Morgaine and Anjali had been mock-dueling with light sabers in Morgaine's room, but now Morgaine was in a thoughtful mood.

"I'm glad Kyer decided to stay," she said, sitting down, "But she's still upset about the rumor that the Nunkies Addicts might try to kidnap her. I wish we could do something so she wouldn't have to worry about it."

"So do I," said the other teenager, "But what can we do?"

"I do have an idea," Morgaine said. "J.L.'s been showing Kyer and me her hologram-creating software..." She explained her idea to Anjali.

"C'mon, I'll show you," Morgaine said, jumping up and leading the way to Kyer's room.

Kyer wasn't there, but there was a plastic bag on the floor, filled with small, grey cubes and a few other devices. Morgaine went over to Kyer's computer and logged into the Comfy Cottage's computer network. She brought up the hologram-creating application and showed Anjali the image Kyer had been working on.

Anjali laughed and clapped her hands together. "That will be perfect!" she said.

Morgaine agreed. "All we need to do is change the message." With a few mouse clicks and some keystrokes, she did that. "These are the hologram projectors," she said, picking up one of the 2" metal cubes. She showed Anjali how to upload the program into the projector. She picked up another device. "This is an electronic sensor," and she demonstrated how that was used. Finally, she picked up a third device. "This is the remote control," she said, "For turning the projectors on and off. There's no on and off buttons on the projectors, themselves."

Quickly, the two teenagers uploaded the program into more of the hologram projectors. Then Morgaine found two large, over-the-shoulder bags of Kyer's, the kind with open tops, and they filled them with the projectors. They tossed a sensor into each bag.

"We'd better hurry," said Morgaine, grabbing the remote control. "The bus will be here in a few minutes.

Giggling, the two girls ran out of the Comfy Cottage.

_____________________________________________________

Morgaine got impatient during the bus trip downtown. With numerous stops and a transfer, it took almost an hour to get to their destination. And bus seats aren't very good for bouncing on.

But finally, the bus got there, and they got off just a couple of blocks from the Jewelled Peach.

Morgaine and Anjali had planned to say admiring things about the restaurant to allay suspicion, but when they walked into the lobby, their admiration was genuine. Elaborate murals adorned the walls, and the lobby was graced by leather sofas and chairs, in dark brown. The background colors on the murals in various shades of peach gave the room a warm glow.

"Oh!" said Morgaine.

"This is beautiful," said Anjali.

Anjali was the first to recover. "C'mon," she whispered to Morgaine. "We've got to go into the dining room."

Like the lobby, the dining room appeared to have no one in it. Even so, the girls stuck to their plan, just in case there was anyone within hearing distance. Their admiration didn't have to be feigned.

"Look at this wood paneling," said Morgaine, lightly running her fingers down the rich grain. As she did so, she took a small, grey, metal cube from her shoulder bag and casually dropped it on the peach-colored carpet, near the wall.

"I'm so glad you suggested coming to see this place," said Anjali, also dropping a cube from her shoulder bag.

"Can you imagine getting to eat here?" Morgaine asked, dropping another cube in another spot along the wall.

"It would be so romantic," said Anjali, doing the same.

Morgaine continued dropping cubes. "I hear they make great Belgian waffles," she said.

Anjali moved over to the cappuccino bar, and dropped some more cubes. "And the best tiramisu, too."

"Yes," said Morgaine, as she moved over to one of the curtained-off privacy booths, and dropped a cube under the curtain's edge. "Ummm... what is tiramisu, exactly?"

"I don't know," said Anjali, as she dropped a cube at the edge of another privacy booth, "But I hear it's the best."

The other part of their plan, though, was more difficult. Anjali's acting talent came in handy, and Morgaine followed her lead.

"Can you imagine if we were eating here, and LaCroix came in?" Anjali asked, saying the name almost reverently, and dropping more cubes as she did so.

"Ohhh, that would be so wonderful," said Morgaine. She moved towards one of the tables. "Imagine if he were sitting right here at this table." She casually reached her hand into the shoulder bag again, and took out a small device, which she kept hidden in her palm. "Maybe he would beckon to you to come over." She began to move her hands over the fine linen tablecloth, somewhat as if she were pantomiming an imaginary LaCroix' action. When her hand was over the center of the table, she pushed a button on the device she was holding.

Anjali moved to another table. "Maybe he'd put a candle in the center of the table," she said, pantomiming also. She also pushed a button on the device she was hiding in her palm.

"He'd light the candle," said Morgaine, at another table. She pushed the button again.

"Nunkies," Anjali almost whispered, at another table. "He'd offer you some wine." She pushed the button.

"Nunkies," breathed Morgaine, as she pushed the button at another table.

The girls went from table to table, pushing the button on the devices. Every time they did, a signal was sent to one of the hologram projectors, telling it exactly where to position the hologram.

Finally, they were all through. They stood in the center of the restaurant, side by side, leaning so that their shoulders almost touched. They clasped their hands in front of them. "Nunnnnnnk-ies," they said together, almost like Homer Simpson, saying, "Doooouuugh-nuts." It was all Anjali could do to stifle her laughter.

The girls left the restaurant. Once they were outside, and about a half a block away, Morgaine pushed the button on the remote control.

Inside the Jewelled Peach, in the center of each table, a one foot high hologram of Lucien LaCroix and Barney the Dinosaur appeared. They were dancing together, with their arms out to their sides, clasping each other's hands, and swaying from foot to foot, as they sang, "I love you. You love me. We're a happy family." When they completed their little song, Barney let go of LaCroix' hands and turned ninety degrees to face outward towards the table edge. "Promise to leave Kyer alone, and we'll go away," he said. Then he turned back to LaCroix, they clasped hands, and the singing and dancing began again.

Outside, Morgaine and Anjali ran giggling to the bus stop. In a little over an hour, they were back at the Comfy Cottage.

_____________________________________________

"Anyone seen Morgaine lately?" Margie asked Lisa and J.L., as she came into the living room. "She wanted me to help her feed the Space Chickens today."

"I noticed Morgaine and Anjali in Kyer's room a couple of hours ago," said Lisa. "Are they..."

Just then they heard voices in the entrance hall. Morgaine and Anjali came into the living room, Morgaine holding the remote control for the hologram projectors. Excitedly, they explained where they'd been and what they'd done. As they explained, though, they noticed that the others didn't seem to share their excitement. Margie, in particular, looked absolutely dismayed.

"Uh oh," said Morgaine.

"Even if they promise to leave Kyer alone," pointed out Lisa, "This is a war, and in a war a promise like that isn't likely to be kept."

"Besides, something like that isn't likely to stave off an attack," Margie explained. "It's more likely to invite an attack."

"Not to mention what will happen if LaCroix finds out," said J.L. "He'll know which faction did it."

"Ohmigosh! Give me that thing!" Margie yelled, as she grabbed the remote out of Morgaine's hand. She pressed the 'off' button. She wondered if it was already be too late, though.

"Did you ever think of what would happen if LaCroix saw it?" she asked Anjali and Morgaine. But one look at their faces made it very clear that they hadn't.

"But...but...it isn't meant to be *real*," squeaked Anjali.

"We never meant it as anything against LaCroix," Morgaine said in a small voice.

"Yes, well, _he_ may not see it that way," Margie said. She stared at the remote contol in her hand. She hoped _he_ hadn't seen it at all.

"We're really sorry, Margie," said Anjali.

"Oh, it's okay," said Margie, sounding more as if she were trying to convince herself. "You were trying to help. It's a war, after all, and these things happen in war."

After dinner, Margie into the living room. The others were in the movie room setting up a video of "Night in Question". They had offerred to watch it with her in the hope of getting her to feel better. She was still obviously very worried, what with the radio broadcast and then the holograms.

Margie looked at the Cousins of the Knight banner over the fireplace. Sometimes she felt calmed just looking at the two crossed swords, one Crusader, one Roman, and the pocket watch that said, "Forever", with the chain entwined around the hilts of the two swords. She contemplated the Cousins of the Knight motto as it was written around the edge of the banner, - "Even when they are trying to kill you, they are still family". She supposed that went for faction-mates as well. Feeling cheerier, she went to join the others.