Log Date: 12/25/96-12/26/96 Log Cast: Tance, Kesya Log Intro: From Tance Vokrim's Datapad Voice Entry, Standard Date 12/24/96 Is this thing on? Oh... guess it is. Now what the kark do I say? Uh, my name's Tance Vokrim. I'm a Crystal Singer. I sing green, or at least I do when I can find it, which ain't always easy. Don't have a credit to my name -- hah. Not only don't have a credit to my name but five or six other names, too. Been that way so long can't really remember ever _havin'_ money. Can't really remember too much of anything, for that matter. It's all kinda jumbled up in my head. That's what happens to old Singers, and I'm pretty old, though Jade says.... Right. Jade. I was gonna talk about her, 'cause she gave me this datapad, and I dunno why, but even with the jumble in my head, I can remember her as plain as... well, pretty freggin' good. Maybe it's 'cause she's got green skin... green hair, too. I just... can't stop thinking about her, even when I can't really remember what her name is, except that to me, she's Jade.... Keep your karkin' head straight, old man, get it down while you still remember it.... That's what I wanted to say. Jade... helps me remember. Ever since I met her (hells, when _did_ I meet her? -- no, kark it, stay on the topic)... I've kept wantin' to remember things. I'm different. It's like... I've been born all over again. Keep findin' out things I musta known a long time ago. Like... I know how to sail! Jade took me, today, she took me to an ocean, and I sure as hells didn't remember an ocean on this dirtball... and we sailed a boat. A skiff. Little thing, about eight feet long, and... it was _fun_. Then she took me to dinner. And we talked. We couldn't stay in the cafe long... she got called. On her wristunit. Had to go to someplace... Shankill. Yes. But she brought me back here. I want to remember this! And I want to remember how I felt. Feel _now_. Can't recall how long it's been since I've been... happy. Want more of this. Wanna remember... how much I like Jade. I wanna make myself... better, for her.... From Kesya As'shoriah's Datapad Kesya's face appears on the tiny screen, looking exhausted, hair slightly disheveled. Her voice sounds from the speaker, the trill extremely strong as she doesn't bother to try to enunciate. "Gads, what a horrible trip to Shankill /that/ was," she starts wearily. "Must remember later to write up a report, but I'm too tired now. Main notes though: Recruit hopeful Nache Ivirid requested to stay on Shankill /despite/ the protests of his home planet, the delegates of which arrived two days ago. To make a long story short, the boy ended up travelling back with them of his own accord. We may or may not hear more from /that/ end..." Her voice trails off, blue eyes on the screen going distant. Seems she's having trouble concentrating. "Hrmph. Almost to Bally now." She's suddenly remembered the datapad was still recording. "I'm going to have to hit the Ranges as soon as I get back. My resonance is low enough... I can't think of anything else, and the ache is almost painful. Don't know who to go with though. Only person I'd trust normally'd be Shana, or Andi... " She pauses, frowning, and continues on a different track. "Must see Tance too. Funnily enough, I find myself missing him." She smiles suddenly, a short laugh following. "Who'd have thought the guy would turn out to be such a /sailor/?! Ah, but that was fun." She's rambling now, eyes distant in memory. With a shake of her head, the Kesya-image looks out of the screen again. "Okay then. Visit Tance, then find Andi, and stretch out in a nice black vein for a few days to recharge. Oh ya.. and get Graidan in charge until I get back." These notes to herself finished, the screen goes dark again. ---------- Once Kesya finishes the business on Shankill, she thankfully returns to Ballybran. But her resonance, already quite low before she left, has dropped drastically. Feeling uneasy and distracted, she knows she has to get into the Ranges soon. Kesya also needs someone to sing with: When her resonance is this low, she can become a danger to herself, having no control over her crystal. But who to sing with? Shana is the person she would normally ask, but she is laid up in the infirmary. Thus, while thinking about this problem, she starts wondering how Tance has been doing while she's been topside. Awareness that he, too, can't stay out of the Ranges much longer -- but because of credits, not because of his renewed resonance -- has stayed foremost in Tance's mind over the last few days. But something, nevertheless, has kept him from doing it. That same impulse drove him to enter, for the first time in longer than he could even try to remember, a journal entry in his datapad... capturing into its memory what he could preserve of the sailing trip with Kesya. And perhaps that same impulse, too, has kept him in his rooms, thinking hard. His suite is filthy, and starkly bare... but it occurs to him that perhaps, if _he_ is changing, he could do something about this as well..... Tance's Suite(#3189R$) At first glance, this central chamber of the suite rather more resembles a Singer's sled than a Singer's quarters -- and specifically, a sled some laggardly recruit is apparently having difficulty getting cleaned up. With the utter lack of decor on the walls, the boundary between grime and cleaner surface indicates somebody's been trying to scrub the walls down; the carpet, however, remains filthy, with the only stretches of unsoiled color being immediately next to the walls. The only furniture in this room is a battered desk with an ancient terminal -- clearly non-functional, if the hole in the screen is any indication -- resting on it, and an equally ancient desk chair. One might wonder how anyone manages to live in such a bare place, but if the scrubbed stretches of wall and the scent of cleaning solvents in the air is any indication, somebody's giving it a try. Obvious exits: Out You hear a soft chime and an electronic voice announces that Kesya is in Ocher Quadrant and is knocking on Tance's Suite. When you come to Tance's door in Ocher Quadrant, the door buzzes readily enough; the privacy light is green, you notice. There's no immediate answer, however, to the summons. Kesya tries again, knocking on the door despite the green privacy light above it. "Tance?" She blinks, shaking her head to clear it, seeming somewhat fidgety. Uncommon for this singer. You hear a soft chime and an electronic voice announces that Kesya is in Ocher Quadrant and is knocking on Tance's Suite. To Ocher Quadrant, Tance calls back, from within, "It's open..." His tone is shy and wary, but clear enough. Kesya steps in from the hall. Kesya has arrived. Tance kneels by the edge of a wall, next to a bucket of water. He's got a sponge he must have scarfed from somewhere, and from the swaths of wet along the wall before him, he's apparently trying to scrub it. He himself -- as if this is a habitual appearance for him lately -- is damp and disheveled. Tance rises, though, as you come in, his gaze quickly lifting to you. "H... hi, Jade..." Kesya steps in, her gaze somewhat jumpy as she looks about. Blinking, she inhales the scent of cleanser, and casts you a bewildered look. "You're... /cleaning/?" She turns, looking around her at the damp walls. "I'm impressed, Tance." Tance abruptly smiles, then shrugs a little, ruefully. "I, um.... wanted to see if I could remember what color the walls were..." He turns, pointing at the bit of wall he's been scrubbing with his sponge, and adds, "I think there's green under there, but I-I-I haven't gotten to it yet..." As he talks, rather quickly, almost babbling, he turns back to you and finishes happily, "You're back!" Kesya laughs abruptly at your joke, though the sound seems a little husky, forced. "Well, I /am/ impressed. This must've taken you a while." She approaches, eyes still scanning the room. "Going to redecorate too?" Her hands fidget at her belt, constantly moving. Tance looks down at his filthy carpet, then up at you, and says sheepishly, "I, um... haven't had much else to do... decorate? Oh... well, I-I don't really have credits yet." He smiles uncertainly, but with a hint of a troubled look. "Oh yeah..." The green-skinned singer's words drift off for a moment, "I meant to transfer some of that credit to you, for the green." She stops, mind elsewhere, then looks around for a seat. Kesya's resonance level is so low, that she has trouble keeping her mind focused on one topic. So too, Tance's currently zappy state seems even more resonated to her. She edges closer to him, hands stuffed in her pockets. There's just a single seat in this entire room; the ancient chair by the equally ancient desk, that bears on it a terminal whose screen... has a _hole_ in it. Tance peers at you, tilting his head, and hastily offers, "Do.... do you want to sit down?" Kesya shakes her head vigourously, now standing directly beside you. Ah... his resonance /is/ high.. enough to make her feel somewhat better. "No," she quickly breathes. "I'm okay." Her shoulder touches yours as she turns to look at the chair you indicate. The green-skinned singer blinks at the sight of the computer, though she sways a bit as her shoulder touches yours. She really /does/ need to get into the ranges. "What happened there?" Tance blushes at your proximity, and blushes again at the question. "Shoe," he mutters. Kesya bites her lip as she frowns at the computer. "I remember I once offered to have it fixed," she says. One arm links through yours, almost subconsiously trying to borrow resonance. "But you said they wouldn't fix it. Want me to try again?" Tance's brow furrows; he's unsatisfied with his explanation, and he blurts out to clarify, "Um. My shoe. I think. Fits me, but I can't find the other one... I-I must have used the shoe to bust the screen... um..." A sudden sensation of a crackle along his arm makes him blink. "Jade?" Kesya doesn't respond immediately... her cheek rests against your shoulder as she stares off into the distance. "Hrm?..." Kesya shakes her head, blinking. "What?" Tance's voice comes out of him with a slightly husky edge. Still blushing, he gasps a little as you rest that cheek against -- his?! -- shoulder, and he stammers, "J-Jade? You... you alright?" Kesya withdraws, suddenly realizing what she's doing. "Oh jays, I'm sorry Tance. I'm just..." She reaches out to touch your arm again, hand lingering at the small shock. "I was bad off for resonance /before/ I went up to Shankill, and now..." Her voice trails. The green-skinned singer blinks, and finishes, "And now I'm just so empty. You're shocky though, makes me feel better." She casts you a wide eyed hopeful look. "Do you mind if I stay close? It feels better." "That's... what that means? The... um... shock..." He trails off, brow still crinkled, the damp sponge he's holding dripping dirty water onto the equally dirty carpet. "Green ressed me up!" Kesya nods, slowly sliding one arm around you, like an addict would trying to sneak a drug. Resting her cheek on your shoulder again she says, "And Shankill didn't help me at all. I /really/ need to go out, but I usually duo with Shana while I'm like this." If the logic doesn't make any sense, Kesya shows no recognition of it. Eyes closed as she leans against you, she says, "But she's all banged up..." Kesya doesn't seem to be worrying about the problem anymore though, her mind elsewhere. Undoubtedly on the claim she'd like to be on right now. Tance finds himself forgetting to breathe, even as his pulse starts pounding in his chest, and the sponge drops, forgotten, to fall with a *ploop* into the bucket of dirty water. "W-who's Shana?" You hear a small murmur, from where Kesya's head rests against your shoulder, her eyes closed, one arm on your back. "Good friend," she says softly. "Other head of Training." _Dreaming this. Gotta be dreaming this. But I wasn't asleep... was I?_ Tance swallows; you can feel him trembling, as he manages, "You're sure you're... okay?" As if of their own accord, his arms awkwardly lift, as if to encircle you, nearly closing a circuit of resonance all around you. Kesya sighs, back arching a moment as she feels crystal in your arms, circling her. Then she lets herself sink against your chest, murmuring. "'M fine... just need to sit in a vein for.. a year or two." Stirring, those silver-blue eyes look up at you as Kesya lifts her head. "Reminds me. Want to come out to the Ranges? I need someone I can trust -- to pull me out. I'm not good at controlling thrall when I'm this low." Tance can't help but hold you, then -- if nothing else this startling, and, well, _not-Jade_ behavior leaves him wondering whether you're going to faint. His brown eyes meet your blue, when you speak, and he blinks down at you. "M-me?" He almost coughs the word, and you can definitely sense the racing of his pulse, cradled against him as you are. Kesya isn't going to faint, but she certainly clings to you as though you were some sort of safe haven. And so you are -- feeling resonance about her, if not in her, she can finally relax just a bit. "Um hmm," she murmurs. "Why not?" "I'll... I'll forget again..." His tone is curiously scared, now, even as Tance then seems to grasp something else you said. "You trust me?" Kesya didn't even seem to realize what she said, as she blinks fuzzily for a moment. "Yes," she finally says, the thought dawning on her. "I guess I do. I know I can trust you." Kesya sighs softly, closing her eyes again. "And," she says dreamily, words hard to make out because of her stronger-than-normal Taal'en trill, "On the claim I'm thinking of, I need someone I can /trust/." With your eyes closed, you don't see the sudden flare of a smile on his face, that almost but not quite dispells the fear lurking in his gaze. His pulse, though, skips a beat at the word 'claim' -- in fright? "You can trust me, Jade," he whispers, roughly. The woman in your arms just nods in response, then looks up at you again. "So... you'll come out to the Ranges? I don't even need to cut... just sitting in the vein will make me zappy again." She pats your chest dreamily with one hand. "Like you." Tance's breath falters a little at that patting; as you look up, you can see him looking strangely torn, even as he tries to smile. Comforted in a way he can't define by the notion of going to crystal without cutting it, he ventures, "I'd do anything for you..." His voice trails off, soft. Kesya simply smiles warmly up at the other singer holding her. It's hard to tell if she actually caught that tone in his voice, that look in his eyes... the way her mind is so scattered, focused on thoughts of her crystal, who can tell. Those blue eyes look up at you again, brows arched hopefully. "So... I know you're cleaning --" She does seem to have registered that much, "-- but would you like to head out now?" Rapt, entranced, Tance plummets for a few moments into that blue gaze, striking against the green face in which it lives. If he notices in turn that you seem as scattered as he usually does, he doesn't comment on it. But your question makes him jump a little. Reorient. Remember where you are... Another shy lopsided smile. "Sure.... sure, Jade..." Kesya smiles dreamily, her head resting against you for just a moment. Not only is this woman's resonance close to dangerously low, she's also not slept for the past two days. "Sounds good," is all she murmurs, breathily. But she doesn't move. Tance considers you with an equally dreamy look, but his gives way to a slight worried frown. He then lifts a hand, tapping tentatively at your shoulder. "I ain't, um, I ain't got any crystal in here, girlie..." Tance adds, again smiling sheepishly, "Just, um, dirt, and a shoe I haven't found yet, and a busted screen." Kesya stirs, her attention focusing back on you. "Hrm? Oh... I was thinking of my claim." She frowns, her attention wavering. "Thought I was there, even..." Reluctantly, she pulls back from you, the comforting circle of resonance around her breaking. Kesya murmurs distractedly, "Guess we'd better go then. Don't need much... a day or two, maybe. Bring cutters anyway." Brow creased, she stares at you for a long moment, and then nods decisively. Tance swallows hard as you pull back from him, then blinks. "Cutter? Oh... um... yeah... " He takes a few steps away from the wall, then bobs his head at you and heads across the room to a closet standing open; there's hardly anything within it save a couple of shipsuits as weathered as their owner, a box sitting up on a shelf at the top, boots on the floor.... and his cutter, propped against the back wall. He stoops, frowning a moment to himself, before gingerly lifting the cutter, and setting it out beside him. "Guess I should get... what. Um..." Tance snaps his fingers a couple of times, trying to remember. Kesya suggests wearily, "Umm. Shipsuits?" Tance ponders this, then bobs his head again, rapidly. "Yeah. And... carisak, to stick 'em in..." He rummages again, but not long, for there's not much through which to sort in that closet, and comes up with the same ancient carisak he'd taken with him on the shepherding trip. Into this is stuffed two of the shipsuits, before he at last turns and offers, "Ready." Kesya nods briskly, and turns on one heel to stride towards the door. [Kesya leads them over to White Quadrant, where she fetches her own gear; that done, she and Tance head up to the Hangar.] You head purposefully through the doors to the floor. Hangar Floor The immense cavern that serves the guild faces the eastern sky. The blue sky merges with the harsh browns of the long plain of the Joslin Plataeu far to the east. The smoothly tiled floor is scarred by myriad gashes and scratches caused by wind-tossed sleds. The northern and southern walls contain over-large double doors while the western wall is set with observation windows. Looking around (+view), you notice several signs posted. The hangar is bathed in red light so as not to disturb the night vision of the pilots or personnel. Outside the hangar, Shilmore rises honey-colored and Shanganagh follows closely as they trek across the starry sky. Contents: Tance, over by the wall. Kesya, over by the wall. Duncan's sled Repair Bay Sled Tech Desk Radar Corbin Hangar Terminal A large map, for instructional purposes Sled rack Obvious Commands ("." for list): .wait .sleds .desk .radar .map .hangar door .floor Obvious Exits: Processing WWSF Transport Met Transport Equipment Room Simulators Catwalk Sorting Ready Room Corbin nods to Kesya and manipulates the machinery to unload the sled from the racks. Kesya's sled has arrived. Tance hastens to keep up with you, looking about nervously as he enters the Hangar. Kesya strides briskly towards her sled, once it is conveniently brought down by a 'tech. She ducks inside, eager to get to her claim. That is, in fact, all thati is currently on her mind. Black crystal sings in her head, making her attention waver. Kesya steps into the airsled "Twilight's Ambition." Kesya has left. Kesya's sled The walls of the sled don't gleam; the accumulation of several years' worth of grime is impossible to clean away in a single session. Yet the walls and control panels are reasonably clean, though grayish from the places where the dust has eaten into the metal. The floor covering looks like it was freshly cleaned, and only the faintest hint of stains shows that it wasn't always in this pristine a condition. The sanitary unit looks like it was freshly replaced, and the catering unit winks a merry green light that means 'fully stocked'. This is a 2 person capacity sled. There is room in this sled for 8 cartons, 2 have been checked out. One of the special new engines has been installed, allowing for greater speeds. The console is on. The speaker is off. The auto-scanner is on. A small metal plate is fastened to the upper left corner, you can just make out "Twilight's Ambition" scratched into the surface. The weather is fine. A good day for flying. ( Type 'sled help' to see available commands. ) Contents: Kesya Tance frowns again as he clambers into the sled after you. Momentarily confused as he tries to remember where everything was from before, he then moves to stow his cutter and 'sak, before stepping after you to the passenger seat. "Is it, um, a good claim?" Kesya secures her cutter absentmindedly, only years of repetition enabling her to snap it into place in the brackets. Sitting at the console, she fumbles with her safety belt. "Um hmm," she responds vaguely. "Haven't been on it in a while though. Saving it." Tance studies you, nodding slowly. Then he abruptly says, "Snap it there," of your belt, pointing with one finger. Kesya casts you a brief, thankful smile, and fastens her harness. "You ready?" She doesn't wait for a response, but levers the sled off the ground gently. "Have to do a round 'bout route," she mutters to herself. [Kesya urges her sled into motion; the craft climbs quickly skyward, and sets off at top speed.] Kesya goes through the motions of flying the sled as though on auto-pilot herself, quiet and methodical. Tance settles back in the seat, strapped in, nodding quietly as you murmur to yourself. After a time, as the sled goes into motion, he starts frowning anxiously to himself, not watching the location readout, but evidently deep in thought. Finally, he asks unsurely, "How... how long you wanna be out?" Kesya doesn't answer for a while, but finally responds. "I... I can't be gone long. Recruits. But can't teach them while I'm like this either." She frowns, brow furrowed as she looks at you. "Just long enough to get ressed again." Tance nods gravely, then straightens as the landing alarm goes off. He still hasn't glanced at the location readout. Kesya's eyes light up as she stops the sled over a scattering of paintmarks, her attention completely focused. You may as well not even be there. "Made it!" Tance doesn't appear to mind your sudden distraction -- good enough, for him, that he is _here_, with you. He smiles crookedly at the landing, waiting for the sled to settle before he starts getting up. Kesya quickly unbuckles her safety harness, humming to herself in delight at just /being/ here. "Oh! Tance, it's near. I'm just gonna go lay against that vein and soak it in, all in..." Her voice trails off, as she jumps out of the sled. "C'mon!" Kesya has left. You step out from the cramped interior of the sled "Twilight's Ambition." Gravel Field This huge redstone rampart forms the southernmost bluff of a nearby range. Roughly square in shape it rises a majestic 8,000 feet above the ground. This gently sloping field is made of up gravel that has been eroded away from the rampart over the centuries. The red and white stone varies in size from colorful dust to huge boulders nearly as tall as a sled. There is one area quite close to the rampart that seems flatter and is empty of the larger boulders and seems the perfect spot to land a sled. To the immediate north of this field is the rampart itself. It towers above the landscape like some giant toy block. Part of the eastern face seems to have eroded a bit more than the rest and mars the symmetry of the rock. Upon closer inspection you see other colors melded to the red cliff wall - whites and oranges shoot through darker areas which blend into the dusty red stone. But for the looming rock to the north, the night sky is wide open from horizon to horizon. The black matte fabric studded with sparkling diamond stars. The air is cool and dry, and the night is quiet. You can barely make out the traces of green circles, hatched with brilliant neon orange. Contents: Kesya Kesya's sled Obvious exits: Cave Entrance You can just see Kesya's form disappearing into a cave to the north. Kesya pushes aside the hanging vines and walks into the cave entrance. Kesya has left. You push aside the draping vines and walk into the cave entrance. Cave Entrance This huge redstone rampart forms the southernmost bluff of a nearby range. Roughly square in shape it rises a majestic 8,000 feet above the ground. You are standing in a naturally formed cave. The ruddy colored walls gleam wetly in the light and you can hear the slow dripping of water from somewhere to your right. There is an adjoining cave to the east and the passage out of the cave is to the south. The cave is completely dark. Not the warm comforting dark of outside, but the claustrophobic, clammy, damp dark of places better seen in the daytime. You can barely make out the traces of green circles, hatched with brilliant neon orange. Contents: Kesya Obvious exits: Inner Cave Gravel Field Kesya Walks toward the inner cave, but without her lamp on Kesya can't see well enough to enter Tance hurries after you, calling, "Jade? Don't let me forget..." Kesya turns to you, eyes bright. "Don't worry Tance. We're just going to sit a while, K?" She turns on her lamp, peering into the darkness. "This way...." Kesya walks over to the adjoining cave, her footsteps sounding loud and hollow on the stone floor. Kesya has left. The light of the entrance fades behind you as you walk over to the eastern cave. Inner Cave This cave is larger than the one you just passed through. As you shine your light around, you discover the origin of the dripping sounds. An inky pool has formed at the base of the north wall, and the water seems to be slowly dropping from a stone chimney in the wall. The entrance to the chimney looks big enough for a person to climb up into. Contents: Kesya Obvious exits: Cave Entrance Kesya stands in the dark pool of water and clambers up onto the ledge in front of the chimney. Kesya has left. You stand in the cold water up to your ankles and pull yourself up onto the small ledge in front of the rock chimney. Chimney This chimney is an enclosed tube of rock that leads upwards at a fairly steep angle. Flashing your light up you can see the top of the chimney some fifty feet away. One wall of the chimney is slick with water, but the other three are fairly dry and offer multiple small ledges and cracks which can be used as hand and foot holds. Contents: Kesya Obvious exits: Bottom of the Chimney Tance follows after you carefully, watching the light of the lamp you've brought with you, and calling back nervously, "Whatever you say..." Chimney This chimney is an enclosed tube of rock that leads upwards at a fairly steep angle. Flashing your light up you can see the top of the chimney some fifty feet away. One wall of the chimney is slick with water, but the other three are fairly dry and offer multiple small ledges and cracks which can be used as hand and foot holds. Contents: Kesya Obvious exits: Bottom of the Chimney You continue to climb the chimney and come to the top. In the northern wall is a large hole that connects to another cave. Cavern This huge redstone rampart forms the southernmost bluff of a nearby range. Roughly square in shape it rises a majestic 8,000 feet above the ground. When you step out of the chimney into this cavern, you are immediately impressed by the sheer size of it. It is easily the size of the Hangar Floor at the Guild complex. Parts of the eastern wall have eroded away, allowing you to look out onto the gravel field below. The walls have been naturally carved and in some areas are smooth from water wear. The ceiling glistens far above you and in some areas the stalactites have joined thier partner stalagmites on the floor to form huge multihued columns. Some of these columns are so large that you can not encircle them with your outstretched arms. Looking out the crumbling eastern wall, you see stars hanging almost low enough to touch in the matte-black night sky. The cavern around you is in complete darkness, and the only sound you hear is the slow dripping of water. You can barely make out the traces of green circles, hatched with brilliant neon orange. Obvious exits: Chimney A flash of light catches your eye. Kesya has arrived. A gasp is heard from the green-skinned singer as she spots her crystal, and she hurries to the vein. "Oh! My beauties..." Kesya has left. Kesya clambers into the entrance of a crystal vein site. Crystal Vein You can barely make out the traces of green circles, hatched with brilliant neon orange. The vein subtly sings to you in a scale of D. You catch a sparkling glimmer of pure black. The crystal rings with a sweetness and purity of tone. Contents: Kesya Tance clambers into the entrance of a crystal vein site. Tance takes a few moments before he finally catches up with you again, panting for breath; this kind of exertion, climbing around in caves, is still rather more physical activity than he's been used to for some time. But as he _does_ catch up, and follow you towards the rock face you've cut, he stops dead. Tance yelps, "Jade?!" Kesya is on her knees at the far end of the crystal vein, hands, arms, cheek pressed to the beautiful dark crystal. Under the warmth of her skin, it darkens and turns a beautiful matte. Tance cries, "Jade... this is... this is black!" Kesya doesn't respond, her eyes focused on the crystal before her. She did s tell someone once that she'd thrall the moment she stepped in the vein, and she wasn't kidding. She stares at the crystal, unmoving, entranced as it changes beneath her fingers. Tance stares, thunderstruck, at the dark matte rock before him. He no longer quite remembers exactly what you said to him in his quarters back at the base... but two things stand out, still, in his recollection: the feel of your arms around him, and your voice saying, "... I know I can trust you...." Now, he feels a lump form in his throat, and a suspicious dampness in his eyes, as he thinks, _Brought me to black... trusts me enough to bring me to black..._ This is why she needed someone she could trust -- knowing she would be virtually helpless with her resonance so low, surrounded by her beautiful crystal, captured in its song. Anyone could do her in, and she wouldn't mind in the slightest, now. A peculiar weight in his mind shifts, and suddenly, Tance Vokrim remembers something else: bitterness, jealousy, at unnamed and faceless -- but to his way of thinking, countless, or at least so it seemed -- younger Singers who got all the black. They must have, for he never found any. He can remember rage, when encountering those faces, his hands balling into fists and swinging out at them as if by the force of his own blows he could damage whatever magic gave all of these Others the luck he'd never had. But now... Kesya remains unmoving -- her slim, black-wrapped form could be a sculpted statue against the crystal. She seems not even to be breathing, her hands pressed against the crystal face, eyes glued to the shift in colour there. There's a fortune before him. Tance stands there, staring at it as fixedly as you are, but with far more anguish -- indeed, far more expression of any kind -- in his face. It would be easy, extremely easy, to take up his cutter, to strike.... Kesya too, would never know if you did -- not until it was too late. Helpless, her expression resembles that of one soaking up the suns rays -- or of one being in the presence of something much more powerful. She remains oblivious to your torn thoughts. Tance's hands move, stiffly, jerkily, to his cutter, tightening their grip upon it, raising it. That weight in his mind is still there, heavy, painful, carrying with it a brief fleeting question; why didn't she _tell_ him? If she _really_ was his friend, she'd have... she'd have... Without his really realizing it, the mental weight... slips, down to his throat and chest, tightening them both and making his breath turn ragged. But as it goes it leaves a lightness in his head, and the most recent memory he has: your voice. _Know I can trust you._ _Know I can trust you_. _Know... trust..._ Tance Vokrim's vision blurs, wetly, as he starts to cry. The rumours that circulate about her, the small hoard of unlucky singers that follow her trying to find her claims... and her uncanny luck have all combined to make Kesya simply assume everyone knows about her affinity. So why would she tell him? Kesya does remain immobile; caught by the crystal, she cannot see the moral dilemma you just surpassed, nor can she comfort you now. Her hair is drawn back from her face, light reflecting from the crystal back to her. _She trusts me. She TRUSTS me...!_ He's been dizzy before, but this thought makes his head spin in a way he's not sure he's ever experienced -- if he has, he can't remember it, and that makes it, here and now, all the more achingly new and potent. His hands shaking, he lowers the cutter, then kneels to put it down beside him. One thing is for sure... with the rate at which black adapted singers soak up resonance in veins of their colour -- Kesya is sure to be back to her normal, coherant self in no time. That is, if you can ever pull her away. Tance then lifts his wet gaze to you. The tightness in his throat and chest increases, taking on heat, as though there were a crystal drive inside him running at top speed. When he realizes the tears obscure his vision of you, he grimaces at himself, and rubs at his eyes with his sleeve; when he can see again, when the black-clad, green-skinned.... (beautiful)... figure before him is no longer haloed in a watery blur, he frowns. He knows this, though he cannot recall, either, the last time he experienced crystal thrall as a witness rather than as victim. Tance mumbles hoarsely, "Didn't.... didn't wanna stay long... remember... I remember..." He rises and steps to you, loathe now to entertain even the thought of the slight harm he might have to deal you to break you free of the black, but clinging also to the memory that you trusted him to do just that. He scrubs at his eyes again, then lifts his hands to your shoulders, shaking you a little. "Jade?" Matte circles of black radiate from beneath Kesya's palms, the crystal gradually becoming more opaque the further it is from her hands. As you shake her shoulders, she doesn't even blink, head tilted back, gaze fized on the crystal. Again, Tance frowns. He doesn't dare try to sing the black -- he has no idea what key it's in, and further, whether that wouldn't just deepen your thrall, not to mention thralling _him_. Even now, as he stands behind you and can see the slow creep of warmth radiating from your hands out through the crystal, it's all he can do to keep from watching it, himself. Tance focuses his attention on the only slightly less hypnotic pair of shoulders in front of him, mind racing. At last he steps forward, kneeling again, to curl his arms around you and try to yank you backward, bodily. Kesya's slim form is easily moved -- she hardly weighs anything at all. As you curl around her, separating her from the one link most dear to her at that moment, she lets out a sharp cry of protest. Vainly, struggling against you, she reaches for the crystal face even as it begins to lose its matte finish. "Jade... Jade.. it's me, please, you asked me, you asked me to get you out..." Kesya cries out, not heeding your words. The crystal dances in her gaze, calling to her. Face contorting in dismay, she wriggles in your grasp like an eel. "Let go! My crystal... I've got to get to my crystal! LEGGOA'ME!" Tance hangs onto you, with more tenaciousness than strength. What to do? Suddenly, then, without really thinking about it, he claps a hand across your eyes. "You asked me, Jade! You asked me!" Kesya struggles, squirming in your grasp until she manages to face you. Arms on your chest, hair straggling from the clasp it had been in, you can see the tear-streaks that line her face. "T-Tance?" She looks down at you, blinking, breathing ragged. Her hands clutch at your shoulders as she bows her head. "Gods that was hard! I... wanted to stay forever. You... you pulled me out?" Tance's face, too, for some reason, bears streakings of tears. "S'me, Jade," he says gruffly, cradling you now, as he had back in his quarters. And to your inquiry, he nods. The dazed singer smiles, a warm light in her eyes. "I knew I could trust you. Thanks." She frowns then, one hand reaching to brush wetness from your cheek. "I -- what happened? Did something go wrong?" At that gentle little contact, his eyes glimmer damply. Nor does he manage a reply, at least not a vocal one; he shakes his head firmly, though, and gives you a wisp of a smile. Kesya's expression softens at the look on your face, brows creasing. "You're okay, aren't you?" She puts her arms around your shoulders, giving you a comforting hug. "You look... troubled." Tance smiles a little more, and says in a low, tear-roughened tone, "I'm... _better_, Jade. I'm better." With those slightly cryptic words, his eyes brighten behind the tears, the moisture making tiny stars in his brown gaze. Kesya gives those brown eyes a long, searching look, expression one of indecision. "Okay," she finally says, giving you another reassuring hug. Though whether it's because she needs it or whether she thinks you do is something else altogether. Finally she withdraws, fingering the knees of the jumpsuit where the scuffle caused the fabric to rip. "It's pretty late," she says, changing the subject. "And I need more resonance. I think I should sleep in here, next to the crystal. I'll recover faster." Her blue gaze lifts to you, as she quiets. Tance readily returns the embrace, patting at your shoulder awkwardly, and jumping a bit when he still causes a zap of resonance between his hand and that shoulder. He nods gravely, but asks, "You... won't thrall again?" Kesya takes a deep breath, her glance going longingly to the crystal behind her. "Umm. I don't /think/ so... that last episode helped charge me up a little more... but if I do, just tackle me if you see a storm coming. 'Kay?" She yawns, circles showing under her eyes. "No need for you to get too ressed though. Want to sleep in the sled?" He looks away from you, suddenly appearing uneasy. But he quickly gets to his feet, agreeing, "I... probably should... I mean, when the sun comes up and all." With that, he smiles awkwardly, backing out of the claim's immediate area. Kesya watches the man hasten out of the vein, a bewildered frown on her face. Will she /ever/ figure him out? One moment he's acting disappointed that she /wasn't/ nearby during the last morning song, and now he's going out of his way to avoid her again. With a sigh, she pushes all that from her mind. She's here, and beside _her_ black crystal, and she couldn't think of a place she'd rather be. She should've brought a blanket, though. Lying with her back to the crystal, she settles down and tries to get some sleep. [To be continued....]