((Logged 7/9/2000 by Citan))

Bart's Hideout, Residential Walkway North
Contents:
Fei

Heedless of the large pit to the port, Citan finds purchase in a seat upon the 
catwalk's railing. The heavy book in his arms, bound in intricately tooled 
leather, comes to him as a loan from the nuns of Nisan. He flips through the 
pages, skipping forward and back through sections while filling his spare time 
with study of the dual angels, glimpsed so briefly once before in the cathedral. 
The tatter of a bookmark is woven between the fingers of his left hand, crooked 
to prop up the thick pages while he turns them with the other.

Late night continues to settle in around the Pirate's hideout, though it is 
strange to see this much activity rushing about the hideout at this hour. 
Pirate's must be preping for a midnight run on some poor rich folk from Bledavik 
who think they can cross the great desert of Aveh in one night. Sounds from the 
elevator shaft get louder and louder as the lift begins to rise to the 
residential area of the Hideout, in response, Pirates line up to await its 
arrival and head to the gear bays below. Moments later, the lift arrives and 
locks into place. The safety door opens and residents begin to make their way to 
their destinations. One imparticular remains impatient, Fei, who dashes forward 
hopping over the railing and gazing around the area with a smile about his face. 
He looks back, seeing some people shaking their heads at his sudden act and he 
chuckles, seeming slightly embarrassed. Quickly, the young martial artist dashes 
away and notices Citan over by the next ledge. He changes course and proceeds to 
head in the direction of his friend.

Sage leans on the railling not knowing quite what to do.  He sees Fei rushing 
down the hallway and shouts. "Hi Fei!"

The shouts and noise, especially that of the creak and groan of the lift, draw 
Citan's attention away from his text. It is first a flicker of self-chiding at 
not having chosen a quieter place to settle down and attempt a reading of a 
theological principle--but that is as easily put aside as his book. Closing it 
securely, the doctor greets Fei with a smile, soft voice almost entirely unheard 
in the din of the crowd. "I have made it at last. How have you been?"

Fei quickly walks up to Citan, giving him an acknowledging nod and smile, "Doc! 
You made it! Good to see you." The young martial artist crosses his arms as he 
stands in front of Citan, taking a quick glance at the crowd passing them by, 
"Safely to say, im fine and well.. Though I fear I might be caught under a 
stampeed of people at this rate, its unusual for the hideout to see this much 
activity at this hour." He jokes solomely. Though as Fei is about to ask his 
friend about his health, a familiar voice is heard in the background, calling 
out his name.. Turning about to see who it is, Fei gazes around the room and 
notices a slightly familiar face, one dressed common clothes. Confusion looks 
mark the young man's face, until finally a name pops in his mind and calls out, 
"Sage?! Is that you?"

Sage shoves his way through the crowd to Fei and Citan.  As he arrives a smile 
is on his face to greet Fei.  "Hello, it has been a while hasn't it Fei?"

Citan looks back at the stream of pirates as it begins to die down, drawing his 
feet back slightly to get them out of the way. The shoes, touched with dust from 
the road and oil from Heimdal, scrape across the catwalk. He nods to the man who 
Fei had called over--Sage, the name was, and he files that away for reference--
but then his gaze roves through the crowd. He had expected less people here... 
and yet, he had expected more, in a way. The rows of Gears parked in the bays 
underneath attested to other visitors whom he had not had a chance to reconnect 
with, and they have stayed absent during his short time here. His hands move 
restlessly over the cover of the tome, turning it over and over in his palms.

Fei chuckles and greets Sage with acknowledging nod, extending his hand for him 
to shake, "It sure has been awhile hasn't it? Its good to see you." For the 
moment, Fei had forgotten about poor Citan and shakes his head, . o O (Where are 
your manners Fei.) The young martial artist turns back to Citan with a smile 
about his face, "Doc, Allow me to introduce you to Sage.", vise versa, "Sage, 
Citan Usuki." After the formalities have been placed, Fei turns to Sage with a 
quirked eyebrow and crossing his arms, "So Sage, What brings you to the pirates 
hideout and... How did you get in? I didn't know you were part of the crew."

Sage shakes Fei's hand followed by Citan's.  "It is nice to meet you Citan."  
Sage turns his attention back to Fei and sighs.  "I'm not part of the crew.  I 
needed to ask some questions that I thought I could find answers to here."

Sigurd finally steps out of the planning room across the way from them, arms 
folded, gazing only at the ground in front of him, as oddly preocupied as he has 
been for the past few days, paying no mind to anyone around him, heading for the 
elevator along with the tail-end of the pirates heading down to the port.

Citan nods, following the conversation between Fei and Sage with the politeness 
of one who is extraneous when all is said and done. The swish of the door to the 
planning room is unmarked when compared to the normal auditory riot of the 
pirate crew, even though it fades noticably as the stragglers begin to depart. 
Given the role of the nonverbal in this exchange, he chooses to let his gaze 
wander--falling upon the withdrawn figure of a very familiar man. A few steps go 
by, and he almost lets him pass before finally deciding to intrude upon his 
reflections with a quiet, "Hello, Sigurd." It could be heard, dismissed, and 
gone with no ill feelings resulting, but at least it has been said...

Fei hasn't yet taken notice to Sigurd's presence just yet, for Sage's response 
troubles him.  Keeping his arms crossed, the young martial artist's brow remains 
arched due to confusion and wonder as he begins to reply to Sage, "Such as what 
if I may ask?"

Sage smirks.  "Solaris... Shevat... Gebler... The Yggdrasil... those names have 
poped up a lot and I need to know there significance."  Sage's gaze wanders over 
to Sigurd.  He has seen the man before with Fei but never spoke to him.

Sigurd pauses and looks over to the speaker, blinking once, twice, before a 
little smile finally breaks through the bleakness of his expression at the sight 
of his old friend. "Hyuga... I was beginning to think you.. weren't coming 
back." He looked pleased enough to see him, but his voice lacked the usual life, 
as empty as his expression had been, and still partially was. "How have you 
been?" Never ask where...

Citan tries a soft smile for encouragement, forgetting his alertness to the 
names which Sage drops so blithly in an division of his usual concern. Part of 
him still listens for Fei, but this... this reaction of Sigurd's did not bode 
well. Focusing on his friend's face, he does not blink while he studies the 
tanned expression. "Of course I have come back." Reasons why undecipherable, but 
reasons do not always matter. Again, because he knows to follow the rules of 
conversation, he adds, "I have been well. Have you...?"

Nearly matching Citan's expresssion, only with a bit more concern written about  
the young martial artist's face. It is almost as if the names Sage spoke of has 
made Fei slightly uneasy and hesistant to talk about. He quickly shakes the 
emotions off inside and sighs deeply, keeping his arms crossed. He leans against 
the wall and looks towards Sage, proceeding to reply with, "Those are iffy 
subjects.. Depends on what you want to know about it and hate to ask, but why?"

Sage smiles.  "I don't know enough about them to know what to ask.  The only 
thing I know is which ones hate each other."  He shakes his head.  "I don't know 
what or where they are and that is why I'm here."

Sigurd chuckles a bit, but there was no mirth there. There hasn't been for a 
while now. "Aside from being Miang's chew-toy... The Young Master nearly 
dying... Kahran nearly killing me... I suppose I've been fine." He turns away, 
back toward the elevator, but he does not continue walking. "I've missed you." 
Those were probably the most heartfelt words that have escaped the tall pirate 
yet, but they still had an emptiness to them.

Some part of him still, yes, listens to the conversation of Shevat and Solaris. 
Much as one would realize the texture of a familiar shirt across a back, or the 
growl of a Gear in one's dreams. Citan brushes the cover of the Nisan tome, 
feeling the grains of sand that have managed to work their way into that as they 
have everything else about the desert. "So many?" Trailing off and leaving that 
question unfinished, to hang and die in the air, he glances down to the wrap of 
his hand around the book before saying, "I have missed you as well. I should 
have come back -sooner-." Mildly self-rebuking again, and he glances briefly to 
Fei in a sudden check of the talk between his charge and Sage.

Fei ponders for a few moments, then begins to reply, "Well what I can tell you, 
is that everyone you listed doesn't hate one another.. Gebler are actually part 
of Solaris.. The yggressil crew is basically what you see before you, planning 
for our next move.." He gazes around the room for a moment, quick glance over at 
Citan for a sec before he returns to Sage, then continues with, "As for Shevet, 
its still a mystery even to me. All I know is that its the area in the sky above 
and its shield is impenatreble."

Sage shakes his head.  "I knew that they didn't all hate each other.  Everything 
you said is about the extent of my knoledge on each place.  However in the 
events recently those names have been mentioned several times."  Sage sighs and 
looks to the celling.  "There is a war going on and I want to know what it is 
about."  Sage allows his eyes to wander and looks at Citan and Sigurd.

Sigurd looks back at him quietly. "It's alright, Hyu..." A pause, then he 
glanced to Fei, and the man he was speaking to. "Some things are better left 
unknown Fei. I'd rather you try and keep things as secret as they have been. He 
doesn't need to be involved." This time, when Sigurd turned, he walked once more 
toward the elevator, only speaking once again when he reaches the edge of it. 
"Lambs don't need to know about this." It was spoken before he thought, and he 
tensed afterward, looking down. And after effect of the brainwashing? Or 
something else....

Citan returns to watching Sigurd after the exchange between Fei and Sage, 
catching only the turn of silver hair and the long jacket as his friend walks 
away. Those who know him can easily pick out and define the slight closing of 
his eyes as concern only a layer away from becoming visibly blown to all. The 
word, however--that word, the -only- word allowed to the surface dwellers while 
still remaining polite--calls him to start to stand in worry, the motion halted 
into a lean forward. There is no answer he can give here, not to any of them. 
Save for, ever quiet, ever polite in open company, "May we speak another day, 
Sigurd? It has been a while."

As Sigurd's speech reigns through, The word is used, the word of Solarians use 
to call surface dwellers.. The word that Fei so despises the Solarians for even 
pondering, -Lambs-, to show that they are the superior race with their 
brainwashing and technology. Slowly, the young martial artist turns to Sigurd as 
his friend enters the elevator, shooting at him a sharp and angered glance, that 
would almost seem like ice to those that gazed upon it. Fei lowers his head and 
shakes it slightly, then looks up towards Sage after murmuring a few 
uncomprihendable words. He sighs slightly and begins to speak again, "Forgive 
him, Im sure he didn't mean any harm." Fei stops for a moment and turns to the 
elevator, "That is Sigurd, second in command here of the pirate crew." Regarding 
Sigurd once more, Fei slowly turns back to Sage and begins once more, "As for 
the information you request, Im afraid I cannot give you... Despite my friend's 
harsh words, I can't allow you to get involved Sage. Im sorry, there is little I 
can do to help you.."

Sage looks past Fei to Sigurd.  Fei's words have little meaning to him.  He 
pushes Fei aside to look directly at Sigurd.  "A woman named Miang used that 
same term.  She was trying to kill a very good friend of mine."  Sage crosses 
his arms, "What is your connection with Solaris?"

Sigurd pauses halfway into the elevator, then steps back out and lets it go down 
without him, turning to face Sage and blinks at his daring aproach, but his 
expression wasn't one of shock, more one of apathetic curiosiry, if there was 
such a thing. "I was the Fire Element years ago. And recently brainwashed to 
serve just under an.. old friend of mine. As for Miang... she tries to kill 
people often. Your friend shouldn't feel special." His tone was cold, a tone he 
didn't even use to scold Bart.

Only a little. Too long of a day, and having returned to find not only his 
charge raked over by Solaris's touch, but also Sigurd. Too long away, and almost 
a stranger--although always a stranger, really, and that vague, indetermitable 
sense of loss again. He stands at last, the green fabric of his long tabard 
swishing down to brush at the tops of his shoes, stance casual. "Sage? I 
apologize, but we may have all had a long day." Forcibly casual, but something 
rises and leaps at Sage's direct verbal stab at Sigurd, and pushing of Fei. 
"Perhaps we should have some sleep and discuss this issue later. Please." His 
voice softens at the last, arms folding in a wish to defuse the situation before 
it flowers.

Sage nods and turns back to Fei.  "I appologize for my manner earlier."  
Returning his attention to Sugurd and Citan, "I understand, this issue would be 
better to discuse later after some rest."

Fei doesn't appear angered by Sage's sudden push, though the verbal assault 
towards Sigurd is another matter. Slightly angered, yet still keeping a cool 
face about him, the young martial artist steps forward towards Sage and lightly 
places his hand on the young warrior's shoulder, then replies with a low and 
soft tone, "Look, We all have our troubles at times Sage.. We have all had our 
runs in with Miang and its true, none have been pleasent experiances. Though 
Sigurd over there, he has had the worst of Miang's wrath..." He gazes over at 
the form of his Ex-Solarian friend, then back to Sage with a smile, "Please 
understand his words mean no harm to anyone." Taking a glance over towards Citan 
and nodding in agreement, "I will have to agree with the Doc, we have all had a 
rough couple of days.. Especially myself with Weltall nearly getting trashed in 
a fight. We all deserve some well needed rest."

Sigurd doesn't speak a word, he merely turns and steps onto the elevator as it 
returns, looking up ay Citan as it starts to decend. "I will speak with you 
tomorrow then, Hyuga. Sleep well. Hopefully we'll get some decent food off this 
latest supply-ship." The last comment was.. almost a joke. A shadow of the man 
he was only a month.. two months ago? "Oyasumi..."

Citan sighs, closing his eyes for a moment and stepping back, allowing Sage an 
open path back to the bunks. Practiced as ever in his self-control, the 
defensiveness that roared free is banked effortlessly. Gratitude that all could 
be held aside now replaces it. "Yes... perhaps we should all be off to our own 
devices." He opens his eyes again, meeting Sigurd's look for only a moment 
before the elevator takes him out of sight. Then he turns. Nods to Fei, to Sage, 
looking openly tired for the first time in the evening. "May the both of you 
sleep well also... It can always wait for the morning."

Sage sighs and watchs Sigurd decend.  "It was, good meeting you all and good to 
see you again Fei."

Fei pats Sage on the back, "Good to see you ol friend, Get some rest and we'll 
see about this in the morning ahead." The young martial artist turns to face 
Citan, "Night Doc, Sleep well." With that Fei walks off towards the entrance of 
the hideout, most likely to sort through his thoughts and pull himself 
together..