Date: Thu, 15 Jun 1995 22:57:43 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: LOG: Kevlan and Berni's Trip to Estenar, Part 2

Archive-Name: estenar-trip-2

[Intro]:
Kevlan Sharr, his beloved Bernadette Marshall, and his father Orynn
are on their way to the Sharrs' homeworld, Estenar, where the Singers
plan to take a month's worth of vacation. Their ship, the _Blue
Starcrest Traveler_, is a top-of-the-line luxury cruiser and makes
the trip from Ballybran via Fuerte to Estenar in two days' time....

----------
"Lookee there, honey." With Bernadette at his side, and his father
  grinning indulgently behind them both, Kevlan points out and down to
  the blue-green planet that dominates the view outside the _Blue
  Starcrest Traveler_. "That there's mah home."

The planet is a relatively tiny one, its hues shy, rather like the
  voice of the young Singer who hails from its people. White clouds
  wisp across its surface, set off by the shadow of its nearby moon, a
  smaller and paler green orb Kevlan identifies as Lareen. That moon
  comes up fast as the starcraft angles in for a landing in the moon's
  shuttle base.

Bernadette gazes out at the planet, following Kevlan's pointing
  finger obediently. She smiles and nods, her hand seeking out her
  fiancee's and twining her fingers in his. She repeats softly to
  herself "Lareen," as if memorizing this tidbit of information for
  a quiz she's to take later on.

Kevlan grins shyly back at his love, but most of his attention is
  directed out the viewport. His gaze is filled with a kind of eager
  longing, not as vehement as might be on his face for a vein of
  black crystal, but nevertheless palpably *there*, and earnest.

Orynn grins at his son, and tells him affably, "Jes' a shuttle down,
  boy, and you'll be on your native soil again."

Kevlan beams, and whispers softly to Bernadette, "Both of us... "

Bernadette smiles up at Kevlan, a quick frown of confusion crossing
  her features as the thought "This isn't _my_ native soil.." flits
  through her mind. The frown is gone almost as quickly as it came,
  making it hard to determine if it was ever there to begin with.

Kevlan doesn't apparently notice his sweetheart's brief flicker of
  distress. He hastens her along, and if Bernadette's air is of a
  small girl on holiday for the first time, Kevlan's is of a small boy
  anxious to show a treasured place to a best friend who's never been
  there. His stride has picked up an eagerness that hasn't displayed
  itself in months; the faint shadows of stress that have hollowed his
  eyes are noticeable by their absence.

Kevlan finds himself gripped by a rising excitement, as he and his
  fiancee and his father make their way into the terminal. Several
  other passengers disembark with them; many of them are clad in simple
  working clothes like Orynn Sharr, and just about all of them chatter
  in lazy accents similar to both the young Singer and his sire. As
  might happen at any moonbase, station personnel scurry about on their
  duties, but this station is notable for soothing hues painted on
  walls and equipment, and a judicious layout that make the place seem
  much larger and airier than it actually is.

As the travellers leave the shuttle area to fetch their baggage, a
  mellifluous male voice announces over the intercom, in a careful
  accent that suggests the speaker is trying very hard to sound brisk
  and businesslike, "Welcome t' Moonbase Lareen. Please proceed quickly
  out of the shuttlebay. The baggage terminal's down corridor G7, and
  the catering foyer is open f'r your convenience." The brisk illusion
  is shattered, however, when the voice adds brightly, "Hope y'all
  enjoy your stay!"

Bernadette finds herself clinging to Kevlan's hand with one arm; her
  other she's wrapped around one of Orynn's biceps, sandwiching
  herself between the two tall men and gazing about herself with
  wide eyes much as a child would on her first trip away from home.
  She grins as the announcer bids them a pleasant stay, and tries
  to force herself to relax a bit, even as she finds herself scanning
  the sea of faces around her for people resembling the men with whom
  she's walking.

None of the folk in immediate view bear a strong resemblance to the
  Sharrs. Like there would be at any spaceport, the place is filled with
  tall humans and short, pale ones and dark; some of the dark-skinned
  humans speak with the same drawl Kevlan and his father do, speaking
  of more than one race on Estenar. A few non-humans can be seen,
  some running shops in the port and some in work garb clearly marking
  them as members of crews of ships currently in the port.

Noting the style of dress surrounding her, she glances down at her
  own outfit; a flame red blouse and loose navy blue slacks, and feels
  decidedly out of place around these farmers and simple country folk.
  She attempts to squeeze father and son in towards each other in front
  of her to hide behind.

As Bernadette falls a step behind Kevlan and his father, a passing
  woman comes into close enough proximity for a brief but detailed
  glance. She glances in Bernadette's direction, and her eyes are
  deep and green, the color of leaves in darkening twilight; a
  Crystal Singer's sharp vision, even in a passing look, can see
  glints of silver in that gaze, like starlight through branches. The
  woman's pale skin seems to glimmer, with the faintest of
  illuminations - almost as if that same starlight was playing across
  her features. Briefly, she smiles, and then she is gone into the     
  crowd....

Bernadette tries to disguise her stare, blushing embarassedly, as she
  gazes at the pale woman, her eyes glued curiously to the striking
  woman's figure. She turns, trying to keep the woman in sight, taking
  a few steps backwards, lagging behind the two men.

As she trails after the men in reverse, her attention still focused on
  the mysterious woman, Bernadette bumps into another traveler, mutters
  an apology as she bounces off the man, and then utters a startled
  yelp as she finds herself falling backward, having had her knees
  buckled as she backed into someone's travel valise. She lands on her
  back with a muffled *thud*, legs waving in the air, much like a turtle
  that has been turned on the back of its shell.

Quite a crowd has formed around the Singer by this time, many of whom
  hide snickers behind their hands, many of whom are genuinely concerned
  for this small woman's welfare. A small buzz of chatter erupts around
  the fallen Singer, as people start inquiring after Bernadette's
  well-being. "Are you alright?" "Careful, now, missy!" "D'yah need a
  medic, miss?"

Astonished at Bernadette's sudden burst of clumsiness, Kevlan quickly
  kneels beside her, his gaze filled with concern. "Berni honey?" He
  pitches his voice under the flurry of helpful comments from the
  onlookers, just enough to carry to Bernadette's ears alone.

Blushing furiously, her legs draped over the offending baggage,
  Bernadette blinks between the well-meaning strangers sticking their
  faces into her line of sight and Kevlan's. She lowers her eyes from
  anyone else's, flabbergasted at her own stupid misfortune, and mutters
  loud enough for anyone in earshot to hear "I'm alright..."

Orynn, bushy grey-gold eyebrows raised, squints down at the young woman,
  then scolds his son briskly, "Don't jes' squat theah, boy, let's git  
   'er up."

As Berni is hauled to her feet by the Sharrs, another man pushes his way
  through the crowd, glares at Bernadette, then hunkers down before the
  suitcase, checking it for signs of damage. In an obviously foreign (by
  Estenar standards) accent, the man snaps haughtily at Bernadette "This
  is a VERY expensive piece of luggage. You should be happy that you
  haven't damaged it with your ineptness."

Bernadette stares at the man, caught between indignance and
  embarassment. Her Singer's attitude asserts itself, however, and she
  tips the scales towards indignance. She shakes her arms loose of
  Kevlan's and Orynn's gentle hands and plants her hands on her hips,
  glaring sternly at the stranger still crouched before his precious bag
  at her feet. In a sharp tone, she says "If you hadn't left your
  luggage in the middle of a busy spaceport to begin with, I wouldn't
  have tripped over it, sir." The inflection of her voice and the style
  in which she spits this title, clearly implies she means no respect.

She spins around, not waiting for a reply from the stranger and marches
  past the Sharrs in the direction of the luggage area.

Orynn frowns, and simply eyes the man, in a look clearly communicating the 
  opinion that this fellow is deficient in manners and morals. Kevlan, 
  blushing, moves as if to say something to the irate traveler, but his father 
  tugs at his shoulder, and tells him sternly, "Let's go son. Th' boys're 
  waitin'."

Kevlan glances at the luggage quickly enough to ascertain that the pricey 
  carisak doesn't have a scratch on it, then hastens after his father and his 
  sweetheart. Coming back into step with Berni, he murmurs to her, "Berni 
  honey...? You okay?"

Bernadette doesn't slow her stride, but looks up at Kevlan, nodding. "I'm 
  fine...stupid interstellar travelers think they own the galaxy." She mutters 
  this last and says with an embarassed blush, "I..I wasn't paying attention 
  where I was going.."

Orynn says mildly, "Don't fret none, Bern'dette. No harm was done."

Bernadette shakes her head, still grumbling about the incident. 
  "Imagine...spouting about how expensive a bag is. Why, I could buy ten such 
  bags and not..." She stops rambling and simply looks down at her feet as they 
  continue towards the baggage area.

Kevlan smiles, in the wan sort of way that suggests he's wanting to comfort but 
  isn't sure how, and at last he just asks, almost lightly, "Findin' th' base 
  pretty?" Noticing that she keeps her gaze down, Kevlan lightly grasps her 
  arm, and guides her along.

Bernadette raises her head at the question and says earnestly "It's a lovely 
  station, actually. Unusual people here, too. Haven't seen these types on 
  Shankill.." She cranes her neck around, looking back at the area they've just 
  left.

By now, the trio have arrived in the terminal where several baggage attendants 
  are bringing out luggage and carisaks for the passengers, paid to ferry them 
  as part of the luxury service of the _Blue Starcrest Traveler_. Orynn goes 
  over to intercept one of the attendants, who is busily dealing with several 
  familiar-looking carisaks, leaving Kevlan and Berni to wait nearby.

Kevlan asks, "What types would those be, honey?"

Bernadette looks up at Kevlan and eagerly tells him about the pale woman she 
  saw, summing up her appearance. "And goodness if she didn't practically 
  sparkle, Kevlan...just like she had a bunch of tiny stars under her flesh!" 
  She gazes up at him with wide eyes as she tells the tale.

Kevlan blinkblinks down at Berni, his brow furrowing. Oddly, he seems taken 
  aback, but before he has a chance to continue, his father rejoins them.

"Well, our bags're goin' planetside," Orynn reports cheerfully, "and it's time 
  we were doin' th' same. Th' boys'll be waitin' with our skimmer."

Bernadette smiles at Orynn, looking a little nervous and excited as she asks 
  hesitantly, "How long will it take the shuttle to reach the planet?"

Kevlan blinks again, and without offering a response to Bernadette's tale of 
  the starlit woman, smiles to the older Sharr. "We gotta go thattaway," he 
  says, pointing off to the main hub of the terminal again, "th' gate we 
  want'll be in a diff'rent place than th' one we got off at."

Orynn smiles and says expansively, "Only fifteen minutes, lassie, an' that'll 
  be puttin' us right down in Shalridan - that's th' cap'tal of Durrim Province 
  an' we're gonna drive our skimmer home from theah."

Bernadette nods and links her arm through Kevlan's, ready to follow him towards 
  their gate.

And to the right gate they go, where a sleek, small shuttle awaits the 
  passengers going down to the planet. This vehicle isn't new, but it is 
  clearly well-tended, and the pilot of the craft greets the travelers with a 
  shine to his eye and a lilt to his accent as he personally greets everyone 
  and gets them settled. Even after he vanishes into the ship's bridge, he 
  continues to chatter conversationally over the intercom, about the local time 
  (early afternoon) and weather conditions (a light drizzle in Shalridan).

Bernadette settles herself comfortably in her seat beside Kevlan and listens to 
  the pilot's chatter with interest.

The shuttle lifts off, and the spheres of Estenar and her moon fill the tiny 
  viewports. Kevlan glances out and gazes raptly at the planet as it grows 
  steadily larger... and after only a few minutes' flight, the shuttle enters 
  the atmosphere.

At last, the shuttle draws near to a city spread out below, all in hues of 
  washed-out blue and green and silver as the light rain mutes richer colors to 
  pale ones. Kevlan seems to light up again, and Orynn grins widely at his 
  son's increasing cheerfulness. And in minutes, the shuttle lands.

Kevlan breathes, "Home... "

On the trip down, Berni has appeared to get more tense, sitting up straighter 
  and clasping her hands tightly around her knees. She smiles happily, though, 
  at the two men.

The air of Estenar, as the threesome clambers off the shuttle, tastes of the 
  rain that's falling, soft and misted. Andurin, the system's primary, is a 
  pale lopsided circle of fainter grey behind a blanket of clouds. Kevlan 
  stands for a moment at the bottom of the ramp, just breathing, and seeming to 
  take great joy in doing so.

Bernadette stands beside Kevlan and gazes around at the rainy planet before her 
  and breathes "It's beautiful even in the rain..."

Kevlan flashes Bernadette a look - a smile, a hesitant one, but a smile 
  nontheless. Orynn smiles, pats both Singers' shoulders, and urges, "C'mon, 
  younguns, Dan and Mort're waitin'. C'mon, now."

Bernadette looks around at Orynn and nods obediently, taking Kevlan's hand and 
  starting after the older Sharr.

Kevlan, absolutely untroubled by the rain, happily follows his father off. The 
  layout of this shuttleport in the city of Shalridan is archaic at best - on a 
  wealthier planet, the shuttle would have gone straight into a sheltered bay, 
  but evidently the Estenaris prefer to be outside as much as possible. Some of 
  the passengers from the shuttle hasten towards the shelter of the nearest 
  building - those in offworld garb, mostly.

Bernadette, not being a stranger to the outdoors herself, doesn't hurry her 
  step; she simply keeps pace with the men's longer strides, gazing about her 
  curiously.

Lights are visible in the immediate vicinity, again archaic, but nevertheless 
  well-functioning steady blue bulbs lighting the path the shuttle took to 
  land. Farther away, lights of several hues glisten in the rain, and the 
  nearer buildings sport signs in the flowing Estenari alphabet. Orynn guides 
  his younger companions towards the nearest one... and there is a repeat of 
  the scene up on the moonbase, as the three travelers head for the planetside 
  baggage check, through the shuttleport.

Once at the baggage area, Bernadette again untangles herself from Kevlan's hand 
  as she spies her carisak and Kevlan's, heading for the two bags and lifting 
  one in each hand. She gazes around for Orynn's bag, as well.

Kevlan's father points out an appropriate one, deftly scooping it up, while 
  Kevlan blinks at Berni and says, "Honey, Ah c'n carry one o' those... mine're 
  bigger'n yours... "

Bernadette grins wryly at Kevlan and promptly deposits her bag, as well as his, 
  with him and quips "Where to?" as she twiddles her thumbs...something Kevlan 
  has only seen her do when she has been nervous or uncertain of what to do 
  with herself.

Kevlan hoists up the two carisaks, grabs the third one containing his own 
  belongings, and heads off after his father as Orynn answers, "Y'all jes' 
  follow me." The older man leads them back out into the rain... and before 
  they can get much farther than the shuttleport's main entrance, Kevlan is 
  accosted by a tall, dark-haired young man who cries gleefully, "KEV!"

Bernadette blinkblinks and fades back a couple of steps as the young man, who 
  is quite obviously acquainted with her betrothed, approaches.

The newcomer is followed by an older but still young man, who seems rather like 
  a solider, stockier version of both Kevlan and Orynn, as the dark-haired 
  young man, rather impressively, spins Kevlan around in a bearhug. Orynn 
  beams, and then orders, "Dannie, ease up, now, your brothah's had himse'f a 
  long trip an' we got another'n comin'."

The dark-haired young man grins, while Kevlan oofs, and manages a lopsided grin 
  in response. "Star-Lady, but it's good t' see you," Danyel Sharr declares, 
  and then both he and the other young man smile to Bernadette.

Bernadette, in a sudden fit of shyness, blushes furiously under the other two 
  men's gazes and stands awkwardly, fidgeting, with a silly smile on her face.

The other young man nudges Kevlan, and hisses, "You gonna introduce us, Kev, or 
  jes' stand there like a tree?"

Kevlan giggles sheepishly, and says, "Danyel, Morten... this heah's Bernadette 
  Marshall... " He turns his blue gaze to Berni, and his eyes soften. "Mah 
  pledged. Berni honey... meet Danyel, an' Morten... mah brothers."

Orynn smiles proudly at the three young men, as Danyel swiftly steps forward to 
  offer a handshake to the young woman. "Mighty proud t' make your 
  acquaintance, ma'am," he says readily.

Morten, evidently more reserved, bobs his head politely, and offers, "We got 
  th' skimmer parked out in th' lot, y'all jes' come with us." He looks Kevlan 
  up and down, seems to disapprove of his brother's thin frame, and promptly 
  relieves Kevlan of all the luggage he's carrying.

Bernadette plucks at her blouse and smiles shyly at the other Sharr and places 
  her small hand in his. "Nice to meet you, Danyel...Kevlan has talked a lot 
  about all of you."

Bernadette, her hand still in Danyel's, looks after Morten, frowning slightly.

Kevlan blushes a bit, and protests to Morten, "Aww, now, Ah ain't no invalid," 
  but his brother simply says, suddenly smiling, "Naw. But you're a Singer an' 
  we're gonna give you an' Berni both a proper welcome. Y'all c'mon."

Orynn falls into step with Morten, and the two stride off across the outdoor 
  lot where a number of small vehicles are parked. Danyel smiles, keeping pace 
  with Kevlan and Berni, and tells them amiably, "Varta's gittin' a big ol' 
  dinner cooked up f'r all uf us, she oughtta have it all ready by th' time we 
  all git home."

Bernadette clings to Kevlan's arm and says quietly "Oh, I hope she didn't go to 
  a lot of trouble..." She looks worriedly up at Danyel and Kevlan in turn.

Danyel - grey-eyed, you notice; his eyes are the color of the rainy sky 
  overhead - grins. "Varta's a real good cook." At that, Morten grins over his 
  shoulder, and Danyel continues, "Anyhow, she's got Aunt Tammany and Aunt 
  Shilda he'pin out, and Uncle Terk brung us in a big ol' deer, he had some 
  real Lady-blessed huntin' last week, so we got a lot o' critter to make use 
  of." Danyel Sharr continues to chatter as he and Morten and Orynn halt
  near a vehicle smaller than a Crystal Singer's sled, but
  clearly designed to hold more people and less cargo. Morten pops a
  hatch in the back of the vehicle and he and Orynn stow the luggage;
  then the younger Sharr turns around and invites the others into the
  vehicle. The craft sports a pair of comfortable seats, and Morten
  takes the one in front, his father settling in beside him. Danyel
  scrambles into the back, and scoots over to make room for Kevlan and
  Bernadette to sit next to one another.

Bernadette climbs into the vehicle, settling herself next to Danyel
  and watching Kevlan with a smile as he, too, clambers into the
  craft. She grins at Danyel, as well. "Rather cozy in here," she
  comments with a little chuckle, wiggling her hips slightly
  against the brothers' sandwiching hers.

Kevlan, his face still filled with a kind of wonder, smiles at Berni as
  he waits for her to proceed him into the vehicle, and the smile stays
  on his face as his dark-haired brother starts into a merry ramble
  about how, apparently, most of Farann Province is eager to see the
  youngest son of Orynn Sharr, as well as his pledged. "Theah's gonna be
  a big ol' party, an' ever'body's gittin' out their best clothes, an'
  even Fanna's all excited on account o' this'll be her very first
  weddin'...!"

"B-but..." Bernadette stammers a little, turning her head to look
  between Danyel and Kevlan, settling her gaze on the older brother as a
  "You're teasing me" smile crosses her face. She chuckles a little,
  "Who's wedding will we be going to?" She looks at Kevlan now and says
  "You didn't tell me we'd be attending a relative's wedding, Kev...I
  don't know if I brought anything appropriate to wear..." The smile is
  plastered across her face, as she just naturally assumes the wedding
  being discussed is not her own.

Danyel laughs, a lyrical sort of sound, and says to Bernadette with a
  merrier version of the earnestness that Kevlan has so often
  demonstrated, "Bern'dette, Pa DID say y'all're gittin' married, so,
  well, we're all gonna give you a proper party f'r it!"

Bernadette smiles at Danyel as if comprehending now. "Oh, an engagement
  party! That ought to be fun..." She clearly is still not catching
  on that the Sharrs intend to wed herself and Kevlan during their
  visit.

Kevlan, blushing, has no room to shuffle his feet in the back seat of
  the skimmer as Morten lifts it off into the air, and as Orynn grins
  amusedly back at the pledged pair. He answers solemnly, "Well, um, we
  c'n git you somethin', Ah'm sure... "

With a grin, Bernadette pats the side of Kevlan's face. "Of course I
  can find something suitable to wear to a wedding, love." She smiles
  sweetly.

"Varta could loan you her weddin' garb," Morten pipes up from the front.
  "We'd hafta take it down some 'cause she's bigger'n' you, but she'd be
  happy t' do it."

Now it is Bernadette's turn to laugh as she leans forward and pats
  Morten's shoulder. "Thank you for the offer, but even if I couldn't
  find a nice dress in the shops, I'm sure there's SOMETHING I can wear
  in my carisak." She grins and sits back, totally misinterpretting
  Morten's meaning of 'wedding garb.'

Orynn shakes his head. "Naw, now, if Kev 'n' Bern'dette are gonna git
  hitched heah, we c'n spring for her own clothes." The eldest Sharr's
  firm bass voice leaves no room for argument.

Bernadette's smile fades a little and she blinkblinks, as Orynn's words
  are harder for her to misinterpret and she looks to Kevlan.

Kevlan glances at Bernadette, as he slips his arm around her shoulders
  to give her more room on the seat. He whispers shyly, "Ah... was
  hopin' we could have somethin' heah... Ah-Ah-Ah-Ah-Ah-Ah hope you don'
  mind?"

"Married here?" The question is little more than a breathless whisper.
  "But...this is kind of sudden, isn't it?" Bernadette blushes as her
  gaze travels the small compartment of the vehicle to touch on each
  of the Sharrs' faces. "I mean, I...I had planned on wearing my
  mother's wedding dress..." She looks at Kevlan again. "It's in Joran's
  shop, being altered..."

Kevlan looks briefly alarmed, and he blurts, "We-we-we-we could do it
  twice, you know, h-h-h-have somethin' heah, an' then something b-back
  at th' Guildhall.... " Hastily, he stammers to add, "Or w-w-we could
  git th' dress delivered, or-or-or jes' wait, iffin you wanna have the
  weddin' on Ballybran...?"

Orynn says dryly, "You mean t' tell me, boy, y'all ain't talked about
  your plans f'r this?"

Kevlan shakes his head in evident embarrassment to his father, while
  Morten politely keeps his eyes on the skimmer's aerial route, and
  Danyel quiets down to a sympathic presence on Bernadette's other side.

Bernadette has paled considerably and fidgets nervously as she looks
  once more around at the expressions on the mens' faces. Not wanting to
  disappoint anyone...least of all Kevlan...she musters a little smile
  and swallows dryly. She shrugs her shoulders a little and says
  lightly, "Well, the style was outdated, anyhow....Morten, do you think
  Varta would take me shopping for a new dress?"

Morten grins briefly over his shoulder and says, "Bet she'd loveta,
  ma'am."

With a return grin, Bernadette nods, as she begins to calms down.
  "Berni, or Bernadette, please. My mother is ma'am." She chuckles
  slightly, a nervous edge to the sound.

As Morten unruffledly nods, Orynn smiles at Bernadette and drawls to
  her, "Folks call ladies ma'am most of th' time 'round heah, but we'll
  call you whatevah you want."

She smiles again and shrugs. "Well, I guess folks who aren't going
  to be my relatives can call me ma'am...just seems like you all
  can be less formal in reference to your soon-to-be daughter- and
  sister-in-law." She blinks and looks vaguely surprised, then
  starts giggling as she says "Just what I need..more big brothers."
  She grins broadly at Danyel and Morten.

That earns laughter from both brothers, and a wry comment from Orynn
  that he'd never had a daughter, immediately followed by a rejoinder
  from Morten that the Sharr house is hardly lacking for feminine
  presence. To which Danyel cheerfully declares: "Varta's enough
  fem'nine presence for Morten, ain't she? Ah'm gonna hafta be your big
  brother heah, Bern'dette."

Berni grins at Orynn and says, "Well, now you'll have two in a way,
  won't you? Varta and me?" She grins at Danyel after his comment and
  says teasingly, her shyness forgotten, "I hope I get along better
  with you than with my biological brothers!" She winks and laughs.

Kevlan hugs Bernadette as firmly as he can manage in the cramped back
  seat of the skimmer, his blue eyes anxious. "Ah-Ah-Ah want ever'thin'
  t' be right," he tells her.

Bernadette returns the hug as best she can and smiles lovingly up at
  Kevlan. "How could anything be wrong?" she asks earnestly, adding,
  "It doesn't matter where we get married, what I wear, what you wear...
  None of it matters as much as you and me being together, Kev.."

The anxiety in Kevlan's face melts away, and he happily hugs Berni to
  him, while the other Sharrs in the skimmer try to hide clearly amused
  grins. But as the skimmer races onward, the other men ease off on
  teasing Kevlan, and shift to light chatter about news from the Sharrs'
  neighbors. No one brings up Ballybran - or Hesperia - and Kevlan soaks
  in the talk of his brothers and father thirstily, quietly holding
  Bernadette close.

Outside the skimmer, the skies continue with their misty grey shade for
  a quarter of an hour; below, the countryside rolls past, through
  developed portions of the Durrim Province, through banks of thick
  trees turned grey-green in the rain, across a wide, curving river.
  Often, other skimmers pass the Sharr vehicle, but as Morten flies the
  craft further and further away from Shalridan, the skimmers become
  less frequent. Orynn tells Bernadette that skimmer traffic is
  primarily a mode of transport for the more remote-dwelling denizens of
  the planet - "though with all th' credits Kevlan's been sendin' home,
  we got us a good deal on this heah skimmer, an' we don't hafta take
  the monorail if we wanna head into Shalridan."

Bernadette smiles and nods at Orynn, commenting that she's glad the
  credits are going towards useful items.

"Th' greens're holdin' up jes' fine, jes' like you said, Kev," says
  Morten from the front seat. "Th' engine purrs real purty. You c'n have
  a look when we git home, if you want." Kevlan smiles sheepishly and
  nods, as the craft flits on.

A range of hills passes by beneath the craft, hills that might almost be
  mountains, if there were just a bit taller. With this boundary passing
  below, Morten drawls "We're almost home, y'all," and Orynn affirms
  that he needs a good stretch of his legs. But at his brother's
  announcement, Kevlan anxiously glances out the craft's viewport,
  trying to get a good look through the rain.

Farann Province is revealed to be hillier, rougher terrain than Durrim,
  with far fewer lights signifying human habitation. One clump of lights
  passes by, and these Orynn names as Bremany, the province's single
  sizeable township; the skimmer, though, avoids the town and heads into
  the immediately surrounding hills, with Morten lowering the altitude
  as they go. And abruptly, the craft dips below a treeline, and is no
  longer following an aerial route, but rather, one that the Crystal
  Singers would never have seen on Ballybran: a road.

Bernadette watches the passing scenery with interest, smiling when the
  road comes into view. She tugs on Kevlan's arm, pitching her voice
  low, "Seeing all this almost makes me want to go back to Chanuuk."
  She smiles, leaves the sentence at that, and returns her attention
  to the view beyond Danyel's window.

Kevlan hugs his love gently, not commenting, just letting the
  companionship tide him over as the ride continues.

Only a handful of minutes pass before the skimmer banks into a network
  of fields, and finally comes to a landing before a large, weathered
  building. By now, Kevlan's face is alive with eagerness, and he clings
  to Bernadette's hand tightly, popping the hatch and scrambling out of
  the vehicle the moment Morten has landed. Tugging Bernadette along
  with him, he comes to a stop as he drinks in the sight of the big
  house, and he murmurs reverently, "Home!"

Bernadette takes many smaller steps to equal Kevlan's long stride as
  she trails after him. She wraps her arms around his waist as he comes
  to a halt and smiles, remaining quiet as she takes in the homestead
  before her and allowing Kevlan time to properly reacquaint himself
  with the sights, sounds and smells of his home.

As the two older Sharr brothers start unloading bags from the skimmer's
  cargo hatch, there comes a jubilant shout from the house: "They're
  home!" A young woman comes charging out the front door and down the
  steps; she is taller than Bernadette, with a buxom, curvy figure,
  golden curly hair tugged back into a ponytail, and a sweet round face.
  She hugs Morten first, who smiles crookedly, then squeals in obvious
  delight and hugs both Kevlan and Bernadette at the same time. The
  young woman is followed by a pair of older women, both spare and lean,
  both dark-haired, clad in the same sort of working clothes the men
  are; all three women offer fond greetings, and the timeless babble of
  long-separated relatives greeting one another springs up.

Bernadette finds herself being turned this way and that, receiving hugs
  from her fiancee's relatives, grinning like a cheshire cat the whole
  time. She returns hugs and greetings with equal fervor, blushing a
  little over the fuss everyone is making over herself and Kevlan...
  She can understand them fussing over Kevlan, after all...but she
  finds it rather amazing...and relieving...that they are receiving her
  so well.

"Aww, ain't you th' dainty l'il thang, Bern'dette! Kevlan's tol' us _so_
  much 'bout you, Ah declare, you should see his letters!"

She grins and protests that she's not _that_ small, and comments that
  she hopes he's only told them good things about her in his letters.

"Star-Lady, Kevlan, don't those Guild folks _feed_ you? You git raht in
  heah and set yourse'f down, dinner'll be ready in jes' a bit!"

Kevlan goes through several interesting shades of scarlet as he is
  fussed over, and between the older aunts, he is hustled towards the
  front of the house. Chuckling dryly, Orynn grabs the rest of the
  baggage and wanders into the house after Danyel.

"Unca Kevlan! Unca Kevlan!" This last is from a child, a tiny girl who
  appears in the middle of the embracing grownups. Bearing a strong
  resemblance to the young blonde girl, the child tugs at Kevlan's
  clothes and looks up at him with wide, adoring eyes.

Kevlan grins sheepishly, and reaches down to scoop the little girl into
  her arms. "Hey theah, youngun," he says gently, as the child
  impulsively throws her arms around his neck. He turns, and introduces
  the women: the young one is Varta, Morten's wife, the two older ones
  Tammany and Shilda, sisters of Orynn's dead wife. "And this heah's
  Fanna," he finishes, indicating the child as Varta and Morten both
  smile fondly at the little girl, while Danyel heads up the steps with
  some of the luggage.

Varta says proudly, "We have holos o' both o' y'all, so Fanna's been
  chatterin' all about what you two look like."

Kevlan nods, still entranced by the lively child, and he asks her
  indulgently, turning her to get a look at Bernadette, "So you know who
  this is, honey?"

Fanna nods wisely, piping, "Mah Aunt Berni!" And as she turns her gaze
  directly to Bernadette, little glints of silver can be seen in her
  guileless blue regard. Her skin glows with a resilient health -
  obviously the adults here take good care of her - but with something
  else as well, a faint subliminal shimmer, as if of starlight playing
  across her small body....

[End log.]