Free Xone Of Contention by Piers Anthony Page B

woman Kim called back. Then they turned forward, and walked down the hall to the O-Xone Interface exit. They passed though that—and Chlorine found herself sitting on a chair, with her hands on a funny kind of board with a number of marked little squares staring at a screen resembling Com Pewter's. Her hands looked wrong, until she reminded herself that she was no longer in her own body. She was now a Mundane, among Mundanes. She hoped she survived the experience.
    Words appeared on it. “Pia—stay where you are. Dug and I will be there soon. Kim.”
    But Pia was in Xanth. Then Chlorine reoriented. Of course—she was in Pia's body now, and was to be called Pia, to protect her real identity. And Nimby would be called Edsel. Because the Demon E(A/R)th surely kept an eye on the Great Global Grid, and would soon know if Nimby and Chlorine appeared on it. They were here anonymously.
    But Nimby was in another room, and she had to be sure he was all right. She got up and found her way out the open door to the adjacent chamber. There was Edsel, sitting somewhat blankly before his own screen. “Nimby.” she murmured. “It's Chlorine.”
    He turned to look at her, nodding. He almost never spoke to others. He could speak, and elegantly, but this required him to focus on minutia, and he preferred not to bother. That was why she had to speak a lot, for both of them. But that was all right; it made her feel important.
    “Nimby, remember, we have to be anonymous, here in Mundania. So we must answer to the bodies we are in. You are Edsel, and I am Pia. Our Companions arrived in another house, and will join us soon. All right?"
    He nodded. She found it half a smidgen weird to be calling this stranger Nimby, but no weirder that it had been to see him change from dragon to manform the first time.
    She sat in his lap and kissed him. “I love you, Nimby. But from now on I will call you Ed or Edsel. Until we are back m Xanth. And I won't mention Xanth, because that might give us away. We are Ed and Pia outside, but inside we are ourselves.” He knew all this, of course, but it helped her to express it, making sure there was no misunderstanding.
    They looked around the room, noting the distinctly Mundane look of it. Then they explored the house. There was a staircase leading to a second floor, with two rooms with beds, and one small room with odd ceramic or metallic objects that roughly resembled basins or a chair.
    There was a muted rumble outside, and a funny box on wheels rolled up. They saw it out a window. Then doors in it opened, and Dug and Kim got out on opposite sides. Oh.
    In a moment and a half, Dug and Kim were with them. “Okay,” Kim said. “You are Nimby and Chlorine, right?”
    “Yes,” Chlorine said. “But we will answer to Edsel and Pia.”
    “Yes. of course.” Kim paused, as if organizing her thoughts. “There are some things we need to get straight at the outset, so we don't get into mischief. For example, both of you can speak and understand our language, right?”
    “Yes.”
    “Good. Because usually Xanthians can't understand Mundanian right away. But you're actually using Mundane bodies, so they must provide you with the language. But how much else do they provide you with? I mean, do you know where everything is?”
    “We found the bedrooms,” Chlorine said. “But there's one room with odd objects.”
    “I think you mean the bathroom. You're going to have to get better acquainted with that, and the kitchen.” Kim paused. “Maybe I'd better take you in, and then Dug can take Nimby in. Only as you said, we'd better not call him that, because—”
    “Yes. Call us Pia and Edsel. We understand.” She knew why Kim was hesitant, despite the prior reassurance: she knew Nimby's nature, and didn't want to insult him.
    “Right. Okay, Pia, come with me.” Kim led the way upstairs.
    They re-entered the bathroom, and Kim closed the door. “Now this is the sink. You wash your hands here, or a pair of socks,