FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

To say that Gamma Draconis was off the beaten path would be an understatement. Not only was it at the edge of civilized space, with barely a Navy corvette to patrol the entire system on a good day, but the inhabitable planets also suffered from massive storms, bringing down wind, rain, rapid-fire lightning strikes. These storms were random, and often came with little warning, leaving any craft, be it conventional aircraft or spaceworthy ship, grounded until the storm had passed. Which is exactly what happened to the Midnight Rider.

An old but serviceable ship, the Rider was a modified patrol craft, designed for long, solitary patrols across a system. The rain relentlessly pelted her sleek black hull, the gold stars on the wings the only things that identified her as a ship belonging to the Colonial Marshals. The Colonial Marshals, like the Marshals of the American southwest back on Earth, patrolled the edges of civilized space, keeping the explorers and scientists on the frontier safe, and bringing criminals who flee to the edge of civilization back to justice.

Of course, Marshals also handled the more mundane criminal cases as well, such as breaking and entering and petty theft. Such as now, when the Rider's captain, a large, black-furred wolf named Konrad, found himself transporting a prisoner he had arrested for just such charges. The prisoner, a fox by the name of Alyxander, paced nervously back and forth in his cell, his tail flicking rapidly. He pressed his hands against the transparisteel wall of his cell, his expression pleading and desperate.

"Come on, man! Why you gotta bring me in? Can't you let me off with a warning?" He asks, his voice tinny and small as it comes out of the speaker mounted on the wall. Konrad doesn't even bother looking up from the datapad he was reading to answer him. "I gave you two already."

"Yeah, but this time is the last time!"

"Said that last time. And the time before that."

"I mean it this time, I promise!"

"Said that, too."

"It's not like I was doing anything bad! Can't I just get a fine?"

"Breaking and entering, trespassing, and larceny," the wolf rattled off, still not bothering to look up. "Plus I warned you twice. Gotta take you in. Besides, considering you have no wallet, ID, or bank accounts, I doubt you have the money for a fine." He finally set down the datapad with a sigh, standing up and turning to face the fox. He folded his arms over his chest, studying his prisoner. An almost familiar sight at this point, the fox was currently a mess, with his orange and white fur matted and disheveled. His hair was long and black, with highlights of blue running through it, and Konrad could see that it was probably kept much shorter at one point. "What's the problem, here? You'll spend about a week in the lockup before your case is heard, they'll likely plead you down to misdemeanors, and you'll spend thirty days in the local jail, tops. Clean, shelter from the elements, three meals a day and a place to sleep. Same things you're trying to find out here."

The fox fidgeted nervously, rubbing his forearm, looking down at the floor before giving a rather evasive answer. "I...I just don't like people, that's all. Like being by myself," he muttered weakly. Konrad narrowed his eyes and scowled at Alyx, opening his mouth to reply when the ship suddenly lurched to one side, a thunderclap rattling the hull. Both fox and wolf steadied themselves before exchanging a worried glance.

"Lightning strike on the hull. I'm going to go check the shields, don't go anywhere," Konrad instructed as he began to leave the compartment. Alyx shouted out after him, "Like I have a choice!" But before Konrad could even reply, a staccato of hammer blows rocked the grounded ship. Something blew out, and the room was filled with blinding light and showers of sparks before everything went dark and quiet except for the steady drum of the rain.

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The first thing Alyx noticed when he woke up was the feeling of cold, wet fur matted against his skin. The fox shivered, curling up in an attempt to retain as much body heat as possible before it struck him that he wasn't in some cold and drafty abandoned building, but in a cell on board a spaceship. His eyes snapped open and he bolted upright, looking around the now darkened room. The overhead lights had gone out, leaving only the dim red glow of the emergency lights as the only source of illumination, and the only sound the fox heard was the incessant pounding of the rain, the howling of the wind, and the gentle sound of running water. His ears swiveled as he tried to find the source of the water, his booted feet splashing about in the water that was already pooling at the bottom of his cell. His cell! With growing panic, he realized he was in a sealed chamber, with no way for the water to escape. He quickly ran to the clear wall, slapping his open palm against the transparisteel.

"Hello! Marshal! Marshal, there's a problem here! Marshal Blackpaw!" he cried out, trying to peer into the dimly lit corridors, looking for any sign of the wolf. A frayed electrical cord sparked and snapped, briefly illuminating the room on the other side of his cell, and that's when the fox saw him. Just for half a second, but he clearly caught a glimpse of Marshal Blackpaw, sprawled out on the deck, clearly unconscious, or worse. Alyx began to feel panic claw its way up from his gut as he pounded harder on the clear divider separating the two of them, moving along its length in the hopes that pounding on a different area would help the wolf hear him better. "Marshal! Marshal Blackpaw, you've gotta wake up! I'm trapped in here! KONRAD!" he shouted, slamming his hands against the wall with all his might...and moved it. He blinked, looking down at his hands before reaching out again and pushing against the wall. It had begun to move again, giving way and opening slightly. Alyx finished pushing it open, and realized that it had been the door, and that the magnetic lock holding it shut must have been fried when everything shorted out. Lucky break, he thought to himself.

He made his way over to where Konrad lay and leaned down to check his pulse, sighing with relief as he found that the Marshal still lived, although not without injury. The fox could see his fur was matted with something, likely blood, and he probably had a concussion from whatever caused it. As he checked his captor over, a thought came to him-with the wolf being incapacitated like this, he could use this as his chance to slip away. After all, he probably wasn't worth the effort, and he could take this as a learning experience to make sure he didn't get caught again. His violet eyes flicked over to the hallway he knew would lead to the airlock, then back to Konrad. On the other hand, if Alyx left the wolf like this, could he even be certain that he'd survive with those injuries? He looked over at the open cell door, seeing the water begin to run out onto the floor. It wasn't much now, but if there was more exposed wiring...The fox whimpered as he looked between the door and the wolf again, trying to decide. Stay and help, but get locked up or flee and possibly leave an innocent man to die? Neither option was very palatable to him. He frowned, shook his head, and made his choice.

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Konrad finally awoke to the sound of the rain beating against the metal hull of the ship and the wind howling outside, but nothing else. No hum of the ship, no blaring alarms, nothing, and that silence scared him more than a cacophony of sirens. He bolted upright, only to have a pair of gentle hands grab him and push him back down onto his bed, which was the second problem he noticed. The last place he remembered was in the brig, how did he wind up here? The wolf looked around, as he tried to get a handle on his situation. His left eye wasn't seeing anything, and he still felt the insistent press of hands on his chest. A single green eye looked down at the hands pressing him insistently back onto the soft mattress, following the black fur up as it transitioned to orange, then up to the violet eyes of...

"Alyx," he said, still groggy. "What happened? Why are you out? How'd you get out?" The fox smiled in relief as he gently patted the wolf's bare chest.

"Glad you're safe, Marshal," he said quietly. "I'm not sure what happened, but something blew, knocked you out cold and burned out half the ship's circuits. I carried you back here after trying to wake you up for a few minutes...took a nasty blow to the head there, blood everywhere. Used a first aid pouch on your belt to suture the wound and dress it. Couldn't tell if that hit injured your eye, and the low light prevented me from taking a better look, but I covered it just to be safe. How do you feel?" Konrad looked up at the fox, a perplexed expression on his face as he tried to process the sudden shift in the young man's demeanor. He had gone from sullen youth to friendly professional in a very short amount of time from the Marshal's perspective, and it took the wolf a few seconds to catch up.

"Uh...I'm alright. Head's still ringing, but I think I'll live. A few asprinol and I'll be able to get up and about. How bad were we hit?" he asked, looking around the darkened bedroom for any visible signs of damage. Alyx shrugged helplessly, finally lifting his hands from the wolf's chest.

"Power's down shipwide, and I think there's a rupture in the hull right over the brig. There's water coming into the cell and I had to seal the compartment shut just in case it started flooding other rooms. Emergency lights still work, though, and we still seem to be getting air, so I'm guessing we're on some sort of battery backup for the time being."

"Ship's got a twenty four hour battery backup in case of total power loss," Konrad confirmed, still trying to take stock of everything around him. "How long was I out?"

"About 3 hours, maybe more. The blast knocked me out, too, and I don't know how long I was unconscious. The cold water woke me up, so hopefully not too long."

"Alright. Let's say an hour. That leaves us with 20 hours of emergency backup power to get things fixed and running. Less, really, if we need to activate the distress beacon. But first, two things."

"What's that?"

"One, I want this damn thing off my eye and two, why the hell am I naked?" While slightly unsettled that he had been undressed, he wanted to wait to hear Alyx's explanation.

"To answer the second one first, your clothes were soaked in ice cold water. When I carried you here, I took off your clothes and dried off your clothes as best I could and got you under the covers to keep you warm."

Konrad nodded slowly as he processed that information. "Thank you," he finally said. "Now what about this eye?"

"That, I'll need to take a closer look with better lighting. Do you have a flashlight and an emergency medpack nearby?"

"Medpack's over there," Konrad gestured to the far wall. While Alyx was retrieving the medical supplies, he reached into the drawer of his nightstand and pulled out the flashlight. "Got the light."

"Good," Alyx replied as he sat down on the bed and helped ease Konrad up into a sitting position. "There. Still feel dizzy?" Konrad simply shook his head. "Good," Alyx repeated as he pulled more bandages and a suture kit. Catching the wolf's worried look, he gave a reassuring smile. "Just in case. Now, are you ready?"

"As I'll ever be."

Alyx nodded and carefully lifted up the bandage, shining the light at an angle that would allow him to see the area without blinding Konrad. There was a sharp intake of breath as some of the clotted blood lifted up with the bandage, reopening the wound. But Alyx found himself looking into the Marshal's other grey eye. He removed the rest of the bandage as gingerly as he could, and began cleaning up the cut, which was right on his eyebrow. "Good news, Marshal, looks like there's no damage to the eye itself. Blood must have dripped into it when you were unconscious. Pretty nasty cut, though, but I'll have that sorted out in no time. How does your eye feel. Can you see me okay?"

Konrad nodded, blinking as the eye adjusted to being in the light again. "Just need to get used to the light again." There was a pause as he let the fox silently work on him. "You're pretty good at this. You have any training?"

"I, uh, I used to. In another life. Not a full MD, but I got pretty close..." his voice trails off and he falters a bit. Konrad could feel the fingers tremble as Alyx gently daubed the biosealant onto the wound.

"How'd you end up here?" The trembling intensified.

"J-just wanted to get away from it all, y-y'know? Isn't that why you're out here?"

"I'm out here because it's my job. Because I want to serve and protect on the frontier," he rumbled. He could feel the trembling intensify, hearing the equipment rattling around in the medpack as Alyx replaced everything. Konrad reached out and took the fox's paw in his own, giving it a reassuring squeeze. Their eyes met, and Konrad spoke in a low whisper. "I can't help you if you're not honest with me. Why are you here, and why are you so scared about going back?"

There was a moment's hesitation, and then, the emotional dam burst. The arrest, the lightning strike, the stress of being trapped in a dead ship, it all finally broke through. Without warning, Alyxander wrapped his arms around Konrad and wept silently into his black fur. Surprised at such a visceral reaction, sat there for several seconds, dumbfounded, before he embraced the fox, holding him tightly.

"Hey," he soothed. "It's alright. You're safe with me. I promise nothing will find you here."

"I-I won't go back," Alyx replied, muffled through the chest fur. "I wo-won't...I can't."

"Why not?" Konrad pulled him back, enough so that he could look the fox in the eyes again. "Alyx, I want to help you, but if you don't tell me what's going on, there's nothing I can do."

"They'll kill me if I go back." The words came out as a hushed whisper, barely picked up by the wolf's sensitive ears, but in the dead silence of the room, it hit with the force of a bomb.

"Who?" Konrad asked, peering down at this scared fox, wondering who in the galaxy would want him dead.

"S-some crime syndicate, I-I think. I used to be a doctor. Well, not really. I was a resident, at a hospital on Epsilon Eridani. Guy comes in, all shot up. Blood everywhere. It was a mess. We did what we could, but...he didn't make it. The guy's...father, I guess? He told us we'd all pay for not saving his life. We didn't think anything of it until one of the nurses who was in the ER that night was found in her apartment with her throat cut. Then the doctor died in a car bomb. I don't know who else wound up dead, but I knew it was time to run. I sold as much as I could, emptied my bank accounts, and ran. That's why I can't go back. I don't want to die." His last words were a whimper, a pleading look in his eyes as he finally turned his gaze up to Konrad's.

For a long moment, Konrad simply sat there, trying to take in the sudden volume of information that was just dumped on him. It fit, and he doubted Alyx was lying-the fox had to know that he would run a background check on him at minimum, and at that point, if he was making it all up, he'd be discovered. Not to mention the physical reactions, as well. Alyx was terrified of going back. Of winding up in a system where someone could find him. Still, there were questions Konrad wanted answers to. "Why didn't you go to the police?"

"We did!" Alyx cried out. "We went as soon as they found Alice in her apartment! We told them about the guy, his dad, everything. But they couldn't do anything because they couldn't prove he did it. They asked us to sit tight, be careful, and let them build their case. But I wasn't going to sit around and wait to wind up on the wrong end of the gun."

"And so you came all the way out here and hid. How long have you been out here?"

"I...I don't know. I lost track of time a while back. What's the date?"

"February 12th, 2247. Maybe the 13th, depends on how long I was out."

"About six months, then." That answer got a raised eyebrow from Konrad.

"You've been out here on your own for that long? Quite an impressive feat. I figured you'd just moved out here the first time I busted you two months ago."

Alyx shook his head, still wiping the tears from his eyes. "No. I was just running out of things like food and water at the sites I was squatting at, and had to take more and more risks."

Konrad frowned. "When was the last time you ate?"

"Yesterday, maybe two."

"Alyx..." Konrad said softly, "This is no way to live."

"But it is living, which is more than I can say for some of my co-workers," he replied bitterly.

Konrad had to nod in agreement, as much as he didn't like the fox living out here like this, it certainly would have been far more attractive to him than dying to some hitman. "Do you know if the police ever arrested this crime boss?"

Alyx shook his head, "How would I? It's not like there's a lot of places to get news out here."

"So...how long were you planning on being out here?"

"As long as I could manage. I was going to scrape and get by for as long as possible until I had to go back, but I was thinking it would be years by then, and hopefully they would have forgotten..."

"People like that don't forget," Konrad rumbled quietly, and he felt another shudder run through the fox. "But we'll think of something, I'm sure. In the meantime, we need to get this ship operational, or we won't make it through the next week, let alone the next couple of years."

The younger man nodded, sniffling and wiping the tears from his cheeks with the back of his hand. "Y-yeah," he exhaled shakily, "Did you have something in mind?"

"Couple of things. First thing, we need to get to the backup generator, make sure it's okay. If we can get that up and running, we can get power back to the rest of the ship. After that, we need to isolate the brig from the circuit so we can get in there and patch the hole. Once that's done, we'll see if she's spaceworthy."

"And if she's not?"

"Sit tight and wait for rescue."

Alyx shuddered. He clearly wasn't a fan of that option. "Hope it doesn't come to that..."

"Me, too," Konrad agreed. "Only way to find out is to get it done..."

*****************************************************************

It had taken them nearly thirty minutes to get the auxiliary generator, but once it hummed back into life, it had life much easier for the pair. Air began to circulate, and the temperature in the ship lowered to a much more comfortable level. It also powered up the ship's computers, giving Konrad access to the diagnostics, as well as the galley, much to Alyx's delight. So while the ship assessed how badly it was stricken, the wolf and fox enjoyed a meal.

"So, seriously, Konrad, why are you out here?" Alyx asked as he wolfed down his second sandwich. "The ass-end of space seems like a punishment job to me."

"It's a vital job. With all the abandoned research stations out here, it's easy for criminal cartels to set up drug labs, sex trafficking hubs, and other criminal enterprises." He caught the horrified look on the fox's face and gave him a grim smile. "Thought you were the first one to hide out here, huh?"

Alyx nodded mutely, looking down at the deckplate, his sandwich temporarily forgotten. "I figured there would be other vagrants, scavengers, but cartels? No. Do you think they're out here?"

It took Konrad several seconds to register who he was referring to before it finally clicked. "Not sure. Running a check on him right now, actually, trying to see if the local police picked him up. It'll take a while since we're on auxiliary power, but there hasn't been a major presence in-system in a few months. Child slave ring."

"And you took them down all by yourself?"

Konrad shook his head. "Of course not. I'm just here as a scout, deal with small groups. Anything bigger than that, I call in backup and just quietly monitor the situation."

"Oh," Alyx said, somewhat crestfallen.

"I still help once backup arrives, you know. Take point on the missions and help with the aftermath. That's the reason I stay out here. You really see the difference you make out here. The drugs that will never make it to the streets, the kids who get to go home to their families, the criminals who get to jail for a long time, or the morgue, depending on how stupid their choices."

Alyx looked up from the deck, a newfound admiration in his eyes as he looked at the Marshal. "That's...really..." he struggled for the right word, "...gallant of you. Sorry I didn't take it seriously."

"It's alright," Konrad replied, "I get asked that a lot when I'm back in the world. And for the record, I do actually enjoy the quiet out here."

"Ha! I knew it!"

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It had taken them another three hours, but they finally managed to get the Rider spaceworthy. Even with the storm still raging around the ship, they managed to isolate the brig and fix the hole created by the lightning strike. Although they decided to leave the brig still sealed up and depressurized, just in case it wasn't enough. As they finished their work, the storm finally had begun to abate, leaving them a brief window to escape the planet. Which left Konrad with one last dilemma.

"What am I going to do with you?" he asked Alyx, who seemed equally surprised and frightened by the question.

"Let me go?" Alyx ventured. "I mean, I saved your life, I helped fix the ship. I don't even need any supplies, let me just go back and hide. Nobody has to know."

"Wish I could, but they already know," Konrad began, "They'll wonder why I logged a prisoner in and didn't come back with one. I can't just 'let you go,' no matter how much I want to, Alyx. I'm sorry." The fox's eyes were welling up, and he was beginning to tremble. Before he could make another plea, the wolf continued on. "But I don't have to bring you in."

"W-what?" Alyx stammered, "B-but you just said I can't go."

"You're right. I can't let you go. But I don't have to bring you in. As Marshal, I have a few authorities vested in me, one of which is the ability to deputize people. If you want, I could deputize you, and you can fly with me, on the Midnight Rider. You're a good hand to have on the ship, you've got medical training, which is a big bonus out here, and...you're good company. I've enjoyed spending time with you. Not to mention you'll be as safe here as anywhere else. Safer, considering we're always on the move. Now, I'll give you some time t-"

"Yes!" Alyx cried out, cutting Konrad off and nearly making the wolf jump. "Yes! I'll go with you. Thank you, Konrad, thank you!" Without any warning, the fox practically pounced on the wolf, kissing him right on the lips. Konrad stiffened in surprise, and Alyx pulled back just as quickly. "Oh, goddess, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to, I just-I was so happy and I-"

This time it was Alyx's turn to be set upon as the wolf pushed him up against the bulkhead and kissed him passionately. He whimpered into the wolf's mouth as their tongues wrestled each other, their hands caressing their bodies. Konrad broke the kiss long enough to growl "bed", and the two clumsily made their way down the hall, unwilling to break contact. As they went, shirts were tossed aside, boots kicked off and belts and zippers undone, leaving a trail of discarded garments that led directly to the soft bed.

Alyx reached the bed first, feeling the comforter tickling the fur on his calves. Rather than let himself fall onto the bed, he quickly spun them around, pushing Konrad back onto the bed instead. The wolf let out a surprised gasp as he was so deftly outmaneuvered and shoved onto his back, leaving him staring at the ceiling in confusion. A tug on his pants got his attention, however, and he lifted his head to find his newfound lover attempting to remove said bit of clothing. He raised his hips up, shimmying out of them and allowing his cock to spring free, slowly getting harder and harder.

With a lustful grin on his face, Alyx licked his lips and began to slide his own pants down his hips, slowly turning around to give Konrad a show, hiking his tail up and bending over slightly. He couldn't help but smile at the fox, his eyes fixed on that round, firm rear, his shaft fully hard now, throbbing with need. Once Alyx had completed his circle, his pants were in a puddle on the floor, and his own cock hard as well. Without a word, he climbed up onto the bed, slowly kissing his way up the wolf's legs, enjoying the little tremors that ran through him with every press of his lips. When he kissed Konrad's inner thigh, the wolf jumped slightly and let out an audible gasp, his hands running through Alyx's long hair.

Konrad moaned, long and low, as Alyx's tongue dragged along the underside of his manhood, almost agonizing in its slowness, a wave of pleasure running along his cock and up his spine. It had been so long for the wolf, and the fox certainly knew what he was doing. Alyx grinned up at his lover, watching as his eyes clouded with lust and he lost himself to the moment. His fingers wrapped around the base of the wolf's shaft, lightly squeezing it as he took it into his mouth, his tongue eagerly sliding up, down, and around his cock.

Another moan filled the air, Konrad's hips bucking eagerly into Alyx's mouth, so hot and wet, sucking on his length while his tongue teased and caressed him in ways he hadn't felt in years, if ever. "F-fuck, Alyx..." he grunted through gritted teeth, his hands still tangled in his lover's hair. Alyx simply moaned in response, the vibration sending another shiver up Konrad's spine, and rewarded the fox with a jet of precum. He swallowed it eagerly before letting the wolf's member slip from his lips, giving it one last kiss. The objections, questions, and pleas Konrad was about to make died as he felt Alyx climbing on top of him, straddling him until they were both face to face, the fox's long black hair draping either side of his face. His green eyes looking into Alyx's violet orbs, each seeing what the other wanted to say in them, letting the moment pass in silence and understanding. Alyx leaned down, kissing him softly at first, tenderly, then with an increasing passion and hunger. The wolf's hands caressed his back, traveling down to his ass and gave one of the cheeks a playful squeeze. Alyx whimpered, then giggled, his tail lifting up again as he adjusted himself, scooting back until he felt Konrad's cock pressing between his cheeks. He reached back and helped to position his shaft against the tight pucker. Their eyes met again, and Alyx nodded, trying his best to relax.

Konrad slowly pushed against the ring of flesh, both of them grunting as he slipped inside, Alyx gripping the wolf's shoulders as his hands grabbed the fox's thighs. Before long, Konrad felt the fox's hips press against his, leaving him hilted in his new lover. Alyx grinned down at him, flexing and squeezing around the wolf's length buried in him, drawing new gasps from him. When the wolf shot him a look, he merely grinned back and giggled. That giggle was cut off, however, when Konrad began to pull out, only to thrust back in. Both moaned at the sensation-Alyx, from the feeling of being so full, and Konrad, from how tight it was.

The fox gave Konrad one last tender kiss before sitting upright, straddling his lover. Slowly, he lifted himself up, feeling the wolf slipping out of him, only to lower himself back down, grinding against him when they were connected. Konrad moaned again, watching as his lover slowly began to slide up and down his shaft, squeezing and pressing around his cock, pushing him ever closer to orgasm. His hand found Alyx's own member, wrapping his hand around it and stroking it in time with their thrusts, the ball of his thumb rubbing against the underside of the head of his cock. Alyx whimpered and arched his back, increasing the tempo as rode Konrad, the wolf's hips bucking in time with his, meeting him thrust for thrust. The feeling of the wolf's cock inside him, spreading him, filling him up was almost too much for the fox to bear. He cried out, a jet of precum splattering over the wolf's chest. He wouldn't last much longer like this, and he hoped Konrad was getting close, too.

The wolf was doing his best to hold on, to make this moment last for as long as possible, but it was becoming hard to ignore the pressure building inside. He moaned his lover's name again, his free hand gripping the fox's thigh. "A-alyx..."

"C-cum in me, Konrad," the fox whimpered. "I-I'm so...nnngh....close..."

With one last thrust, Konrad buried himself in the fox and came hard, crying out in wordless pleasure as his cock shot jet after jet of his hot seed. The sensation of Konrad shooting deep inside him, as well as the wolf's hand on his shaft, sent the fox over the edge. He wailed out as well, his head leaning back as he made a sticky mess of the wolf's chest. They held each other tightly as they came down from their orgasms, their cocks twitching out their last drops of cum. Alyx lifted his hips just enough to feel Konrad slip out of him, shuddering at the sensation before collapsing on the bed next to him. He draped an arm over the wolf's chest as Konrad wrapped an arm around the fox, pulling him in close for a tender kiss.

They lay there in silence for several moments until they both hear a sound that they hadn't heard in some time-the storm had returned. Konrad leaned his head back and groaned while Alyx couldn't stop himself from giggling.

"Well, I guess we've got some time to kill," he quipped, "Whatever shall we do?"

The wolfish grin on Konrad's face told him all he needed to know...