WAR: Cousins: Cerberus grows a new head
By:  Cousin Tok
with all appropriate permissions
Date/time:  mid-day Monday, November 8, following Family Reunion (2/2)



Tok sat in the lobby of CERK, just to one side of Bonnie the Cousinly
Receptionist's desk.  A cooler full of diet Pepsi was at her feet.  She
tossed the can she'd just finished into the recycling bin and groggily
reached for another one.  If she continued at this rate, she'd be more
buzzed on caffeine than a room full of Dark Perks.  But she had to stay
awake long enough to talk to Arletta as soon as she arrived.  She looked at
the time she'd scribbled next to Arletta's name on her list of Cousins --
Arletta should be here any minute now, if she'd left promptly.

Finally, she recognized Arletta coming through the door, struggling with
her luggage.  She'd dropped it right in front of the reception desk when
Tok approached her.  "Arletta, it's great to see you again!  Your room's
all ready for you, and your luggage will be just fine right here for a few
moments.  Come with me -- we need to talk."

Arletta felt faint stirrings of worry -- no conversation beginning with 'we
need to talk' ever turned out well.  She followed Tok back to her office
and took a seat in the visitor's chair.

"Want a diet Pepsi?" Tok offered Arletta a can from the cooler.  "It's the
strongest thing I've got right now, and I have a feeling you're going to
need all the caffeine you can get."

"Sure ... well, maybe."  Arletta took the can and set it on the desk in
front of her.  "What's this all about?  Is Lacroix upset with me about
something already?"

"No, not at all.  As a matter of fact, you could consider this a
promotion.  Of sorts."  Tok took another can out of her cooler, popped it
open, and downed half of it in one chug before she
continued.  "Bob's  here, but he's going to be really busy cataloging all
that stuff the GSS has strewn around the dungeon.  Tser and I need someone
to help us out with leading the Cousins, and it's tradition for Cerberus to
have three heads.  Lacroix himself suggested that we give *you* the
honor."  Tok downed the rest of her soda quickly.  "You know how he gets if
we don't follow his suggestions, Arletta.  Welcome to Cerberus!"

Arletta sat there in stunned silence, mentally running through possible
responses and rejecting them.  "Um ..."

"Congratulations!  It's not that bad, you know.  You'll get used to the
pace quickly.  I'll have Bonnie get you the key to one of the offices, and
the three of us can have a little meeting later, after everyone gets
here."  Tok rose and drew Arletta to the door of her office.  "You go get
settled in your room now.  I'm going to try and get a little rest -- Will
said something about taking folks on a tour of Toronto, and as many times
as I've been here, I've never seen some of the places he's talking
about.  Glad to have you on board, Arletta!"

Arletta made her way back toward the CERK lobby, shaking her head in wonder
over this strange turn of events.  Some more Cousins had arrived during her
meeting with Tok, and they were clustered around the reception desk.  Then
she spotted Shelley sitting on one of the couches, and went to see her
friend and co-conspirator.

* * *



Cousin Tok
and the Cousinly kitties
tokaara@comcast.net / AIM Tokaara / ICQ 46441308 / Yahoo messenger tokariel