From: aaron@atlantis.uucp
Subject: [R] Mistletoe[Docks]: Reunion
Reply-To: aaron%atlantis@kakwa.ucs.ualberta.ca
Organization: Atlantis Communications, Edmonton, AB, Canada
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.1 PL7]
Date: Sun, 13 Dec 1992 06:23:44 GMT

ADMIN: I'm taking a liberty with the timeline here(so what else is new?),
because the [R] thread seems to be closing before the [KQ] one, and I figure,
what the heck.

Mistletoe's eyes started searching the docks before they were close enough to
discern any features.  It didn't matter.  There was only one figure she needed
to discern, and it was, hopefully, fairly distinctive.

So when she saw the first large black-skinned figure on the docks, her heart
sped up.  But no--his skin was covered with tattoos, and he was mending a net
or something like that.  Well.  She would have to examine them more closely.

There was no sign of Ornigan or Bronwen yet.  Ornigan was probably still
reading something in his room, or talking to Thraemis, or something.  And
Bronwen was either with Angus or with the pirate captain.  She sighed.  It was
so like Bronwen to be unable to make up her mind.

That was their assigned dock, up ahead.  If he knew they were coming in today--
and there was no reason he should, since the pirate ship and the damage they
had taken in the battle had delayed them--then he would knew where they were
supposed to arrive, and wait there.  On the other hand, if he had been waiting
for someone to come and tell him when the ship from Rameshan finally arrived,
then he might come rushing in at the last minute.  He might not even be
breathing hard--he could put out a pretty good clip when he needed to, and if
he was hanging out near the docks to begin with, he wouldn't need to go far.

So she watched for a tall black warrior from the Dark Continent, and wondered
if her heart might burst.

****

When the Arcas' intended time of arrival had come and passed, Maleiu repeated
over and over to himself--there's nothing wrong.  Time in Generica seems to be
fluid as it is nowhere else.  What has happened recently(his mind didn't dwell
too long on the details of that)has probably messed things up in unpredictable
ways.  Their estimate could be wrong.

Of course, they could have been attacked by pirates and sunk, or never have
left Rameshan.  And there was only his instinct that Mistletoe and the others
were even on this boat that was supposed to be arriving.

But he started spending less and less time at the Dragon's Inn and more and
more at the docks.  He saw several of Queriche's countrymen, and soon fell in
loosely with some of them, and their strange rhythmic way of speaking Dark
Common.  He spent time with them in Ratty's(not drinking, which they soon came
to accept, since he could be relied upon to keep them from getting disorderly
enough to draw the attention of the Guard).  Whenever there was a ship coming
into port, which someone always came into Ratty's to announce, Maleiu was there
to see if it was the ship of Rameshan.

He took odd jobs at the docks for spare cash, and the satisfaction of honest
work.  That was what he was doing when the Arcas, battered and broken, but
still floating, came into port.

When the word came spreading over the dock he couldn't believe it at first.
It was something he'd almost stopped hoping for--he'd resigned himself to
waiting eternally at the docks for his love to arrive, until he grew roots and
became a tree like he had heard in so many tales in so many lands.  The reality
was a shock, and he nearly dropped the crate he was lifting.

"Issek, Maleiu, be more careful," his companion grunted, suddenly feeling an
extra share of the weight.

"Sorry," Maleiu said, resuming his task.  But as soon as he was finished, he
said, "I must go.  I'm sorry."  He didn't even wait to get his pay, which
mitigated the shipmaster's curses somewhat...

****

Mistletoe was the first off the ship, brushing past the two men who boarded
immediately after docking.  Perhaps he was someplace she couldn't see from the
ship.  It didn't take long to disabuse her of that.  She would have had a much
better view from the crow's-nest, say, except that the Arcas' makeshift nest
didn't inspire her confidence.

She recalled her companions, and instead of dashing off into the crowd and
bustle right away, she waited for them to stir.  They came eventually, in the
middle of the other passengers--Ornigan with Thraemis, as she had predicted,
and Bronwen with Angus and Radan.  She was beaming at Angus and ignoring Radan.
Typical.  What did Bronwen have against nice guys, anyway?

"There you are," Ornigan said.  "Thraemis said that the Dragon's Inn is a nice
place, if a bit expensive.  We are somewhat down on our luck...he said that
Nester's is cheaper and closer."

"Karl's got some kind of diplomatic residence," Mistletoe said.  "Maybe he can
put us up there until we get back on our feet."  Or maybe Maleiu will have a
stash built up that we can draw on.  Hah--Maleiu, the man who still doesn't
quite have money figured out yet.  And who still hasn't shown up.  But he
would.

"There you two are," Bronwen said.  "Are we all going together, or not?"  She
glanced into the crowd.  "Hey, isn't that--"

But Mistletoe was already running.

****

Maleiu thought that the crowds seemed busier.  Maybe that was because he was
pushing through them in haste, rather than his easygoing pace of the past few
days.  People got in your way more when you have a destination, it seemed.

Dock Ten.  That was where the Arcas was.  There were a lot of people getting
off, it seemed.  Was that the ship?  It didn't look to be in good shape...and
several guards were moving in its general direction.  He tried to get a better
look at some of the passengers.  Then he heard Bronwen's distinctive laugh
tinkling through the air, and his heart almost skipped a beat.  Yes, that was
her red hair.  But where was--

A diminutive form running through the crowds like they weren't there suddenly
reached Maleiu and threw her arms around him.  Maleiu automatically embraced
her as if it was something he had done hundreds of times.  He gently stroked
her silver hair and tried to compose words to say.  After a silence he said,
"Mistletoe, I--"

"Shut up and kiss me, you big lug," Mistletoe whispered, pulling back and
standing on her tiptoes to meet his lips.

-- 
---Alfvaen(Still looking for "October's Baby")
"Well the end of the tunnel, it never came up
 'Til I came to the end of the line."  --John Hiatt
Current Album--Prince:Parade