Does the lion join or not

   Blue Heeler SunFire looks up at the waiter making a choice for wine. "I'll have the 59. He turns back to Napalm.
   "Hmm...thats a pretty good year, but I prefer those of the previous century myself." the wolf replies
   "This is the previous century."
   "Not to me it isn't."
   "Don't tell Felinar how expensive that wine is."
   Napalm blinks. "How expensive IS it?"
   "Well, it's over 100 years old...."
   "So, I've got lots of stuff much older than that. These robes, made over 5 millenia ago."
   Blue glares at you. "Considering I wasn't even remotely conceived of when that wine was pressed makes it very valuable to this society."
   Napalm shrugs, "Mortals...." He shifts the subject quickly.
   Blue watches the waiter bring out the menues and puts some water glasses down. "Where is our guest? You did give him the right time didn't you?"
   "Yes, yes I did, he'll be here."
   Napalm nods and takes the glass in his hand, holding it for a few seconds. The water inside starts to bubble slightly, all the ice melting. He then takes a sip and sets it down. "Why is it you mortals like to drink these things cold?"
   The dog looks at Napalm, then at the glass, concentrating, watching the ice melt, then sipping it. "Who says I like mine cold."
   Napalm tries not to smile.
   "Personally, I don't know why either of you drinks it at all." Felinar steps into the room from the hallway.
   "Cause the waiter hasn't brought the wine yet...." Napalm retorts.
   Blue stands up. Napalm belatedly stands and smiles at the lion. "Have a seat, Fel." the canine says as he points to a chair. Felinar walks over to the table and pulls a chair out opposite
the canine and the wolf, sitting down in it lightly.
   Felinar glances at Blue. "Nice hat." he says as he sees the Fedora on Blue's head.
   The canine sits back down and waves the waiter over. "Thanks." Napalm returns to his seat as well.
   "Here are the menu's, sirs." the waiter states as he hands out the menues. "The special of the day is Chicken Flambroiled." Napalm picks up his menu and starts nodding as he goes through it. Blue watches the waiter walk off.
   "Do they have steak, or something?" Felinar glances at the menu.
   "Oh sure, check the second page, bottom right." Napalm indicates.
   "I see."
   "Don't worry about the prices at all, order what you want." Blue says off-handdedly.
   "I'll pay for my own meals."
   "Why, they aren't charging him for it?" Napalm says.
   Blue quickly says, "Don't worry about it, there's free meals with the room."
   "Well, that and you own the place."
   Felinar looks at Blue skeptically, and shrugs. "If that's how you want to do business, suit yourself."
   "Well, I know what I want."
   "I know what I want, I think...." the dog lets the sentence drift off as he turns another page in the menu.
   "I'm not used to having a choice. I'll just take the biggest serving of red meat they have. I normally eat field rations." Felinar drops the menue back onto the table.
   "Might I recommend the Fillette Minon...its steak wrapped in bacon I believe." Napalm helps.
   Blue is looking between about five items as he tries to decide. Blue waves the racoon waiter over. "You guys order, and by then I shall have decided."
   "May I take your order?" the racoon says as he looks at Felinar.
   "I'll take a prime rib...medium rare."
   "Soup, salad? and how would you like your potatoe."
   "Forget all that. I just want the meat."
   "Okay. And you sir?" looking at Napalm.
   "Okay, I'll have," motioning the waiter over close, "2 of these, one of these, and I'll take one of these also." pointing out each item in turn. The waiter writes down all that the wolf points to, then turns to the dog.
   "And you, Mr. SunFire?"
   Napalm looks up indigenet, "Hey, don't I get my soup and salad?"
   "Uh...I'll have the..uh.." the dog starts turning pages.
   "And what about my potatoe?" Napalm keeps asking. Felinar looks at Napalm with mild disgust.
   Blue continues to look at about four items. "I'll have the Chicken Marsalis, with salad and noodles."
   "What kind of potatoe then, sir?" The waiter looks back at Napalm after finishing writing down Blue's order.
   "Baked, and what soup are you serving today?" Napalm grins, now that he can finish ordering.
   "We have Cream of Ricka, Braken Diaro, and Chicken Noodle.
"Okay, then I'll have the Chicken Noodle and a salad, with french dressing."
   "Is that all?"
   "Quite." Napalm smiles. The waiter pads off to place the order.
   "I'm glad I'm not paying for this." Blue remarks.
   "You ARE. It's your restaurant." Felinar comments back.
   "Yes, and let me thank you for your generosity." Napalm nods.
   "Well, hmm," the dog thinks, "I guess technically you are correct. But I would have received this same treatment if I didn't have my name at the bottom of the paper."
   "Likewise," Felinar says dryly. He sits up slightly in his chair.
   "It's nothing for friends."
   "Now, are you going to tell me why you hired me, Blue?"
   "Uh..yea..I.. uh hired you to help us." Blue fumbles and looks at Napalm, only to see that he seems to be paying little attention, staring at his napkin with his eyes unfocussed.
   Felinar rolls his eyes. "Come on. Help you with what?"
   "We are gathering information, very secret information." Blue puts his paw up infront of Napalm's eyes. Napalm doesn't seem to notice. "We have to find out if a certain mage person is still alive and where he might be."
   "His name is Morlong." Napalm states quietly.
   "I see..." Felinar glances at Napalm. "What's wrong with your friend?"
   "He is the most evil being on this planet, and his death is the only way to assure this world's safety."
   Blue looks over. "Probably nothing. That would be it."
   Napalm doesnt alter his gaze.
   Felinar raises an eyebrow, still looking rather self-important, and brushes a hand through his mane. "He looks like he's been drugged."
   Napalm slowly looks over at Felinar, his face unusually serious. Blue watches the salads and soup get brought out. The young fox bussfur hands Blue a package.
   "I cannot be drugged, but that is of little importance." Napalm says. "What is important is that you may well hold the key to our being able to finding and destroying this enemy. You, unlike myself and Blue, are not part of this. You are an outside affect, and thus, unexpected."
   Felinar meets Napalm's gaze evenly. "Why not get someone from your company?" Blue eats the salad as he reads the papers from the package.
   Napalm turns to Blue, "Well, why not?"
   "After all, THEY would care about more than just being paid."
   Felinar says this last sentance in a slightly more sarcastic tone.
   Blue looks up, "Huh?"
   "Why is Felinar a more acceptable choice than a member of your company?" Napalm querys.
   "I don't have a company. My brother has a company, I just have me."
   Napalm smiles slyly at the lion, "Perhaps a certain lack of conviction can be an assest. Your brother would give you an opperative if you asked."
   "I don't want one of his. They would tell him of my every move. He still wants to watch out for me."
   Napalm nods, "Okay with me."
   "You just came in at the right time, Fel." Blue finishes reading the papers as he finishes the salad.
   Felinar leans over the table, facing Blue. "YOU haven't seen me in almost a decade." Napalm notices his salad for the first time and eats it quickly, but with proper etiquite.
   Blue looks up. "Yes, and your point would be?"
   Felinar smiles slightly. "Nothing, I suppose. You DID say that you had heard of us...me." Felinar 's eyes darken slightly as he switches us for me.
   "Plus, you are after the same people we are." Blue hands a document over.
   Napalm looks up as his bowl is empty. "The Awardings I presume?"
   The canine nods. Felinar glances at the document idly, then begins to read more carefully. Napalm asks, "What other structures did we leave standing that might house the information we seek?"
   Felinar growls quietly. "How do I know that these aren't faked?"
   Blue watches the waiter bring out the main course for everyone, filling the glasses with wine. "How do you know any document is real. You have to trust me."
   Felinar waves the waiter away. "I don't drink." Napalm forgets his previous question as he begins to eat. Blue starts eating. Felinar hands the document back to the canine. "I trust no one. But I will go with you." The dog puts the document away. The lion begins to pick at his food, eating it slowly, though in a fairly cultured manner.
   The wolf looks up, cleaning off his muzzling with the napkin. "Ahh, wonderful meal."
   The dog finishes his meal and drinks the wine. "Yes it was." Felinar finishes eating after a few minutes and wipes his muzzle with a napkin.
   "Well," Napalm starts, "if we are all agreed that we're to be in this together, at least for the time being, our next step is to find out where we're going."
   Felinar shrugs, "I'll go anywhere. Except Tarrai."
   "I don't think that we left any building standing on the island. I don't know where the explosives were." The canine glances at Felinar. "We still need to discuss payment, don't we."
   The feline glances at the canine. "My standard fee is twenty thousand credits. This is personal though...I'll do it for fifteen."
   "This will be more difficult than your standard mission though." Napalm says.
   "Hmmm, Okay." Blue mumbles out someting.
   "If that turns out to be the case Napalm, I will charge more." Felinar adds. Napalm grins. Felinar glances at Blue. "What was that?"
   Blue watches the bussfur clear the table. "Huh?"
   "I didn't quite hear you."
   "Hmm..." Napalm says, thinking, "what about that townhouse? We didn't destroy that building!"
   "That's true, we could try there" Blue moves on the new topic.
   "Yes! Do you think there would be more information there?"
   "There will be more guards I'm sure"
   "Thats okay, there will be more of us too."
   Felinar drops his napkin on the table. "I can handle myself in combat. Can you?"
   "Oh, I think I can do okay." Blue grins wryly at the lion.
   Napalm looks over at the feline. "You may reserve judgement on my abilities until you've seen them, I won't brag on my own behalf, but I'll attest to his prowess in combat." Napalm rubs his paw selfconciously.
   "I have some rules of my own, though..."
   "Oh?" Blue looks at Felinar, wondering.
   "You've assigned me a mission, but don't expect to be giving me orders; I won't follow them. I do things my own way."
   "Well, we don't give orders, we come to an agreement on the way things should be done."
   Felinar smiles ironically..."I am however, open to suggestions."
   "Can we agree on settling this in a more democratic fashion."
   Napalm proposes. "There are three of us, no chance of a tie."
   Felinar shakes his head. "Like I said, I'm working with you, not for you."
   "You mean you're working with him," Napalm motions with his head, "I'm not paying you." he gives the lion a lop-sided grin.
   "Oh," the canine remembers, "and if I yell, black, in any combat, shield your eyes."
   Felinar glances at Blue. "Care to tell me why?"
   "I wouldn't want you blinded."
   The feline raises an eyebrow sarcastically. "I don't recall the word 'black' ever blinding me before."
   "On this one you are better off trusting him, he has more than just his claws as weapons." Napalm agrees.
   The dog grins at Felinar, "The word won't blind you, silly."
   The feline crosses his arms, managing to look very stubborn. "I won't go into combat with you unless you tell me EVERYTHING."
   "I think that would require a demonstration," Napalm looks at the dog, "don't you agree Blue?"
   "I told you everything in the room." Blue then grins at Napalm. He turns and tosses something into the middle of the dinning room, then watching as a mini-sun explodes blinding most of
those in the room, which, fortunatly, were very few. Felinar nods.
   "Oh, black." Blue says after the sun died off.
   "That will suffice." the lion says.
   "And you don't want me to do it right in your eyes, kinda burns them out."
   "I guessed as much," Felinar says dryly.
   "Well, now that you've blinded a few of your loyal employees and patrons can we get going to the townhouse?" Napalm asks. "Or would you prefer we enter under the cover of darkness?"
   Felinar shakes his head. "I need a day or so to prepare."
   "Okay, well, that's good, I need to go see my brother about something." Blue says remembering a note he received.
   "No, that isnt good. We need this information now, not in a day or two." Napalm says more forcefully.
   "It can wait, wolf." Felinar responds forcefully.
   Napalm glares at Felinar, his eyes glowing, "No. It can't"
   Blue looks at Napalm, then at Felinar. "How about half a day?"
   "If half a day will improve our chances, it will due." Napalm retorts.
   Felinar meets Napalm's gaze. "That's fine."
   Blue mumbles something.
   "I'll be in the room when you two are prepared." the wolf says tersely. "Thanks for the meal." He says noding to the dog, then dissappears in a puff of harmless flame.
   "Then we'll meet out front here, in half a day." The dog says first to Felinar, then turns to look at Napalm, but notices that he's not there.
   Felinar shrugs. "As long as I get paid...you can do whatever you want." He heads out the door without giving Napalm's puff a second glance.
   Blue sighs and pads out the door.