Grumbling to herself, Dani ticked off another item on her clipboard and arrived at the last section.

"All right," she called out, managing to get some semblance of attention. "Last thing for tonight. We're going to have a couple of people moving into the hall on exchange. They're doing graduate work and they've evidently made it fairly big in some circles. I want you to make them feel at home here." Her roving glare came to rest on Scott and Biff. "That means we should at least try to look like we're actually here to study."

"Hey!" Biff snapped. "Why should we have to pretty up just 'coz of a few stuffed shirts movin' in?"

Scott glanced at Biff, then straightened his collar. "Uh… do we know what gender they are?"

Typical Scott. Dani narrowed her eyes, shifting her grip on her clipboard. The iguana cringed and braced himself.

Satisfied, Dani smiled. That was almost as good as actually thwacking the peacock. "Right. So who's going to help me welcome them home this Saturday?"

"No can do," Scott said, still watching her clipboard. "I've, uh, got a test on Monday."

And I'm supposed to believe you'll be studying on Saturday. Whatever, Scott. She sighed, ticked off a spot on her list, and moved on.

"Got a game Saturday," Biff announced.

This was true. It was probably just as well, actually. Next… Mikey was a lost cause – not without two weeks' warning; she'd barely managed to get him to this meeting. Brad… Don't bother. Tony, well, maybe Tony; he was still mulling it over. She'd give him a few moments.

"I think I'm free Saturday," Cindy offered, and Lisa piped in, "Sure!"

Well, better that than none. Especially with Cindy along. "Kevin?"

"Actually, I do have several things to do that day," the cat drawled. "It just happens that I'll be doing them sitting down. No."

Good grief. Was a little co-operation too much to ask for around here?

"Uh… Dani?"

She whirled. "What?"

"I, ah…" Tony fidgeted. "I think I'm free."

Breathe deep, count to ten… Reining her temper in a notch, Dani ticked off the last items on her list. "Good. Saturday, ten AM sharp, outside the front door. I expect this place to be clean, so don't trash it Friday night."

"What, here?" Brad, par for the course, scowled. "They're not moving up here, are they? We've got no room!"

"They'll be on the first floor," Dani snapped. "But since nobody there knows about school spirit," she considered the people in front of her, "…either, it's left to someone else to be the welcome party."

Someone's watch chimed the hour.

"Got to go," Mikey said abruptly. And just like that, he was gone.

It was like popping a balloon. Following his lead, the other male residents began a mass exodus for the door.

"Don't forget about Thanksgiving," Dani yelled after them. Over their noise, she wasn't sure they heard a word of it.

The girls looked at each other. "Saturday," Dani reminded them.

"At ten AM sharp," Cindy confirmed.

Lisa chimed in with "Out front."

They said their goodbyes, and Dani her thank-yous. The meeting was over.

Cindy showed up early.

Lisa skidded to a halt about a minute before ten.

Tony came out huffing and puffing about a minute after, but Dani was too anxious to mention such a tiny thing.

She'd done everything she could think of to make sure their tour of the place would be a pleasant one. And in the last few minutes, the first floor RA, Rick, and a wolf from his floor had come out to wait with them. Everything seemed to be in place.

Then Rick had disappeared, leaving Aaron to cover for him. No great loss, and at least there was somebody from the floor there.

But she kept feeling like she was forgetting something.

She checked her list yet again. Tony, Cindy, Lisa… Aaron Stephenson. She pencilled in the wolf's name. I just checked for trash in the halls. Nobody has stereos blaring. Nobody's got food in the lounges. Biff is out, Brad and Kevin are managing to be somewhat civil this morning, and so help me Scott is actually studying instead of out trying to hit on women.

"Dani." Cindy nodded at an approaching pair of people.

They were a study in contrasts. The one on the left was very tall and head-to-toe black; only a little could be seen of the white shirt under his suit jacket. He had a large suitcase in one hand, a briefcase in the other, and he leaned a little as he walked to make up for the weight. The other was, at six feet, a fair bit shorter, white with grey markings and long fur. He lugged a pair of suitcases with him, and had a backpack on. Both were felines, their tails gently swishing as they walked. Dani took that as a sign that they weren't presently upset. Good. We don't need things to be hard before we even get started.

The dark one – a panther – came to a halt and set down his suitcase. Dani stepped forward to meet him.

"Hello," he said. "Are you Danielle Murrieta?"

"That's right. I'm the Residence Assistant up on the third floor. Call me Dani. Are you the exchange students?"

The panther smiled and nodded. "Pleased to meet you, Dani." He extended his hand. "I'm Darran Wolfe, and this is Erik Wolfe. No relation." The pale leopard smiled and waved.

Wolfe? Strange, that doesn't describe either of them… "Pleased to meet you." Dani shook Darran's hand. His clasp was much gentler than she would have expected from his sober attire. "This is Cindy Rydelle, Lisa Dodson, and Tony Durham, from the third floor, and Aaron Stephenson from first."

Hands were shaken all around.

"If you'd be so kind as to direct us to room 109, we'll drop off our belongings, and we can enjoy whatever is first on your agenda." Darran's whiskers twitched up a bit. "Or at least be civil and pretend to." His smile removed any sting from the words.

"Sure. We'll just wait here in the lobby and—"

"Look out!"

Chaos arrived. A tan streak burst out of the doors, sending people flying. Dani managed to avoid the swinging door, but her foot snagged on a flagstone. She stumbled, tried to keep her balance, and failed.

Strong arms caught her before she hit the ground.

For a few moments, as hearts slowed to their normal paces, there was only silence. Dani took a look around. Whoever had caused the incident was long gone. Tony, in the rear, had managed to escape unscathed; Cindy and Aaron were both sitting on their rumps. Lisa had managed to catch Erik, and neither of them seemed to mind their present state. As for Dani herself—

"You all right?" Darran asked from right beside her ear.

She looked up. The panther's glasses had slipped awry, revealing a pair of eyes that were greener and brighter than emeralds, inky black pupils wide with concern. His navy-blue tie had somehow managed to get flung over his shoulder. His grip about her was secure, but somehow managed to be completely professional. As she recovered her balance, he helped her up and let go.

Not once did he try to cop a feel. Not for one second too long did he keep his hold. If he had, she'd have needed outside help to escape; his wiry strength was plain.

Good God. Had she actually found a gentleman? She'd almost thought that breed of man was extinct. Maybe graduation had some effect on them.

"Humph." With just a few motions, Darran flipped his tie back into place, straightened his glasses, and adjusted his jacket. Not one hair was out of place. "Kangaroo, was he? In a hurry or just oblivious?"

"Both," Dani replied. Not only did she not know any other kangaroos around here – and after that demonstration of reflex, she wasn't doubting Darran's perception – it fit with the only person who would cause this kind of mess. "Mike Hopkins. He seems to think the world will stop moving if he does." Well, now she knew what she'd forgotten to do. She hadn't checked with Mikey about what he'd be doing at this time today.

"One of those." Darran smiled. "I can tell this is going to be an interesting year. Just like at home…"

"So where is home, for you?" Cindy asked, dusting herself off.

"Canada. Specifically, Ottawa. It's beautiful in the summer, with the tulips in bloom everywhere. Unfortunately, right now it's bitter cold. Some of us are quite grateful for the chance to move someplace a little warmer; we're just not made for snow."

No… black and snow didn't mix. Erik, on the other hand… well, no doubt his type were called snow leopards for a reason. But if they'd just come from the cold… "Well, why don't you go and drop of your things, maybe shed a few layers? We'll just wait inside."

"An excellent idea." Darran went to pick up the belongings he had dropped.

Erik untangled himself from Lisa and gave her a small smile. That was it – a smile. Not one whisper of – Oh. Right. That reminds me…

"Darran." The panther cocked his head at her. "Thank you."

A smile split his face, revealing a number of clean, even, sharp teeth. "Any time," he purred, his voice full of utter sincerity. That answer, Dani felt, was the literal truth; he really seemed to mean it.

Come on. No man can be that perfect. He's just trying to look nice and impress people.

Erik ended up with the briefcase this time, and Darran with two suitcases. They plodded on up the hall to their room and disappeared from view.

"Pretty complex guy," Tony observed. "Not fazed by anything. Sounds like a thinker, but not just a thinker. Lighter than he looks, and even more limber than Mikey."

"Why do you say that, Anthony?"

"Well, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to flip like that."

Dani blinked. "Flip?"

"Sure. When the door opened, he back-flipped, bounced off his hands, and ended up behind you."

Now that he mentioned it, Dani hadn't thought Darran had been that close to her… "You could be right. I wonder more about the other one. Did anyone hear him say a word? Lisa, you were closest…"

"Nothing," the vixen said. After a moment, she added, "He's cute, though. Actually seems to like being cuddled."

Aaron guffawed. "Why, Lisa! You haven't forgotten so quickly about your hyperactive 'roo, have you?" He grinned.

"Of course not," Lisa protested. "It's not like I planned that!"

Aaron made a throw-it-away gesture. "Whatever. Now, is it just me, or did the black one seem a little… cold?"

Tony snorted. "Just because he's wearing good clothes, that doesn't mean anything. I mean… well, uh, you know Scott Sorrell, right?"

Aaron clapped a hand over his eyes and groaned. "Right. Okay, so maybe I was hoping for the opposite extreme."

Now that he mentioned it, it might be a nice change to have a fit male around who didn't think he was God's gift to women. Well… there's Tony. All right, two such fit males. Wait, Erik too, I guess. Make that three. You couldn't have enough of that type, especially since the two new arrivals seemed altogether much more graceful than the larger bull. And that meant they likely wouldn't contribute much to the hall's already-huge property damage bill.

Since, regardless of where the mess was made, that bill always seemed to make its way to Dani, that would be welcome indeed.

The hall doors opened, and the two newcomers emerged.

It had to be them. There wasn't anyone else it could be. But in the short time they'd been out of sight, they had changed their appearance quite significantly. Gone now was the business attire. Erik had on a tank top and shorts, which while they didn't quite match his pattern, did a good job of it. Now he didn't just look long-haired, he looked downright fluffy. He also had on a pair of half-rimmed glasses that, combined with his bearing, contrasted with his clothing to make him look quite intellectual.

Darran was a little bit less changed, in that he was still completely dark. He had knee-length shorts and a T-shirt, both jet black, revealing that his fur was, aside from his markings, a little bit lighter. His sandals, like his companion's, barely qualified as shoes, and he balanced on the balls of his feet, as though always ready to spring. He had long hair; it hadn't been visible before, probably tucked under his collar, but now it was tied back in a simple pony tail that was a good foot long. His sunglasses were presently tucked into his shirt collar, and there was an almost unsettling gleam in his eyes. His tight shirt clung to his skin. Not Scott's equal in muscle mass, perhaps, but Dani had to admit that he had no reason to be embarrassed about what he had.

Darran tugged at his shirt as they approached. "Remind me, Erik," he muttered to his companion, "not to buy hundred-percent cotton again. This fit the last time I wore it. I hate this." Erik nodded at him.

Oh.

Why, oh why, can't he be a regular student here? He might have rubbed off on someone else by now. God knows the average mental age in this dorm went up a few years when the two of them walked in.

"Soooo…" Even the panther's voice had changed. Instead of his urbane patois, now he simply purred. That didn't change as he went on, "What's up first?"

"How about a tour around Redwood dorm, then lunch?" Dani suggested. Aaron choked. Glaring over at him, she added, "At one of the better places on campus. And from there, a quick campus tour."

"So cafeteria food is the same the world over, is it?" Darran waved his hand. "Lead on."

Well, at least he wasn't expecting a banquet.

And so they went. They saw the various residence buildings, shared a few anecdotes, and looked around the admin/cafeteria/clinic building. As they left that behind them, Darran asked, "How's the food there? Bad, lethal, or hostile?"

"All of the above," Aaron sighed. Then he saw where Dani was taking them, and brightened. "This place is much better. I don't come here as often as I'd like, but when I do, it never fails to be edible."

Erik dodged off to find the bathroom, leaving Darran to order for both of them; Dani only learned about it when she looked around and there he was, gone. The snow leopard rejoined them after they'd found a sufficiently large free table.

"So," Aaron asked as they ate, "what're you here for?"

"You make it sound like a prison," Darran chuckled. He leaned back. "Genetics. Our thesis advisor suggested quite strongly that we get some out-of-country experience. Pardon us if we don't go into detail."

"We may thank you," Aaron muttered.

"No doubt. I get tired of the jargon quite quickly, and I'm actually buried in it by choice. So, what are you all studying?"

The discussion of majors was always a fairly safe topic. As it went on, it became apparent that of the pair, Darran did all the talking. Erik was paying full attention – with feline ears, it was easy to see, and he acknowledged what was being said with a few nods here and there – but aside from exchanging a few glances with his companion, he didn't communicate. Ever.

When that topic wound down, Dani seized the chance to direct the conversation. Darran couldn't possibly know everything about Erik. Surely there was something the snow leopard would need to say for himself… "You two seem to get along really well. How did you end up meeting?"

"We were roommates in first-year university," Darran replied. "We were in the same program, we liked a lot of the same thing, listened to the same music… That's about it. We helped each other with our schoolwork, did projects together, and here we are."

Simple enough… She turned to Erik. "And how about from your perspective?"

The snow leopard leaned back in his chair and gestured to Darran, who nodded.

He took a breath.

…And his fingers started a rapid dance in the air before him.

Darran was the one to speak. "He says, and I quote, 'Mostly like that. What he neglected to mention was that he was my voice, and—'" Darran's words abruptly choked off, his ears distinctly reddening. "Erik! I can't say that in public!"

Silence.

Darran sighed. "Sorry. He throws in these things from time to time, to make sure I'm paying attention instead of just being a mouthpiece. Anyway, he's right. Not too many people on campus knew sign language, but I was one of them. We cooked up a new sign language that allowed him to keep pace with the spoken word, and to this day I do the talking. Meanwhile, he does the listening. He's much more observant than I am, which helps doing the lab work. But I'm better with math and stuff, so I interpret the results. Kind of symbiotic."

Dani swallowed. "He can't talk?"

Erik shook his head, while Darran said, "Not a word." His whiskers were drooping and his eyes were haunted, though Erik seemed quite at ease.

Oh.

Everything fell into place.

Dani swallowed again. "I… I owe you an apology, Erik."

The leopard cocked an eyebrow, his ears swivelling to face her.

"I thought you weren't saying anything, even thank-yous, because that was your choice… I thought it was rude."

Erik spread his hands, his eyes warm and understanding. He leaned forward and put his hand across the table, palm to the side.

"Need me to translate?" the panther drawled.

"Not for this." Dani took the long-boned hand in her own and shook it firmly. "This is something everybody understands."

Darran prodded the door shut behind him with his heel. "It's too early to tell what the school is really like," he observed to Erik, "but at least the weather's an improvement."

Erik rolled his eyes, shedding his top and plopping onto the lower bunk. Suit yourself, every part of him said.

This doesn't look good…

Darran crouched beside the bed and burrowed a hand into the fur of his friend's forehead. He was definitely on the warm side, but not dangerously so. "Things will be a little better when you shed some of your winter coat there," he promised. "And if this climate doesn't make that happen, nothing will."

Underneath that, though, he wondered. What if Erik's type just didn't change their coats? What if their fur stayed that thick all year long, not needing thinner fur in their natural habitat? What, then, would happen when the weather started to get really warm?

The weather report was useless to him; it had temperatures in Fahrenheit. Darran knew where water froze on that scale, and that was about it. Right now it was pleasantly warm outside, to him; but he really should have thought more about Erik. It was not an exaggeration at all to say that he owed the leopard his degree, and that wasn't even half of the tally.

The leopard was just starting to doze off when a knock at the door made them both jump.

Darran patted his friend's hand and went to answer it.

Lounging against the doorframe was a fairly big hyena, dressed in simple business attire with his tie loose and his top button undone. "Hi," he said. "I'm Rick Thornhill, your RA. Got a minute?"

"Sure." Darran stepped aside and waved him in, gesturing toward one of the chairs.

Rick sauntered in and abruptly stopped, ears perking as he saw Erik. After a moment's consideration he said, "You all right, man?"

"He's not used to the heat," Darran answered for his friend. "It was snowing when we got to the airport this morning, and that's the sort of weather he's more comfortable in. And before you ask, he can hear but he can't talk – I do that for him."

Had it concerned something less serious, Rick's ears-flat, eyes-wide expression of shock might have looked comical. "Son of a bitch."

"We work around it. At any rate, I'm Darran Wolfe," he said, careful to pronounce the final e as Erik was always telling him to do. "This is Erik Wolfe. For all intents and purposes, no relation."

"Rick Thornhill. Pleased to meet you." He gave Darran's hand a few hearty pumps, then did the same for Erik, who had sat up while Darran was talking. "Sorry I missed you guys earlier. I had a job interview."

That would certainly explain the suit. "For what, if I may ask?"

"No problem. It's a number-crunching gig with an accounting firm downtown. Pretty good for an temp job, and it'll look good on a résumé after I graduate."

"So do you think you did all right?"

"Too early to tell. I got to the in-person part, though, and that's not a bad sign." Rick flopped down in the chair without any concern for his suit. "My grades are okay, and he didn't ask me anything I didn't know the answer to. That's not all they want, though, so who knows? …Anyway, enough about me. How about you? Was the trip okay?"

Erik made a so-so balancing gesture, and tapped the back of his wrist.

Rick grimaced. "You'd think they would get the picture by this time. Either start getting ready earlier, or post a later departure time. You got here in one piece, at least." He looked around at their still-packed luggage. "Is this all you've got?"

"The rest is coming by ground courier," Darran explained. "We couldn't take any more than this on the plane."

"I get it. So, anyway, how do you like the place so far?"

Erik shrugged.

"Maybe I'll ask you again in a day or two." He checked his watch. "Damn it, got to fly. If you guys need anything, just ask around; we're a real friendly bunch down here. Okay?"

"We'll keep that in mind," Darran promised, holding the door open.

"Great. See you around!" The hyena dashed down the hall.

Darran shut the door and leaned on it for a moment. Friendly, he said. That wasn't exactly the word Dani used. No doubt they are friendly, but if even a few of those stories the others told me were true…

This was going to be a strange year.

Huh. Not one word about talking to him about trouble. I can see why Dani suggested I come to her if there's something wrong. This guy doesn't seem to care very much about either his schoolwork or his RA job. I don't know about Dani's schoolwork, but at least she takes her job seriously. People like that are few and far between anymore, in any field it seems. Especially one that doesn't pay more than room and board.

Erik snapped his fingers, drawing Darran's eyes in time for a series of gestures. I think the wall is quite secure without you holding it up, Darran.

What am I doing? Darran shook the cobwebs out of his head and went to open his suitcase. "Sorry about that. I was just… thinking."

Erik gave him a "No, really?" look. Not here for three hours and you're already smitten by someone? I knew you were impulsive, Darran, but really!

Darran choked. Smitten?! "What?!" Their little sign language showed inflection too clearly; in this case, Erik's amusement. And it didn't help that the snow leopard could laugh, albeit silently, while he was "talking."

Do relax. Whoever's caught your eye, I'm sure is a good person. I know you too well to suspect anything less. And with that Erik settled back to get a little sleep.

That didn't last long. The phone rang.

Who in the world would already have our number? Darran wondered, going over to it. "Hello?"

"Darran? It's Cindy Rydelle from third floor. Sorry to interrupt."

Ah yes, that delightfully level-headed equine. "Hi, Cindy. No problem. What do you need?"

"I know your field is Biology, but you must have done some chemistry with it. I'm having some trouble with some of these equilibria, and I was wondering if you could possibly give me a bit of help before my test on Monday…"

Back to school already. No problem. "One moment." Darran covered the mouthpiece. "Erik, you're better with chemistry than I am; are you up to helping me with a tutoring session?"

Erik frowned. You're the math person of us.

"Yes, but you can explain the concepts better. If you're still feeling uncomfortable I can manage…"

Erik rolled out of bed and grabbed his vest.

That was his answer, then. Into the phone Darran said, "We're not busy. We'll be right up, Cindy."

"Really? Thank you so much! I'll meet you in the lounge."

School never stops, Darran reflected, popping open another suitcase. Her prof is just plain cruel to hold a test with exam time just around the corner. Oh well, can't help that; what I can help is comprehension, I hope. He lifted up a hefty – of course – red textbook. The once-glossy cover was scuffed, many pages were dog-eared, and inside, the margins were full of pencil notes, mostly in Erik's sweeping hand. This book had served him well since his first year of university chemistry.

He snapped it shut and stood. "All set?" Hefting binder and notepad, Erik nodded. "Then let's go."

Rick, shirtless and a bit wet, dashed by in the other direction with a wave. Darran and Erik proceeded in step up the hall. "You know," Darran observed as he punched the elevator call button, "we've become lazy. All that time on the twelfth floor has made us dependent on elevators."

Erik shrugged. We can use the stairs if we want.

"Next time. We've already called the elevator this time."

As if on cue, the doors slid open.

Their entrance into the lounge was greeted by two things. First was Cindy getting up to meet them; second, before she could get within speaking distance, was a very loud belch.

"Charming," Darran observed to Erik.

Over on the couch, a big male lion craned his head around, then swung up to his feet. "You got a problem?"

Oh, one of those. "Not at all," Darran tossed out, completely nonchalant. "Should I?"

"New guys, huh? You don't look so tough…"

Erik's eyes narrowed. Fortunately, Cindy chose that moment to cut in. "Darran, Erik, this is Biff Kingston."

Biff. Huh. Small name for small brain, I don't doubt. I wonder how many times he's been on academic probation. "Quarterback?"

"So you've heard of me, then?" Gone was the gruff threat, replaced by a huge grin.

"Lucky guess," Darran replied. The football jersey was a LITTLE obvious a clue. "And please, don't let me detain you." He stepped up against the doorframe, one hand making a sweeping gesture.

Biff gave him an odd look and went out the door.

An orange cat walked passed him, shook his head, and drawled, "Congratulations." Kicking the door shut, he went on, "You just confused Biff."

"Doesn't seem too hard," Darran scoffed. He had no trouble with athletic people in general, but jocks really needed a kicking sometimes. "Why Biff? So he can spell it?"

The cat raised an eyebrow. "Maybe this won't be such a bad arrangement after all. But why not ask him, hmm?"

"Don't think so. I can guess what he'd do, and it's always so hard to explain the clawmarks afterwards." Darran fanned out his ten tiny daggers for a moment, then extended a hand. "Darran."

Grinning, the cat clasped his hand. "Kevin. Now, if you'll excuse me…" Kevin dashed in, grabbed a notepad or something like one, and dashed out.

Cindy watched him go.

"You handled Biff quite well," she observed. "At least you managed to keep it away from violence."

"I survived it," Darran agreed, "but I suddenly have an overwhelming urge to change my hairstyle." Although, since he was feline, he could never quite remove all similarities between him and that thick-skulled lump, so his ponytail might as well stay. "Well." He hefted his textbook. "Let's get this out of the way."

It was so refreshing to meet a serious pupil. Cindy was no Linus Pauling, but she was smart and keen, and with the different perspectives Darran and Erik brought with them, caught on quickly. Before too long they were taking the time to exchange a few stories. At length, after a nice productive study session and near the end of one of Cindy's tales, Erik frowned and signed, Dani?

"Come on, you must remember Dani." Darran remembered the up-and-at-'em mouse quite clearly. "The small one with the—"

Instinct was a wonderful thing.

"Sorry," Darran said without turning. "Bad choice of words there. Didn't mean anything by it, won't do it again, sorry." He twisted in place, bringing the clipboard safely down to the back of the couch. A cliché popped unbidden into his line; he quashed it mercilessly. However pretty she is when she's angry, that'd seem like a pick-up line, which would not be a good idea right now. Managing a weak smile, he said, "This does not seem like a good start to my stay."

"It's the usual," Dani said through gritted teeth.

"Just because everyone else does something, doesn't make that an excuse for me."

There was a long silence.

The mouse's eyes narrowed, fixed on his own as she considered. That glare would make the Furies blush and hand in their whips… "You're right about that."

In Darran's mind that declaration rearranged itself to At least you know you screwed up.

"So." He grabbed the back of the couch and pulled himself a little farther around, facing the irate RA square-on. "I really didn't mean any offence. I'll try to be more careful with my words in the future. Truce?" He let go of her clipboard and put up his hand.

She considered him for a moment, a smile – nay, a grin – stealing across her face. "On one condition," she said, diabetically sweet.

She did the "sinister" look very well, he decided. "What's that?"

Thwack.

Dani grabbed his right hand for a quick shake, then started on her way out. "This place had better be this clean later tonight," she called over her shoulder.

Darran nursed his stinging left-hand knuckles. Hot damn, but she was quick with that clipboard. And quiet, when she put her mind to it. He hadn't been sneaked up on like that in, oh, ten years at least. "I asked for that one," he admitted. "Dedicated, isn't she?" Given how seriously Rick seems to take his job, I suppose it's to Dani's credit that the whole building hasn't fallen down.

"She tries," Cindy agreed. "She hasn't given up on us yet. Well, thank you very much for your help…"

"Call if you have any other questions." Darran snatched up his book.

"Uh…"

He paused and turned. "Yeah?"

"Could I borrow that?"

What the heck. It was only a few days, anyway. And Erik had a copy too. "Sure." He handed it over. "Good luck."

Exeunt omnes.

"I'll get you for that, Erik," Darran promised as he headed for the stairs. "Don't think I won't." The leopard, as was his wont, did not reply.

The same kangaroo that had caused such a fuss earlier passed in the other direction. Darran flattened himself against the wall. Erik, passing in front of the laundry room, was struck by a red blur.

When the dust settled, the leopard was on the floor, tail curled in a lazy question mark, crouched over the fetching female fox that had been there to greet them, that cheerful-looking Lisa somebody. The look on her face suggested this outcome was not something she was accustomed to.

Silence.

"Sorry," Lisa managed.

Erik's warm smile dispelled any notion that he might be upset.

"…Excuse me?"

And just like that, Erik was on his feet, reaching down to give her a hand up. "Thanks," she chirped, and dashed off down the hall.

"I never thought I'd see someone out-pounce Lisa," Cindy murmured.

Erik shrugged.

"She missed; it's easy enough to tell who she was aiming for. Erik never minds being cuddled, though, do you Erik?" The leopard smiled again and shook his head. "Well, I suppose we'll be off then, before we disrupt your routine up here any further…"

"Oh, it's no problem," the filly rushed.

A grin stole across the panther's face. "Touché. Come on, you naughty thing, we've got some unpacking to do." He gave Erik's shoulder a squeeze.

Erik raised an eyebrow. Like you're any better for just thinking about it, he signed as they started down the stairs.

What a joker. That tackle was a combination of accident and super-honed reflexes, nothing more, but that mess in the lounge was his usual style; facing the opposite way to Darran, he'd surely seen Dani come into the lounge, and seized the opportunity for some mischief. In all honesty, though… it was Darran's fault for saying what he had. He didn't exactly like being referred to as "Stretch" all the time—

A snap of fingers brought his attention. Erik was standing by their door, a few feet behind him. Really, Darran, sometimes your attention span is shorter than that mouse.

"She's not short," Darran protested, half-expecting a clipboard to fly out of somewhere.

Wait a minute. Yes she is.

Um… no, wait! Inspiration had dawned. He added, "…She's just concentrated."

Erik gave him a curious look, all trace of mockery gone, before shrugging and turning the knob.

Shaking cobwebs out of his head, Darran went to unpack.

Sometime later, he found the bottle of water he'd stashed away for the trip and forgotten about, and that helped them go a little bit longer. Long enough to empty the last of the suitcases and stuff it into the closet.

Darran looked around. "Seems a shame to start making a mess this early… I'll just get rid of this." He stepped outside with the bottle.

He was about to toss it into the recycling bin when a thought hit him. Problem number one with moving to a new place: What's recyclable and what's not? You never can tell what a place will and will not take, or what you have to do with the stuff first.

Talk about dedication. If one in ten of the stories I've heard today are true, it's a wonder this place hasn't worn out and been condemned. And in spite of everything she keeps trying to get people into things…

"Are you done with that?"

Darran managed to turn slowly and not jump out of his skin and send the bottle flying, but it wasn't easy. A fit-looking otter in staff clothes, lugging a cart of janitorial supplies, was giving him an odd look. His name tag read "Jake".

Finding his voice again, Darran asked, "Is this recyclable?"

"Sure." Jake watched it fall. "You know, if you can't loosen up a little, you're never going to survive here."

"So I've heard. I'll adjust."

A grimace. "So long as you don't pick up too many of these people's habits, you'll be fine with me. Well, see you around." Jake pulled his cart on up the hall, whistling.

I know that song… where do I know it from?

He could ask if he saw the otter again. In the meantime, he was getting hungry.

They got into the lab on Monday and started the first batch of trials.

Tuesday, Erik went in again for the follow-up. Darran spent much of the day unpacking the balance of their luggage, which had arrived by courier.

Now it was Wednesday, noonish, and Erik had given him the raw data from their first batch before departing, notepad in hand, to meet with their advisor here at DeMontfort.

That was two hours ago. Darran was still buried in an analysis that should have taken him less than half that time.

"Numbers here," he muttered, looking from the lab notebook to his scratch pad. "Numbers there. And none of them make any sense!"

Chill. Check your math one more time.

Line by repetitive line, he went over his calculations, checking units, equations, copying…

About half way down the page he found it.

Resisting the urge to claw the page to shreds, he leaned back in his chair.

In the top three of every math class through high school. Five years of expensive undergraduate teaching, graduated summa cum laude. A faultless year of graduate work.

And I still make sign errors!

Why in the world can't I focus?

He sighed, put in the negative sign that was missing, and rubbed out all the lower figures.

Ten minutes later, he'd arrived at a number that actually fit within the bounds of sense. He compared it to their old notes.

His pencil snapped in his hand.

All that mess, and we haven't done anything! We haven't gone forward, we're back at the starting line again! Erik's just going to love hearing this…

With a sigh, Darran flipped the notebooks shut and pushed them away. With these results there was no hurry to get to the second phase of the calculations, and right now, his heart just wasn't in it.

Erik still wasn't back.

What to do…?

I wonder how Cindy did on that test? I could go and ask, that's the polite thing to do… that, and I can get my book back if she's done with it.

Plan firmly in mind, he headed for the stairs.

It might have worked, too, except that the whole third floor was a-bustle. Judging by the way she was flitting back and forth through everything, Dani had press-ganged most of the floor's residents into helping prepare for a holiday or something.

The elevator door opened, and several large boxes made their teetering way out, Lisa struggling underneath them. The top two looked about ready to fall over…

Do it.

Darran took one massive leap and ended up in front of her. "Here, I'll help with that." He lifted up the top boxes and quickly stepped back out of her way.

"Oh, hi," she chirped. "Could you just bring those in here…?"

Darran followed her past the lounge. "So what's going on, anyway?"

"Oh, Dani just wants us to try and look festive for Thanksgiving," she explained. "It's a lot easier to just humour her than to keep arguing."

Huh?

"Thanksgiving?" he repeated, following her into her room. "But that was last month."

"What? No it wasn't, it's tomorrow."

"Miss Dodson—"

"Lisa."

"Lisa, then, I distinctly remember the labs being closed in mid-October for Thanksgiving. Erik was especially peeved, as I recall."

"Really?" Setting the box down, she turned to face him. "That's strange. Where are you from?"

He took a breath – and it hit him.

So did his hand, in the forehead. "Right. Canada. That'll do it. Earlier harvest, I guess, but whatever the reason, earlier holiday. Is Cindy around?"

"No, she's got a class right now. Why?"

Darran set down his burden. "I just wanted to know if she did all right on that test of hers… thought I should follow up on that tutoring."

Neither of them noticed Dani pass by the open door, pausing for a moment.

"Oh, that!" The vixen grinned. "She did fine. No problems, she said."

Satisfaction was such a good feeling…

"Say, your floor's not doing much, are they? We can probably fit a few extra people up here for Thanksgiving dinner. I don't think Dani would mind."

And get a break from cafeteria food? That stuff would stay with him for a lifetime, perhaps literally. "Sure! You don't… ah…" Oh, why not? "I don't suppose you could use an extra cook?"

"You can cook?"

"No," Darran admitted, "but Erik can, and I think he'd be willing."

"Dani will be so glad to hear that… Where is Erik, anyway?"

"He had to meet with the professor who's watching our research here. The meeting went long, I guess. Well, if I can't cook, I can at least help out in advance." His stomach complained. "I'll do that… after lunch."

"Okay," Lisa said, opening one of the boxes and producing a roll of tape. "See you around!"

Her enthusiasm was infectious, Darran reflected as he exited into the hallway. Not, of course, that it generally took much convincing to involve him. Evidently unlike the red avian who, muttering sulfurously, stalked into the room at the very end of the hall.

Given what he'd heard about those people living up here that he hadn't met yet, it was simple enough to give him a name. But it was always best to confirm… Intercepting Kevin on the way to that room, he asked, "Was that Brad who just went this way?"

"Yes," the cat replied, "and as much as it pains me to admit it I'm going the same place. If we shove enough things in front of the door, I'm hoping Dani can't get in."

Now that was an interesting stance on the matter… "Not one for holiday spirit, I gather."

"This dorm is where I have to sleep. It's not supposed to be a work of art, and I'd rather not be tripping over ribbons all the time."

Darran raised an eyebrow. Something about the way he'd said that first part… "You don't like it here?"

"It's a school. What's to like?"

Whoa. Definitely not an enthusiast. "Aren't you at all proud to be here? Not everyone gets admitted." Especially not from out-of-country to do post-graduate work, but that wasn't relevant here.

"The cream rises to the top," Kevin sneered. "So does the scum. If you don't believe it, take another look at Biff. You sound like Dani on one of her school spirit lectures…"

"Let me get this straight. In however long you've been here, you haven't developed one iota of school spirit, whereas I've been here for half a week…"

"All school spirit seems to mean around here is making a fool of yourself just because someone else already is. If someone goes to a bridge and jumps off, should we do that too?"

Who ever thought that talking to someone so frustrating could be so much fun? "That's not at all what I said. There is something to be said for unity, you know; boosting each other's morale."

Kevin glared. "The only thing I want to boost about overdeveloped lummoxes like Biff is them, over the edge of the aforementioned bridge."

Darran chuckled. It was so nice to meet a quick wit. Now for the riposte… "That's a little bit strange coming from you. Between you, Brad, and Tony, you've got the Thanksgiving décor right there, orange, red, and brown…"

Kevin looked at himself. And thought. And glared. "Touché," he muttered. "So why should we need any more decorations, hmm?"

It was, Darran admitted as Kevin slammed the door behind him, a good point.

Hearing footsteps behind him, he turned. "Hi, Dani." Smiling suited her; it didn't seem to matter what sort of smile. This big, bright, perky smile looked at least as good on her as the sinister grin he remembered…

"It's quite refreshing to hear someone else carrying the torch of school spirit," she said. "Usually it's up to me."

Darran firmly squelched a comment about running with short legs. "I try. Pretty much always falls on deaf ears, though."

"I heard you," she pointed out. "Maybe we should compare strategies."

Darran replied with a slow nod. There was a notion… teamwork, teamwork, teamwork. Using teamwork to make more teamwork. Meta-teamwork; it was strangely fitting.

Dani took a deep breath and went on, "How about over lunch?"

If Darran hadn't been leaning against the wall he would have toppled.

Did I just hear that right?

He ran the conversation through his mind a few times and concluded that, yes, he had. This charming li—

Ahem.

This lovely bundle of energy had just invited him to lunch.

And you haven't answered, twit!

That was easily remedied. After a few false starts, he managed to produce an enthusiastic "Sure!"

For the first time in quite a while, Dani felt good, really good.

After the first few days of being an RA, she'd resigned herself to an endless run of problems and difficulties. Up until now, she'd been pretty close to right.

But now, everything seemed to be going smoothly.

"Less than a week," she observed to her companion, "and already you've turned this place upside down. How do you do it?"

Darran leaned back in his chair, looking at the wall, almost seeming to look through it, to the north; looking, Dani supposed, home. "I don't see what you mean. Things have actually been a lot tamer than I'd been told to expect."

"That's my point! This is the first time I've actually seen a holiday work here." Even now, taking a sniff, she could smell dinner on the air. The delicious dinner. The dinner that everyone had shown up for. The dinner during which there hadn't been a single argument, any dangerous conversations being subtly but firmly shifted elsewhere. "Even Biff managed to be civil, and that's nothing short of a miracle."

The panther turned to face her. "I think you deserve a good deal of credit, Dani. This is better than I could ever manage at home – and I had people who were, generally, a bit more willing to get involved."

"Maybe you were just too familiar," Dani suggested. "Where does this fit into your list of strategies, anyway?"

"Remember the one that I said works?"

Dani couldn't help but grin. "Bribery?"

There was a strange look in Darran's eyes as he, too, smiled. "Got it in one."

And a good bribe it was, indeed… "You really know people, don't you? Just general people? The way you kept people from arguing…"

"I've been in theatre; I can gauge my audience. But usually I have to ad lib. This time, you cued me." His smile could thaw an iceberg.

Whoa. I can't believe he's smiling at me like that…

Suddenly uncomfortable, Dani grasped at memories and came up with one that would divert the topic without being totally out of the blue. "You're not the only one who can do it, it seems. I've never seen anyone take to Lisa quite that well. Mikey still yelps every time she tackles him, never sees it coming, and she's been pouncing on him since the first day here, at least." Erik, on the other hand, had actually given her a hug, rather than vice versa, after Lisa had praised his turkey roast. The pair of them had looked quite happy like that, though it was just as well that Biff, Brad, and Kevin had left by that point.

"Erik takes praise to heart," Darran observed. "And without a voice, he answers it in the only way he knows how." A sigh. "He also takes shots the same way."

To the heart, yes, though that could result in different things. Dani wasn't sure which she'd like to see the least: Erik upset, or Erik angry. Erik happy, on the other hand, was very, very sweet.

And as for the panther who was now sitting a few feet away from her… she still couldn't figure him out. It was just so hard to believe that anyone could be so smart, polite, and athletic all at the same time. If he had flaws, she hadn't seen them yet. After that one moment in the lounge, she hadn't noticed him do anything amiss.

Well, aside from making a few cracks about people, especially Biff, but nothing they didn't deserve. Still, bearing in mind that nobody could be perfect – if that was Darran's flaw, well, he was about as close to perfect as they came.

"If anyone starts making trouble for you," Dani said after a moment, "just tell me and I'll get it dealt with."

Darran grinned wryly. "Yes, I gather you have a good deal of experience in the matter. Everyone on the floor – especially," his lip curled, "some of the men – seems to have some degree of fear where you're concerned. Given what I've seen, both of them and of you, it's their own fault. I don't envy you for them, however handy they might be at times."

"Even Biff has made himself useful sometimes," Dani agreed. "Not without heavy prompting, but it did actually happen."

Darran laughed and was about to reply when a blunt, whiskered snout poked in the door and looked around. "Hi, Dani," the otter said. "Didn't you just have your Thanksgiving dinner?"

Dani couldn't help but laugh. "Already cleaned up. We had some helpers this year who like to keep things tidy."

"No knives in the wall? No stained carpets? No broken windows?"

"Those helpers also seem to have quite a calming effect."

"It's funny," Darran said. "All I have to do is smile at someone and they stop thinking of violence. Just shows what smiling can do for you, I guess."

Jake leaned against the doorway. "For those of us with big sharp teeth, sure. But I didn't think a riot squad could keep this bunch under control."

Darran's aforementioned toothy grin made an appearance. "Yes, have you ever thought about becoming a police officer, Dani? Given that this place hasn't blown up yet, you seem to have talent for riot control." He looked about to say more, but very abruptly shut his mouth.

"Go on, say it," she urged, laying on the honey.

"I'd rather choose to be silent than be rendered so for ever after. Granted I'd have a coach, but I'm trying to be tactful."

"Say it."

The panther's tail twitched. "So be it, but under protest. I was just thinking that riot cops need rather more mass. You getting trampled is definitely on my lists as a bad thing."

While Jake went here and there about the room, doing his business, Dani frowned. "And you care because…?"

Evidently she had quite a gift for catching him off guard. Looking distinctly uncomfortable, Darran laboured to produce: "It's in my nature. You're a good person, and I don't like undeserved bad things to happen to good people."

Dani found herself rather touched, but the normally-unflappable panther was strangely fun to tease, at least for a little. She raised an eyebrow. "And?"

"And I like you," Darran purred, his panache back in full – along with his ever-present sincerity.

The social footing was suddenly very unstable indeed… Dani wasn't sure what surprised her more, being so simply told something like that, or the fact that she liked him right back. Really liked him, not the affectionate tolerance some of her charges instilled.

She grappled for a more comfortable topic – and became aware of Jake whistling as he tended to his chores. Getting his attention, she asked, "What is that song?"

Darran nodded. "Actually I was curious when I first heard that; it sounds familiar."

Seemingly glad for the distraction, Jake leaned against the wall, tail curling idly under him. "It's from Cats," he answered. He was about to go on when Darran snapped his fingers.

"That's it," he muttered. "I should have remembered that, but it's been a while…"

When he trailed off, Dani inquired, "Since you saw it?"

The panther shook his head. "Back in high school, I had a part in the school's production of Cats. It's been a while, which is why I couldn't quite place it."

"You," said a familiar, perky voice, "were in theatre?"

"Sure was, Lisa," replied Darran, turning. "Chorus, at the time – I didn't have the personality for a major part. That came in university, when I loosened up." A smile. "That definitely paid off. Among other things, it was a real help to my acting. Two years ago, my graduating year, I snagged the lead in our school's production of Phantom."

Silence.

"You were the Phantom of the Opera?" That was Jake.

Darran shrugged. "It helped that I look the part." He was about to go on when there was a knock at the door.

Erik sauntered in, giving everyone a light smile that was completely out of place with his lashing tail, even returning Lisa's pounce-hug – or did he start it? It was hard to be sure… In addition to the cue of his tail, though, his flattened ears and overall tension sent an instant message that something not good was going on. Sensing that, Lisa released him, concern spreading across her features.

The leopard's worried blue eyes slid over to Darran. His hands came up, and twitched a few times in that complicated sign language of his.

"What?" Darran exclaimed, his voice a whip-crack.

More gestures. The panther slapped a hand to his forehead and groaned.

"What's wrong?" Dani asked, touching his arm.

Darran looked down at her. "Somebody stole Erik's lab notes during dinner."

"…It's blind luck that Erik decided to check the math instead of, say, practising on his flute. Otherwise we wouldn't have found out until we got back into the lab on Monday."

"You're sure they're not still at the lab?"

"Positive. We never leave anything there that we can take with us. And it's the first place he checked. " Darran grimaced, which aside from his lashing tail was the first he'd let his irritation show since breaking the news.

Over by the door, a short, stocky badger in a wheelchair looked up, a jeweller's magnifying loupe in his eye. "The lock was picked," he said. "Not very well… there are all kinds of scratches on the tumblers. Way more than on mine; I checked."

Beside Darran, Erik sighed… faintly coloured by relief that he hadn't invited this mess by leaving the door unlocked.

Rick had arrived in time to hear that, dripping wet, wearing a pair of black shorts and a towel around his neck. "I was checking the halls, too," he reflected. "Saw some of the guys a few times, nothing suspicious, it was pretty quiet actually." A sigh. "Security's on the way. Not sure how much good they can do."

The badger was peering at the lock again. "These locks have six tumblers, but they're not specially shaped; they're not all that easy to pick, but not that hard, either. If someone had a vague idea how to do it, they could open the lock in, oh, ten minutes. Less, if they were really lucky, and much longer if they weren't."

"Still leaves the question of who, among others." The hyena's yellow eyes narrowed. "How do you know this stuff, Damien?"

The badger abruptly straightened. The lens fell from his widening brown eyes and into one hand, while the other came up to his chest and he mouthed, Me? He swallowed. "Rick, you can't be serious."

"It's a fair question," Dani pointed out, smouldering but not, Darran felt, specifically angry with Damien; this had been building up since Erik first blurted out the news. Beside her, Erik nodded, pensive rather than suspicious.

"I apprenticed to a locksmith," the badger informed them in a cool voice. He gestured at himself and his chair. "Do you really think I'd be able to get away with a stunt like that? Where would I go?" Before anyone could answer, he went on. "If it'll make everyone feel better, you can look through my stuff."

Rick nodded, scowling. "For completeness I guess we'll have to. But someone would have to be stupid to stash them here."

"And this doesn't look like someone stupid did it." Darran nodded, and sighed. "Erik, how long do you think it would take to rebuild those notes?"

The leopard frowned in thought, then held up two fingers. After a moment, he added a third.

"Under half a week, that's not bad…"

A balancing gesture.

"It's the principle of the thing," Dani observed. "That someone could just walk in like that…"

Erik shook his head and frowned; Darran, catching his meaning, did the same. "There is that, true," he admitted, "but it's more the thought of what someone could do with those notes."

Rick winced. Yes, a would-be accountant was probably quite aware of the many ways in which paper could be used…

"It's doubly a threat," Darran went on, "because we don't have a copy of the notes to prove that we did the research at all, much less first."

Rick sighed. "You guys get some rest," he urged. "I'll give Security all the nasty details. After that, the witch hunt is, thank God, up to them." His fists clenched. "So much for a night with Constance."

Dani whirled. "Can you not concentrate on something important for two minutes?"

"Back off, Dani! Nothing in any rulebook says I can't miss my girlfriend!"

Darran raised his hand. "Ah, guys—"

His interjection went by completely unnoticed.

"You'll survive. It's not like you have a shortage of them."

Darran had been around long enough to hear about Rick's nearly-famous romantic exploits, and even to get a hint that some of the rumours actually were true. But even if the worst of them were, or none of them at all, it was uncommonly nasty to rub his face in it. He winced.

The hyena bared his teeth in an outright snarl. "Listen, you—"

The argument was interrupted by a shrill whistle.

Erik glared from one RA to the other, tail lashing against the wall. He raised his hands; Darran rushed to translate as the pale fingers moved in a blur. "We won't get anywhere by arguing. The damage is done, all we can do now is be careful and not tear each other's throats out." He was about to say more, but he very visible cut back, dropped his hands, and strode into his room.

Silence.

Rick touched Darran's arm. His ears were flat against his skull, but his voice was only a little ragged as he said, "I'll need to know what, exactly, the notes were in, and I don't want to have to bug either of you later; shall we deal with that now?"

Dani started to speak, but fell silent at Rick's dagger-eyed glare. "This is my floor," he pointed out. "It won't burn down if you let me handle its problems once in a while." After getting Darran's word to be right along to talk about the briefcase, the hyena stalked into his room.

He didn't slam the door. But Darran got the strong impression that he wanted to. Wait a minute. "Let me…"?

Damien seemed to be staring right at Erik through the wall. "I thought he couldn't—"

"Talk, no," Darran confirmed. "But whistling isn't related to the voice. I can't whistle a note; he can whistle a symphony."

He half-expected to hear the introductory notes of Beethoven's Fifth through the door. This, however, did not happen.

He sighed. "I'll just talk to Rick, then I'll be in my room."

"Um…"

"Yes, Lisa?"

She glanced at the closed door and took a breath.

"Sure, go ahead and knock. The worst he'd do is say no; but I think he'd be glad for the company."

Blinking all round. "I didn't say…"

"Spend six years with Erik," said he, raising a hand to knock on Rick's door, "and you get pretty good at reading body language."

Rick came across as someone who always took the path of least resistance. This, Darran reflected, might to a point be true. But when something attracted his ire, nothing short of an act of God would stop his attempts to deal with it. Darran left their little interview quite impressed – and a little embarrassed for having fallen into the easy trap of thinking him lazy. He cut corners, yes, but only when he knew which could and could not be cut.

Darran's hand paused on the knob. He wondered, for a moment, how long it had taken to build, to install. And someone had gone through it in ten minutes.

Well, truth be told, it did only take seconds to use the key. Nevertheless…

He sighed and carefully pushed through the door.

Lisa was sitting on the bed; Erik had pulled his chair over and was lounging on it, notepad in hand. The open page was liberally strewn with the leopard's flowing script. Erik, the panther noticed, had a few bright red furs scattered on him here and there.

Evidently Darran had walked in on the end of something, because the two of them had started to push up to their feet by the time they noticed his entry.

Erik smiled, quite brightly given the circumstances. I'll be right back, he signed after dropping his notebook on his chair, starting to squeeze past Darran. Lisa smiled too, and waved, staying where she was. Darran pulled his own chair over and sat, waving for her to be seated as well.

There was a moment's strained silence. The vixen was first to break it, with a hesitant "Darran, can I ask you something?" Before he could reply, she added, "About Erik."

Darran spread his hands. "I can't promise that I'll answer, but if you're really uncomfortable asking him, go ahead."

"Well, he's really cute and cuddly…" With a bit of prodding here and there, she went on, "And he doesn't spend his time trying to impress people, which is a nice change; and he actually seems to like being cuddled. Doesn't mind being pounced, even. But I don't know…"

"…if he means anything more by it, or thinks you do?" Darran offered.

A nod.

From what he gathered of her, his answer was probably the one she wanted to hear; he pitched it as such. "I wouldn't worry about it," he informed her. "Erik is a very tactile person; he likes using touch to express what other people would do in words. He likes hugging and cuddling and in general being touchy-feely; it's the only option he has, really. But don't worry, it's just cuddling. He's not going to try to take you away from that kangaroo you're so interested in." He chuckled and was about to say more when the sounds of a commotion came from outside.

Security, it seemed, had arrived.

"It wasn't anyone from Third," Dani insisted. "We were all there; nobody could have left without being noticed."

"Nor could Erik or myself have done so," Darran added, "though why anyone would steal their own notes is beyond me."

"It's been done." Rick shrugged. "Second floor… I don't think so. Anyone noticing a girl down on First would ask questions; it was probably a male. As for our guys… well, Damien was around. But let's assume for the argument that he got in and stole the stuff. There's no way he'd be able to move it elsewhere without help, so we'd still be looking for someone else."

"That first part works for anyone who's not from your dorm," the white tiger from Security protested. "More so than for someone who happens to be female."

After a moment, Rick conceded the point.

"It would have to be someone who's familiar around here," the white-and-black cat continued. "Otherwise they'd risk attracting a lot of attention."

"What are you saying – that someone from this dorm did it?"

"Or someone who doesn't live here but does often have call to be here. That's the case I'd lean to myself, since the notes aren't anywhere in the building."

Julie, the collie who was RA on Second, breathed a sigh of relief.

"So," Rick prompted, "who aside from the residents is here that often? Friends, but they're only seen with residents…"

"It's a slim case. I'm afraid the only people we can eliminate based on opportunity are groups of people who were definitively elsewhere all evening. The third floor residents are such a group. Method is even more of a dead end right now; anyone could have done it. So we turn to motive."

"He hasn't even been here a week," Dani protested. "He hasn't irritated Brad, Kevin, or even Biff, and I've never seen anything that at least one of those three couldn't complain about. Erik is even closer to invisible. Who would want to do anything like this to them?"

For some reason, Darran felt his ears flushing.

"True," the tiger replied, "but theft is rather different than sabotage."

Silence.

"Cheating," Darran offered, bleak as a burning desert. "Using another's work as your own. It falls under the broad umbrella of academic dishonesty." The words tasted like ashes on his tongue. "Stealing someone's thesis work… at university, and among the scientific community at large, there's no greater offence."

"We'll inquire in the different departments and identify people, especially at the graduate level and up, who are doing related research," the tiger said. "In the meantime, we'll watch all around campus for that briefcase. Fortunately it's distinctive; a Carlton University crest isn't something we see everyday around here." A squawk from his walkie-talkie interrupted him for a moment. Standing, he said to Darran, "We'll keep you informed. You do the same."

And with those words he was gone.

Darran blinked. "Might be easier to stay in touch if he'd given me some sort of contact information. Could one of you—?"

"Right here," Dani replied, setting her pencil down and taking a little square of paper from her clipboard.

Darran smiled at her as he took it. Always prepared, her.

I like that.

"Well," Rick sighed, "I guess that's all for now. Thanks for coming, everybody."

Julie padded out in silence. The hyena paused at the door to say "I'll keep in touch," and then he, too, was gone. Darran and Dani were left alone in the silence.

That prospect was strangely pleasant. Why so? He wondered.

Dani's pencil scratched on paper; Darran, having no such distraction, watched her write. Not what she was writing; just the act of writing itself. Some people looked busy; some people genuinely were. Dani, it seemed, belonged to the latter group. He rarely saw her not doing something, though she wasn't so obvious about it as that kangaroo, whom he confidently placed in the first group.

This is not a statistical study, he scolded himself.

That Dani kept at it despite receiving thanks for it – indeed, being directly opposed at times – suggested a strength of will that was rare indeed.

And to top it off, she was pretty, too. Ah, semantics… if instead of calling her "short" one said "petite", it gained a whole new connotation…

Have you fallen for this young lady? some corner of his mind asked.

Uh… yes… the first day, actually…

The events of the previous day, and their lunchtime discussion previous, had certainly hastened the process…

Without looking up from her clipboard, Dani murmured, "Penny for your thoughts."

Darran blinked. She also seemed to be rather more observant than Darran Wolfe, B. Sc. Genetics… "You'll have change coming," he replied.

That got a quick chuckle. "Kevin's wit without his attitude and with a work ethic, what a prospect."

"A prospect I might…" He faltered for a moment, before part of him said Yes, go, seize the moment! "…enjoy," he concluded…

It is the nature of undesirable circumstances to occur at the most inopportune times(anything that can go wrong, will, and at the worst possible moment). This, of course, came to pass, in the form of a ringing sound.

For the first time in his life Darran regretted buying a cell phone. Sighing, he plucked it from his belt and answered.

The thirty seconds that followed were quite possibly the longest in his life to date.

Hanging up, he sighed and turned off the phone before replacing it at his belt. "My broker," he apologised. "Anyway, as I was saying—"

But Fate intervened once again, this time by setting off the fire alarm.

Darran cursed, managing to keep it under his breath.

There still weren't that many people in the building, so the chaos was, fortunately, minimal. Still, it was a nuisance, to say the least, especially when it was found that there was no fire, no cleaning-chemical spill, no smoking, not even any burnt toast, nada.

"Aaron!" Rick hollered, waving at the wolf Darran remembered from the first day here. "When did you get back here?"

"Just now," Aaron replied. "What's going on?"

"The hell if I know. Some joker pulled the fire alarm."

"You mean there was still someone here to pull it?"

There was a touch at his shoulder. "You were saying something, I think?"

Darran sighed. "Yeah. Let's hope the third time's the charm." Turning, he looked down into Dani's eyes. "I was wondering… if life doesn't throw any more ringers, might you be interested in having lunch again sometime, say Saturday at one o'clock? I enjoyed yesterday's quite a bit…"

There was a moment's pause, after which time a smile spread across her face. "It's a date."

He blinked. Why didn't I think of that?

Her hand sought and found his, closing it in a firm grip. "Just don't keep spacing out on me."

"It's not my usual behaviour," he assured her, smiling back and giving her hand a squeeze. "Shall we go inside?"

Friday started normally enough, but that only lasted to about ten o'clock. That was when a loud commotion in the halls brought him and Erik away from the figure-checking of what hadn't been in the briefcase. Colliding with each other in their mutual rush for the door, they scrambled out into the hallway. The sight that greeted them was somewhat puzzling. Under the wary eyes of a burly security tomcat and an equally large, but much less fit-looking, vulpine police officer, Jake was being firmly marched out of the building. That same tiger from yesterday was watching the proceedings with a thoughtful expression on his whiskered face.

Catching sight of the two other felids, he nodded sharply and paced over to them, evidently about to deliver a report. Erik beat him to the punch with a flurry of gestures, his expression thoughtful and a bit surprised. In kind, Darran translated, "We take it your investigations uncovered a surprise."

"That they have. The fire alarm last night was set off from the basement. No sign of a fire, but there were a few clues that your briefcase had been stored in the boiler room. The window was intact, and the door hasn't been forced or picked. Whoever entered, did so by key. Mr. Taylor was on shift on the lower floors at the time."

Darran shook his head, trying to get the fuzz out of it. Granted, he didn't know Jake well, but something about this just didn't seem to fit. He had trouble believing the otter would do that, and yet, the circumstances were so convincing.

"That's method and opportunity," Darran sighed. "But still, this doesn't feel right. First off, I can't see any sort of motive; and another thing: up until now, the thief has been very careful to avoid discovery. Why would things suddenly become so blindingly obvious?"

"Those are good points, Mr. Wolfe. The question of motive is especially puzzling… At any rate, Mr. Taylor is not under arrest; he's being detained for questioning, after which he'll be free to go. He can't and won't be incarcerated."

That was truly a vile-sounding word… definitely not something to visit on the undeserving. As for the question of who was or was not deserving, well, maybe the culprit had just become complacent, or made one critical mistake. Nobody was perfect, after all.

Thank goodness. Perfection would be so boring.

"A point about priority," Darran started.

The tiger, about to follow the other people out of the dorm, paused and turned.

"We want our notes back. Anything else is secondary."

A nod. "Fair enough." With that he proceeded out of sight.

"Full of it," a voice said from low and to the side.

Darran blinked. "I beg your pardon?" he said to the wheelchair-bound badger beside him.

"I said he's full of it," Damien repeated. "They're not looking in the right places. If they'd only open their eyes… well, come here, I'll show you." He started pushing himself toward his room. The two cats exchanged glances and followed.

The room they entered was just another student's dorm room, though a bit on the messy side. The room's other occupant was that wolf Darran hazily remembered from the first day here, Aaron something, and evidently on his way to some engagement, for with only the briefest of greetings, he dashed out of the room.

"Whatever," Damien muttered, and wheeled over to his computer. At a jog of the mouse, the blank screen gave way to a series of spreadsheets and tables and lists. "Okay. I found a bunch of activities going on across campus yesterday, and listed who was likely or known to be where. The people in the dorm who aren't listed anywhere are highlighted red." He frowned. "As you can see…" He didn't finish the sentence, just waved his hand at the monitor.

Darran frowned as well. He and Erik were accounted for, as was the entirety of the third-floor crowd. Quite a few people were known to be at home, or at other holiday activities. That left three of the second-floor girls and, from the first floor, Richard Thornhill, Damien Sanders, and Aaron Stephenson.

He was being thorough, including himself like that. Darran's initial response, right there, was to trust him. It really did seem like he had nothing to hide…

"That's the students," Damien went on. "As for the staff, well, there aren't many around, so it wasn't too hard to figure out. Here are the people who work around here, and the ones in bold have keys. All the ones crossed out went home for holiday vacation, and these two were specifically on duty last night."

In addition to Jake's name, there was another: Tara Cullen.

"Why'd you check on the keys? Or did you just?"

"It made sense. They wouldn't likely have a key to your room, but they'd have the run of the place, including the ability to stash it somewhere in the building where nobody would look. But just this morning," the badger concluded, "Miz Cullen reported that her basement key was missing. Among other things, that would open the boiler room."

Darran blinked.

The documents on the screen looked quite professional, even official.

"How did you learn all this, Damien?"

A shrug. "It wasn't hard. It's all on computer, so just a few hours of sitting here and it was all done."

"Maybe, but I find it hard to believe they'd make their schedules available like this…"

Another shrug. "Maybe they should get better security," Damien replied.

Oh.

So maybe he did have something to hide, after all… no wonder he hadn't said this when the tiger was still here.

"I didn't change a thing," Damien added. "I even broke my usual policy and left my tracks there; if I erased most of them but missed one, they'd be down on me hard. But since everything's the same, they probably won't even look. Definitely not in-depth enough to see who accessed what."

Just so. "All right, let's forget about it. Now, we've talked to Rick on our own, but we've hardly even seen Aaron. What's he like?"

Yet another shrug. "I'll only say that he's a decent guy but, ironically enough, he's the floor gossip. More than that, you really should learn firsthand."

"Gossip? With all that goes on around here, it sure seems like he'd have plenty of business."

"Maybe we're numb." Damien drummed his fingers on his keys. "And really, though a lot of weird stuff happens here, this whole business is the most newsworthy thing to happen in quite a while. For whatever reason, he tends to talk about people. The latest from the rumour mill is that Rick is so open about all the girls he sleeps with because he wants to keep attention away from the guys." He snorted, ears folding against his skull. "Whatever."

"You don't believe it?"

Damien craned his head around and, for the first time since coming in the door, looked Darran straight in the eye. "I don't care. Rick might be looser than most – I don't know – but whatever the case, he's a good guy who doesn't disappoint – evidently not that way, either. If you listened to the gossip, you'd think he never got any work done."

And that was true enough… on both counts.

Darran and Erik exchanged glances. This badger wouldn't be so hard to deal with, if this morning had given a good indication of his outlook.

But they could speculate later. Right now, other priorities loomed.

"Thanks for the information, Damien. Now, if you'll excuse us, we haven't had breakfast yet."

Damien looked down at the clock on his monitor. "Um… lunch, you mean?"

"That too. Time flies when you're working on a thesis… Until later, Damien."

Darran's stomach definitely agreed with Damien's statement of the time, though. How had they gone that long without noticing?

A few minutes later, he answered his own question: We were trying to avoid the 'food' here. Selecting the most edible choices he could find, Darran took a seat near the occupied tables.

Glumly contemplating his so-called meal, he only noticed that he was right beside the Richter bunch when Dani leaned over and asked him, "Any word?"

Glad of an excuse to postpone eating, Darran set his fork down. "That nameless tiger from Security took Jake Taylor in for questioning… I," he managed not to say he heard from Damien that someone else's key was stolen, "don't buy it."

"You seem pretty casual about this," she observed.

The panther shrugged. "What can I do about it? It's not on my hands anymore. I might as well get on with my life. Other matters won't wait for this to be settled."

"True…" The mouse looked down the table. "Funny. I didn't think Erik would get along with someone like Rick."

Darran followed her gaze. Sure enough, leopard and hyena were having a lively conversation – judging by Rick's voice and Erik's flurried scribbling on his pad. He shrugged. "Erik's full of surprises, and from what I've seen Rick's not what he shows himself to be."

Conversation paused for a moment as the pair – one boisterous, one forever silent; one dark, one pale – abruptly stood. Erik was giving the hyena a very knowing smile; Rick, in return, was leering right back at him. The two of them put their trays away and walked off, arm in arm.

Some distance away, Scott choked on his water. From Tony came a bass rumble of "Uh…"

Darran looked over, chewing endlessly on some unidentified morsel. "Is something amiss?"

Slowly, cautiously, everyone returned to their meals.

Darran swallowed at last, and chuckled. "I enjoy that far too much," he confided to Dani.

"They had it coming," she muttered. "That was more than a little rude… So, how long has Erik been… ah, out?"

Darran chuckled. "Since puberty or before, as far as I know, if he was ever 'in'. First day we were roommates together, he told me he was homosexual and said if I had a problem with that, we could try for a transfer on the part of one of us." He shrugged. "Obviously, I didn't and don't." And how… but that was more than anyone here needed to know.

"They look so cute together," Lisa sighed, staring after them.

Darran smiled and nodded, also watching, but his smile abruptly drooped as movement at another entrance caught his eye. "Is it like Kevin to be in that much of a hurry?" He winced as the cat almost tripped over a hefty-looking wolf in a blue vest.

"Not for this food," Dani said, frowning as well.

"He's carrying something…" Darran stood, trying to get a better look.

Kevin paused to look around, caught sight of him, and came over, hoisting his burden. "Yours, I think."

Dumbstruck, Darran reached for the briefcase.