> "Ready?" H'nry asked.
> 
> "Ready as I'll ever be."
> 
> She felt his body tense slightly as Dalanth launched into the air.  Oh, to
> have that body against her...
> 
> Maybe this had been a bad idea...

Scene: Evening - Day 1

Kay was fairly miserable when H'nry and Retala went to see him in prison 
that first evening.  H'nry tried to cheer him up with the fact that his 
cell was at least above ground and had a window.  It was small comfort to 
Kay that he wasn't in a dungeon.

Kay was much more concerned about Kittabrie and Danielle than his own 
plight.  The two visitors had little to report, and that made Kay's blue 
mood worse.

H'nry and Retala finally departed as the sun set.  They promised to 
return the following day.

***
Dalanth landed lightly on the ledge of the apartment a few feet from 
where Rimanda lay stretched out on her sand.  He settled into a low 
crouch and laid his head next to Rimanda's.

Retala leaned forward away from H'nry and regreted breaking the physical 
contact between them.  He put his hands on her waist to steady her as she 
swung her leg over the saddle and slid to the ground.  she turned and 
looked up into hid brown eyes, "Thank you H'nry for taking me to see 
Kay."

"Thank you for accompanying me," H'nry replied.

"I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yes.  I want to return to Raisa to begin our community service, and 
start working on Kay's defense."

Retala nodded, "Good night, H'nry."

She watched Dalanth take to the air with powerful wing strokes.  Dragon 
and rider moving in concert.

***
Scene: Inn in Raisa - Evening - Day 2
"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" Retala said waving her beer mug
in H'nry's direction.  She had to speak loudly to be heard over the crowd 
in the tavern.

"A little.  The fun will begin when we try to build it," H'nry
replied, "If I had actually known I was going to enjoy this, I'd have
tried to take a swing at Etain years ago."

"So how does this screw pump thing work anyway?" Retala asked, they'd 
been together for several hours, and she was more interested in his 
company than the pump.

"It's a fairly old device," H'nry said pulling a sheet of paper and a
charcoal pencil from his pack, "let me show you," he began to sketch as 
he talked, "You take a large screw and you put it in a slightly bigger 
tube."

"Where are we going to get a screw 20 feet long?" Retala asked.

"We'll make it.  We can either use a tree trunk and carve off the wood we 
don't neet, or we can forge one.  I haven't decided which to do yet.  The 
tube can be made from wood staves.  The has to be good, but not perfect. 
 The whole think is inclined with one end in the river.  The other end 
dumps into the trough up here."

"But why does it work?" Retala asked.

"If the screw and the threads on the screw are set at the correct angles, 
the water in the thread here is pushed upward by the water on this part 
of the thread falling downward.  I find it quite amazing, actually," 
H'nry repiled.

"How will the screw be turned?"

"Probably by a mule on a tether.  A couple of gears would be needed to 
transfer the power into the screw itself."

"Ah, there you are!  You have no idea how hard you are to find," Morgat 
said dropping two books on the table.

"All you had to do was look for the dragons out front," H'nry said.

"The tavern was easy to find!  You weren't.  It would help if you'd hold 
up a sign saying, 'we're here' next time.  Scuse me, I need a beer before 
I can start talking to you."

They discussed the local law, and the Contract for several hours.  Morgat 
and H'nry got hung up on some apparently conflicting decisions, and the 
argument got very detailed.  The tavern had all but emptied out, and 
Retala was having a hard time keeping her eyes open.

When H'nry and Morgat finally finished, Retala was asleep at the table 
with her head on her arms.

H'nry went to the innkeeper and rented a room for the night.  He gently 
carried Retala upstairs and placed her in the bed.  She almost awoke on 
the way up the stairs, but he soon had her settled in.

*Dalanth, I'm going to sleep here on the floor.  You and Rimanda can 
return to the Warren since you'll be more comfortable there.*

<We'll return in the morning,> Dalanth replied.

NRPG:
Moving ahead through the week.  I decided to number days just so I can 
keep track.

Kris: You can expand on the conversation with Kay if you want.  H'nry and 
Retala stopped by on Day 2 as well, but I didn't write anything.

		Respectfully submitted,
		H'nry - Dalanth
		Telnor 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