet, The Crystal Cave could serve both as a meeting place and as a way to get Will in to Arnholm's, thus bringing the story to a critical turning point. Perhaps the return of Blackwell in the current poll made this twist more salient to my subconscious. But I didn't deliberately try to force it, and simply accepted what looked like a convenient inevitability.

What next?

I'm going to take the weekend off from publishing and resume on Monday with a sequel to "Making Mickey." After that, we'll see.