RIIING RIIING

"Oh, f-for crying out-- Go aw-away, I'm busy!"

RIIING RIIING

"All right, all right, I'm c-coming." Mouse managed to get across the apartment before the next annoying ring, and picked up the phone, trying not to sound too irritated by the interruption. "Hello?"

"Hello, Mouse! Danny here," the familiar voice said, a smile in her voice, like she'd just been laughing. Danny was an old friend, not part of the usual "group", but a good woman and fine company. "How you doin?"

Heironymous dropped down into the chair by the phone's little coffee table with a sigh and a smile. "D-danny, hey. Sick of s-salesmen-- I almost d-d-didn't p-pick up the phone!"

Danny laughed on te other end. "Well I'm glad you did, 'cause that means I can pester you a bit. What's this about a 'frenzy' your 'Bosch has gone and talked my Cwerty into attending?"

Mouse nearly choked. "He what?" The question came out slightly strangled by shock and embarrassment. "He d-d-d-d-didn't--"

"Oh, he very much did, I'm afraid." She sounded amused, of all things. "And Cwerty's being Miss Smug-and-Secretive about the whole thing-- you know how she gets-- so I was hoping you'd be able to tell me something about it!"

Leaning back in his seat, Mouse took off his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose, as if by making the world blurry or shutting his eyes, he could make it go away. "Do you even know what a frenzy is? I didn't, not until 'Bosch told me, but-- it's not really something I want to be participating in, but-- well, you know 'Bosch. Once he's got something in his head, he doesn't let go." And I'm just lucky that he doesn't get things into his head very often. God, 'Bosch, what were you thinking, inviting her....

:I just thought you could use a friend....:

:A friend?? 'Bosch, you're kidding me--:

"Nope, haven't a clue," Danny admitted freely, oblivious to the silent conversation. "Cwerty didn't know the term either, but something 'Bosch told her about it put that spark in her eye and a zip in her lip, so I'm turning to you for enlightenment," she chuckled. "So come on, spill. What's up?"

"It's-- well, you've had p-p-p-plenty of flights, you kn-n-n-n-now how those g-g-go...." How in the world was he supposed to explain this?

:Do you want me to?:

:No!:

"A f-f-f-f-f-frenzy's like a f-f-flight, only it's... a l-l-l-lot of flights. All at once. W-w-w-with no one in particular ch-ch-ch-chasing anyone else in p-p-p-particular."

He heard laughter from the line. "Oh Heavens, oh... Cwerty, you minx!" she accused, and the dragoness rumbled innocently in the background. "The the things you go for, you terrible lizard-- I ought to find a way to have you fixed!" The words mixed amusement and exasperation. "My goodness... it's not taking place here, is it?" she asked, turning her attentions to the man at the other end of the phone again. "The Decks would never hold such a lot!"

"No, it's off-w-w-w-world. A place c-c-c-called P-p-p-pern, in a town--"

:Weyr.:

"A weyr called Eriol."

"Offworld, hm? Never been offworld," Danny mused.

:Oh, Heironymous, you take too long to say things. Let me.: Then the dragon's mind-voice took on the peculiar double-quality it always did, to his bond's mental ears, when he was talking to someone else, bouncing the words through the dragon-bond of another. :It's not going to be as bad as Heironymous thinks it is, really. Besides, this frenzy is special-- apparently they happen all the time, frenzies. Three of my sons took part in one just a couple weeks ago, in fact. But anyway, this one is special, because it's backwards!:

"Well if it isn't the mastermind himself," she chuckled. "Alright, what makes this 'frenzy' so backwards?"

:Normally, I'd be chasing-- but at this frenzy, I get chased!: He sounded quite pleased with himself, as if it were all his idea-- or at least as if he was intending to give all those pretty dragonesses a run for their money. :It will be like that for all the stags, we're getting chased by the ladies.:

"Stag dragons... you've been talking with Ignis ag-g-g-gain, haven't you."

:So? It seems silly to say "males" all the time, when dragonesses have so many nice words they can be called.:

"Goodness, sounds like a right mess. And these things are common? 'Frenzy', what a terribly violent word..." she idly mused aloud. 

"I d-d-didn't name it," Mouse answered with a shrug. "B-b-but I agree with you, and I d-d-d-don't want to d-d-d-do it." He shot a glare in the direction of Zionibosch's lair, where the dragon was preening himself dry after a light wash. The dragon glanced back at him through one of the windows between the chambers, giving him his usual, utterly innocent look.

:I guess they're common. I mean, really, two in the span of a few months. The last one was for all glittery-dragons. This one is for anyone who wants to go. Ithate thought we should send a whole delegation, ten of us, and, well, I thought Cwerty might like the idea, and honestly, Heironymous could use some company. He doesn't know anyone else going.:

"'Bosch...." He was going red again.

"Well Cwerty did like the idea and is dead-set on it," Danny commented, mercifully not commenting on 'Bosch's ramblings. "Heaven knows why, and I'm not about to let her go offworld without me. Though you can be assured I'll be retiring with nothing more than a good book the moment I see anything go airborne. A dragon's got to do what it's go to do when those hormones kick in, but Heavens, you two know how I treat plain old flights-- this frenzy thing definitely isn't my style."

She chuckled again, to lighten the dangerously somber tone she'd almost taken on. "But Mouse'll be as much company for me as I will for him, up until that-- I don't think I'd be willing to go to a whole new planet if it was just Cwerty wanting to go. Having a friend along will make it alright," she smiled.

"I wish I could do that," Mouse complained, resting his head back on the back of the armchair. "It w-w-w-would make things a l-l-l-lot easier."

"I'd teach you if I could, Mouse, but it's just one of those things that comes with, well, practice!" Danny chuckled, but not without sympathy.

:It'll be good for you,: Zionibosch insisted, privately this time, then told Danny and Cwerty as well, :Well, then, I guessed right. You two can keep each other company.:

Well, even if he did have the embarrassment of being caught up too tightly in his dragon's bond to avoid such things as flights, and in front of a friend, too, the flight itself couldn't take up more than a couple hours. Having Danny along would at least be a little bit of home, and she was good company-- and, even better, she didn't seem like she'd mind a week or so of his company, either. He smiled a bit. "Thanks for g-g-g-going, though," he said. "I guess I w-w-would be awfully b-b-bored without someone I knew-- and you're a m-m-m-much better choice than Kang!" His chuckle at the thought was almost a groan, because he could imagine exactly how excited Kang would be, socialite that he was.

Danny knew Kang, too, and she laughed. "Oh, Heavens, something like this would be Kang's bread-and-butter. He'd be a frenzy of excitement all of his own!"

"You have n-n-no idea," Mouse groaned. "You would not b-b-b-believe the tales he was bringing back ab-bout the Glitter Frenzy."

"Oh?"

After that the conversation turned away from dangerous-- and embarrassing-- topics, much to Mouse's relief. Even more to his relief, 'Bosch stayed out of it. He didn't need any more "advice" from that dragon. Even if this particular idea of his might not be half bad....