Any clearer?" "Not really," Nickolai sighed.Any clearer?" "Not really," Nickolai sighed. Shardik sighed. "Well, maybe you'll understand it someday. It's not really important that you do. Let it rest at this, Nickolai. Since meeting Furry your universe has become very large, and that means that you've become important to the lives of other people. On the other hand, it also means that you frighten people with universes smaller than yours, people who want your universe to include only them, or a limited set of 'thems.' Furry, too, has had her universe grow, although I think she's the sort of person who was waiting for that to happen." "Uh-huh," Furry smiled. "I just didn't know how to say it." "Well... hello," Shardik said, looking up. "Take a look, out over the ocean." They all stood up on the stones that marked the more shallow end of the pool and looked out over the water. "See that?" "What?" "That black spot. Look right over the break in the rocks." "Kitty?" Molly asked. "Yup. Kitty and Pendor, right on time." "Alright!" Molly said. "They really made it." "Did you think they wouldn't?" "How many times have we invited them and they couldn't make it?" "They always tell us when they can't." "Sometimes at the last minute." "Well, this time they promised they'd be here." Molly turned to Nickolai and Furry and said, "Well, do you guys want to get out, or dry off the quick and dirty way?" "What's the quick and dirty way?" Nickolai asked. "Like this," Molly said, jumping out of the pool and taking a swan dive over the edge of the Castle roof. Her tail was the last thing to vanish out of sight. "Kids," Shardik sighed. "Can't live with 'em, can't shoot 'em. She's gone down to the lagoon SDisk, and when she hits it she'll tell it to take her to the residential level." "Where she'll arrive dry." "Right," Shardik said. "If you're not particularily modest about public nudity, feel free. Remember that going down that side you'll fly right past the Felinzi side of the Castle, past M'Ress, N'Skii and M'Riah's rooms." "Well?" Furry asked. "What the Hell," Nickolai replied, jumping out of the water and diving over the side. |