Log Date: 8/20/99 Log Cast: Kesya, Tance Log Intro: The most unbelievable thing Tance could ever hope for has come to pass: he's discovered that his beloved Kesya didn't really die. And she's come back into his life, fragile and weak from her three-year coma, but very, very much alive. It's been such a wonderful shock that Tance has for once docilely let himself stay put in the Infirmary until the medics have cleared him to head out into the Ranges with Kesya under his care, for he is all too aware that due to her depleted resonance and her still-frail body, _he_ will have to take care of her while she regains her strength... as well as her recollection of the details of their chosen career. This doesn't mean he's not impatient himself to get into the Ranges, though, and it's none too soon for Tance when they finally get to his sled and preparing for liftoff... ---------- Tance's sled The green bear sits exactly in its assigned place, reigning over this now-clean sled. The console around it has been carefully cleaned, and the bear's reflection can be detected in the metal, marred slightly by the lights around the toy. The seats have been brushed and covered with new comfortable slipcovers, which hopefully will protect them from further attacks by mud. The floor beneath the chairs and extending back to the cargo area gleams softly with a fresh coat of polish. The bulkheads have been scrubbed down, and the catering unit freed of the dirt that previously encrusted its surface. It's been restocked, its interior stuffed with a wide variety of food meant to provide a Singer with the needed energy to ply his or her trade. Sheets and blankets of jade and seafoam green cover the sandless bed, stretched tight and tucked in with military folds. This is a 2 person capacity sled. There is room in this sled for 8 cartons, 1 have been checked out. One of the special new engines has been installed, allowing for greater speeds. The console is off. The speaker is off. The auto-scanner is off. A small metal plate is fastened to the upper left corner, you can just make out "Meguey Radmynn" scratched into the surface. The weather is fine. A good day for flying. ( Type 'sled help' to see available commands. ) Contents: Kesya Carton 1 - Tance Karkin' Green Bear(#5598) Kesya Although taller than most women at 5'9, it is Kesya's exotic colouring that makes her stand out in a crowd, and marks her as native of Taal'en. Her skin is a deep forest green, though more creamy in appearance than most because of the Human blood in her background -- also evident by her silvery-blue eyes, which lack the slits commen to most Taal'en natives. Thick sea-green hair frames her narrow face in loose waves, softening her sharp features, and is done in small braids that gather at the nape of her neck. She has a quick and friendly smile, her small teeth appearing sharp and stark white against her dark skin. Her frame is willow-thin, her delicate bones giving her something of a childlike appearance were it not for the lithe way she carries herself. Her voice has a musical lilting quality to it, perhaps from the Taal'en trill that hasn't quite faded from years on Ballybran. Kesya seems to have lost weight. A lot of weight. Her rake-thin form is draped in the sturdy black fabric of the standard Guild shipsuit, the Heptite Guild black dodecahedron visibly prominent above the left breast pocket. Frankly, the outfit probably looks more filled out on a hangar than on Kesya, her gaunt cheeks a frank reminder of how long she's been inactive. Silver dolphins twine about the ring finger of her left hand, the body of one flanked in black crystal, the body of the other rimmed in green. Tiny fragments of deep blue form each creature's visible eye. You notice Kesya grimace frequently, occasionally even gripping tightly to anything nearby, pain rippling over her features, leaving her strained and very pale. Karkin' Green Bear(#5598) A soft teddy bear about a foot in height, one of the few products that comes from the planet Haven. He is covered with short fine jade green fur that is silky to the touch. His eyes are a large black almost liquid and his expression one of mournfulness as if not happy unless someone is holding him. He is wearing a thin black collar with a small golden charm attached to it. You read the inscription: "Did you give your teddy bear a big hug today?" Flipping the charm around, you read: "Being a bear takes extra flair!" This bear is parked securely on the console of the _Meguey Radmynn_, almost as if he's guarding the controls. Kesya ducks as she enters the _Meguey Radmynn_, taking a quick glance around the sled, her eyes skimming the console, the cutter racks, the low bed. By her expression, little of it is familiar, but her gaze does pause over the little green bear that sits defensively over the controls. That must spark some memory, for her lips quirk. "I'm almost surprised you kept it." The cutters are fetched, and, in fact, one has been pulled out of storage still prepped for Kesya's hands. Along with the cutters, Tance has gathered a surprising amount of equipment into a sled that might be surprisingly large for someone who remembers him flying a much less well-stocked vehicle. That bear, though, catches Tance's eye as he clambers into the sled behind you and secures the hatch, and a slight flush darkens his weathered features. "Um, well," he mutters, "got kinda used to it sittin' there, and it ain't like I got anywhere else to keep it, so, um." Clearing his throat, he gestures around, continuing gruffly, "Made it still seem, uh, kinda like the same sled after I redid 'er. You just get comfy, honey, and I'll get us goin', okay...?" Thoughts of your claims pass through your head every once in awhile. "... Okay..." Kesya, once her cutter is safely stowed, looks around her for the second seat in the sled, and settles her into it. She might normally have congratulated you on the success you must've reaped in order to purchase this sled, but now she seems too distracted to worry too much about it. Her gaze focuses on the bear, her brows creasing as she tries to pull up memories buried deep. Now where did Tance get that...? She can't recall. The crystal pull is so strong, especially now that the two of you are in the sled, so close. "Let's find... a nice, /big/ claim, Tance." Easing himself down into the pilot's chair, flipping on the control switches to power up the sled, Tance smiles a small lopsided smile at you. "I'll do my best, honey, but the last two times I've gone out I've had lousy rotten luck. We ain't goin' the same way I've been then. Pick me a direction, let's see what happens...?" Around you both, the sled's engines rev up into life. Kesya relaxes into her seat, her eyes closing slightly. You might notice though, that she is watching what you do with the controls, noting which switches you're toggling, what levers do what. "I guess we'll find out how good my luck is then," she muses. "Maybe... southwest? I had some good veins there, once." "Southwest it is," Tance murmurs. Now that the _Meguey_ is awake and eager to fly, he lifts her off, getting clearance in from the Hangar control. [The sled lifts off, and for a while, Tance flies in silence into the southwest quadrant. Kesya has no commentary to offer him, and as long as she seems to rest, Tance is content to let her be. Eventually, however, she does reveal that she hadn't quite fallen entirely asleep...] Kesya might've been asleep... her head is slightly turned away, her expression slack. Likely all she's thinking of is crystal... typical for the stage of resonance-starvation she's in. But then her voice sounds, low and murmured. "I'd forgotten how the Ranges look from above. Think we might... come across something soon?" "Maybe, honey," comes Tance's low gentle murmur. "How you feelin', huh?" He's been quietly handling the sled, looking confident behind the controls, his gaze occasionally straying to the woman at his side when he can spare the attention. "Okay," is Kesya's only response for a time. She stares at the mountain peaks below, almost as though willing the crystal to make itself known. Quinn might've been smarter to shuttle Kesya to the ranges as soon as she'd woken up. Finally she adds, "Better later. Give the symbiont a boost." She might be talking in clipped sentences, but at least she's responding, right? "Better now too... that we're right over the ranges." Tance nods earnestly, turning the sled about, and it might or might not be noted as odd that the vehicle responds smoothly under his hands. After a time, he adds, "I... also keep the bear 'cause he... helps remember some stuff." Kesya casts her fiancee a sideways glance. "Oh?" "Yeah," Tance answers, his voice still in that husky baritone rumble; that, too, might perhaps be noted as different, when many a time he's spoken in a higher uncertain register. There's still something sheepish lingering about his eyes, though, as he smiles crookedly at you. "I can still remember when I got him, and... that's pretty karkin' good, for the way my head works." Kesya's lips curve, her gaze taking note of these changes in you. "You're different," she comments, as though just realizing it herself. "But... remind me? About the bear? My mind isn't the most reliable just now." Those first few words make him blink, and his brows knit over his eyes for a moment. "I do? Uh... well, sure, okay, honey..." He glances at the bear, and then at you, and then out to the landscape that's passing along the windscreen. Even more gently, he goes on, "I got him from Rosa. The bear girlie. You remember her?" Kesya bobs her head, her gaze brightening. That one's easy enough. "I remember. I got her name off my files... and she always has that other bear with her, right? The one she says talks to her." By the crease that forms on her brows, she has trouble conceptualizing that, and the lack of resonance in her body isn't helping. Another smile curls Tance's mouth. "Yeah... that's her." His gaze turns back to you, as long as the sled's on a straight course, and his gaze is soft and dark in the faint light cast off by the control panels. "She gave me this bear when she was claimin' _her_ bear said... we oughtta get married." [Now, though, Tance's sled scanner gives off an alarm of a potential vein of crystal somewhere below...] "Helll-o..." Tance murmurs, turning the sled around. Now if anything's sure to get Kesya's attention, that's it. Her gaze focuses on you for a long time, her lips parted, her eyes searching yours as she proceses the words. "The bear... the bear started rumors, right?" A smile blossoms on her lips as fragments of memory come forth. "Half the guild knew before we did?" Tance gets distracted by the beeping of the scanner, but even as he maneuvers the sled into a search pattern, he takes a moment to smile at you, broadly, fully. "Yeah," he murmurs. "Yeah, somethin' like that." Through the windscreen you see: The ground below you is a honeycomb of narrow canyons and gullies, almost all too treacherous-looking to land in. [Conversation lags between the two Singers once again as Tance focuses his attentions on flying a search pattern over the source of crystal somewhere below, triangulating in on the landing spot. More than willing to sit back and let him fly, Kesya watches avidly, admiring what seems to her to be his improved ability to handle a sled. At last, however, even her resonance- starved attention can't be held for too long, and Tance is left to fly in silence once again until he locates a place where they can land the sled...] The conversation had trailed off... and Tance, smiling softly, had let you drift off to sleep, or at least what passes for it in resonance deprivation. Soon, though, he reaches over to shake you gently, murmuring, "Jade honey... Jade. Wake up. I think I found somethin'." Kesya says "Mmm...?" Kesya stirs after a few moments of prodding -- usually she'd be up at the first touch -- and seems to register the lack of movement to the sled around her. "We've landed?" That's enough to make her sit bolt upright, and she peers out the viewscreen. "We've landed!" After taking a moment to unbuckle her safety straps, she leans to give Tance a kiss and makes for the cutter rack. "Can't wait to see...!"" That smile alone makes Tance grin, and he lets you scurry on ahead of him while he shuts down the vehicle. "Don't get too far away of me, honey," he advises, but only mildly. Soon enough, he's rising to follow you, glancing outside to note the light level. "Cutter'sre probably rechargin' now, we probably will just be able to find the claim tonight..." "S'okay," Kesya's voice sounds as she ducks out of the sled. Obviously it's not the cutting of the crystal that concerns her most... it's the finding of it. Sure, she's had crystal propped around her in the infirmary, even in the three years she was comatose... but that's nothing compared to being in a living vein. She's eager to get there. Let it be storm damaged, let it be worthless, just let it be crystal. Kesya has left. You step out from the cramped interior of the sled "Meguey Radmynn." Arroyo Arid and desolate, this is truly a forgotten place. Gullies and narrow canyons spread across the landscape like veins in the jagged, red rock, and dust seems to cover everything. The arroyo where you finally decide to land seems only barely more hospitable than the rest you've seen. The arroyo widens here from an extremely narrow gap at the west end to a gorge barely wide enough to land a sled in. Steep escarpments to the north and south reach up a good 40 or 50 meters, and when you look up you can see only a jagged sliver of sky. No trace remains of the river that must have carved this fissure in the planet's surface; the floor of the gully is barren and dusty. The air is inky black and thick, and you're not sure whether you shiver from the dark or the chilly temperature. The arroyo stretches on both east and west, but the gap to the west appears too narrow for you to pass through. Contents: Kesya Tance's sled Mmm. Cold. Dark. Tance frowns thoughtfully as he follows you out, then ducks back into the sled long enough to fetch a lamp out of the vehicle. Kesya has walked to the east enough to examine that end of the gully, but she's done as Tance requested and waits for him at the bend, an excited smile of anticipation on her face. "It's all so new." Tance's footsteps and the sound of his voice, as well as his form's dim shape in the darkness, herald his approach. Seeing this expression on your face, he can't help but feel unaccountably charmed. "Yeah," he says tenderly, "Yeah, it is... you wanna poke around out here, then?" Kesya shakes her head. "I want to find it. It's pulling. Let's go this way." She cocks her head eastward, then heads off in that direction, the crunch of her boots marking her progress ahead of her fiancee. Kesya shrugs and heads off to the east, raising dust with each footstep. Kesya has left. Stalwart, you follow the dusty gully to the east. Canyon Arid and desolate, this is truly a forgotten place. Gullies and narrow canyons spread across the landscape like veins in the jagged, red rock, and dust seems to cover everything. The arroyo where you finally decide to land seems only barely more hospitable than the rest you've seen. The arroyo wanders off in a different direction here, and widens into more of a canyon. High, ragged cliffs still block your path to the north and south, and now to the east as well. There is a gentle slope to the east before the sheer side of the cliff face, but it is covered in dangerous-looking rocks. The canyon floor is covered with dust and scattered rocks, and the occasional scrubby tumbleweed. Looking up, you can hardly detect where the cliff walls end and the sky begins, it is so dark out here. The arroyo continues on west and southeast. Contents: Kesya This feels... so familiar, so right, Never mind that he couldn't put a name to this terrain if you paid him. The fact that Tance is following you brings a big boyish grin to his features, and he follows the sound of your footsteps through the dark. "Which way?" he calls. His voice is soft yet, but it resonates through the night air, given clarity and fullness as it echoes off the rock walls. "This way, over here, this way..." Kesya's voice sounds softly ahead, luring Tance on, echoing a bit off the high walls of the canyon but leading him mostly to the southeast. Finally she's visible, even with her dark colouring and black shipsuit, her gaunt figure lit in the edge of the glow from the lamp. As her fiancee catches up she starts off again, obeying now one primary urge: that of her symbiont. Kesya wanders southeast, further into the gully. Kesya has left. You wander deeper into the gully. Dead End Arid and desolate, this is truly a forgotten place. Gullies and narrow canyons spread across the landscape like veins in the jagged, red rock, and dust seems to cover everything. The arroyo where you finally decide to land seems only barely more hospitable than the rest you've seen. The gorge comes to a dead end here at a small, stagnant-looking pool, any further passage south blocked by a large rockslide. A few scrubby-looking trees and tufts of grass cling to life at the side of the pool, thankful for the little moisture that it provides. You marvel at how anything could survive out here for very long; the high cliffs towering above you seem to laugh at their efforts -- and yours. The air is cool now, and it is so dark you can't see your hand in front of your face. Better choose your footsteps carefully. The only exit appears to be to the northwest, from whence you came. Contents: Kesya Pool A stinking pool of stagnant water. You'd have to be crazy to swim in it! Boulders A jumble of huge boulders and giant slabs of rock that, by the looks of it, came from the western cliff face. There's no way you can get past it. "Pretty sparse out here, but I can feel... somethin'," comes Tance's voice behind you, along with the crunch of his boots on the gravelly earth. Kesya nods slowly, her brows creasing as she steps near the pool. She squats there, arms resting limply on her knees, as she looks around the gully. "Mmm... close but not here, I think. Maybe we passed it?" Frowning, Tance glances this way and that. "Maybe," he allows, "ain't sure yet..." His nose crinkles up at the sight of the pool, though this isn't easy to make out in the gloom. "Wonder if that'll look any better than it smells when the sun comes up..." "I'm not sure I want to find out," Kesya tosses back with a wry smile, standing fluidly. Those physio sessions have done her wonders, and although her strength isn't all back, she's at least regained her coordination. "Let's try a little ways back... just to humor me." Kesya follows the walls of the gully back out to the northwest, looking rather dejected. Kesya has left. Dejected, you follow the walls of the gully back out. Canyon Arid and desolate, this is truly a forgotten place. Gullies and narrow canyons spread across the landscape like veins in the jagged, red rock, and dust seems to cover everything. The arroyo where you finally decide to land seems only barely more hospitable than the rest you've seen. The arroyo wanders off in a different direction here, and widens into more of a canyon. High, ragged cliffs still block your path to the north and south, and now to the east as well. There is a gentle slope to the east before the sheer side of the cliff face, but it is covered in dangerous-looking rocks. The canyon floor is covered with dust and scattered rocks, and the occasional scrubby tumbleweed. Looking up, you can hardly detect where the cliff walls end and the sky begins, it is so dark out here. The arroyo continues on west and southeast. Contents: Kesya Kesya begins exploring along the side of the bluffs, where rocks have fallen atop each other like giant children's toys. "Maybe..." It's a murmur to herself, but she wanders about the rocks, examining them a moment. Then, picking one that seems almost able to topple on its own, she gives an experimental push. Kesya pushes aside an unbalanced boulder and crawls through the resulting hole in the cliff face. But when you try to find the hole, it's been obscured by rocks again. Kesya has left. Boulders Jagged rocks and small boulders that seem to have fallen from the bluffs and block your access. Some of them seem to be rather precariously balanced -- you better watch out that they don't fall on you! [At last, Tance figures out exactly what it was that Kesya did to reveal the path through the rocks...] You push one of the unbalanced boulders with all your strength. It rolls down the slope revealing a small hole in the cliff face, which you quickly crawl through. Cavern Arid and desolate, this is truly a forgotten place. Gullies and narrow canyons spread across the landscape like veins in the jagged, red rock, and dust seems to cover everything. The arroyo where you finally decide to land seems only barely more hospitable than the rest you've seen. The hole opens up into a long, low cavern, extending so far back that the little light coming through the entrance can't penetrate its depths. Wetness glistens on the black rock, and stalactites and stalagmites surround you. The walls are pockmarked with numerous depressions and crevices -- some no bigger than your hand, some large enough to climb into and sleep. The air seems oppressively damp after the dryness outside. You have to feel around on the wall of the cavern to find where you came in from the arroyo. The entrance lies to the west, and the cavern continues north. Contents: Kesya "Good call," Tance's voice comes through the darkness, warm and rich with approval. "Maybe I haven't lost it after all," Kesya's voice sounds before you, perhaps a few feet off to your right. "But then, we still haven't found anything either. I'm going to follow the wall around, see where we end up." Kesya heads north, deeper into the cavern. Kesya has left. You set aside your feelings of claustrophobia from the encroaching darkness, and head deeper into the cavern. Deep in the Cavern You feel as though the darkness has swallowed you and there is no escape. You see no trace of light to lead you out, but you think you remember the entrance being to the south. Wherever that is. Contents: Kesya Crystal Vein A musical vibration rings with your footsteps. "Ohhh, honey..." This time, Tance breathes out the syllables in tones of increasing excitement. "Is that what I think--" Kesya nods, the movement only visible in the sway of the lamp on her head. "Crystal," she breathes. "Yellow, I think, and a good rich shade. Not bad for our first time back together." She flashes you a quick smile, and reaches a hand tentatively for the vein. Coming up behind you, Tance pulls in a relieved breath, now able to make out the glimmer of the yellow as a lighter stretch of color in the gloom. "Not bad at all," he agrees. His grin flashes up again, another lighter spot of color -- or in this case whiteness -- in the darkness. "Not bad at all. I can use this... and you must be wantin' it even more, huh, sweetheart?" The words are steady... that subtle difference again. Kesya has left. Kesya clambers into the entrance of a crystal vein site. Crystal Vein Looking carefully around, you don't notice any paint marks claiming this vein. The vein subtly sings to you in a scale of G flat. You catch a sparkling glimmer of deep yellow. The crystal rings with a sweetness and purity of tone. You get a sense that this is a pretty large vein. Contents: Kesya Outside the vein, Tance clambers into the entrance of a crystal vein site. Kesya runs slender green fingers over the crystal, her words sounding distant, distracted. "Ummm hmmm. This'll do." She turns to you then, tearing her gaze from the crystal face. Her eyes are shining a bit, a little too moist. "Thank you, love." It might be dark in here, but Tance really doesn't need vision to hear the need and gratitude intermingled in your voice. He slides his arms around you, slowly but inexorably pulling you to him, shifting himself about until the two of you are leaning against a stretch of crystal face. Just as slowly, just as inexorably, he begins to sit down while cradling you against him. "You're welcome," he murmurs into your hair. "You're welcome." Kesya is easy to manouver against you... partly for the weight she still hasn't gained back, partly because she's so glad to have you pull her against you. So it is that within a few moments she's lying in a comfortable position against you and the crystal face, soaking up the song of that yellow substance in her bones, in her skin, in her blood. The sleep she drifts into is probably half exhaustion, half thrall... but where most singers do this silent penance alone, it's something that she can rejuvinate both in the crystal and in her fiancee's embrace. A few whispered words fall from her lips, barely audible. "Love you." Those two small words resonate through Tance's chest as palpably as the crystal beginning to seep through his system. A small lump wells up in his throat; those words are something he hadn't ever expected to hear again. Ready, willing, and able to hold you all night out here if need be, he cuddles you close against him and kisses your hair. "Love you too, honey," he rasps softly, as he settles down to think to himself, over and over, _Here with Jade... break her out of thrall when the sun comes up... here with Jade... break her outta thrall... here with Jade... break her outta thrall...._ "Love you." [End log.]