> She wanted to go at once to check on him, but stopped and looked at the two 
> men.  No.  They needed to finish their work here, and the needed her help.
> 
> "It's just a piece of startling news," she explained.  "Nothing against 
> you.  Please, go ahead."
 
Tymor seemed to relax a little and M'yer stepped toward her again.  He
carefully wrapped the tape measure around the base of her tail, "25 and
a half," he called out.

P'ker repeated the number back and wrote it on a sketch he'd made.  "I
think we can call it cylindrical back about a foot.  Go about 2 feet
down and give me another measurement."

M'yer moved back along Tymor's tail and measured again.  They moved
along quickly at times, more slowly at others.  On several occations the
monotony was broken by them disagreeing over how to best proceed, and
them arguing about it.

Brisse watched, fascinated by the process.  She wished she knew more
about what they were doing.  How were all these measurements that seemed
meaningless to her going to determine Tymor's size.  After all, did it
really matter how big around each of her toes were?  After a while,
curiosity won over embarrasment.

"Excuse me," she said timidly.

P'ker and M'yer looked up from the stack of sketches that they were
studying, "Oh, I'm sorry," M'yer said, "if you need to go, we think we
have all the measurements we need."

"Oh!" Brisse exclaimed, "Is Tymor bigger than Beryth?"

"I'm afraid it isn't quite that simple," M'yer said.

"No," P'ker said stepping in front of M'yer, "the measuring is only the
first step.  Now we need to actually figure out how big Tymor is."

"And how do you do that?"

"We use simple shapes to approximate Tymor's shape," M'yer said pushing
P'ker aside, "Take her tail for example.  This section here near the
base we will approximate with a cylinder since the diameter doesn't
change very much.  The rest tapers so we'll approximate it as a set of
truncated cones each about 2 feet long."

"We use the same kind of approximations to determine the volume of the
rest of Tymor as well," P'ker said glaring at M'yer.

"I see," Brisse said, not really sure that she did, "How long will it
take you to figure it out?"

"A couple of hours," M'yer said, "We'll each do the calculation
seperately and then compare answers at the end.  If they match, then
we're done.  If they don't..."

"I have to find his mistake," P'ker interrupted.

M'yer ignored him, "We can work in the dining hall.  If you could direct
us to it?"

Brisse gave them directions and told them she'd drop by in a few hours
to see how they were doing.

***
Med Center

"What do you think?"

"What I don't see worries me, G'abril.  A healthy woman does not simply
pass out for no reason.  Did you find anything?" S'lomon asked.

"No, and I agree with you.  From what you reported of her complexion and
temperature when you found her I don't even think we can balme this on
the heat."

"Do you think it could have been vertigo caused by her coming out of the
water too quickly?" S'lomon asked.

G'abril shrugged, "Since we can't find something wrong, her passing out
could have been caused by anything.  I'm not even sure you should try to
give her an explanation.  Just send her home and tell her to get some
rest."

"There's nothing else I can tell her."

S'lomon and G'abril walked out of S'lomon's office and went in opposite
directions down the hall.  S'lomon knocked politely on the door of the
room domn the hall and waited for a few seconds before entering.  It was
a habit he'd acquired after walking in on too many lovers in the middle
of passionate kisses earlier in his career.  He knew that Cynthia had no
lover, but she deserved as much warning as any other patient.

"How are you feeling?" he asked as he walked across the room toward her
bed.

"I feel fine," Cynthia replied.

S'lomon sighed, "I can't find anything wrong with you."

"You sound dissapointed."

"Well, I'm not.  I'm going to let you return to your apartment.  I want
you to rest for a full day.  If you feel faint, or in any other way
unwell, call me."

"I will," Cynthia replied, "and S'lomon, thank you."

***
Dreamscape

Cynthia sat hunched over the bowl of water.

"You shouldn't sit like that for so long, my dear.  You'll get a kink in
your back," Vanessa said.

Cynthia sat up straight, "S'lomon doesn't seem to see anything wrong."

"Why would he?  Your body's working perfectly.  Only your mind is a
little off."

"Damn," Cynthia swore, "how do I regain control of myself?" she said
tracing lines in the dirt next to the bowl of water.

"I don't know.  He simply arrived.  He pushed you under the surface of
conciousness, and took control of your body.  The important thing is
that he was not strong enough to kill you."

"So if I can find some weakness of his and exploit it, I might be able
to regain control," Cynthia reasoned.

"I think so," Vanessa agreed.  She pointed to the dirt that Cynthia had
been pushing around, "What's that?"

Cynthia lifted up her hand and stared at the star with triangle within
it that she had drew, "I don't know."

***
Cynthia's apartment

She dismounted and left Syren to settle herself on the ledge.  Cynthis
shut the door to her half of the apartment and began to rummage around
the first thing she found was the oaken quarter staff.  She picked it up
and tested it.  It was a weapon she was used to.  She and it flowed as
one.  It would do nicely.

Cynthia walked to the bathroom and looked in the mirror.  Her hair
flowed far too long down her back.  "It's going to get in the way," she
said softly.

She searched the apartment for a few minutes and returned to the
bathroom with a pair of scisors.  Cynthia began cutting.

NRPG:

Lyn:  I have a bit more to write about M'yer and P'ker and their
measurement woes.  A little comic relief, so to speak.

Holly:  When you are satisfied with your bio, please send a copy to Lyn
<lcowper@indy.net> and I.  Two admin-types have to look at it before you
can start.  Lyn is the admin for Telnor Warren.

Respectfully submitted,
Warrenlady Cynthia - Cleft Warren
Alton Reich
-- 
			Alton & Elizabeth Reich
			  alton.reich@snet.net
"Ani l'dodi, v'dodi li - I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine"
--The Song of Songs