diff --git a/src/java/com/threerings/crowd/chat/server/ChatProvider.java b/src/java/com/threerings/crowd/chat/server/ChatProvider.java
index 2b5c9b092..6284cffa6 100644
--- a/src/java/com/threerings/crowd/chat/server/ChatProvider.java
+++ b/src/java/com/threerings/crowd/chat/server/ChatProvider.java
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 //
-// $Id: ChatProvider.java,v 1.2 2001/08/04 02:54:28 mdb Exp $
+// $Id: ChatProvider.java,v 1.3 2001/08/11 00:05:58 mdb Exp $
 
 package com.threerings.cocktail.party.chat;
 
@@ -13,13 +13,13 @@ public class ChatProvider extends InvocationProvider
      * Processes a request from a client to deliver a tell message to
      * another client.
      */
-    public Object[] handleTellRequest (
-        BodyObject source, String target, String message)
+    public void handleTellRequest (
+        BodyObject source, int invid, String target, String message)
     {
         // look up the target body object
         BodyObject tobj = PartyServer.lookupBody(target);
         if (tobj == null) {
-            return createResponse("TellFailed", "m.player_not_online");
+            sendResponse(source, invid, "TellFailed", "m.player_not_online");
         }
 
         // deliver a tell notification to the target player
@@ -28,6 +28,6 @@ public class ChatProvider extends InvocationProvider
             tobj.getOid(), ChatService.MODULE, ChatService.TELL_NOTIFICATION,
             args);
 
-        return createResponse("TellSucceeded");
+        sendResponse(source, invid, "TellSucceeded");
     }
 }
diff --git a/src/java/com/threerings/crowd/server/LocationProvider.java b/src/java/com/threerings/crowd/server/LocationProvider.java
index a57c64c96..148f47a80 100644
--- a/src/java/com/threerings/crowd/server/LocationProvider.java
+++ b/src/java/com/threerings/crowd/server/LocationProvider.java
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 //
-// $Id: LocationProvider.java,v 1.2 2001/08/04 01:13:36 mdb Exp $
+// $Id: LocationProvider.java,v 1.3 2001/08/11 00:05:58 mdb Exp $
 
 package com.threerings.cocktail.party.server;
 
@@ -18,14 +18,16 @@ public class LocationProvider extends InvocationProvider
     /**
      * Processes a request from a client to move to a new place.
      */
-    public Object[] handleMoveToRequest (BodyObject source, int placeId)
+    public void handleMoveToRequest (BodyObject source, int invid,
+                                     int placeId)
     {
         // make sure the place in question actually exists
         DObject pobj = CherServer.omgr.getObject(placeId);
         if (pobj == null || !(pobj instanceof PlaceObject)) {
             Log.info("Requested to move to non-existent place " +
                      "[source=" + source + ", place=" + placeId + "].");
-            return createResponse("MoveFailed", "m.no_such_place");
+            sendResponse(source, invid, "MoveFailed", "m.no_such_place");
+            return;
         }
 
         // acquire a lock on the body object to ensure that rapid fire
@@ -33,7 +35,8 @@ public class LocationProvider extends InvocationProvider
         if (!source.acquireLock("moveToLock")) {
             // if we're still locked, a previous moveTo request hasn't
             // been fully processed
-            return createResponse("MoveFailed", "m.move_in_progress");
+            sendResponse(source, invid, "MoveFailed", "m.move_in_progress");
+            return;
         }
 
         // find out if they were previously in some other location
@@ -63,6 +66,7 @@ public class LocationProvider extends InvocationProvider
         // once all these events are processed
         source.releaseLock("moveToLock");
 
-        return createResponse("MoveSucceeded");
+        // send the response
+        sendResponse(source, invid, "MoveSucceeded");
     }
 }
diff --git a/src/java/com/threerings/presents/dobj/MessageEvent.java b/src/java/com/threerings/presents/dobj/MessageEvent.java
index ccc7dc427..91782a7bf 100644
--- a/src/java/com/threerings/presents/dobj/MessageEvent.java
+++ b/src/java/com/threerings/presents/dobj/MessageEvent.java
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 //
-// $Id: MessageEvent.java,v 1.4 2001/08/04 00:32:11 mdb Exp $
+// $Id: MessageEvent.java,v 1.5 2001/08/11 00:05:58 mdb Exp $
 
 package com.threerings.cocktail.cher.dobj;
 
@@ -66,6 +66,16 @@ public class MessageEvent extends TypedEvent
         return _args;
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Replaces the arguments associated with this message event.
+     * <em>Note:</em> this should only be called on events that have not
+     * yet been dispatched into the distributed object system.
+     */
+    public void setArgs (Object[] args)
+    {
+        _args = args;
+    }
+
     /**
      * Applies this attribute change to the object.
      */
diff --git a/src/java/com/threerings/presents/server/InvocationManager.java b/src/java/com/threerings/presents/server/InvocationManager.java
index f1afc9db4..3e800eb5a 100644
--- a/src/java/com/threerings/presents/server/InvocationManager.java
+++ b/src/java/com/threerings/presents/server/InvocationManager.java
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 //
-// $Id: InvocationManager.java,v 1.5 2001/07/19 19:18:07 mdb Exp $
+// $Id: InvocationManager.java,v 1.6 2001/08/11 00:05:58 mdb Exp $
 
 package com.threerings.cocktail.cher.server;
 
@@ -135,7 +135,7 @@ public class InvocationManager
         }
 
         // prune the method arguments from the full message arguments
-        Object[] margs = new Object[args.length-2];
+        Object[] margs = new Object[args.length-1];
         int cloid = mevt.getSourceOid();
         margs[0] = CherServer.omgr.getObject(cloid);
         // make sure the client is still around
@@ -145,7 +145,7 @@ public class InvocationManager
                         ", proc=" + procedure + ", cloid=" + cloid + "].");
             return true;
         }
-        System.arraycopy(args, 3, margs, 1, args.length-3);
+        System.arraycopy(args, 2, margs, 1, args.length-2);
 
         // look up the method that will handle this procedure
         String mname = "handle" + procedure + "Request";
@@ -158,26 +158,14 @@ public class InvocationManager
         }
 
         // and invoke it
-        Object[] rargs = null;
         try {
-            rargs = (Object[])procmeth.invoke(provider, margs);
+            procmeth.invoke(provider, margs);
         } catch (Exception e) {
             Log.warning("Error invoking invocation procedure " +
                         "[provider=" + provider + ", method=" + procmeth +
                         ", error=" + e + "].");
         }
 
-        // if there is a response to be delivered, do so
-        if (rargs != null) {
-            // fill in the invocation id
-            rargs[1] = invid;
-            // and create a message event for delivery to the client
-            MessageEvent revt = new MessageEvent(
-                mevt.getSourceOid(), InvocationObject.RESPONSE_NAME, rargs);
-            // and ship it off
-            CherServer.omgr.postEvent(revt);
-        }
-
         return true;
     }
 
diff --git a/src/java/com/threerings/presents/server/InvocationProvider.java b/src/java/com/threerings/presents/server/InvocationProvider.java
index 29cb21367..91f239f7f 100644
--- a/src/java/com/threerings/presents/server/InvocationProvider.java
+++ b/src/java/com/threerings/presents/server/InvocationProvider.java
@@ -1,8 +1,12 @@
 //
-// $Id: InvocationProvider.java,v 1.3 2001/07/23 21:13:29 mdb Exp $
+// $Id: InvocationProvider.java,v 1.4 2001/08/11 00:05:58 mdb Exp $
 
 package com.threerings.cocktail.cher.server;
 
+import com.threerings.cocktail.cher.dobj.MessageEvent;
+import com.threerings.cocktail.cher.data.ClientObject;
+import com.threerings.cocktail.cher.data.InvocationObject;
+
 /**
  * Invocation providers should extend this class when implementing
  * invocation services. Because the service procedures are identified by
@@ -23,8 +27,8 @@ package com.threerings.cocktail.cher.server;
  *     // provider registered for MODULE should look like:
  *     public class TestProvider extends InvocationProvider
  *     {
- *         public Object[] handleTestRequest (ClientObject source,
- *                                            String one, int two)
+ *         public void handleTestRequest (ClientObject source, int invid,
+ *                                        String one, int two)
  *         {
  *             // ...
  *         }
@@ -36,7 +40,7 @@ package com.threerings.cocktail.cher.server;
  *
  * <p> Invocation procedures must also package up their response in a
  * particular way which is through the use of the
- * <code>createResponse</code> methods. These take a response identifier
+ * <code>sendResponse</code> methods. These take a response identifier
  * (which determines the name of the method that will be invoked on the
  * response target object provided in the client) and a variable number of
  * arguments. If a response was created with the identifier
@@ -50,51 +54,70 @@ package com.threerings.cocktail.cher.server;
 public class InvocationProvider
 {
     /**
-     * Creates a response array properly configured with the supplied name
-     * and no arguments.
+     * Delivers an invocation response properly configured with the
+     * supplied name and no arguments.
      */
-    protected Object[] createResponse (String name)
+    protected void sendResponse (ClientObject source, int invid, String name)
     {
-        return new Object[] { name, null };
+        deliverResponse(source, new Object[] { name, new Integer(invid) });
     }
 
     /**
-     * Creates a response array properly configured with the supplied name
-     * and single argument.
+     * Delivers an invocation response properly configured with the
+     * supplied name and single argument.
      */
-    protected Object[] createResponse (String name, Object arg)
+    protected void sendResponse (ClientObject source, int invid,
+                                 String name, Object arg)
     {
-        return new Object[] { name, null, arg };
+        Object[] args = new Object[] { name, new Integer(invid), arg };
+        deliverResponse(source, args);
     }
 
     /**
-     * Creates a response array properly configured with the supplied name
-     * and two arguments.
+     * Delivers an invocation response properly configured with the
+     * supplied name and two arguments.
      */
-    protected Object[] createResponse (String name, Object arg1, Object arg2)
+    protected void sendResponse (ClientObject source, int invid,
+                                 String name, Object arg1, Object arg2)
     {
-        return new Object[] { name, null, arg1, arg2 };
+        Object[] args = new Object[] {
+            name, new Integer(invid), arg1, arg2 };
+        deliverResponse(source, args);
     }
 
     /**
-     * Creates a response array properly configured with the supplied name
-     * and three arguments.
+     * Delivers an invocation response properly configured with the
+     * supplied name and three arguments.
      */
-    protected Object[] createResponse (String name, Object arg1, Object arg2,
-                                       Object arg3)
+    protected void sendResponse (ClientObject source, int invid,
+                                 String name, Object arg1, Object arg2,
+                                 Object arg3)
     {
-        return new Object[] { name, null, arg1, arg2, arg3 };
+        Object[] args = new Object[] {
+            name, new Integer(invid), arg1, arg2, arg3 };
+        deliverResponse(source, args);
     }
 
     /**
-     * Creates a response array properly configured with the supplied name
-     * and varying number of arguments.
+     * Delivers an invocation response properly configured with the
+     * supplied name and varying number of arguments.
      */
-    protected Object[] createResponse (String name, Object[] args)
+    protected void sendResponse (ClientObject source, int invid,
+                                 String name, Object[] args)
     {
-        Object[] rsp = new Object[args.length+2];
-        rsp[0] = name;
-        System.arraycopy(args, 0, rsp, 2, args.length);
-        return rsp;
+        Object[] rargs = new Object[args.length+2];
+        rargs[0] = name;
+        rargs[1] = new Integer(invid);
+        System.arraycopy(args, 0, rargs, 2, args.length);
+        deliverResponse(source, rargs);
+    }
+
+    protected void deliverResponse (ClientObject source, Object[] args)
+    {
+        // create the response event
+        MessageEvent mevt = new MessageEvent(
+            source.getOid(), InvocationObject.RESPONSE_NAME, args);
+        // and ship it off
+        CherServer.omgr.postEvent(mevt);
     }
 }
diff --git a/tests/src/java/com/threerings/presents/server/TestProvider.java b/tests/src/java/com/threerings/presents/server/TestProvider.java
index 659f8f0a5..8d3bfe56c 100644
--- a/tests/src/java/com/threerings/presents/server/TestProvider.java
+++ b/tests/src/java/com/threerings/presents/server/TestProvider.java
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 //
-// $Id: TestProvider.java,v 1.5 2001/08/07 20:38:58 mdb Exp $
+// $Id: TestProvider.java,v 1.6 2001/08/11 00:05:58 mdb Exp $
 
 package com.threerings.cocktail.cher.server.test;
 
@@ -14,8 +14,8 @@ import com.threerings.cocktail.cher.server.InvocationProvider;
  */
 public class TestProvider extends InvocationProvider
 {
-    public Object[] handleTestRequest (
-        ClientObject source, String one, int two)
+    public void handleTestRequest (
+        ClientObject source, int invid, String one, int two)
     {
         Log.info("Test request [one=" + one + ", two=" + two + "].");
 
@@ -25,12 +25,12 @@ public class TestProvider extends InvocationProvider
             source.getOid(), TestService.MODULE, "Test", args);
 
         // and issue a response to this invocation request
-        return createResponse("TestSucceeded", one, new Integer(two));
+        sendResponse(source, invid, "TestSucceeded", one, new Integer(two));
     }
 
-    public Object[] handleGetTestOidRequest (ClientObject source)
+    public void handleGetTestOidRequest (ClientObject source, int invid)
     {
         int oid = TestServer.testobj.getOid();
-        return createResponse("GotTestOid", new Integer(oid));
+        sendResponse(source, invid, "GotTestOid", new Integer(oid));
     }
 }