All the characters land separately in Seattle. Raahi, Casey and Dayna run into each other on the subway and, after an awkward conversation, realize that for various reasons, they’re alll on their way to a World Water Symposium. Ms. T shows up and is baffled by the convention’s strange mix ofattendees, seeming divided between scientists, business and government suits, and straight-up freaks with a strong new age skew. Zhou picks up the Kua at the container yard, and gives her a lift to the event. She asks him to follow him through the symposium and participate in whatever they’re supposed to be doing. Everyone finds they’ve been pre-reged for the symposium. Two groups seem to be putting on this shindig: a well funded but distinctly hippieish environmental organization and Paul Allen’s Vulcan Inc, a financial company with strong tech and engineering links. There’s a keynote about how the Biblical floods may provide some clues about how to stop global warming or some shit, apparently run by Casey’s father.

Raahi has no idea why he’s been asked to bring an ancient axe to the event. He also realizes that the attendees are largely serious fringe people, total crackpots and weirdos of the Whitley Strieber, Jose Arguelles type. He delivers the ax to a man who draws him off the event floor and explains that he is Raahi’s father, and that the axe is actually a gift to him on the occasion of their reunion. He reveals his nature as Ganesh to a nonplussed Raahi, and returns the axe, along with a fleck of ivory from his own tusk. It’s the shape of a SIM card. Raahi also finds himself with a companion, a rat.
Zhou follows Kua around while she talks cheerfully with a wide variety of convention goers and exhibitors. Everyone seems happy to have talked to her. Zhou realizes all this is for his benefit, that Kua is giving him, essentially, a tour of every crazy pseudoscience being bandied about the con, then peels off, sending him to the keynote.

Everyone in the party meets someone who gives them a reserved-seating card to Casey’s father’s talk, and they ended up seated together, awkwardly eyeballing one another.

The keynote is on “Noah’s Flood and the End of the Fourth World”? The presenter talks about the many flood myths across cultures, and how this points up that everyone’s culture has experienced some kind of cataclysmic climate change. He’s a REALLY good storyteller, but ultimately, he’s not arguing any position or imparting a lot of new information. At the end of the talk, the crowd is well fired up, and scatters out of the room. The presenter approaches the party and asks them to come with him, leading them backstage.

4xp (showing up) + 1xp (bonus)