Old Friends, Yet Unsung

                            By:

                         Fox Cutter

1/1/96:

I yawned as I walked into study room 3, in Marble Hall,
which was currently filled with stacks, and stacks, of print
outs.

Rathal I where using the place (which was the size of a
small office) to go to through the files of everybody
cleared for running around the Muli-Verse, trying to find
someone I could side-kick up with. Out of the total of
fifty-thousand registered we had narrowed it down to five
thousand very quickly by taking into account basic things.

Things like: breathing oxygen, or not thinking of me as
food, or who don't have problems with me being a skin, and
of course, being someone that the Council head would
actually approve of.

So sense early Saturday morning, we had both been going
through them all to find someone, we already had about a
thousand as 'no-go' and twenty as 'maybe'.

I closed the, and yawned again, causing Rathal to look up
from the pile he was going through, "You look tire," he
said, "and happy."

I nodded, sitting down, "Adrian and I fraged each other at
Doom two, Deathmatch last night."

Thal didn't even look up, "Who won?"

I grabbed one of the files, and opened it up, "I did, I
think. At least in most of the levels."

He nodded, setting the current folder on the closest 'no-go'
pile. "One of these days you should grab a life coil and
REALLY experience it."

"Hm?" I said, looking up.

"Verse 1427 slash A and B."

I set the folder down, "Your telling me there's a Doom
universe?"

He nodded, pulling out a new folder, "Ya, once you've been
there the game is to easy."

I shook my head, and started through the folder again. A
minute later I heard Thal's halting laugh, I looked over the
top of my folder. He was currently on one with a blue tab on
the side, meaning who ever it was on just got cleared.

"What?"

He was grinning widely, "Your really going to get a kick out
of this one."

I raised on eyebrow. "Shoot."

"According to this, this gal's occupation is Lion Tamer."

I shrugged, "So, she works at a circus."

"Not exactly. Her species is lion, and she tames 'em all
right, at a brothel. According to this..." He started, but
before he could finish I had the folder in my hands.

There was no picture, but that was normal for a just
cleared, but the name I knew. "Oria." I said, grinning like
a mad man.

"What?"

I set the folder down, "Oriana Shripon. She was with me for
a few Verse's. I dropped her off back at her's days before I
told Becky about this, and she signed on as a side kick."

Rathal looked at me, "If she does agree, it's not like the
Council head would approve."

"She will," I said, glancing over her file, "I doesn't say
it here, but she will only bed her own species. I can tell
you this from trying."

He shook his head, "So, are you saying she's the one?"

I stood, and started feeling around for an slight fold that
I could open a portal on, a few seconds later I found one
(Marble Hall is on a nexus of folds) and opened a portal.
"Yep, care to come?"

He stood, "You think I would have a job here if I didn't
come?"

I shook my head, "Good point." Then I turned, and walked
through.

Unlike when Friday night's trip through the portal this one
was easier to take, being a bit back in practice. It was
more of a few seconds of drifting, a quick drop, and steeped
onto the sidewalk in Oria's Verse.

A few seconds later Rathal came through after, and I close
the portal, keeping to cold.

"How close are we to the brothel Oria works at?"

I pointed down the street, "That a way." Then started
through the crowd of the stunned lions who saw us enter
there Verse.

As we headed down the street Thal come up next to me,
"What's the Verse number here?"

I though for a second, never really using 'em, "Ah...
fourteen-one-twenty-seven."

Rathal nodded, "One of the limited contact Verse's. You know
how many rules we're breaking?"

I shook my head, "You're the member, you tell me."

"About twenty-four."

"Ok," I said, "and what is that when you add in my ranking
as a Natural?"

He paused, "Nothing, there are very little rules a Natural
can break. The ones you can, are big."

"Don't remind me." When Becky and I first went to trial most
of the members wanted us killed, we only got exile by the
margin of one vote.

I turned another corner, and onto a side street. After a few
more minutes, I turned and went up to a normal looking door.

There was a slight pop, and the door swung inwards. Standing
against it was a lioness, where a long, flowing, satin dress
that blurred key features enough to be street legal. "Hello
boys," she said in a low sultry voice, "how may I be of
service to you?"

"Two ways, one, you can not try and subdues us, as we're
here on business other then sex. And two, you can take me to
see Oria, without say who, or what, I am."

She looked at me, "Oh," she said, her voice back to normal,
and sounding disappointed. "Come on in then," and she step
back inside.

I followed, pulling Rathal after me. The lioness opened up
an inner door for us, "There some seats next to the door,
sit down, and flip the sign next to you to blue. It will
keep you from being hit on by the other girls, and guys. I'm
going to find if Oria is free."

I nodded, went through, and sat down, flipping the sign to
blue. Rathal followed, looking very stunned.

"Now you too don't move." The lioness said, "I'll be right
back," and she departed.

I glanced over at thal, "You ok in there?"

He nodded. "Y-y-yes... It's just I've never been in a place
like this before."

I grinned, "You get used to 'em when you spend as much time
as I have in 'em."

This got a VERY strange look from him.

I shook my head, "In my Doctoring days I ended up staying at
many when I couldn't find any place else, an no. I never
used there services, as I was under 18 at the time, and knew
better."

He blinked, and muttered something, which I registered as a
simple 'truth of statement' spell. He looked at me, "Well,
your telling the truth."

"Of course, have I ever lied to you?"

He looked like he was about to say something, but the
lioness came back just then. "Oria is free, and in her
apartment upstairs. She said you could go on up, she's 353."

I stood, "Thank you my dear lady, you have been of great
help."

She blushed a bit, which you would not have expected,
considering her occupation, "Thank you. And do stop by some
time and use my services."

I grinned, and started for the elevator, "I'll think about
it." I said, for once, actually planning on thinking about
it. As I entered the lift, I looked for Thal.

I saw him talking to the lioness, after a minute he came
over and got into the elevator with me. I hit the button for
the third floor.

"So," I said, "How are you going to wrangle clarence for
your appointment here?"

He looked at me, blushing in his ears, "What?"

I raised an eyebrow, "Remember this is a limited visit
Verse, how are you going to get clearing to come back, and
don't try to deny it, your to new at this."

He rolled his eyes, "I have my ways." Which meant that he
didn't want to talk about it, which was fine with me.

We got the elevator on floor three, and walked around a bit
until we found room 353. I paused a bit to compose myself,
and knocked on the door.

"The door's open, come on it." Oria's voice said through the
door.

I opened the door and step in, she had a nice apartment,
though not large. There was the main room which had a
kitchen attached to it. Threw one door as a bathroom, and
another the bedroom. The bedroom door was close.

"I'll be out in a minuets, I'm getting dressed." She said
from in the bedroom.

I sat down on the couch, moving a whip and a large hoop out
of the way, and Thal sat down on a chair in the corner.

After a few minuets the bedroom door opened, and Oria
stepped out. She was about 5 foot 7, give or take. He face
was framed by long flowing dark yellow hair, which ended
about midway down her back, from which her slightly rounded
ears poked through. Her nose and mouth we're extended a bit
in a slight muzzle, and she also had the normal cat lip.

She was wearing a tight spandex once piece, that covered
from her crotch, and high on her hips, to her neck along
with her arms, showing her slight muscular form, and her
nipples. The spandex was a dark yellow from under her
medium-sized breasts down, and a light yellow every place
else. On each of her wrists she wore a thin metal band,
which was a token from are trips few together.

Her legs where plantagrade (human like), and like the rest
of her exposed body was covered in short light yellow fur,
except the tip of her tail, which was covered in short dark
fur, that was the same colour as her hair.

She blinked her slightly slitted green eyes at me, blinked
again, yelled out "Foxer!" and pounced me!

The pounced lifted me off the couch and over the back, where
I landed on a pile of forgotten clothing, with her on top of
me. "Hi Oria."

She stood, pulling me to my feet, and wrapped her arms
around me in a tight hug.

I hugged back, "How have you been?"

She broke the hug, and looked at me, "Ok, things have
changed. Where have you been, I haven't seen you for over a
year!"

I looked down a bit, "I've been exiled."

She shook her head, "Pushed it just a bit to far finally?"

"That," Rathal said, "and it looks like someone is covering
up something bigger, and making Fox here the fall guy."

Oria turned and looked at him, "I believe it. Now, who are
you?"

"I am Counciler Rathal Decarn, second level, seat 12. A
pleaser to mean Oria."

She looked him over, then looked back at me as if to say
'You, with a Council member? I don't believe it!' Then
looked back at Thal, "Only Foxer and Becks can call me Oria,
everyone else uses Oriana."

He nodded, "Very well Oriana."

She turned, and walked over to me. "Three things. One," she
hooked her finger around my collar and tugged a bit, "I like
this. Two, what happened. Three, where's Becky and why are
you with him?"

I sank down to the couch, "Becky's dead."

She paled, "What?"

I nodded, "I'll being at the begging. Now set the way back
machine for the morning of Tarren date, December 18th, 1994.
20 or so days sense I saw you last. It was a cold and damp
morning..."

* * *

"...and that," I said, finishing off my story after 3 hours,
"is why we came here."

Oria nodded, stretching her arms as she sat next to me on
the couch. She then hugged me tightly, "I'm sorry about
Becky."

I hugged back, "I know."

There was a pause, "I think I'll do what ask." She said.

Rathal looked up from the chair he was sitting in, "Really?"

She nodded, "I have some time off, and I've been needed to
get away."

I looked at her, "Will Lady Shandin let you go?"

She laughed a bit, "She's retired."

"Oh, how about the new Lady?"

A wide grin split Oria's small muzzle, "No problem at all
with her."

"Why?" I asked, getting the feeling I was missing a joke I
was suppose to get.

"Because, I'm the current Lady of the house!"

I looked at her, shook my head, and started to laugh out
loud, she quickly joined it.

Rathal looked at us, "What?"

Oria stopped laughing a bit, and grinned. "When Foxer first
ran into me, I was dead set against working at a house.
Instead I want to work the street, thinking it would be
better. Now here I am, RUNNING a house!"

Thal shook his head a bit, and mutter, "Of course, your one
of Fox's friends, why should I be surprised."

If Oria noticed she didn't show it. "Listen, when I was told
someone was coming to see me, I assumed it was one of my
special clients setting up an appointment to have me run
them on the training ground. That's why I'm dressed up in
these, there my work clothing. I'm going to go get changed,
wait right here." She then hugged me again, turned, and
picked up her whip and hoop. Then she went back into her
bedroom, and closed the door.

I sat back down on the couch, shaking my head a bit, "She's
really lightened up in the past year."

Thal looked at me, amazed, "Lightened up?"

I nodded, "Long story."

He 'ahhed'.

A few minutes later Oria came back out dressed in a pair
semi-tight geans, a loose t-shirt that said "Life is a
party. Do what you can, and ENJOY it!" and a toat-bag over
her shoulder. She was still bare foot, as all her kind goes.

She patted the toat, "General stuff. I called downstairs and
put myself on variable listing, so I can come back when I
want to."

Rathal head for the door, "Well lets head back to the fold
so we can head to the Hall."

I shook my head, "No need, there's a ripple coming." A
rippling being like a fold, but moving, someone skilled with
a portal control can open one on a ripple, but it's very
difficult. A Natural like me has a much easier time.

"Everyone gather around, it's going to be right under us."

Rathal and Oria moved right next to me, and as the ripple
neared I prepared myself. As it went past us, I open the
portal on the floor. There was a lurch, and we fell through.

A few seconds later we in a pile in the outer office of the
head of Council.

I stood up, and then help Oria stand as well. A youngish
looking bat was the secretary. He looked over us and said,
"Wild guess, no appointment 'ya?"

I nodded, "No and Yes, is she free?"

He nodded, "I take it, your this Fox Cutter fellow that she
told me t' watch for."

"That's me."

He waved at the inner door, "Head on in then."

We did so, I in the lead, Oria behind me, and Rathal last.
The office wasn't that big, but was clean. The Council head
sat behind her desk and looked over us.

"Hello Fox, Rathal," she said in a normal speaking voice.

I blinked, "Your not whispering."

She grinned, "I only do that at Council, makes people shut
up and listen."

"Ah," I said, sitting down in a near by chair.

The Council head looked over Oria, "Hello, what is your
name?"

"Oriana Shripon, I'm here for you to approve to stick with
Fox, Ms. Council head."

The Council head nodded, "Please, call me Rachel here, all
of you."

She looked at me, "Do you have Oriana's file with you?"

"No, I forgot it."

"Ok." She turned and typed at her computer some, "it says
here you work at a Brothel."

Oria nodded, "Yes, I enjoy my work."

"I see. Do you have any experience with portals?"

"I traveled with Fox some, that how I got to sign up."

Rachel nodded, "I see, did you ever practice on him?"

Oria blinked, "No, I'm stick in my species."

She grinned, "I see, pity that. Now, I really don't see any
problems clearing you to stick with Fox."

"But?" I prompted.

"Don't do anything you normally wouldn't do with him." She
said, grinning. "Now Rathal, take Oriana down to supplies
and get her on control."

Rathal nodded.

"Now Fox," she said, "you like half a sleep, go home and
take a nap."

I nodded, I was half a sleep having gotten only 4 hours last
night.

She looked at as all, "Well, what are you waiting for, go!"

We went.