Day 35 - morning

'Tonio woke up feeling refreshed and relaxed.  The past month had
been very productive for the rider as he surveyed his apartment, now
properly decked out with gifts, curtains, and other assorted things he had
lost during his sudden transit to Whiteriver.  The newfound tunnel system
had also proven to be a major boon for him as well, enabling him to keep his
growing clientele's confidentiality.  There was a mass of untapped potential
within the warren and its immediate surroundings that would keep him busy
for quite some time.  There apparently was quite a bit of friction between
the warren and the lords of the land that had led to a number of people
interested in the warren to shy away from it.  Some of those people were
tradesman whose skills would be of great benefit to the warren, were the
situation between the two more amiable.

Fortunately for him, most of those tradesmen had children, whose
unbridled curiosity could not keep them from the warren.  'Tonio made it a
point to take these children under his wing and portray the warren in as
positive a light as possible.  He also served as a fulfiller of their
dreams, finding out what they wanted and helping them accomplish their
goals.  It was a definite change from what he had been doing, but it still
part of his duty as a Knight.  Also, when the children went back to their
parents, talking about how nice the warrenfolk were, it may sway them enough
to come visit.  One such attempt had resulted in Tinker getting some of the
materials needed to create his lighting system.  'Tonio kept his involvement
quiet, as he didn't want too much attention drawn to himself.

**Modest, as always.**  DeMarco sent from his sandy lair.

<Of course, DeMarco.  After my recent incident I figure that I
should be a little bit more clandestine in my duties.>

**Speaking of the incident, shouldn't your teenage avenger be
arriving some time soon?**

<Yes, and it's going to be a rather unpleasant occurrence when he
does arrive.>

**So, you're not going to kill him, as you have several others?**

<The "others" were men who were overzealous in seeking my death, not
to mention highly skilled swordsmen.  If I hadn't killed them, I would have
been killed.  It was a question of survival.  This time, it is not.  I will
use necessary measures, but unless he has become a blademaster in less than
a month, he will not die.>

Walking out to where Demarco laid, 'Tonio spied his partner, Eriu,
who was walking unsteadily up the steps.  'Tonio chuckled, "Had too much of
a good time last night?"

Eriu swiveled her head, her eyes trying to focus,
"No....I....had..."

The lithe lady fell over, her body nearly hitting the ground were it
not for 'Tonio quickly moving to catch her.  Sweeping her up in his arms, he
moved quickly down the steps and across the green.  As he moved, Eriu looked
up at him and smiled weakly, "My....Hero."

'Tonio continued his pace, talking to Eriu to make sure she was
okay, "What happened?"

Eriu shook her head, "Don't know.... I've been feeling sick for
awhile now..."

"Are you..."

"No, I had that one week ago.  This happened recently."

'Tonio walked into the med center and into the infirmary, where an
attendant greeted them, "Another person?"

'Tonio raised his eyebrows, "You mean there are more?"

"Yes, we've had several people come in complaining of pain,
dizziness, nausea."

"I see.  You do have room for her still, don't you?"

Of course, set her down here and we'll take care of her," the
attendant motioned to an empty bed.

'Tonio set her down, "I'm going to talk with Th'rin, to see if there
is anything I can do to assist him."

Eriu nodded, "Notify the other Knights, too.  See if they can find
out anything as well."

Nodding in assent, he exited the infirmary, heading to where
Th'rin's office was.  As he approached he heard an unfamiliar voice, "The
baby is Th'rin's"

'Tonio moved cautiously, peering carefully into the room, seeing
Merissa and two other people, a man and a woman.  Th'rin wasn't there, but
for certain he would find out soon enough.  Turning around and heading out,
he made a mental note to keep an eye out for the healer.

[..]


<Lunch>

'Tonio returned from sending his message to the Knights, Th'rin
nowhere to be found.  Walking back down to the med center, he spotted a
figure that may have been the elusive healer, <DeMarco, could you ask
Th'rin's dragon if he just entered the med center.>

**Yes, that would be him.**

'Tonio broke into a light jog, knowing almost exactly what to expect
as he got closer to the med center.  Just as he hit the entryway, he ran
into Merissa....

<Tag, Arle!>

Submitted by
'Tonio/Demarco
Eriu
AKA
Chris Weeda








------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~-~>
eGroups is now Yahoo! Groups
Click here for more details
http://click.egroups.com/1/11231/0/_/_/_/980914309/
---------------------------------------------------------------------_->

To post: 
mailto:whiteriver@egroups.com
To unsubscribe:
mailto:whiteriver-unsubscribe@egroups.com
WR Web page:
http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Galaxy/7713/whitrvr.html