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From: hebert@ucbeh.san.uc.edu
Newsgroups: alt.pub.dragons-inn
Subject: [TatH] Preparing for Business
Message-ID: <1993Sep1.213811.4509@ucbeh.san.uc.edu>
Date: 1 Sep 93 21:38:10 EDT
Distribution: world
Lines: 84

    Gravio stood calmly on the stair landing, and watched the elegant visitor
enter the room at the top.  Lady Ahiska stood in the doorway next to him, a
stern expression on her face.

    Gravio thumbed to the top of the stair.  "Who ya got there?  Can't say as
I like his looks."

    "Leave him be, Grav; at least for now.  You and the boys keep an eye on
him, if you can, but don't cross him.  Just tell where he goes and who he
sees.  Meanwhile, I've got a little errand to run."  The aged beauty patted
him lightly on his face and smiled.  "Be good, now."

    The armed youth nodded and returned her smile.  He watched her for a
moment as she slowly descended the stairs with a grace and bearing that were
uncommon in Generica, then turned again to look at the door.  Just as he was
leaving, however, a loud noise from the room made him pause.

                        *           *            *

    The silver key turned effortlessly in the new lock.  A gentle tune, barely
audible, escaped the cultured man as he stepped into the large main room of
the suite.

    "Oh my, yes.  This will do nicely.  There's just a little...."  A fine
layer of dust lay on the rich furnishings, and a some of the candlesticks were
empty [apparently having been robbed for some more heavily trafficked area]. 
As he tossed his hat and cape on the padded sofa, the visitor made a small
gesture with his face toward the candlesticks.  Immediately, every candle in
the room was ablaze; the once empty sockets contained tall, scented candles,
and the old candles were replaced by them as well.  Also, all the dust that
had gathered over the months of vacancy was instantly gone.

    "That's even better.  A good fire always brightens up a place."

    He strode to a smallish writing desk and chair near a window overlooking
the sea.  "Hmm; this is rather tiny."  He looked around a bit, but there were
no other desks in the suite.  "I guess I'll have to make do."  Picking up the
small chair roughly by its back, he gave it one good shake.  It suddenly
expanded into a large chair with a high back and leather padding.  The wooden
arms and legs were ornately carved claws grasping human skulls of clear glass.

    It was obvious that the new chair would certainly not fit at the desk any
longer.  Lifting from one end, the guest raised the little desk several inches
off the floor.  Glancing back and forth between the new chair and the old desk
several times, he adjusted the height.  Finally satisfied, he let go of it.

    Instead of falling back to the floor, however, it remained where it was. 
He lifted the opposite side to match, and stepped back to inspect the
situation.  The writing desk hung with its legs some inches off the floor. 
Reaching out to grasp the front of the desk top, he pulled as if opening a
drawer.  The desk top widened as he did so.

    "Mmm hmm.  That's just about right."  A brief gesture flashed in the
direction of the desk, and a loud bang was heard as the legs suddenly grew
down to the floor.  The parts of the desk also became more substantial in that
moment; the legs were now heavier and carved in a fashion similar to those of
the chair.  The desk top was thicker now, too, and the whole piece of
furniture seemed to grow more drawers from somewhere.

    A pleased look spread across his face as the man sat in the new chair and
pulled himself up to the new desk.  "Much better."

    "Well.  Time to get to work.  Two-Picker, Two-Picker, oh where are you
now?"

    He pushed a sleeve up and opened his mouth very wide.  His arm reached
inside his head up to his elbow, and after a minute or so his face got a cross
look.  Eventually though, he withdrew his arm.  His hand, when it finally came
out, held a crystal ball slightly larger than the man's fist.  There was a
sickening cracking sound as it passed through his mouth.

    After wiping the fluid off with a rag that materialized from nowhere, he
opened a drawer and removed a white, three-legged stand which seemed to be
made from small bones; perhaps from a human hand or foot.  Placing this in the
middle of the table first, he then rested the globe on top of it.  He breathed
a very long breath onto the globe, one which would not have seemed possible
[had you not been watching him all along] from his slight frame.  The crystal
ball clouded on the surface, then darkened inside, as if a liquid were being
poured in and swirled about.

    "Let's see where you've skipped off to this time, General."

                      *            *             *