Date: Thu, 2 Mar 1995 11:44:33 -0800 (PST)

Bernadette Marshall, in an effort to locate Kevlan Sharr after speaking to the
sledtech Jerrik who suggests she speak to the Guild Master, is told on
Ballybran that Maxwell is on Shankill, so she promptly catches the next shuttle
to the moon and heads straight for the Guild Lawyer's Office.

---
Andrea, the Guild Lawyer receptionist, looks up as the small woman enters.
   She takes in the sight of the somewhat gaunt girl and notes the myriad of
   thin, white scars dotting her hands and arms. She affixes a pleasant smile
   to her lips. "May I help you, Singer?"

Bernadette glances about the office a bit nervously and offers the 
   receptionist a smile. "Yes, I was told that Guild Master Farantine was here
   Shankill?" At Andrea's affirmative nod, she nods and draws herself up to her
   full, daunting 4'11" height, takes a deep breath and says, in a rather
   official tone, "I would like to request an audience with the Guild Master,
   please."

Andrea blinks and smiles at Bernadette, turning to her terminal to check
   and see when the Guild Master has an open time slot to accomodate the
   Singer, and is surprised when Bernadette leans over the desk to place a hand
   over the keyboard, effectively blocking the receptionist's access to the
   keys. She looks up at the Singer as she says forcefully, "Now... if at all
   possible. Please." After a slight pause, she adds "It's rather imperative I
   see him."

The receptionist frowns a little. "Please have a seat. Whom shall I say
   is here?" She stands from her desk as the Singer perches herself on the edge
   of the one of the chairs in the room. "Bernadette Marshall," is the terse
   reply.

Andrea nods and disappears into the inner office, presumably to notify
   the Guild Master of her presence. Bernadette settles back a little in her
   seat and commences waiting, resolved to do whatever it takes to see Maxwell
   today.

A few moments pass and Andrea re-emerges, addressing Bernadette in a
   scornful tone, her nose slightly turned up. "Singer Marshall, we will call
   you as soon as you can be squeezed into the Guild Master's schedule." She
   dismisses Bernadette by sitting at her desk again and promptly ignoring her.

Bernadette, with a gracefully arched eyebrow, stands and quietly departs,
   heading for the Heptite Guild lounge.

Heptite Guild Common Lounge - Shankill(#50RDJM) 
This is a wonderful, airy room, bright with gentle but brilliant shades of
   green and blue. Screens hang on the wall to provide the illusion of
   landscapes, and hanging and potted plants thrive around the room, softening
   the boxy corners. A number of table stand near the catering unit, and more
   inviting pillowed loungers and chairs have been arranged in several
   conversation pits. Here and there a few Guild members sit, enjoying
   breakfast or chatting quietly.
Contents:
  Bernadette, sitting at table 3.
  Alric, standing by the catering unit.
  Rybol, sitting at table 3.
  Catering Unit 
Obvious Commands ("." for list):
  .between  .wait  .pit  .tables 
Obvious Exits:
  Guild Members Quarters  Training Rooms  Guest Rooms

[ Berni commences waiting in the company of Singer Rybol Daniels and R&D
  officer, Alric ]

Your wrist unit pings softly and the snippy voice of Andrea rings out, "Singer,
   the Guild Master's representative will see you now."

Bernadette blinks and starts as her wrist unit bleeps at her and excuses
   herself from Alric and Rybol's company. "I...I have to go..." she smiles
   apologetically and hurries from the lounge, leaving most of her meal
   untouched.


Waiting Area
This smaller waiting room is decorated in serene colors. The thick dark silver
   carpet which muffles your footsteps is reflected in the swirled patterns
   tastefully painted on the walls. Mixed with the silver are multiple greys,
   blues and purples, reminiscent of twilight in the Ranges. There are several
   chairs upholstered in a deep, rich blue in which guests may relax while
   waiting to see the Guild Lawyer. There is a door to the inner office beside
   the receptionist's desk.
The smell of fresh coffee directs you to a small table were coffee, tea, and
   freshly baked pastries sit invitingly.
Contents:
  Andrea 
Obvious exits:
  Inner Office  Out

Bernadette steps into the room and is awarded by a rather chilly look from
   Andrea.

Andrea sniffs and nods Bernadette towards the door. "Go on in then." She snaps
   some paperwork around, pointedly ignoring the Siunger. 
Andrea lets you know that Mr. Marshall can see you now. The door silently
   slides open and you walk into Collin's office. 

Collin's Office
The tasteful blend of hues ties this room together with the waiting room
   beyond. Your eyes are immediately drawn to two items in this room. The first
   is a large, real darkwood desk that sits out from the far wall. You can see
   the texture and pattern of the wood that has been polished until it gleams
   darkly. To your left as you sit in one of the dark blue chairs in front of
   the desk is a holographic window that is so perfect it seems you are looking
   out onto a lush countryside.
Contents:
  Elissa 
Obvious exits:
  Waiting Room

Bernadette strides in and blinks a bit in surprise. "Elissa..." She stops just
   inside the doorway, with a very slight frown.

Elissa looks up from her datapad, sliding off her perch on the coner of
   Collin's desk to smile faintly, if sincerely, at Bernadette. "Hello there,
   that was fast."

Bernadette blinks and smiles back, a little perplexed as she returns your
   greeting. "Hi, Elissa..." she looks past you, as if searching for someone.
   Returning her gaze to your face, she asks hesitantly, "Is...um...is Guild
   Master Farantine around?"

Elissa flicks off the datapad and places it on the desk, almost thoughtfully
   smiling. "I'm afraid he's involved elsewhere, he asked me to talk to you."
   She nods towards one of the chairs, "Would you like to sit down? Collin's
   given me run of his office."

Bernadette frowns a little, looking disappointed, and nods, moving to take a
   seat. "Well, I'm not sure if you can help me...." she mutters.

Elissa chuckles softly, rubbing the back of her neck as if she's weary. "I can
   certainly try...I may only be his deputy, but if Maxwell trusts me to take
   care of lots of important things, you can too."

Bernadette raises an eyebrow. "Deputy, huh? I hadn't heard..." She sighs and
   explains, sitting forward on the seat and twining and untwining her fingers.
   "See, I was away for awhile...came back...and Kevlan..." she glances up at
   you as she says his name for a moment before looking back at her hands
   "Kevlan's gone. No one seems to know where he is."

Elissa carefully keeps her face neutral as she slides into the chair across
   from you. Flicking open the datapad again, she taps a few keys, then looks
   up from the hidden display. Gently she asks, "Could he have left to go on
   vacation without you? Perhaps thinking you'd meet him somewhere?"

Bernadette shakes her head quickly. "No, he said he'd wait for me..." She looks
   up at you again, "Tamber's gone, too."
Bernadette looks genuinely dismayed. "Jerrik, being the third musketeer,
   suggested I speak to Maxwell about where Kevlan...and Tamber...have gone."

Elissa taps a few keys on the datapad again, eyebrow twitching up slightly at
   the result on the screen. She sighs deeply, frowning, then clicks the pad
   off and leans back in her chair, frowning slightly. "Bernadette, personally,
   I know about your relationship with Kevlan, and I know how the two of you
   care about each other...but.." she pauses, looking at you with some concern.
   "But professionally, and in the interest of Privacy, I can't tell you where
   he's gone. I can tell you that Tamber went to the same place, so he should
   be in good hands."

Bernadette blinkblinks and sputters, as she stands up, "But...but I *need* to
   talk to him!" as if that statement should somehow make everything perfectly
   alright.

Elissa gazes at you, obviously in dismay, but her voice remains calm. "I'm
   sorry Bernadette, I can't tell you where he is, that would be an abuse of my
   privledges."

Bernadette frowns and says quietly, calmly, her voice very low. "Kevlan would
   want me to know, Elissa." She crams her hands into her pockets, staring at
   you.

Elissa looks at you calmly, sympathy in her gaze. Softly she says, "Then why
   didn't he tell you, Berni?"

Bernadette attempts to hide the wince that crosses her face and mutters
   "Because I was off-planet...." She changes tactics and says haughtily,
   "Well, if it would abusing your authority, maybe I should be speaking
   directly to the Guild Master..." she pulls her hands out of her pockets and
   folds her arms across her chest.

Elissa taps her fingers lightly, almost absently on her datapad as she returns
   your haughty look with one of supreme patience. "Bernadette, no, _Singer
   Marshall_," she says, stressing the formal title, "The GuildMaster has
   delegated me to deal with this incident, and I am. I will not give you
   Kevlan's location and violate another Guild member's privacy. I will do many
   things for you and Kevlan, but I will _not_ violate his Privacy."

Bernadette clenches her teeth together and spits "Kevlan does not keep secrets
   from me, _Deputy Guildmaster_....I *demand* to know where my partner is."
   Berni is not as successful in the patience department, and stands rigidly
   glaring at you.

Elissa's only outward reaction is a slight lifting of one eyebrow. Her voice is
   tight, but controlled as she replies, "I'm sorry Bernadette, but you two
   have never signed a marriage contract to my knowledge, which means that you
   have no right to demand anything from me about him. He is a senior Crystal
   Singer with credits to spare, perhaps he is out merely exploring new places."

Bernadette steps in close and peers angrily up at you. "You listen to me....we
   haven't signed a marriage contract because your boss has been too freggin'
   busy to marry us." She waggles a finger, puctuating her sentences beneath
   your nose. "And I just _told_ you that he would NOT have left without me to
   explore new places."

Elissa gazes at you with a calm, silent impassivity, waiting. After a moment
   she asks, "Are you done with your temper fit?"

Bernadette blinks and gapes at you, somewhat taken aback by your retort, and
   frowns again. "No. No I'm not." She steps back and folds her arms across her
   chest again. "I don't care if Maxwell did delegate this to you. I want to
   speak to him." Her foot taps rapidly on the floor.

Elissa takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly, looking at you calmly. "The
   GuildMaster is unavailable, Bernadette, and no amount of attitude is going to
   change that."

Bernadette raises an eyebrow. "The Guildmaster wants to keep his _senior_
   Singers happy, doesn't he? He wants to keep his black and _white_ Singers
   happy, doesn't he?" She's still glaring angrily, but speaking relatively
   calmly. "Well, I am NOT happy."

Elissa takes a deep breath. "Bernadette, the Guild tries it's utmost to keep
   all Singers happy, but I wouldn't violate your privacy if someone came in
   here asking about your location, how can I do it for you and Kevlan?"

Bernadette shakes her head, looking at the floor, seeing the anger angle isn't
   going to work finally. "Elissa, please. I left things in a rather....awkward
   ...state when I left Ballybran." She looks up at you again, her eyes sad.
   "He told me he would wait for me. He would have told me where he was going
   if he could have." She blinks and looks at you pleadingly. "Please, 
   Elissa...have a heart..."

Elissa sighs, running a hand through her hair distractedly. "Bernadette, I
   _can't_. I know you're feeling terrible, but I just can't."

Bernadette slumps down into the chair, putting her head in her hands. "I really
   do need to talk to him..."

Elissa taps her fingers on her pad again, thinking. She glances at you,
   frowning thoughtfully, then sighs. "I'll send him a message, will that
   help?"

Bernadette pulls her head up, looking at you hopefully. "And if he says it's
   alright, you'll tell me where he is?"

Elissa nods, although she looks less than pleased. "Only if he says I can tell
   you."

Bernadette nods quickly and jumps up, grabbing your hand and pumping it
   furiously. "Thank you, Elissa, thank you." She looks about for a scrap of
   paper or something to scribble her message on.

Elissa chuckles, flicking on her datapad and turning it towards you in it's
   'note' mode. "Just enter it there, I'll take care of the rest."

Bernadette enters her message on your datapad and hands it back over to you. "I
   really appreciate this, Elissa. Thank you."

Elissa nods, half-smiling as she takes back the datapad, makes a few notes on
   it, then closes it. "You're welcome Bernadette....I do hope he returns a
   message to you."

Bernadette nods, smiling a little and mumbles "Me, too..." She thanks you again
   and backs out the door.

Andrea gives another contemptuous snort as Berni, who ignores the receptionist,
   crosses through the waiting area, heading back to the lounge to continue
   waiting.


------------------------------

End of CRYSTAL Digest 39
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