Rochester Inn

[Knuth--NF]

Noam raised his tea to match Boris' toast to their project, and beamed as he was inquiring about the effectiveness of Doctor's coat. A few moments later, the Doctor was gone, and Noam found himself too surprised to so much as say a word. Only his fading smile gave any evidence that he acknowledged what happened. For a while, he was lost in grim thoughts.

Damn. What did he get himself into? Let's see - if doc needed help, he would ask, and if he could tell us more, he would. Nothing to do but wait, then. I hate waiting.

Finally, he pulled himself together, and managed to muster just enough willpower to find his voice.

"I really do hope our mutual friend will be able and willing to keep his promise."

He looked at Boris, almost as if to make sure the good professor wasn't going to disappear as well. The man seemed real enough.

"About our plans, though... Since we're going to work on those in a less crowded environment, for now I trust they are doing well."