| From: | Mach <mach@****.CALTECH.EDU> |
|---|---|
| Subject: | What do you make of this? |
| Date: | Mon, 21 Dec 1998 21:22:16 -0800 |
>>>>>[To: Ice
From: Michael
Well, like I promised, I managed to get Kyle here, but as just about
everybody's seen, I don't think he's completely happy here.
And I don't just mean like Sera. Who it seems still isn't quite used to
the concept of being surrounded by this much water, despite all my
assurances, but I think she'll be okay.
When I went to go find him, I found out from Haven that he'd taken a leave
of absence and wasn't around. I checked out his appartment and found out
that he'd moved out but left a forwarding address of Haven, so that was a
no-go. I finally tracked him down with some watchers.
This is what I saw (used a mini-cam whose idea I borrowed from Faerie). I
thought that you, since you've known him longer than the rest of us, might
be able to make something of this. Suffice to say I'm a little worried.
+++++include: WheresKyle.vid
The low-resolution video recording is wobbling rather badly from its
vantage point in what must be Michael's earring (given the blurred whisps
of red hair that frame the picture) as its wearer traverses uneven
terrain. The forested area he is travelling in could be just about
anywhere in the hilly outskirts of Seattle. The view is not well lit,
given the hints of overcast sky between the tree branches. The camera
shakes a little bit and is almost obscured when he pulls up the collar on
a trench-coat, but realizing the mistake, turns it back down. "Damn its
cold," Michael says under his breath to nobody in particular and the fog
from his breath drifts across the picture.
A flitting puffball of eyes and feathers suddenly passes into and out of
view. It races ahead, its multitude of wings aflutter, and Michael
trudges after it. Finally it circles the base of a tree and announcess,
"We here. Found him. All done," and *poofs* into non-existence.
"Bloody...," Michael cuts off his own muttered curse. He looks around and
noone is in sight. "Yo, Kyle! You here?" he shouts. Walking further, he
spots a large tarp strung up between some trees and a small tent nearby.
Under the tarp the ground is swept clean and on the trees, scrolls are
hung like giant ofuda covered in an exotic oriental script, and seem
unaffected by recent rains. Before Michael can get a better look at some
wrapped bundles on the ground under the tarp, he stops and carefully
reaches his hand out. He glides it along an invisible plane between the
trees.
"You should always ask before entering another man's sanctum," a voice
says in a cold monotone. Michael turns around and still sees nothing.
"Kyle?"
The sound of a creaking tree-branch brings Michael's attention upwards.
He tracks the sound of something falling from great height to the ground.
Looking up from where some pine needles and twigs are crushed into the
damp earth, the barely perceptible distortion in the air gains substance
until the oriental shaman known as WhiteTyger is standing before Michael.
"I should have thought to look up," Michael says shaking his head.
"That's the idea." Kyle passes by and heads to his tent. "So, what's so
important you had to send your watchers out after me and come here in the
flesh?"
"Hey. I tried calling, I went to Haven, I sent you a e-message. Nothing.
You dropped off the face of the Earth and I needed to get in touch."
"Ever thought that maybe I did that because I wanted some time alone?"
"Well, yeah. But its been a couple weeks. People like me tend to get
worried when their friends disappear."
"Since when were you my friend?" WhiteTyger asks matter-of-factly.
"Uh...since at least Haven. Or so I thought. Guess I was wrong," Michael
exaggerates the hurt in his voice.
Standing after backing out of his tent, WhiteTyger carries a bundle to the
area beneath the tarp. Turning back toward Michael, his eyes shift from
brown to a powder blue. "So then why do you have your ally waiting in the
astral?"
"Well, I thought you might be wanting to be alone so I figure one of us
would bug you less than two. But if you have a problem with it...,"
Michael looks over and has a wordless exchange with the thin air that
coalesses into Seraphina, in her human form and dressed in a long skirt
and heavy coat such that she would otherwise look normal if not for her
reappearing act. "So, what have you been doing up here?"
"Training."
"Hunh. You couldn't do that back at the warehouse?"
"Especially not there. I have some things I need to work out for
myself."
"Okay. I can at least understand that. Listen, you might actually like
to hear what I've come to talk to you about."
"So what is it?" WhiteTyger unraps the bundle to reveal two polished
short swords with long white sashes tied to them. He checks quality of
the blades and their sharpness carefully. "You don't mind if I work out?"
"Whoa. I never knew you had a pair of these." Michael steps closer to
get a better look, but when he sees Kyle prepare to enter into a kata, he
gives him plenty of space.
"I didn't touch them much. Before."
"Before?"
"Before." His movements are as beautiful as they are precise. The blades
begin to whirl while the sashes have their intended effect of being an
exquisite distraction from the dangerous swords they are attatched to.
"I see. So, where was I?" Michael asks rhetorically.
Seraphina looks at him quizically. "Idiom," she says after a moment,
nodding.
"Anyway...." Michael continues, "So, Kirk's got some vacation time on a
posh cruise ship, and has offered to take us along. From what I've seen
it looks really nice. I thought you might want to come with us to the
Carribean instead of staying out here in the cold and wet. I mean, this
can't be good for your health."
"I'm fine," WhiteTyger replies, a little out of breath as his kata
continues.
"No, I'm serious. I think it will be fun. If anything maybe I can apply
to your sense of peer pressure." He puts on his best Svengali impression.
"We're _alllll_ going to be there. You don't want to be left _ouuuut_."
"Won't work. Besides, how do you know if Kirk's just trying to get
something out of you?"
"Well, if she is, she's going to be doing it on a beautiful cruise ship in
the Carribean. Oh darn. And besides, if she is, it isn't like they can
call for help. So if something goes wrong, I'd like to be there."
"So, I shouldn't think about this as a vacation, but as an obligation to
the Shifters."
"If you have to. I won't force you to have fun, if that's what your
asking. But, damn, Kyle, you haven't gotten out of whatever you fell into
after Haven got attacked. Maybe a little fun will do you some good."
WhiteTyger finishes out his kata and puts the swords back into their
bundle. "Alright. I'll come along. But just because you came out here
drag me along."
+++++end include
He has been acting kinda weird the whole time. I don't know if you want
to talk to him about it, but you can probably see why I wanted to do this
electronically. I don't how he would take it if he found us talking about
him in person.]<<<<<
-- Lightning's SES <00:20:21/12-22-59>
