From lhansen@cts.com Fri Feb 24 16:15:46 1995 Return-Path: Received: from crash.cts.com by mail4.netcom.com (8.6.9/Netcom) id QAA26025; Fri, 24 Feb 1995 16:15:42 -0800 Received: by crash.cts.com (Smail3.1.28.1 #18) id m0riA83-00001QC; Fri, 24 Feb 95 16:12 PST Message-Id: Subject: PROSE: In Search of Kevlan To: a-angelk@microsoft.com (Angela 'Anna') Date: Fri, 24 Feb 1995 16:12:57 -0800 (PST) From: "Lori Hansen" Cc: dewshine@netcom.com (Sh'k'anna Korra'ti) X-Mailer: ELM [version 2.4 PL23] Content-Type: text Content-Length: 5368 Status: RO Quite some time has passed since Bernadette returned to Ballybran from her brief escape from society to Markianali...and in all this time, she hasn't seen Kevlan yet... Up until now, she'd just attributed it to the fact that he probably didn't want to see her just yet--assuming he was even aware that she'd returned. For its size, though, word usually traveled around the Guild quickly and she was pretty certain he'd know that she was back by now. She couldn't blame him. She had treated him really very badly. Soaking once again in a radiant tub, she downcasts her eyes, ashamed of herself. Additional guilt besieges her as the realization hits that she's kinda of _glad_ she hasn't run into Kevlan yet...she's not quite sure what to say or how to fix things. But she misses him....sorely. She needs to see if she can patch things up or if she's ruined things entirely. With a sigh, she slips out of the restraining harness and climbs out of the two-person radiant bath...it still looks new...hardly used. She looks around the large, empty bathing chamber. She'd been here...in their suite...a lot lately. Strange that he wouldn't have come here at all. She frowns and towels herself off, gazing through the doorway joining this room with their main living room. He must be _really_ upset if he hasn't come back here at all. Dropping the towel in an untidy pile in the corner, she wanders out of the bathing chamber and makes her way to their bedroom. Pausing in front of her closet, she paws through the different work coveralls hanging there, not really seeing them. "I wonder if he's out in the Ranges..." she thinks to herself. She plucks one of her favorite garments from the closet, her red jumpsuit, and dons it, running a comb quickly through her hair. It's finally growing out. "Maybe I should get it cut again..." she thinks fleetingly as she strides from the suite, slinging a small carisak over one shoulder...her newest possession, a 6-stringed guitar, over the other. She manages to avoid running into anyone, really, on her way to the hangar, where she checks out her sled and lifts off. She spends the day checking out the few claim sites she remembers them having cut at, just in case he may be hanging around. Discouraged, she starts back to Base when a thought occurs to her. She smacks her forehead in disgust and mutters "You're so stupid..." and taps out an inquiry, checking on the status of the _Teesa Narie_. She's not really surprised to see that Kevlan's sled is not active. Landing once more in the hangar, she exits her sled and checks it in once more. "Any luck?" one of the sledtechs asks her, noting her empty-handed return. Bernadette shakes her head. "Wasn't really looking for crystal this time out," she replies. The sledtech raises his eyebrows and shrugs, glancing around. "Say, where's Galahad?" He seems genuinely surprised to see Bernadette on her own--those two have been practically inseparable for the past year and a half, it seems! When she doesn't answer, he frowns a little in concern, "He hasn't gotten himself hurt, has he?" Bernadette frowns. "No, I don't think so..." she pauses a moment and asks "Would you check the log and see if he's been out in the ranges in the past...oh, two or three months?" Once again, the sledtech raises his eyebrows but says nothing. With a nod, he checks on Berni's strange request. After a moment he shakes his head as he looks over at her. "No, Berni. His sled has been in a state of storage for about a year now..." Bernadette frowns once more and nods. "Thanks...." With that, she stalks out of the hangar, the sledtech frowning puzzledly after her. She drops her gear off in their suite once more, but heads back out, intent on a thorough search of the Facility, from the bottom up, an uneasy feeling in her stomach. "What the freg...?" she thinks to herself after scouring each level that he logically would have been and not finding him. No one she's talked to has seen him lately, either. Their comments ring through her head now: "Now that you mention it, no...I haven't seen Galahad in awhile..." "I thought he was with you?" "Galahad? Well, he's gotta be here somewhere, doesn't he?" "Gosh, no! Don't know where Kevlan is..." Frustrated, she heads for Kevlan's most dear and trusted friend's suite: Tamber al-Acorin. Standing outside his door, she hesitates only a moment before pressing the chime. Moments pass...no answer. She frowns again and presses the chime once more. No answer. "What's going on here?" This she says aloud, eliciting a startled glance from a passing sorter. She storms her way up to the sorting floor and checks his table. Not there. "Hey," she addresses a group of sorters peering at a recent cut. They all look at her expectantly. "Any of you seen Tamber?" In unison, they shake their heads. "Not me..." "I haven't..." "Nope..." With a confused look, she turns away and heads back to the lift. "This is very weird..." She's starting to feel panicky. "Where _is_ he? Why isn't Tamber here?" With one last person to check with, she takes the lift to the level housing the sledtechs and approaches Jerrik's door. She presses the summons button and waits with baited breath, half expecting him to have disappeared as well..... --- I guess this is where we can start exchanging stuff... ;)