We mazed through all the study cubbies and awkwardly placed couches until we finally got to the stairs. We walked down the stairs silently, him about ...a step or two in front of me. It seemed like days until we got to the bottom floor (where the Basement Bean is) and still silent walked in. He went straight up and ordered a black coffee. I then placed my order and he walked away to find a table. I fixed my coffee and began to scan the area for him. I couldn’t see him. So many thoughts ripped. Several people stood waiting for us there; three of them led the other passengers away, leaving the seven of us standing on the shore with the last.She was a young woman wearing a fabric head covering and a long, flowing beige dress decorated with the same stylized sun I remembered from the letter Fergus had showed me; she reminded me of a nun, really. She smiled serenely at us and curtsied deeply when we stopped in front of her, but when her eyes fell on me she gasped, her face blanching. She. "Personally I didn't think it would do us any good but I didn't tell Mai Woo that and I certainly didn't mention it aloud. I wanted anyone listening in to think that I was hoping for support from their political system and I wanted them either wondering how they could exploit that or how they were going to block my efforts. From what Miranda had told me and from what I had gleaned in my conversations with Mai Woo, I knew that their political system was corrupt and ineffectual. Industry. Do you think anyone will be interested?" They'll probably fight over who gets the first chance at your fertile pussy," Sue chuckled."Well,"Pete sighed, "I guess there's still a chance I could knock up Cindy or Janet, and let's not forget that Cindy already has two shots of my baby juice from the other day so I guess there's a chance that I knocked her up then." Honey, you're forgetting about Lori," Linda pointed out."You're right," Pete said with an unfocused look in his eyes, "I did forget.