**Merica**

"Are you ready?" 

Merica quietly closed the door behind her, and faced her brother, or 
more accurately, the white shock of hair over the back of his leather 
chair.

"Of course I am," she said glibly, pushing a piece of limp blond hair 
out of her face.

The chair swiveled away from the window abruptly and his black eyes met 
hers, glaring.  "Don't get cocky with me, sister dear.  I..." She glared 
at him. "We," he conceded with a chilling smile, "both have to much 
riding on this to risk mistakes."

"Don't be so anal, D'kar," Merica said scoffingly.  "All I'm supposed to 
do, as you recall from the millions of times we've gone over this,  is 
observe and offer gentle guidance if necessary.  'Sides, she is just a 
*girl*, how difficult can she be?"

She flopped down in the empty wooden chair and ran her fingers through 
her hair.

"She may be 'just a *girl*,' Merica," D'kar said in a cold reprimand.  
"But she is a queenrider.  Not only will you have to hide yourself from 
her, but the rest of the warren as well.  She's valuable to them and she 
is going to be watched, especially since she has this alarming tendancy 
to go off on her own.  Independent queenriders make warrens nervous, and 
you had better be as well."

"Yes, D'kar," she said calmly, gritting her teeth against a scathing 
reply.  She knew it wouldn't accomplish anything since he was once again 
right in that annoying, condenscending fashion of his.

He started to chuckle softly and she regarded him with surprise.  

"I know you too well, sister dear.  Now, you do know remember the plan 
to get out, just in case you are discovered.  I want you to get out of 
there if anything starts to feel funny, if anyone starts to suspect.."

"Why, D'kar!  Is this concern I hear?" she said mockingly, though she 
was really quite touched.  It wasn't often he said out right that he was 
worried about her.

He grimaced at her. "Don't patronize me, sister dear."  And then he 
flashed a rare smile, "And don't tell anyone either.. I do have a 
reputation to maintain.  And now I believe you had better get going 
before you miss your ride."  He turned his chair back towards the 
window; a clear dismissal.

Merica gaped at him, stunned at her brother's rare show of humor, before 
quietly exiting the room.  D'kar was right, she had a ride to catch and 
she'd better get going.
*************************
*At Geode*

Merica throw her bag of things over her shoulder and looked around her 
new home.  'Definately not the most beautiful place she'd ever seen,' 
she thought to herself as she took in the rocky, barren scenery.

"Oh well, first things first," she mumbled to herself and went to ask 
directions to the kitchen.

Some what oriented, her brother's description of the warren was fairly 
helpful as well, she found her way to the kitchen without major mishap.

"Dalchance?" she asked loudly over the noise of the kitchen.

"Over there," a little girl, who had been staring raptly at a bowl of 
cookie dough, said helpfully, pointing across the room.

"Thanks."

She walked over to the head cook, who was currently supervising over a 
roast.  "Excuse me, Dalchance?" she asked rather politely.

"Yes?" the cook asked almost absenty as she corrected the rate of the 
turning roast.

"My name's Merica," she said, holding out her free, clean hand.  "I was 
wondering if you have room for another permanent kitchen hand?  I'm 
willing to do dishes and I've worked in kitchens before at some inns."

"Of course, Merica dear," Dalchance said kindly.  "I can always use the 
extra help.  I have this awful problem of loosing my help everytime 
there's a hatching and having someone here permanently would be 
wonderful."

The head cook looked around briefly before shouting "Shona!" above the 
din.  A small, mousy woman suddenly appeared.  "Merica, this is my 
assistant Shona.  She'll find you a room and show you around."

Merica nodded and smiled, "Pleased to meet you, Shona."

"Welcome to Geode, Merica," Dalchance said before Shona led her away to 
find a room.

Merica smiled to herself.  This might be easier then even she had 
thought.
************************
*Somewhere not at Geode*
**Faedos Hithra**

Faedos paced irritably while Denik watched, leaning against his dragon, 
Cinkyre.  

"He ain't showing, Fae, the cocky bastard probably got caught," Denik 
commented blandly.

"Yeah, well if he got caught, its my ass on the line."

<*Any thing on Manfred yet, Barnath?*> Faedos asked, coming to a stop 
next to his dragon.  

<No... Its been too long, Fae.>

<*Damnit!  Yeah I know.  Lets go check on the mercs first, a little more 
time won't change much.  If we don't hear anything by the time we 
finish, contact Tejeshan.  D'kar is ^not^ going to like this.*>

<Don't complain.  Tejeshan is just as bad and I get to tell him,> 
Barnath said sourly.

<*Sorry pal.  I don't envy you.*>

"Mount up, Denik," he said as he completed the action.  "We might as 
well do what we were sent to do.  Two dragons are as an effective 
reminder to behave as three."

Denik merely snorted at the stupidity of mercenaries, and mounted up.  
Within moments they were in the air and then disappeared.
******************
NRPG: Bios will be forth coming for Faedos, D'kar, Denik, and T'renij 
(who is the one that was captured).  Barb or Peter can do Merica's.  

Submitted by,
Bridget Olson
Merica
Faedos Hithra and Barnath
D'kar and Tejeshan

                            .  ,   
                            . ,`o--Y  
    ____.....------.'      .,' ,,~''   `,------.....____   
''''`    `---.:: ,':       ; ,'         ;`. ;;.---'    '```` 
            `   `:__`-._   `.`.,    _,-'__;'   '         
                 `  `---`---'`'`---'---'  ' 
      ____________________ \`--'/`____________________
       Bridget Olson aka  ```  '''  badei@hotmail.com 
       Dyanisa & Sienra             Daere Warren
       Inagua & Myacura          "  Geode Warren
       N'lin &Trefoil           ''  Whiteriver Warren
       Chelea & Nebavri         ''  Xylian Warren
       N'dovra Leriamtiq       ' '  Ralengarde City
       Lt. <jg> Sirosa Badei   ' '  USS FARADAY
      __________________________' '____________________
                                 -
   "The limits of life are the limits of your imagination."
   
               I am the God of my own universe          
                     What is moral or not             
                           I decide                         
                     What is to be or not             
                           I decide                             
                       What was or not
                           I decide
                  Your are your own God too
                   Make your own descisions
                              -me
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