Linora wanders in looking a bit bleary, going straight to the side table and picking over the fruit there.

Looking up from oiling his youngest brown, Cress sees the newly appointed member of StarCraft coming in. "Morning," he says, grinning.

Linora blinks and turns to face Cress. "Oh, hi..." she calls back, returning the grin somewhat less enthusiastically than usual. "Hey, howdja learn to stay up nights? I'm half dead trying." She gives up on the fruit and picks up a klah pitcher instead.

Cress shrugs, "I've always been something of a nighthawk," he says. "So I was used to it before I came here."

Linora sips at the klah experimentally, then makes a face and dumps some sweetener in it. Doesn't matter how much, can't be worse... "Oh." She looks disappointed to find that there isn't a trick to it. Another sip... still pretty nasty... oh well. She takes the mug and walks over to watch the little brown being oiled. "Hmmm," she says. "I oughta get some a that for Spray, too," she muses.

Cress reaches for the little bottle with the oil, handing it to her he says, "here you can borrow a little until you get your own."

Linora smiles and takes the little bottle gratefully, easing the sleeping blue off her shoulder and nestling him in the crook of her arm. "Thanks," she says. "That'd be great... um... where'dja get it?"

"Well, I got it from a friend," Cress says. "But there must be somewhere to buy it 'round here. People can't go bother their friends everytime they need a bottle of oil, can they?" His right hand rubbing the belly of the brown, who's crooning in pure joy over the wonderful treatment he's recieving.

Linora grins. "He sure looks happy," she says of the squirming little brown. She starts to sit down with Spray, then stops short to peer at Cress. Bother their friends? Erm...

Cress laughs, "yeah, they love this. All three of 'em." Looking at the girl, seeing the expression on her face, "what?"

Linora hesitates a moment. "Do I bug you?"

Cress' eyes widen in surprise, then his face cracks in a smile, "no, of course not. What I meant is that you can't bother your friends /every/ time you need to oil your lizard. I mean, you probably haven't had time to get oil yourself yet, am I right?"

Linora grins, relieved. "Okay. I'd hate to be a pain, you've been really nice to me. I mean, I don't wanna hang around ya if you'd rather... I mean, I /do/ wanna hang around... " She abruptly cuts herself off, as if she just noticed she's chattering. "Um... no, I haven't had a chance yet," she corrects herself, sitting down at last and opening the bottle.

"Tell you what, why don't you keep that bottle," Cress says, "I have to go, but listen, I like hanging out with you. So don't worry about that, ok?"

Linora looks back up at Cress with a big smile. "Thanks," she says. For everything, she means...

Cress nods, and with a smile on his face he heads for the door. Just before going out he says, "you're good company, Linora." *wink*

Cress slowly walks to the Entry Hall.