It saddens me that nobody has quoted this yet:
I do not doubt for an instant that 7-Ball is going to go home and mainline Chinese hot mustard while he gets laid off from his job creating random words for Spam emails.
The concept of this job existing, let alone it being filled by a guy named "7-Ball," fills me with near-childish glee.
EDIT: Further thoughts, now that I'm more fully caught up:
I'm glad to hear that the Ekaterinburg thing is generally working out for Cornelius. We all pretty much know that the love thing will end in tears, but it sounds like he's genuinely enjoying the experience, so hopefully something will come of it regardless. I also really like his writing style; it's like the cool alive-stuffed-animal travel writer we all wish we knew.*
Also, LN using the word "abate." This is totally gold.
* Admittedly, the "alive stuffed animal" part is negotiable.