Post by Dahak on Apr 28, 2005 17:17:43 GMT -5
Kard walked into the library and greeted Sarah sitting at the desk. "Hey Sarah. What's news?"
Sarah looked up at him. "Let's talk in my office." She told him seriously. It wasn't really uncommon for her to be like that, but there was something else about it too. Maybe a hint of nervousness. He thought to himself as he followed her. Once they reached her private room she began talking as soon as he shut the door. "There was a second rip last night." She told him.
"Two in one night? That's new." Kard said.
"One of my colleagues witnessed it. It ocurred on the other side of town. Was just a small skirmish between Guardian and Liberator, but that's not the problem. The problem is that we can't expect rips to be uniform anymore. We have to expect them to happen at anytime." Sarah said.
"I can't be awake at all times and we all have separate lives from this." Kard told her. Most of us at least. He thought to himself.
"I know...I'm just worried. We don't have the resources to watch everywhere all the time. The one time we're not watching is the time that something cataclysmic will happen. Some stupid Chaos kid will create a blackhole that destroys the planet or something." Sarah fretted.
"You're being melodramatic. Not even the Chosen put up with Chaos. If they try anything stupid, someone will step in and deal with it." Kard reassured her.
"That's only the beginning of our problems." She continued. "Rips are getting progressively more frequent. Soon they will simply happen at all times and Chosen will finally have their opportunity to act."
He shook his head. "It's pointless to worry about things beyond our control. Let's worry about what we are dealing with now before we start making what if scenarios."
She raked her fingers through her hair as she sighed. "You're right...it's just that right now there is just so many ways that things could go wrong. I'm a bit stressed."
He watched her. "Maybe you should consider taking a break." He suggested.
She barked a laugh. "Guru can't afford me to."
He raised an eyebrow at her. "Can they afford you not to? You won't do anyone very much good if you're too frayed to think straight."
She stopped and looked at him. "I'll think about it. Thanks."
He gave her a mock bow. "I live to serve, mistress."
She threw a wad of paper at him. "Get out of here. I have work to do."
He gave a wave before walking out of the office.
Kard still had a while before his meeting with Clara. He decided to walk around the Edding Park. It was nice to see trees and grass, but at the same time, he found the park depressing. It was a horribly sterilized; practically a parody of nature. Kard missed true forests, and this was hardly consolation.
He was walking past an occupied park bench, mulling over this when the person sitting on the bench spoke to him. "Lovely weather for visiting the park, is it not?" Kard stopped and turned around. The person sitting on the bench was an older man. He wore a black business suit and had long white hair. Nothing about his person suggested frailty. What stood out most to Kard however, was his eyes. Kard couldn't put his finger on it. No matter how many times Kard met him, it was always his eyes that stood out. He still didn't understand why. Kard walked over and sat down next to the man.
"It's been about two years." Kard told him. "I thought maybe you finally died this time."
The old man laughed. "It'll take a greater force than time to kill me." He sized up Kard. "It looks like you're dealing well with normal life."
"As normal as I can get at least." Kard said.
The man watched him. "Do you regret what you have become?" He asked.
Kard thought about it for a moment before responding. "No. I am content with the being I am. However, I have no delusions that I'll ever be one of them again."
The old man smiled. "Maybe you will. I think you know that I'm not here just to exchange pleasantries."
Kard harrumphed. "Of course. You're here to pull my strings. What orders do you bring?"
His smile didn't waver. "You give me too much credit. I simply nudge you in the direction you need to go. What you need to do now is keep a close eye on that girl you have now. She is a catalyst of an unavoidable change."
"I've been hearing about this change a lot lately. You said a catalyst. Does that mean there are others?" Kard asked.
"Of course, though don't expect to find all of them. They all don't put off a beacon that announces their significance." The old man told him.
"So I just need to worry about Jess then?" He asked.
He nodded. "It is up to her to decide what kind of world we will live in. The rest of you have to mold it into something habitable."
"Oh good. And I was worried I would have to do something important." Kard said sarcastically.
The old man laughed as he stood up. "We both have business to attend to. I bid you farewell." He walked only a few steps before vanishing.
As Kard got up and continued his walk, he remembered back to eight years ago. After the incident, he woke up as he was now, in some hermit's cabin. It was that same man he met there, though the person he looked like then was nothing like what he looks like now. He lived with him for a month while he adjusted to what happened and what he became. Since then he has visited Kard numerous times; each time looking like a different person. He would coax Kard into doing some sort of favor for him, though the outcome was always benificial for Kard. He shook his head. He still didn't understand what that man was trying to do. He looked at his wristwatch and saw that it was nearly six, so he headed towards the restaurant that he used to meet Clara.
Sarah looked up at him. "Let's talk in my office." She told him seriously. It wasn't really uncommon for her to be like that, but there was something else about it too. Maybe a hint of nervousness. He thought to himself as he followed her. Once they reached her private room she began talking as soon as he shut the door. "There was a second rip last night." She told him.
"Two in one night? That's new." Kard said.
"One of my colleagues witnessed it. It ocurred on the other side of town. Was just a small skirmish between Guardian and Liberator, but that's not the problem. The problem is that we can't expect rips to be uniform anymore. We have to expect them to happen at anytime." Sarah said.
"I can't be awake at all times and we all have separate lives from this." Kard told her. Most of us at least. He thought to himself.
"I know...I'm just worried. We don't have the resources to watch everywhere all the time. The one time we're not watching is the time that something cataclysmic will happen. Some stupid Chaos kid will create a blackhole that destroys the planet or something." Sarah fretted.
"You're being melodramatic. Not even the Chosen put up with Chaos. If they try anything stupid, someone will step in and deal with it." Kard reassured her.
"That's only the beginning of our problems." She continued. "Rips are getting progressively more frequent. Soon they will simply happen at all times and Chosen will finally have their opportunity to act."
He shook his head. "It's pointless to worry about things beyond our control. Let's worry about what we are dealing with now before we start making what if scenarios."
She raked her fingers through her hair as she sighed. "You're right...it's just that right now there is just so many ways that things could go wrong. I'm a bit stressed."
He watched her. "Maybe you should consider taking a break." He suggested.
She barked a laugh. "Guru can't afford me to."
He raised an eyebrow at her. "Can they afford you not to? You won't do anyone very much good if you're too frayed to think straight."
She stopped and looked at him. "I'll think about it. Thanks."
He gave her a mock bow. "I live to serve, mistress."
She threw a wad of paper at him. "Get out of here. I have work to do."
He gave a wave before walking out of the office.
Kard still had a while before his meeting with Clara. He decided to walk around the Edding Park. It was nice to see trees and grass, but at the same time, he found the park depressing. It was a horribly sterilized; practically a parody of nature. Kard missed true forests, and this was hardly consolation.
He was walking past an occupied park bench, mulling over this when the person sitting on the bench spoke to him. "Lovely weather for visiting the park, is it not?" Kard stopped and turned around. The person sitting on the bench was an older man. He wore a black business suit and had long white hair. Nothing about his person suggested frailty. What stood out most to Kard however, was his eyes. Kard couldn't put his finger on it. No matter how many times Kard met him, it was always his eyes that stood out. He still didn't understand why. Kard walked over and sat down next to the man.
"It's been about two years." Kard told him. "I thought maybe you finally died this time."
The old man laughed. "It'll take a greater force than time to kill me." He sized up Kard. "It looks like you're dealing well with normal life."
"As normal as I can get at least." Kard said.
The man watched him. "Do you regret what you have become?" He asked.
Kard thought about it for a moment before responding. "No. I am content with the being I am. However, I have no delusions that I'll ever be one of them again."
The old man smiled. "Maybe you will. I think you know that I'm not here just to exchange pleasantries."
Kard harrumphed. "Of course. You're here to pull my strings. What orders do you bring?"
His smile didn't waver. "You give me too much credit. I simply nudge you in the direction you need to go. What you need to do now is keep a close eye on that girl you have now. She is a catalyst of an unavoidable change."
"I've been hearing about this change a lot lately. You said a catalyst. Does that mean there are others?" Kard asked.
"Of course, though don't expect to find all of them. They all don't put off a beacon that announces their significance." The old man told him.
"So I just need to worry about Jess then?" He asked.
He nodded. "It is up to her to decide what kind of world we will live in. The rest of you have to mold it into something habitable."
"Oh good. And I was worried I would have to do something important." Kard said sarcastically.
The old man laughed as he stood up. "We both have business to attend to. I bid you farewell." He walked only a few steps before vanishing.
As Kard got up and continued his walk, he remembered back to eight years ago. After the incident, he woke up as he was now, in some hermit's cabin. It was that same man he met there, though the person he looked like then was nothing like what he looks like now. He lived with him for a month while he adjusted to what happened and what he became. Since then he has visited Kard numerous times; each time looking like a different person. He would coax Kard into doing some sort of favor for him, though the outcome was always benificial for Kard. He shook his head. He still didn't understand what that man was trying to do. He looked at his wristwatch and saw that it was nearly six, so he headed towards the restaurant that he used to meet Clara.