[Trey]

Waylene suddenly whispered, "Oh dear," but shook her head at his
questioning glance.  "I think perhaps you're right. A public meeting might
be our best course. However, I don't think you and I can do it alone.  We
need someone else... someone who knows more about your history then anyone
else." 

"R'chein..." he said.

Waylene smiled, "Exactly."  She paused, in conversation with her dragon. 
She seemed mildly disturbed by something, but soon said, "I will send
D'nar to call for R'chein."  She studied his face briefly.  "Trey, I'm
really sorry that this had to get out. But until things settle down a
little I think it would be best if you stayed in your apartment."

He nodded, thinking of the accusing glances he would get otherwise.  Trey
was a brave man, but there was a fine line between courage and stupidity,
and facing public acrimony wasn't a thing he felt was necessary yet.  He 
would be brave when the public meeting came, until then...

"I don't want to pry in your personal affairs, so please forgive me for
asking, but have you told Diana the whole story?" He raised an eyebrow
at her. "Yes, Z'lec told me. I just... I'm just concerned for her. She's
been through so much already, losing Darrin." 

Trey nodded looking down, "I told her."

She nodded.  "I see."

A thought occurred to him.  Could Zena have been the one to start the
talk?  She had probably known through Diana's thoughts what had
happened.  She wouldn't have known not to talk and would have been
puzzled, as most dragons were, by the reactions humans had to the crime. 
There were no incest taboos among dragons and mating flights were not
that much different than rape.  It must seem a strange reaction to them.

Waylene sat fidgetting as he sat silent.  There was little more to 
discuss.  His mind wandered.  Was there anything he needed to do before 
retiring to his apartment for the day?  He wanted to visit David in the 
medical center, see how the boy was doing.

Thoughts of David made him think of something.  "Waylene, the sword that
Malk Bromitz had, it wasn't his sword.  It belonged to Labrona of
Telnor.  It's been in her family for... gods... generations beyond
telling.  They're an old Telnor family.  She left significant numbers of
family behind.  The sword should go back to them.  I think David had it 
last I saw."

Waylene nodded.  "I'll be sure it's returned."

A man named D'nar entered just then.  Trey had met him briefly his first
morning there, yesterday morning, when he had asked him directions to
the medical center.  He doubted D'nar remembered the encounter.  Trey
remembered it more for the woman he passed upon walking off, who had
looked at him with a hungry, appraising look.  It had been the first
time it had really occurred to Trey that he would be seen now as
available, and the thought had made him very uncomfortable.  With this
spate of rumours, he doubted he would be pursued much now.

D'nar nodded to him and turned to Waylene.  "What can I do for you, 
Waylene?"

Waylene gave the man a message for R'chein and he was soon on his way 
to Telnor.

"Now," Waylene said, "I think it would be best if you were present at
the meeting, but if we let R'chein talk first, and perhaps then myself,
to explain my decision to allow you to transfer to Marrid.  I'm not sure
whether it would help or hinder for you to talk."

Trey considered the question.  Just then, a knock came at the door.  At
Waylene's invitation, Diana entered, looking very concerned and upset. 
"Are you alright?" she asked him.

Trey nodded.

Diana looked at Waylene and said, "Well, what are you going to do about 
this?  If he is banished, I go with him."

Trey sat in shock.  After one day's acquaintance, Diana would leave with
him instead of staying here?  Waylene's face also registered surprise
and a little hurt at Diana's assumptions.

"Diana, you are jumping to conclusions," Waylene started.  "There will
be no banishment.  I gave my promise to Ophelia that we would give him a
home here."

"I don't think Z'lec agrees with you," Diana said.

Trey looked at her in shock.  So, it wasn't just him that saw that Z'lec
was unhappy with his mate's decision.  He wondered what Z'lec had said
to her.

"Yes, it appears that Z'lec and I do not agree," Waylene said without a
wince. "However, you know that isn't the point. I am WarrenLady."

Trey smiled, remembering his talk with her this morning where he had
pointed out that same point.  However, WarrenLady or not, if the warren
was all against her, he would feel it necessary to leave, promise or no.

Waylene seemed to be momentarily interrupted by a conversation with her
dragon, then refocused on the two of them. "We will discuss this more
when R'chein arrives. In the meantime I think Tr'etram should be in his
apartment for a while."

"You're restricting him to his apartments?" asked Diana.

"No, it is not a restriction, it is simply a suggestion. Right now
rumors are flying and they are not telling the whole truth. Tr'etram has
not had a chance to tell his story yet." She looked at the man, "Trey,
it really is up to you what you do, but as we have seen already today,
tempers are running high. I do not want to have to deal with any fights
on top of all this."

There was a knock at the door.

"Come in." Waylene called.

Another dragonrider walked in, looking chagrinned.  Trey wondered what 
he had done.

"Have a seat T'rend," Waylene said and then turned back to Diana and 
Trey, "If there is anything else, we can discuss it later."

They left.  They walked in silence for a moment back to their dragons.

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to break our lunch date, Diana.  Sorry."

"You don't have to stay in your apartment, you know."

He shrugged.  "I don't have anywhere else to go.  I want to see David
first, see how he's doing, and get a bit more food.  I was working on a
sewing project when Waylene called me, so I've got stuff I can do."

He noticed her amused smile.

"Laughing at me for sewing?"

"Sorry, it just seems to funny for Tr'etram of Telnor, Alpha wingleader
and the man who tamed the wild Ophelia."

He grinned.  "Well, it's a damned sight more likely than that *Ophelia* 
would cook or sew."

They both giggled and then he fell silent, thinking of all the years
with Ophelia, all the time he had cooked and sewn for her or the kids. 
Gone now, never to return.

"Why don't you tell me what you need for your kitchen and I'll get it.  
I hear Cook's back up and about and I don't think you need to have a 
run-in with her after everything else.  You can go visit David while I 
pick up your things."

Trey nodded.  He listed off things that he needed and the two mounted 
their dragons and headed off in different directions.

As they landed in front of the Medical Center, Koroth said, <I am going 
to go find Yenal.  This must be a horrible time for him and he needs a 
friend to comfort him.>

<That would be a good idea, Roth, though I don't intend to be here 
long.  I'll call when I'm done.>

<After I get you back to your apartment, I will probably return to 
Yenal's side.>

Trey nodded.  Roth and Yenal had been closer than he and M'cos had been,
and Roth obviously felt deep concern for the dragon who had been a
friend to him before the mysterious disappearance of dragon and rider.

He entered the Medical Center and grabbed a hurrying staff member to ask
where David's room was.  There was something up-- problems with a
patient that had been brought in.  The staffer told him quickly and
headed off.  Trey peeked into the room where the new patient was.  He
had been beaten severely and seemed to be delirious, flailing his arms
at the staff.  There were chains on his arms.  A staffer stood with
metal cutters, but could get nowhere with the flailing man.

Just then, three young people walked in.  One was the boy, Mukale, of
the flame throwers, one was the girl with the apartment next to Trey's
and one was a slightly older boy whom Trey hadn't met yet, not that he'd
met many people yet.

"Wh-what's g-going on?" the one Trey had yet to meet asked.

"I don't know," Trey answered.  "It seems they have an uncooperative 
patient.  Do you know who he is?"

Respectfully submitted,
 Lynette R. F. Cowper
  Tr'etram and Koroth

 **********************************************************************
 * Lynette R. F. Cowper       *     Official INWO NetRep & Goddess    *
 * lcowper@io.com             *        Circle of Janus Secretary      *
 * lcowper@indy.net           *   VP of P.U.R.P.L.E. (People United   *
 * http://www.io.com/~lcowper/*   Respecting Purple Legal Equality)   *
 **********************************************************************
 *     The INWO rulings I make are official.  All other opinions,     *
 *  discussions, deck ideas, card ideas, political beliefs, etc. are  *
 *  my own and not those of Steve Jackson Games, the Circle of Janus, *
 *                        or P.U.R.P.L.E.  Fnord.                     *
 **********************************************************************