Log Date: 3/23/96
Log Intro: In which Tance, who has not yet really quite registered that
his recent luck in the Ranges have given him actual credits, is encountered
by Kesya, who has registered and then some that her major luck in the
Ranges has given her more credits than she knows what to do with. In which,
also, our grumpy hero is encountered by a teddy-bear-wielding medic....

----------
Tance wanders slowly about the room.

Kesya ducks her head in, looking around for someone. She frowns as her gaze 
  fails to come across that someone, but she enters anyway, heading towards 
  the catering unit. As she spots you wandering, a lopsided smile crosses her 
  face. "Hey Tance. What'cha up to?"

Tance jumps, whirls, yelps, and when he comes down, blinks several times at 
  Kesya. Fumbling with a much-abused scrap of paper which he promptly stuffs 
  into a pocket, he barks, "Looking. Just looking. Yes."

Kesya cocks her head to one side, an amused smile playing across her lips. "At 
  what, the carpeting?" She meanders towards the catering unit, peering at the 
  menu as she waits for your answer.

Tance scowls vaguely. "Have to remember what it looks like, don't I?" he 
  mutters.

Kesya blinks surprisedly, and swivvels to face you with a short laugh. "Tance, 
  I think that's the first time I've heard you make a joke. You should do that 
  more often." She looks at you steadily for a minute more, then turns towards 
  the unit again. "I'm famished. Would you and your carpeting like something 
  to eat?"

Tance blinkblinks several times at the notion of himself making a joke, then 
  one corner of his mouth quirks. "Food?" he barks. "Um. Food."

Kesya nods blithely, looking up from the menu. "I remember you like duck and 
  ice cream, but did you want something different this time? Shepherd's pie... 
  steak..."
Kesya spins the menufax around to display the meat selections.
Kesya peers at the menu thoughtfully, listing off dishes. "Turkey Dinner... 
  ham steak... Dragon steaks, whatever those are." She wrinkles her nose, 
  "Snake steaks too. Dunno how people can eat snakes."

Tance comes over, hesitantly, but drawn by the list of meals rattled off.

Kesya shifts over so you can see the display, and purses her lips as she 
  punches off a few buttons. "This one looks good." She smiles in satisfaction 
  as the meal slides down the slot. "Now, what're you having?"
Kesya peruses the meat selections, and orders a Turkey Dinner complete with 
  all the trimmings.

"I... ought to have something..." Tance frowns faintly, brow wrinkling at the 
  catering unit. "Something with meat. Need it." Automatically, his hand moves 
  to dial the thing to the sustenance setting.

Kesya nudges you to one side with her hip. "Whatcha eating that trash for? I'm 
  treating, so help yourself to whatever." She smiles impishly, picking up the 
  huge turkey dinner from the slot and wafting it under your nose.
Kesya arches a brow, knowing full well she's playing hardball. "Doesn't that 
  smell better than whatever it was you were gonna be eating from the subbie 
  menu?"

Shi comes in from the lift area.
Shi looks around and heads for the Catering Unit
Shi steps over to the catering unit.
Shi spins the menufax around to display the meat selections.
Shi spins the menufax around to display the bread selections.
Shi peruses the selection of breads, and orders some "Sugar Pleasure" donuts.
Shi takes the plate then looks at the display
Shi spins the menufax around to display the beverage selections.
Shi peruses the selection of drinks, and orders a cup of coffee.
Shi dials in for extra sweetener for her coffee.
Shi takes the mug and turns.

Delvan comes in from the lift area.

Shi sits down on one of the soft couches.
Shi sweetens her coffe and nods at Delvan as he comes in the room

Delvan wanders into the lounge, rubbing his hands together a little. He 
  doesn't really notice anyone else in the room until he reaches a couch and 
  spins about to sit down. He nods quietly and says, "Hello."
Delvan sits down on one of the soft couches.

Shi holds up the plate. "Want some doughnuts?"

Tance squints at the greenskinned Singer, not noticing offhandedly as the 
  others enter. He finally mutters gruffly, "Don't remember much about what's 
  good."

Delvan blinks and looks over at Shi, "What?" He sees the doughnuts, "Oh, 
  thanks." He reaches over and gently takes one, munching on it slowly

"Well then, I'll have to order something for you... hrm. Feel like steak or 
  turkey?" Kesya turns towards the unit again, her turkey dinner held in one 
  hand.

Tance peers narrowly at the turkey, then jerks his head at that. "That. 
  Whatever." He then frowns at his ancient wristunit and suddenly barks, "I've 
  got credits..."

Kesya spins the menufax around to display the  selections.
Kesya spins the menufax around to display the meat selections.
Kesya peruses the meat selections, and orders a Turkey Dinner complete with 
  all the trimmings.
Kesya punches in the order and gestures to the slot. "So? I feel like wasting 
  credit tonight, so you're doing me a favour."

Shi leans back with a sip of her coffee and grabs a doughnut.

Tance mutters something along the lines of "Waste... me?" But he grabs the 
  tray quickly enough, and skitters back to someplace to eat it.
Tance sits down at one of the tables.

Kesya frowns a bit at Tance's muttering, but follows him to a table. At this 
  point she notices the other two in the room, and waves in greeting. "Hey 
  Del, Shi. What's new?"
Kesya sits down at one of the tables.

Tance grabs at a utensil and eyes the food for a long suspicious minute, 
  before he sets to it, vigorously and almost in desperation.

Kesya digs into her food more slowly, almost playing with the mashed potatoes. 
  She eyes Tance with a wry smile, repeating a phrase she's said often in this 
  old Singer's presence. "It's not going to run away, Tance."

Delvan blinks and looks over at Kesya, as if startled, "What's up?" He blinks 
  and looks at the doughnut in his hand before setting it asside, "Nothing 
  much."

Tance flicks a look at Kesya, then mumbles through his food.

Shi shrugs. "Noth'n.. I'm waiting for my crystals to be sorted so I can get 
  off this fardling PLANET!

Kesya gives Tance a quizzical look as the singer's mutters completely escape 
  her, and nods to Delvan. "Same old same old, huh?" She nods absently to Shi, 
  making idle conversation as she eats... she certainly won't be getting any 
  conversation from her table-mate. "Where is it you want to go?"

Shi lifts the mug of coffee, shakily, to her lips. "Anywhere but here...It I 
  don't go soo, I'll go berzerk." She removes a bottle from a pouch at her 
  side and shakes out one of the candylike pills and swallows it.

Tance occasionally eyes Kesya over his food, but generally when she's occupied 
  with the others in the room. He huddles over the dishes as if about to snarl 
  at anything that approaches him, like a feral beast defending its kill. His 
  eating, too, is a trifle beastlike; he's certainly not a quiet eater.

Kesya looks at Shi more closely, her watchful eyes narrowing in thought. "That 
  bad, huh? Well, how far can you get?"

Shi says "I won't know until I hear from the sorters. They've got my crystals 
  right now."

Kesya adds helpfully, "Taal'en and Hesperia are very nice, and don't cost much 
  in shuttle fare."

Delvan nods quietly at Kesya and says, "Ya, same old same old." He settles 
  back onto his couch, laying lengthwise on it, and crossing his hands over 
  his stomach.

Shi waves a hand in the air and asks. "Has anyone been to Floridia yet?

Tance's expression darkens somewhat, and he spears turkey with a vindictive 
  thrust of his fork.

Kesya nods, "Um hmm. I have." She continues to fiddle with her meal, eating 
  slowly. "It's nice."

Shi says "I've been chosen for the team that's got the Installation there and 
  I'm trying to find out as much as I can before I go. So I won't offend 
  anyone while I'm there.""

Kesya nods, "Pack your parka. It's *cold* there. But really pretty, too. 
  They're friendly, it's a quiet, out of the way tourist-type place."

Shi says "Anything special I need to know about the customs or etiquette 
  there?"

Kesya shakes her head, "Impress 'em Guild-style, but they're used to all 
  kinds, I think. I think they'd be more impressed with people who carry 
  themselves well rather than people who're yelling and such," she adds, 
  knowing the other singer's penchant for volume.
Kesya glances at Tance, peering at his plate to see if he's emptied it yet. 
  "Want anything else?"

Shi sighs. "Then I'd better pack some extra bottles of my medication, then."

Delvan stares up at the cieling for a moment, moving his lips as if he were 
  whispering, completely out of touch with the room for the most part. A 
  minute like that, and he sits up and nods a quiet g'bye to the people in the 
  room bofore walking out to his level.
Delvan walks up to level 9.

Tance, who has apparently inhaled most of his food, is now scraping a knife 
  around a plate to get the last few bits.

Shi MMFS and drops her coffee mug onto the table and slaps her hands over her 
  ears. Curling up into a ball she tries to shut out the crystal thrumm 
  coursing through her body.

Kesya comments wittily, "They'll clean the plate for you, Tance. You don't 
  have to see your reflection in it." She passes her apple pie to the Singer 
  at the opposite side of the table. "Here, you'll probably 'preciate this 
  more than me. Stuffed."

Tance looks up, frowns narrowly, and mutters, "Have to eat it all."

Kesya misinterprets Tance's statement, looking down at her half-empty plate 
  with something like trepidation. "But I'm stuffed!"

"You got the credits," the old Singer mutters.

Shi mumbles incoherently to herself as she stares at her mug and a lone 
  doughnut that still sits on the plate near her.

Tance finally eyes the pie, and looks from it to Kesya and back again.

Kesya looks at Tance with a sympathetic expression, obviously unsure of what 
  to say to that. "Umm. Well... your luck will change, Tance." She says this 
  in a hopeful tone, a sheepish smile following. "I mean, look at how long 
  you've cut. If anyone would know how to find crystal, it'd be you."

Tance frowns at the pie, but without seeing it. "Crystal," he echoes.

Shi stands up from her couch.
Shi mumbles something about going to see the bears.. and walks out
Shi walks up to level 9.

Kesya nudges the pie towards Tance, expecting more of a reaction to it than 
  she's getting. "Tance... you okay?"

Tance mumbles, "Lost it all to the crystal..."

Kesya seems genuinely concerned now, not sure what's running through the old 
  Singer's mind. She shifts her chair over, reaching out to tentatively touch 
  the Senior singer's arm. "Tance?"

Tance starts a little at the contact, looking up long enough for his troubled 
  expression to be seen.

Kesya frowns worriedly, leaning forward to look into the old singer's face, 
  her hair spilling over the table. "Tance... what's wrong? Tell me."

Tance frowns, deeply. "Hate it," he mutters, averting his gaze.

Kesya leans her elbows on the table, head cocked to look intently at you. 
  "What do you hate?"

Tance scowls off at the far corner of the table. His face starts to redden, 
  and finally, as if through clenched teeth, he barks, "Not remembering."

Kesya's lips press together as her gaze drops to the table. "I can understand 
  that. It must be frustrating."

Tance stands up from his table.
Tance begins pacing up and down.
Tance mutters fretfully, "Hate it. Never remember where I go. Who I see. What 
  I eat. All lost in the crystal... but have to get the crystal... have to 
  cut..."

Kesya seems troubled, not knowing what to do. "Um," she offers, "Have you 
  tried using your datapad?"

Tance scowls as he paces. "Broken," he growls lowly, towards the floor.

Kesya seems puzzled. "Wait. Isn't that what you said about the computer in 
  your room? You can get another one easily enough... they're only something 
  like three credits." She adds helpfully, "Voice activated. Whenever you want 
  to remember, you can just play it back."

"I..." Appearing exasperated, all at once, Tance shakes his head back and 
  forth, his hands fidgeting with his pockets. His scowl wrestles with a 
  rather more worried and less certain frown for dominance on his face. 
  "Broken. Don't know how long... nothing worth remembering anyway, who 
  cares..."

Kesya stands, following the other Singer as he paces. She reaches out to grasp 
  at one arm in an attempt to get him to stop, her features creased in a 
  troubled expression. "Tance, listen... you've plenty worth remembering." She 
  looks up at him imploringly, fumbling for the right words. "We can get that 
  stuff fixed, no problem. There's ways to get around this. I'll help. Okay?"
Kesya stands up from her table.
 
Tance, who is not an overly tall man, meets Kesya more or less eye to eye as 
  she halts him. And he abruptly demands, dejectedly, "How do you know I'm 
  worth remembering?"

Kesya again seems puzzled, as though the answer to that would be obvious to 
  anyone. "You just are. You don't see that? Of course you are." She shakes 
  her head as though this should be common sense.

Tance's head lowers again till he is once more regarding the floor. "See 
  people mocking an old man, mostly," he mumbles.

Kesya shakes her head, raising one hand to tilt the Singer's chin back up. 
  "Well, they're wrong. You've been cutting a long, time.. that in itself is 
  worth a great deal of respect." A scowl passes over her face, briefly. 
  "People are just... stupid sometimes. They take out their frustrations on a 
  scapegoat, and I guess you became it."

Tance allows his head to be nudged, though grudgingly. "Nobody cares if I've 
  been cutting long..." He doesn't quite meet your eye, and his voice is 
  rough-edged and low. "The Singers don't remember. Nobody else cares. You 
  haven't seen it. Not old enough."

Kesya shakes her head, her left hand brushing her sea-green bangs from her 
  face. "I care how long you've been cutting. And I've heard other people say 
  how impressed they are by it too. And I've been around long enough to get a 
  pretty good idea of what's going on." She smiles warmly, adding, "I think 
  maybe there's lots of people you don't run into as much who think highly of 
  you."

Tance slides you, or perhaps the green hand, or perhaps the green bangs, a 
  brief look. He's still frowning as if he does not believe the words, but 
  perhaps because of the soothing tone, the frown lessens slightly.

Kesya arches her brows at you, her gaze imploring. "Don't believe me?" She 
  takes your arm, leading you towards a couch. Flopping into a comfortable 
  position on the cushions, she adds, "I know it's hard to change what you've 
  believed for so long... but you're really not seen as you think you are. I 
  think people just get frustrated when they get snarled at." She finishes off 
  the statement with a cocky wink.
Kesya sits down on one of the soft couches.

Tance's expression starts to shift away from the scowl somewhat more now. Led, 
  he follows, albeit with a bit of a balk in his step. He mutters something 
  towards the floor as you sit down.

Kesya cocks an ear towards you, "Sorry, what?"

Tance mutters a little more loudly, "Don't know what else to do."

Daron walks in from the level 11 lift area.

Kesya smiles slyly, reaching behind her for a pillow. She passes one to you, 
  then folds her arms around the one she's holding. "You're not doing that 
  now. And you don't snarl at Nadine. Much."

Daron steps in carrying a green teddy bear, and spots Kesya smiling.

Tance, passed a pillow, stares down at it as if not the least bit certain of 
  what to do with it. Gingerly, he lowers himself onto the far end of the 
  couch -- and jerks, startled, at the sound of Daron's voice.

Kesya's attention is diverted towards the door as she hears footsteps, and she 
  nods a greeting to Daron briefly. And then does a double-take, arching a 
  brow at the object in Daron's arms. "Second childhood?"

Daron nods amiably to Tance as he sees the elder singer, he looks at the teddy 
  bear and laughs, "No, a relative from home sent me like thirty teddy bears. 
  Told me to give them ot my friends."
Daron sits down on one of the soft couches.
Daron sets the green bear on the couch beside him
Daron sets the bear down reluctantly.

As if in response to being abandoned, Mr. Bear's head droops to one side 
  despondantly, hunching over waiting for the next person to love him.

Kesya laughs at that, her lips curved in an amused smile. "Your family sounds 
  like a lot of fun." She glances at Tance again, then at the green bear. 
  "He's a cute one."

Mr. Bear
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 apple green fur that is 
  silky to the touch. Its eyes are a large black almost liquid in his 
  expression 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 inscripion: "Did you give your teddy bear a big hug today?" 
  Flipping the charm around, you read: "Being a bear takes extra flair!"
Mr. Bear looks so cute that you are tempted to snatch it from Daron

Tance snorts a little, sliding the bear a wary and extremely brief look.

Daron says "It won't hurt you."

Tance gives another snort, and shifts uncomfortable on his end of the couch.
Tance stops his pacing and sits down on one of the soft couches.

Kesya grins at the fuzzy thing on the couch (the bear, not Tance) and gets up 
  to pad over to it. "C'n I take a look at him?"

Daron nods, "Sure."

Kesya picks up the green bear, and flops back in her original seat, holding 
  the bear in her lap. "Tance and I were just talking about 'Guildmembers in 
  general' I think, and how I'm way too young to know anything worthwhile." 
  She winks teasingly at the older Singer, waving the bear's paw at him.
Kesya picks up the Mr. Bear and hugs him tightly.

Tance peeks sidelong at Kesya and the bear again. Lots of green over there.

Daron watches Kesya playing around with the teddy bear.

Kesya is wearing red, so looks like a bad Christmas decoration. "Cat gotcher 
  tongue, Tance?" She waves the bear's paw at him again, and turns her 
  attention to Daron. "So.. your family makes these or something?"

Daron says "A relative does."
Daron says "I think an aunt"

Tance barks, taken aback, "What's a cat?"

Kesya smiles wistfully. "That must be a nice job." She starts a bit at Tance's 
  loud question, and pulls her sketchbook out of her thigh pocket, passing the 
  bear to Tance as she makes a quick sketch. "It's an animal. Lots of 
  different species of 'em." Considering she's only been sketching a few 
  seconds, the drawing begins to take the shape of a realistic looking 
  housecat.
Kesya gave you Green Bear.
Kesya sets the bear down reluctantly.

You pick up the Mr. Bear and hug him tightly.

As if in response to being abandoned, Mr. Bear's head droops to one side 
  despondantly, hunching over waiting for the next person to love him.

Tance yelps, eyes going wide, as the bear is passed to him. "Wha?!"

Kesya finishes the sketch and passes that over too. "There. Now what it has to 
  do with that expression, I dunno." She shrugs helplessly.
Kesya explains sagely, "You're supposed to hug him."

Tance stares at the bear blankly before registering that Kesya is trying to 
  talk to him. And at the explanation, he blinks and demands, "Why?"

Daron says "Because he's cute and cuddly."

Kesya chuckles softly, surpressing a smile as she answers. "'Cause it feels 
  good to hug teddy bears. That's their job."

Tance turns the bear gingerly around his hands. "Look fregging silly," he 
  mumbles.

Kesya shakes her head soberly. "Nah. Daron didn't look silly. I didn't look 
  silly. Bears are good for ya." She snugs down in the couch, pulling another 
  pillow into her lap.
Kesya adds impishly, "Besides, he's your colour."

Tance starts, "I'm not..." Then gets the joke, and stares at the bear again. A 
  single short bark escapes him. "Never seen this color green crystal."

Kesya arches a brow, humour shining in her eyes. "Now you're being picky? 
  Green's green. Crystal isn't furry, either," she jokes.

Daron chuckles.

Tance mutters, "Well, no... um..." He squints at the bear, first with one eye, 
  than the other.

Kesya shrugs diffidently, "Bears are just hedonistic comfort-toys." She grins, 
  "But awfully cute." She rests one arm along the pillow in her lap, fiddling 
  with its edges. "You won't find a trap door in its behind if you look at it 
  differently."

Tance rubs tentatively at the bear's side.

Kesya smiles lopsidedly, watching Tance as she leans tiredly back against the 
  cushions. "Done with my sketchbook then?"

Tance, having failed to notice the sketchbook before, suddenly ohs, and looks 
  at it, distracted.

Kesya reminds the Singer sharing her couch, "You were asking what a cat was."

Tance blinks at the sketch, then. "That's... that's a cat?"

Kesya nods, peering over Tance's shoulder as she leans towards the sketchbook. 
  "Yup. I know it's not the greatest rendition of one in the world but..." She 
  grins modestly, "I am going from memory, after all."

Tance considers, then says gruffly, "Don't know squat about it." He shrugs a 
  bit.

Kesya shrugs, and holds out her hand for the sketchbook. "Not much onehas to 
  know about animals, here."

Tance slides the book over.

Kesya folds the dog-eared cover closed, and slides the little book into her 
  thigh pocket. Yawning, she gets to her feet. "As much as I'd love to stay 
  and chat... I think it's bedtime for me. Want to meet for dinner or 
  something tomorrow, Tance?"

You say "I... I won't remem... um..."
Tance trails off, looking oddly hopeful. "Remind me," he abruptly demands.
Tance rises, then remembers he's got the bear. He slinks over to Daron and 
  thrusts it at him.

Daron takes back the bear.

You reluctantly let go of Mr. Bear and set him down.

Daron picks up the Mr. Bear and hugs him tightly.

As if in response to being abandoned, Mr. Bear's head droops to one side 
  despondantly, hunching over waiting for the next person to love him.

Kesya pulls a bit of paper from her pocket, and scribbles on it. "There," she 
  announces. "Singer Common Lounge, 7pm, Dinner with Kesya (the green one)."
Kesya passes the paper to Tance, "You can put that wherever you put the last 
  one."

Tance snatches at the paper, then mutters, amazedly, "Thank you..." And as if 
  scorched, he suddenly flees.

[End log.]