Adrian's Head, episode 7
                                06/01/95
                          by Adrian VanWormer

        Adrian was trying, without much success, to make a sketch of
his visualization of Kathalla climbing through Brian's bedroom
window when Talahran tapped him on the shoulder.  Halfway between
being irritated at the interuption and being grateful for an excuse
to give up, he turned, "Yes, Tal, what is it?"

        Talahran handed him a small pile of notebook paper, saying
as he did so, "I found these in Kath's room...  As it looks like she
may be gone for a bit longer than we expected, I was tidying up after
the umm...  activities that had gotten interupted by the emergency,
and these were hidden under her rope collection."

        "Hmm..." mused Adrian as he glanced at the title on the top
of the first page, "'A Day in the Life of a Councilheir'...  Whadya
know, the little minx did it!  I thought she'd be too busy drawing
pincussions, er- I mean lovers, to actually do as I'd suggested.
This I've _got_ to read..."  He motioned Tal away and started reading.

        Talahran wandered over to the couch, where he sat down between
Len and Rose.  Rose was reading "The Care and Feeding of Terrans," and
Len was just sitting there, head drooping.

        "Still depressed?" asked Talahran.

        "Who wouldn't be?" replied Len, "I nearly killed hir...  Is
that anything to be happy about?  And no IRC 'til July, it's looking
to be the start of a damn boring month..."

        "Cheer up," said Tal with an evil snicker, "It won't be _that_
boring...  As soon as Kath gets back, you're hers for a night, as
part of your punishment.  I'd hardly consider that dull..."

        For some reason, that didn't improve Len's mood any.  He got
up and stalked into the bedroom.

        *You're mean...* sent Rose.

        Tal jerked and turned to hir with a start.  Last he knew, shey
wasn't telepathic.

        Shey just kept reading, an enigmatic little smile quirking about
hir lips.

        "Weird..." muttered Talahran, as he got up and walked back to
the annex to keep cleaning up.

        About half an hour later, Spot came down the stairs and went
immediately to Zalth's tank.  With a push of a few buttons, the thick
healing fluid started to drain.

        "What's up?" asked Adrian, putting down the text he'd just
finished and joining Spot.

        Spot gave him a look that said plainly, 'I've had a _lousy_
day,' and motioned towards the tank, "It's time for our friend to come
out, that's all.  He's not quite healed, but there's a few things about
his skin and lungs that just won't fix themselves in a wet environment."

        "No problem, he can use Kath's bed for the timebeing.  It's
out of the way, for now, and the look on her face if he's still there
when she gets back should be priceless."

        Spot gave him a wan smile, and wnet back to punching buttons on
the tank.

        The computer beeped, "New mail, multiple authors."

        Adrian sat down and read the incoming messages.  "Hmmm...  Kath
must have posted that story on the net before she had to take off.  Yo
Len!  Talahran!  Front and center!"

        The two young Velans jumped up and joined Adrian at the computer,
questions unasked but showing clearly on their faces.

        "Your travels are resuming, ASAP.  Get dressed for production
and be on the set in an hour."

        Grinning like kits, they ran off to the bedroom to get out of
their human-style clothes.  It had been too long, and they were eager to
finish the story they'd started months ago.

        "Hey Rose, think you can opperate a studio camera?"

        Looking up from her book, shey grinned and said, "Name one of
your children that can't..."

        "Happy days are here again..."