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Show 115 aroussd any vigorous discussions; conssquantly a sort of passivity lay over tha room, despita tha fact that Biggs had turned the radio on to Tommy Sato and tha Hottest Music This Side of Hachioji, Ths men talked casually, standing around in slack postures, and whan the door squsakad thay looked up to see the Sergeant, trim, upright and military, ovar Kimiko's shoulder. There was a brush-fire of quastions, during which Kimiko's eyss sought Koontz's face; than she looked back, calmly and with dignity, and walked in. The man seemed to acknowledge the naw dispensation, and tactfully returnsd to their groups, glancing occasionally out of the corner of their eyes. In a moment one of the sergeants walked over to offer greetings, and soon the buzz of conversation was easy again. The men circulated about, some stopping to talk with Koontz and Kimiko, and as they found out the news made jokes so delicately shaded as to draw Kimiko's eyas back to Koontz's face, though he, refusing intsrprstation, merely smiled at the speaker with a subtle warning to kasp it clean. Somshow ths mood infsctsd Biggs; this ssemsd to be a festivs occasion. He svsn wonderad what ha should do; the idea burned in tha unlittered suburbs of his mind to offer refreshments around, a decision countered by ths awareness that they weren't his to offer, thsy wars in the dispenser anyhow, and when cowboys said "The drinks are on ths houss" they didn't mean coke. Torn by these contradictions he was reducsd to inaction, merely adding to the atmosphere by an efflusncs of good will. |