"Okay Lil Sis," Tera said as she can to stand beside the table. "Are you 
really doing okay, and what in the heck did you say to my mate to make him 
look as if he's about the spit nails?"

Lyonnia's head shot up at the sound of Tera's voice, who wondered at the
shocked expression on her face.

"Well?"

Lyonnia recovered from her shock and planted a genuine smile on her face.
"Oh, I missed you," she cried, throwing herself into her friends' arms.  She
hugged for a long time, her brain working furiously.  Tera disengaged first
from the hug and sat down in a chair, Lyonnia following suit.  "I just saw
you talking to Gab'rin," she started.

"Oh!  That.  It was nothing.  I just had a few questions to ask him."
Lyonnia bit down the impulse to chew her lip, her mind running through
possible scenerios.  She hated lying; she wasn't *technically* lying to her
friend, though, just keeping the truth out. 

"Well, he seemed a little angry."  Tera looked up at Lyonnia, her eyes
worried.  "What did you say to him?"

"Well...."  She hedged for a moment, then blurted, "He suspects the Shadow
was involved with your attack."  She could have bonked herself right then.
She did *not* need to know that!

"My att...."  Tera seemed shocked at first, then contemplative.  "Yes," she
said slowly, "that WOULD get Gab'rin angry, now, wouldn't it?"

"I told him that he didn't do it though," Lyonnia hastened to add.  She then
related her story to Tera, once again glossing over the kissing part and the
questions.  "He brought me in from stables," she said.  "Into his own cabin."

Tera's eyes widened and she exclaimed, "He didn't----"  She broke off.

"Oh!  No, no, he was perfectly gallant."  She hastened to calm her friend.
"He was the perfect gentlemen."  Remembering his kiss, though, made her
blush again.  Tera, for whom nothing could get by, noticed her friend's red
cheeks and said, "Are you telling me the truth?"

"Yes, I am.  Nothing untoward happened.  He didn't hurt me in any way."

A small smile came onto Tera's lips as she asked, "Then why the blush?"

Lyonnia blushed even more, and stuttered out, "Well, it's, um, nothing.  I,
well, just, um, was remembering something....."

"Well?" Tera asked, coming closer as if to hear a secret.

Lyonnia was saved then by a dragonrider coming up to her and tapping her
shoulder.  Saved, but not in a way she would have liked.  "The warrenlady
would like to see you," the man said, then turned around and left the way he
came.

Tera watched the man leave then turned back to her friend and asked, "What
was that about?"

Lyonnia just stared at the floor.  Crap, crap, crap, she thought.  Crap, she
added for good measure.  She looked up at Tera's face and told her, "I, um,
didn't tell her everything about my time with the Shadow."

"Well, you didn't tell me either."

"Listen, I have to go see her," Lyonnia stood up and practically raced for
the door, dreading the visit to the warrenlady.  Because of her hasty
departure, she failed to notice the confused expression on Tera's face, nor
did she notice the girl stand up and head towards where her mate had gone.
All she could think about was the visit coming up.

"Crap, crap......shit," she muttered.  "Shit, shit, shit."


Respectfully submitted

Sarah


NRPG:  Well, Lyn, here I come.  You seem to know, or have gotten word, that
I didn't tell you anything; that's for you to decide.  Barb, hope I played
Tera right.

Lyonnia (Nia)/Dianthus *Telnor Warren*