Chapter 5: Dire Straits
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	Kary heard voices around her.  At first they were unintelligible.
All she saw was darkness.  I can't be dead, she thought.
	"How's she doin'?" a familiar voice asked.
	"Still asleep..." a second familiar voice said.
	Kary groaned.  She had wanted to move, but her head felt like a ton
of bricks.  Slowly, things started to clear up again.  She began to stir.
"Well well.  Looks like she's gettin' up.  I could use some rest, too.  Oh,
my back..."  Kary realized that this was the voice of Tiamat.  She opened
her eyes, and slowly sat up.
	"Kary!  You're okay!" Tiamat said joyfully.
	"We were worried about you..." said Lich, who usually didn't seem
to worry about anyone.
	"You'd been sleeping for a full day and a half," Kraken remarked
solemnly.  "Tiamat was afraid you wouldn't make it..."
	"So was I," Lich said.
	"We all were..." Garland said.  He was sitting in a corner.  His
helmet was beside him, heavily dented where he had smashed down upon it the
day before.  He was huddling in his purple cloak, stained and battered.  He
looked totally disconsolate.  Kary had never seen her master like this
before.
	"He's been like that ever since we were caught in that tornado,"
Tiamat said with a sigh.
	"Why?"  Kary asked.
	"When we were thrown, he took the worst," Lich explained.  "He was
thrown into the sea, just south of here."
	"I had to dive in to get him out..." Kraken said.
	"Where are we...?" inquired Kary.
	"We're in Albrook,"  Tiamat replied.
	Kary now surveyed her surroundings.  She was in a large room with a
table, chairs, a clock, and four beds.  Noticing that out of the four beds
hers was the biggest, Kary proceeded to freak out.  "WHO'S BEEN SLEEPING
WITH ME?"  She burst into tears.
	"Not me..."  Tiamat said.
	"WAAAAAAAAAAAH!  IT WAS ONE OF YOU THREE PERVERTS!"  Kary was
almost hysterical.
	Kraken and Lich looked at each other helplessly.
	"I DON'T BELIEVE IT YOU MEN I'LL NEVER TRUST YOU AGAIN I MEAN
NEVERNEVERNEVER-"
	"FOR CRYIN' OUT LOUD!  NOONE'S BEEN SLEEPING WITH YOU!"
	Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at Garland.  He
sat in his corner, staring.  "I've been sleeping on the floor, alright?  No
need to have a fit, dearie..."  There was a dangerous calmness in his
words.  "I need some time to myself..."  He got up, took his sword, and
left.  He limped a bit, and stumbled out the door.
	"What's wrong with him?"  Kary asked.

                               *  -  *  -  *

	Garland stormed down to the Albrook Suites' lobby.  The manager was
happily standing behind the desk.  "Ah, feeling better, are we?" he said
cheerfully.
	Garland looked at the man's happy face.  So good at what he does,
he thought.  He smirked.  "Yeah..."
	"Care for a little breakfast then, sir?" the well-dressed man
asked, trying to overlook Garland's haggard appearance.
	"Not hungry..." Garland said distantly, and quietly walked out into
the streets.
	Outside, the sun was shining, kids were playing, people were
walking, talking, and enjoying the day.  Garland walked slowly, head bowed,
thinking glum thoughts.  /Why didn't my ultimate technique lay those
soldiers flat?  It always worked before.  Even the Light Warriors had
trouble with it.  I just don't understand it./  He sat down on a bench in a
back alley, and sighed.  He examined the sword which just the last day had
shone brightly, now dingy and stained.
	"Well, we can't all be perfect," he said to himself.  "But it's
still humiliating.