"Can I play now?!" "See, it says in this manual—" "Yes, but this one is before that one, Harry—" "But, look, Betty, it says right here—" Dairine quietly slipped the plastic wrapping off the monitor and slipped it into its notch at the back of the computer, then started connecting the cables to the screen. Nita glanced at Kit, then back toward the kitchen. He grinned agreement. "Your folks are gonna lock her in a closet or something," Kit said as they got out of the combat zone. "I hope so … that's probably the only way I'm gonna get at it. But it's okay; she won't blow it up. Her science class has a IIIc: that's one of the reasons Mom and Dad got this one. Dari already knows more about it than the teacher does." Kit rolled his eyes. "Uh-huh," Nita said. "But I'm not gonna let her monopolize this toy, lemme tell you. It's a neat little thing—it has the new foldout screen, and batteries—you could put it in a bookbag. I'll show you later. . . . Where's Ponch?" "Outside. C'mon." They went out and sat on the side steps. The locusts were buzzing louder than ever as Ponch, Kit's big black mutt, part Border collie, part German shepherd, came bounding up the driveway to them through the green-gold early sunlight. "Oh, Lord, look at his nose," Nita said. "Ponch, you got stung again, you loon." "I buried a bone," Ponch said in a string of whines and barks as he came up to them. "The bad things bit me." "His favorite bone-burying place," Kit said, sounding resigned, "has three yellowjacket nests spaced around it. He gets stung faster than I can heal him." 339 HIGH WIZARDRY "Brave," Ponch said, resting his chin, with the swollen black nose, on Nita's shoulder, and looking sideways at her for sympathy. "Dumb," Nita said, scratching him behind the ears. "But brave. Go get a stick, brave guy. I'll throw it." Ponch slurped Nita's face and raced off. Kit smiled to see him run. "So what*re we doing today? Anything?" "Well, there's a new show at the planetarium in the city. Something about other galaxies. My folks said I could go if I wanted to."