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

The Orphanage, Main Room
Contents:
Rani

Fei has arrived.

Rani is on the couch, lying down. She seems to be in a deep sleep.
Rani has disconnected.

Citan exhales in a low sigh, allowing himself the moment to relax while he is 
yet unaware of another's presence. He dips his face into the steam rising from 
his teacup, inhaling the warm mixture of water and air.

Late night sets in around the Aquavy islands. The sounds of the crashing waves 
brings a soothing feeling into the orphanage, helping those with wariness fall 
into a deep sleep. The Moonlight shines brightly outside, heightening the 
atmosphere. Though a small cracking of the front door to the holy sanctuary is 
enough to break the silence. It opens slowly, only to reveil within the 
moonlight the appearace of Fei. He walks into the large building and closes the 
door, slowly behind him. After that, He gazes around the room and notices his 
mentor and friend, Citan sitting at a nearby table, looking rather tired. A sigh 
escapes the young martial artist's lips, but a smile replaces it as he walks 
forward, offering with words and whisper, "Citan! Its been a long time.."

Citan lifts his head as the quiet breaks. Only a creak of the door, but it could 
be as a gunshot, even despite the late hour and earlier work in the day. Citan 
pulls himself upright off the table in a deceptively slow straightening of his 
shoulders--yet Fei's voice, heard before the doctor turns fully, sets him back 
at ease. With a renewed warmth, he smiles back and murmers. "Fei. I have to 
apologize for being away. Please... sit down." A loose motion of the fingers 
towards the length of the bench, and Citan looks towards the teapot which has 
kept him company for the better part of the evening. "Would you like a cup?" 

Fei chuckles quietly, trying to keep his voice down not to wake anybody. Doing 
as Citan offered, the young martial artist pulls up a chair and takes a seat at 
the nearby table. He quickly moves his attention over to his friend and responds 
with a quick nod, replying with, "Please, Its been awhile since I've had some of 
that famous tea Yui taught you to make oh so long ago.." As Fei begins to relax 
slowly, his expression changes to a more questionable look, "No apology is 
needed my friend, im certain you had business to tend to else where. Tell me 
though, just where have you been? Have you seen Yui or Midori along your 
journey?" 

Citan finds an empty cup nestled among the three stacked next to the pot, part 
of a set not often used by the Orphanage. Guests in such numbers are rarely 
entertained, and the children cannot be trusted with the delicate ceramics. He 
pours for Fei, replying with a muted laugh, "You know I can be counted on to 
burn water. This pot was made for me by those here." Sliding the cup over, he 
adds, "Yui and Midori were the reasons I have been absent, actually. I had 
wanted to ensure their health... I must confess, I also returned to my home to 
retrieve a few tools I had missed. They are both well."

Fei gladly takes the cup of hot tea and chuckles at his friend's comment, "You 
always were one for nicknacks Doc." The young martial artist takes a sip of the 
tea from the cup, yet arches a brow as Citan speaks of not knowing about his 
daughter or his wife and proceeds to reply with, "Oh? Tis strange, neigher Bart, 
Sigurd, or I have recieved word from them. I was hoping you might be able to 
shine some light on this situation." The comment is quickly followed up with a 
quick sigh as Fei places the cup down on the table, turning an eyebrow towards 
his friend, "Guess we can't hope for everything, but im certain they are 
alright.. Yui's a strong woman, she can handle herself." Picking up the cup and 
taking another sip of the tea, Fei breathes in slowly and exhales, "Tell me.. 
How is everyone in Lahan?"

Aware that Fei is watching him--how could he not be, when he himself watches his 
charge back--Citan carefully holds his cup to keep from burning his fingers. He 
raises it, takes a sip. Setting it back down again, misjudging the distance ever 
so slightly to scrape the bottom against the saucer, he watches the steam knot 
and dance with itself. "Yui is indeed quite capable of ensuring her own safety. 
They have had their hands full." Although each word comes slowly, the only 
evidence of his unwillingness to speak again of a situation he knows will bring 
Fei only renewed pain, Citan retains his mild tone. "Everyone is well. They are 
all working hard and together. How have Bart and Sigurd been?" A picking up of 
his words, aware that he has been out of the loop and from a slight desire to 
direct stressful memories away from Fei. "I similarly have heard little from 
them."

Nodding slightly in response to Citan's question, the answer pleases Fei, for 
the events that have happened so long ago still remain in his mind. He knows 
deep down it is not his fault, yet at the same time it was his fault. Closing 
his eyes, He quietly deals with the pain of the memories and allows them to pass 
through. His eyes open just then and looks over at Citan, trying to hold his 
from showing, a tear forms from his right eye to show the signs of it though. 
"Its good to hear that it is rebuilding itself." He replies calmly, turning his 
gaze towards a nearby window, "I have met a few people within my travels now 
that have come from lahan. Some despise me others have learned to let their 
hatred go." A quick turn of Fei's head, brings him eye to eye with Citan, 
"Though to reply to your question doc, Sigurd has been recovering just fine from 
a recent injury and Bart has been within the Yggressil, plotting plans for some 
upcoming attack. Little is known about his health at the moment." Suddenly, he 
gasps in pain for a moment, looking at his shoulder, seeing the mark of the 
beast is still there.

Citan reacts swiftly to the sound, the mark of his concern visible in the leap 
of acuity in his eyes, the summoning of quickness through muscles already tired 
from the day. Browns sharpening from their muddy contentment, his eyes fly to 
the shoulder Fei focused on. Yet when he speaks, his voice is still the familiar 
calm that soars through battle and arguement, always seeking to defuse tensions. 
"Fei? Are you all right? Have you been in combat recently?"

Gritting his teeth slightly and ignoring the pain, Fei shakes his head, "No 
doc.. its nothing. Really." The young martial artist rolls up his sleeve past 
his shoulders and gazes at the odd based tattoo that remains on his shoulder, 
looking nearly like it was sindged onto the skin... A small murmur that can be 
heard as Fei looks upon the Tattoo, "Damn you Grahf."

Citan leans forward, examining the mark closely before straightening again. He 
drops his weight back upon an elbow propped on the table, chin upon the cradle 
of his palm. "Grahf did that to you?" Self-disgust creeps into his voice for the 
length of his murmer. "I have been lax... I should have been there." He shifts 
his chin, rests it upon the backs of his knuckles and looks at the tattoo again. 
"When did that happen? And, although I suppose I already know the answer, have 
you been able to have that looked at and healed?"

Fei closes his eyes and shakes his head, "It cannot be healed, it is a magical 
scare that Grahf has placed upon myself, Sigurd, and one of my fellow students, 
Ryan Jackson." Opening his eyes, the young martial artist looks over at the 
sign, "He said it was the "Mark of the Beast". So far all I know is that this 
evil demonic creature now stalks around Bart's HQ, looking for Sigurd, Ryan and 
I. Until it is defeated, im not certain the mark will vanish." Turning his gaze 
to Citan, with a serious look upon his face, "Best you probably were not there 
doc... I felt almost as if I lost it just because of Grahf and Miang showing up 
to play games with me. Slowly torturing Sigurd and Ryan." Sighing deeply, Fei 
stops for a few moments, biting his lip, "if you were there I might have lost 
it, then you also would have been stuck with this evil magic."

Citan rallies long enough to find his cup of tea, almost forgotten to dream away 
into tepidity alone. He sips, lifting his head from its support only long enough 
to complete the motion before resting it on the knuckles again, cup back to 
hover above to its saucer. "If they have entered the hideout so easily, then 
they give you no respite." His fingers release the teacup, withdrawing to tap 
restlessly upon the table. "We must not let them gain the upper hand, which it 
sounds as if they have done. Perhaps we should find the creature and destroy it 
as soon as possible. Is the mark affecting you, apart from the pain of its 
existance?"

Fei sighing deeply and shaking his head, "From what I can tell, other than the 
pain from my shoulder.. Not much else has happened to me other slight fatigue." 
The Young Martial artist turns to his mentor and friend, showing an expression 
of compassion and concern about his face, "I agree this thing needs to be 
destroyed, though its power seems overwhelming. It might take more than our 
powers combined to take out this foe.. Even as extreme as it might be to think 
about, We might need our gears to take it down. Grahf is diabolical with these 
little schemes of his now adays."

Citan responds softly, eyes locked upon tracing the grain of the table's wood, 
"We shall have to lure it outside then. I do not think our Gears will fit past 
the docking bay." A wry twist of humor, perhaps, but it is enough for him at 
this hour of the night. The moonlight through the window darkens, and is reborn 
as the clouds reveal it anew. "I should be about the hideout then, and I shall 
keep my eyes open. Please, Fei, find me if you suspect it to be about. Also," 
and he glances up, "if they feel they have you effectively pinned down in the 
base for them to pick at, perhaps a short trip to get some fresh air and 
sunlight might later help..."

Fei turns a glance over towards Citan and chuckles, "Thanks for the advice doc, 
but I have been doing that as of late hoping the demon would follow me so that I 
might battle it alone." He coughs slightly and continues, "Yet, It seems it 
hasn't been woring and I've only been running from my own problems." He raises 
his chin high and gazes up at the cealing to gather his thoughts, then turns his 
attention back to Citan, "Even if Grahf anf Miang choose to return with their 
foolish tortures. I will be needed back at the hideout. I cannot let Sigurd and 
Bart take on there summons or illusions alone. They have went through enough 
trouble as it is."

Citan stifles a yawn by clenching the supporting fist and turning it slightly, 
covering his mouth with the back of his hand. "I agree. I strongly recommend 
dealing with this situation with the assistance of Sigurd and Bart. Grahf and 
Miang may also choose to create havoc there should they wish to draw you back by 
force." He stands slowly, gathering the trappings of the teapot and cups to 
drain in the orphanage's sink. "Perhaps we should return there and reexamine the 
situation once we are back."

Fei nods and replies with, "Agreed." He looks over Citan for the moment and 
notices the fatigue about his face. Worried for his friend's health, Fei pats 
Citan on the shoulder, "Perhaps you should stay the night here, get some rest 
and begin to make your way to visit the hideout in the morning.. I shall go 
ahead and post notice your arrival to Sigurd and Bart, while keeping an eye out 
for our shadowy friend." He takes back his hand and rolls down his sleeve and 
returns his attention to Citan with a grin.

Citan starts to shake his head, but is forced to cover another yawn midway 
through. Ruefully he nods. "There are spare beds in the back. I shall take one, 
and return to the hideout tomorrow." Pausing, he looks back to Fei with a 
measure of seriousness. "Please be careful, Fei. And sleep well."

Fei smiles and provides a brief nod to Citan, while proceeding to stand up. He 
pats his friend on the back slighly and sighs in exahaustion, but replies with, 
"You too doc.. I'll see you tommarow." With that, Fei grins and turns about, 
heading for the orphanage door. Opening it slowly, the young martial artist 
heads out into the moonlit night and disappears behind the closing of the door. 
The only sounds to tell that he has left are the mechanical sounds of Weltall 
powering up and taking off into the skies above!