A horde of gaily dressed mammals surrounded me, their faces and bodies oddly fuzzy and distorted. Edith's voice was equally fuzzy. There was something wrong with her centers. I tapped the helmet and checked the controller just in case it was on our end, but they were functioning perfectly. There was nothing wrong--merely the fact that ethanol was disturbing the biocircuits I had implanted in her brain. I swore a few choice expletives of Low Thalassan and tried to get through by increasing the power. It did no good. "I c'n still feel that li'l lizard in m' head," Edith announced. "Gimme another drink. I wanna wash her out. Darn li'l lizard makes me do things I dowanna do. It wants me to quit, but I wanna get drunk." "Take it easy," a fuzzy male face said. "You're loaded. Why does a nice chick like you hafta be loaded? Whyncha get outa here? I gotta nice place over in Santa Monica where--" The face disappeared. "Hey! Alice! Golly, I almos' din't reckanize you. Howya doin?" "Better than you, Edith. You're drunk. And from the looks of you, you're going to be sick if you don't get some fresh air." "Gotta go spit in the eye of my li'l lizard," Edith said. "Y'wanna come with me? I got Don's car. We c'n get outa here an' get some fresh air--an' I c'n tell that li'l lizard what I think of her." "What are you talking about?" "You wanna see my li'l lizard. She's got yella eyes, and a li'l tail, and she turns all kindsa colors, and she lives in a rock with a door in it, an she makes me do things I dowanna do. It ain't so bad though. Mosta the time I like it. Not alla time though. That's why I wanna spit in her eye. She c'n tell me all she wants--but she's gotta leave me'n Don alone. I love that guy." Edith started sobbing--why, I couldn't understand. "She's maudlin," I said to Ven. "No one's going to believe a thing she is saying. But this should be a warning to us. We'll have to put in a block against drinking ethanol. I didn't realize how badly it can affect the biocircuits." I handed the helmet back to Ven. "You can watch this mess if you want to. I'm going to our quarters." I slipped out of the control chair and walked across the room. I was stronger now, more accustomed to the gravity, and it didn't bother me unless I had to stand for long periods of time. I turned in the doorway to look at Ven. She had the helmet on again and her aura was a crackling red. I shook my head. Edith was due for a bad time when the effects of that hydrocarbon wore off. I had hardly fallen into light estivation when Ven's projection crashed through my antennae. "Eu! Get up! Come here quickly!" With a groan I came slowly back to full facility and ran to the control room. Ven's face was filled with panic. "They're coming up here," she said. "A whole carful of them!" "Who?" "Edith's drunken friends! Somehow she's collected six of them and they're driving up here to spit in my eye!" Despite myself, I laughed. Ven looked so outraged I couldn't help it.