Some Time Off

Hey, Peter here. I know Ben's been calling me Jeremy, but that was his cover name for me (which he almost blew a couple times). I really don't need a code name, though, so you can call me Peter.

So, in the end, to sum up the events of yesterday, it was all essentially a test. Aleck and Vanderdecken weren't very helpful, and the explicitly told me to stay out of the way. The reason was simple; Ben needed to succeed on his own. Not just so he could prove himself, but because he really needs to have some self-confidence when Vanderdecken...you know...passes away. Oh sure, the dangers were real, but their logic was simple. If Ben couldn't stand up to those three, he wouldn't be able to stand up to what he needed to.

 It's amazing, considering that I hardly know Vanderdecken12, how emotional I am. And I like to think I'm a logical person. He is a very fabulous person, however. That much is self-evident. So he could be gone by February. That's sad. Ben asked him this morning how he wanted to spend it, and Aleck suggested he go up to the mountains. Based on the blog, that's something he did last year. So, a few minutes ago I bade them farewell for a one-month ski trip.

They invited me, but I have a debate tournament in a couple weeks, so I declined. Ben said to be sure to tell you all that he will alert you if anything happens. Most likely, and assuming all goes well, however, you will not get a post here for at least a month. This is Ben's last time with Vanderdecken12. Let's hope he enjoys it.