Aberrant: Children of Quantum Fire - [Interlude] Torch Songs [Complete]

[Courtney Adams]

[Rio de Janeiro, June 3rd, 2027]

"Paulo! Paulo!"

Hearing his name being yelled in a shrill, almost panicky way, the proprietor stopped his bickering with his head waiter and pushed his way through the swing-doors that separated kitchen from the bar area of 'The Open Flame', a small and faintly dingy lounge bar and restaurant that catered to the lower-middle classes of Rio, those that could not afford to eat at the swanky upmarket establishments closer to the bright lights of the sprawling metropolis's center. Tourists looking to save a few Real's also came here, usually during off-season when the world-famous Carnivale was not pulling in the young and rich. No, the best The Open Flame could manage to glean tourist-wise was the retiree crowd and backpackers deciding to blow some money on eating out, plus the happy party-going drunks that invariably wandered in off the street looking for another place to drink during the on-season. They certainly didn't get any novas.

And yet here one was, dressed in unassuming hand-made linen shirt and pants, and barefoot, his red-gold hair seeming to hold it's own luminescence that lit up the darkened room. A beautiful youth, was Paulo's first thought, staring at sharp features so perfect it was as if they had been sculpted by some Divine hand, amber eyes softly glowing in the dim light. His hair, long and thick, had plainly never known the touch of scissors, falling to the young man's waist in a cascade of fire. And his composure... Mother of God. He carried himself like a king, or perhaps a messenger of the Lord. All this Paulo took in in an instant, then those eyes turned to him as Perella, the cleaning lady, pointed him out, and the bar's owner realised he was staring open-mouthed. Hastily, he shut his mouth and hurried forwards, fighting the urge to bow.

"So sorry, sir." he began in good, if accented English. "We are closed, you see? If sir would care to come back tonight-" Paulo fell silent. Why would a nova be here? Why would a nova come to The Open Flame at all?

"You had this sign in the window." The youth said in perfect Portuguese, holding up a cardboard sheet. Paulo stared at it, then at the nova, who seemed not at all taken aback by his amazement. "Is the position still open?"

"Uh... That is... Yes, sir!" Paulo blurted out at length. Then, because he could not conceive of any other reason for the nova's presence, he asked with a touch of incredulity. "Am I to understand that you...? That is, that you wish to..." Those eerily beautiful eyes bored into him as the nova waited with an expression of extreme patience. "Play the piano?" Paulo finished in a small voice.

"I already can." The youth said with a slightly frustrated shake of his head. "But I wish to play the piano here. And sing. To earn money." he added emphatically, as though he thought that the stunned man before him was incapable of making that connection.

"B-b-b-but we cannot afford you!" Paulo nearly wailed. "The wage-"

"Is sufficient, for now. And the end of the week, you will double it." The nova said without arrogance or hauteur. "This will be because you will be able to afford to. For now, you will need to advance me some wages, so that I may purchase suitable clothing." He looked down at his garb, then at Paulo meaningfully. The older man nodded as though sleepwalking, eyes wide, and the young man nodded once as though satisfied. "Good. Then you shall accompany me to a tailor of your choosing - or send someone you trust, I care not - and I shall return tonight." The way the boy said it, it was unquestionable.

Paulo nodded, and went to get the cash box.

[Courtney Adams]

[Rio de Janeiro, June 25th, 2027]

The music was Moonlight Sonata, a well-known and well-loved baseline piece. Surtr danced his fingers across the ivories, his gaze meditative, entirely absorbed in the music. Around him, the packed and restaurant was, despite the bustle of waiting staff, curiously hushed as they watched and listened, their own conversation a subtle undercurrent to his playing. The piece moved past the introduction and the customers made a collective sound, an exhalation of expectation satisfied, as Surtr added flourishes of his own to his rote recital, arpeggios forming soft waterfalls between the main theme almost as though there were two pianos playing in complementary harmony. The young nova pianist was renowned throughout Rio for performing Moonlight Sonata every Friday night, never the same way twice. It was a Friday night, and The Open Flame was packed to bursting, those unable to be seated standing at the bar, and those unable to find room there pressing close to the large open windows outside, faces rapt.

It wasn't his skill. Whilst the nova known as Lugh del Fuego was as talented as any professional concert pianist, on the level of those who played Carnegie Hall and similar worthy venues, novox afficionados agreed that by nova standards of skill and precision, he was merely okay.

It wasn't his looks. There were more beautiful nova performers, such as Alejandra. Though Alejandra would probably not come to The Open Flame to play for a pittance, not unless there was some worthy cause involved.

No, what what made Senor del Fuego interesting was that, firstly, he was a nova performer playing in a formerly un-noteworthy bar, turning it's fortunes around in less than a month. And secondly, it was the soul that he put into the performance.

He played with a distance between himself and the audience, bringing them to him, rather than sending his music out to them. His face was always composed, barely showing any expression beyond a faint smile now and then, which was never directed at anyone in particular, but seemed to be simply a consequence of his introspection whilst playing. But his music... His music contained all the passion and fire he never showed in other ways. It compelled, inspired; it danced like a living thing as it arced from listener to listener. There were times he played covers, always with his own touches thrown in, and there were times he simply improvised, spilling his soul out into the crowded room without reservation or fear, note sliding to note with no discordance or hesitation.

He let the Sonata come to an end, dropping his hands into his lap as the room erupted in applause and giving the waitress a slight smile of thanks as she brought him a drink, on cue.

"Those men are back, Senor del Fuego." she murmured to him as he drank. "They have been watching you all evening."

"Thank you, Maria." he said with aplomb, as though the news did not upset him overmuch. It was an act, of course: the news did upset him, but not so much as to make him lose composure.

Motherhunters, or similar. he surmised, rising from the piano stool and giving the room a small bow, straight and elegant in a finely-tailored tuxedo that flattered his lean, boyish form. It is not as though they were unexpected. It is time to leave. He descended from the low dais as Paulo reassured the crowd that Senor del Fuego would be back after a short break, to renewed applause. The proprietor had grown plumper and happier in the short time Surtr had worked here - doubtless he would find it hard to keep that prosperity with his nova performer gone. That was hardly Surtr's problem, though. If Paulo was wise, he would have invested his money wisely.

"I am going outside to walk for a bit." he told Paulo as he breezed past the older man. It was not a lie: he was going outside and he would be walking for a bit. Understatement was a wonderful thing. He emerged into the muggy summer's night air behind The Open Flame and turned left, approaching the garbage pickup point. With luck, the men... or novas... hunting him would wait for him to return and attempt to take him at the end of the night. If not... then the die was cast regardless.

A pile of newspapers four feet high was tied in bundles to one side of the alley, moldering slightly. With a surge of quantum emerald fire threw verdant shadows on the walls as it leapt from Surtr's hand and ignited them, the flame spreading like a living thing from papers to stacked wooden crates. With a *fwoosh*, the crates flared into new life, emerald fire becoming gold and amber as Surtr was able to let his element's own nature take it's course.

Then he thrust his hand into the raging bonfire.

He felt the heat enter him, singing and surging through his body, lending it's inexorable energy to his own and empowering his own gifts. The fire shrank, and shrank as Surtr's body drank of it's heat before he relented, letting it flare up slowly once more. He was ready.

The fire turned from golden to viridian, and the slender youth in the tuxedo walked into it, disappearing in a swirl of emerald plasma which consumed the fire utterly, leaving only smoldering embers behind...

[Courtney Adams]

[New York, July 3rd, 2027]

The Blackburn Hotel: nightclub, bar, waystation for Terats, was never quieter than at lunchtime. The bar area contained only a few souls, Teragen members minding their own business or, perhaps, minding another's.

"Unforgettable, that's what you are. Unforgettable, though near or far."

The lounge-bar on the upper floor, on the other hand, was almost deserted. Almost, that is, but for the slender youth sat at the grand piano there, his fingers dancing over the keys as his light, boyish tenor mingled with the music. Though he possessed no quantum tricks of performance or showmanship his voice carried the song well, the warm yearning outlined in the lyrics clearly communicated.

"Like a song of love that clings to me, how the thought of you does things to me. Never before, has someone been more..."

Surtr didn't share the attitude of many Terats that all human works were worthless, to be discarded as irrelevent to the 'One Race'. He liked good music, regardless of the source. He liked songs with passion, music with the blaze of inspiration. And humans, for all their faults and weaknesses, were fonts of such things as much as novas. And novas weren't exactly without their own faults and weaknesses. In Surtr's view, the high ground belonged to those who tried to transcend their limitations, whether human or nova. Not that the high ground was even relevant outside of the abstract intellectualism of a philosopher. His fingers coaxed improvised ripples of notes from the piano's keys, weaving them around the main harmony as though they were illuminations around the text of a manuscript.

"...that's why, darling, it's incredible that someone so unforgettable thinks that I am unforgettable too."

He'd been in New York for a day now, spending some of the small amount of money he'd earned in Rio on paying for a room here. He wouldn't have much difficulty finding paying work, of course, but what manner of work would it be? America had all manner of irritating and restrictive rules about 'minors' engaging in employment. By their law, he required a legal guardian, which was tiresome. Perhaps he could find a cash-in-hand job, playing in a down-market type of lounge? Yes, that seemed workable. If not... then he would move on.

He finished with "Unforgettable" and moved onto something older, Chopin's Nocturne No. 1 in B Flat Minor. the soothing notes causing his amber eyes to close as he played, abandoning himself to the music.

[Shosuro Miren]

Puck had picked up the strands of his singing during (another) brief attempt at meditation and focus on his expanded perceptions. At first he'd simply been listening in on the meetings and preparations going on in the building for the final move to the islands, but then he'd let himself wander through the city. The Blackburn had Privata rooms now, but not in the lounges and Puck could feel the rhythm of Surtr's strokes on the keys of the piano there as unique and indelible as any fingerprint. He was a bit ambivalent about his childhood(?) paramour, but hesitation wasn't his style. A few pulses of quantum and a moment later and he was lounging in a booth not far from the dias of the piano.

The waiter in the lounge frowned at the mild rudeness of simply 'porting into the lounge instead of making the polite entrance to the club, but Puck was known here and the waiter, a minor nova still working fervently towards understanding Teras and Chrysalis, knew that children of the Teragen were afforded certain permissions that would earn other Terats a snub or snide comment. Besides, he had to admit that between the two of them, the afternoon was turning into a pleasant feast of eye candy.

Puck ignored the stares from the waiter and the other sounds attempting to intrude on the notes floating out from beneath Surtr's graceful fingers. He listened silently, leaning back against the padded booth with his eyes closed, until the last strands of the Nocturne faded into the plush carpet and wood accents of the room. "You've gotten better."

[Courtney Adams]

"Thank you." Surtr didn't look shocked to the casual eye, but as his warm golden gaze sought out the booth, Puck knew immediately that his arrival had surprised the flame-haired youth. Even for Surtr, it was hard to hide one's reactions from such perceptiveness, and Puck relished the opportunity to actually read the cues that, to him, might as well have been written in plain text on white cards. For one thing, Surtr was pleased to see him, yet he was also wary. Considering that the last time they'd spied each other Surtr had just angered Infinity into an apotheosis, a certain level of wariness might be natural. He remained seated at the piano, hands in his lap, and regarded Puck.

"And you've gotten more beautiful." he stated simply. "I understand you are up to great things, as well. The news stretches far and wide about your project. I confess, one reason I came to New York was on the chance of a random meeting such as this."

"If you wanted to see me, you could have always come to the Exalt! building." Puck suggested, a hint of smile on his lips, but Surtr shook his head even as he echoed Puck's smile.

"No. That I could never do." he said with his usual brutal honesty, but his smile softened the words. "Coming to you is something that could be addictive... And I am too proud for such an addiction, even if it is to you." His fingers moved lightly on the keys, improvising a soft melody that he played quietly as they spoke. "Perhaps I am foolish, but then that at least is my own foolishness."

[Shosuro Miren]

Puck frowned and slid out of the booth, moving over to sit next to Surtr on the piano bench. He leaned his head on Surtr's shoulder and idly played the same improvised melody a couple octives lower, like a low echo. "You don't seem foolish, but you do seem....afraid. Afraid to let yourself experience not being in control all the time. I suppose I do see that as foolish, because then when it happens some day, probably in some much less pleasant way, you'll have no idea how to handle it."

His tone was calm, soothing almost, and lacking the blatant sexuality that had always saturated his behavior at the Nursery. "I'm attracted to you and I'd like to make love to you some day, but that's not why I'm saying this. When you have to be in control all the time, it makes that control brittle. The first person to break you, they can truly break you because you don't know how to bend." The notes changed to counter-melody, improvised with talent but lacking the polish of true skill. After a moment of just the piano notes between them, Puck smile and impishly kissed Surtr on the cheek. "Besides, I came to you."

[Courtney Adams]

At Puck's assertion that he was afraid Surtr had turned to glance at him, the sheer vitriolic anger simmering in the molten pools of his eyes for a moment showing that the overwhelmingly lovely Terat youth had scored deeply with his words. But he didn't move away from Puck's closeness or stop listening, the anger fading to thoughtfulness even as the sudden spike in the surrounding temperature dropped back to normal. So savage, so passionate, so quick to move to pride. Puck thought idly. Naturally, Puck wasn't afraid of his young friend, though the sudden spike of wrath had piqued his interest and caused a delightful frisson similar to fear. But by the time Puck kissed him, the flare of anger had disappeared completely. Surtr smiled and leaned slightly into Puck's closeness.

"You did come to me." Surtr answered with an enigmatic, but pleased smile, playing another bar of improvisation, which Puck again echoed in a lower key then counter-melody once more as the two youths sat together. After a moment more, Surtr spoke again.

"I cannot deny that fear you see, but it is not precisely about losing control." he began softly. "What I fear is being defined by another, through someone else's terms." He remembered his talk with Infinity a couple of weeks ago and glanced at Puck once more, taking in the delicate beauty of his features. "I should not be afraid, I suppose. That fear alone... it lets others define me in a different sense. Can I trust you?" he asked bluntly, causing Puck to regard those amber eyes in mild surprise.

"Always." he assured the flame-haired boy emphatically.

“What Archetype am I?” he asked, rhetorically, Puck was sure. Still, the fact that Surtr had asked the question at all meant that things may be other than they seemed. Puck studied him for a moment as the two continued to improvise together.

“Mmm... You know, I don’t know.” he answered truthfully, smiling a little. “You don’t seem like a Marvel, because you care not a whit about how you’re perceived.” He let his fingers rest lightly on Surtr’s hands as the other played, enjoying the tactile contact. “It’s possible you’re some manner of tightly controlled Monster, but a damned odd one if you are. You might be a Portent, you’re certainly thoughtful enough, but even then I can’t be sure, because you-“ he gave Surtr a mock-scolding expression “-don’t let even those closest to you, and there’s precious few of those, really get to know you or what you want.” Puck’s smile turned thoughtful once more. “You don't seem to really fit any of them, but they are hardly all-encompassing.” He gave Surtr a penetrating glance. “Are they, my friend?”

“No.” Surtr smiled, quietly pleased with himself. “I formulated my own.” He went on for a few minutes more, repeating what he'd told Infinity about his early struggles with Teras, about how he had found the Archetypes lacking and why: because he saw them all as reflections of Mal, rather than reflections of his own inner truth. He played quietly the whole time, the music underscoring his journey within himself, and when he finished he fell silent and let the music continue as he waited for his friend's reaction.

[Shosuro Miren]

Puck listened and smiled, a pleased and impressed expression matching the more playful play of his fingers over the keys. "I know an entire faction of the Teragen that would very much like to learn from your experiences, if you'd be willing. The Anavasi have been working on expanding the archetypes available to followers of Teras. Expanding our understanding and useful frameworks of working with the philosophy of Teras and the process of Chrysalis."

He laid both his hands over Surtr's, letting him teach Puck the rhythm of his music and simply unable to resist the pull Surtr could exert on him just by his intractable presence. Primordial flame, indeed. Am I so easily a moth? He grinned at the thought, amused at the image and settled enough in himself not to mind if he was so easily pulled to another.

"You're...hmmm....uniquely you, Surtr. I would never think you should doubt that." He moved his fingers over Surtr's, as if playing the keys himself. "However, you should not deny yourself experiences because you worry that another might be influencing you to do so. We all influence one another; the only way to avoid that would be to never interact, and then you still would be defining yourself by others in your lack of connection to them. To know yourself, you must know both what you are and what you are not. Let others in, at least once or twice, just to know the experience and to embrace it or reject it."

His grin was self-deprecating this time. "And I don't just mean sexually, despite what is said of me. Have you ever had a romantic relationship? Friends outside of the Nursery? A one-night stand just for the fun of it? Think of something, anything, that sounds interesting but makes you feel just a bit nervous, and that's what you should try next."

[Courtney Adams]

Have you ever had a romantic relationship? Friends outside of the Nursery? A one-night stand just for the fun of it? Think of something, anything, that sounds interesting but makes you feel just a bit nervous, and that's what you should try next. Surtr considered Pucks' words, his mind burning with them, rendering their meaning to ashes, then sifting those remains to extract the elements. The sensually androgynous youth was correct, of course. Fire should roam free, sparks jumping from place to place, using anything suitable for their kindling so as to live, and dance.

"You're right." he said slowly, weightily. "I should find whatever makes me nervous and embrace it, consume it and make it part of me. I've never known romance..." he looked sideways at Puck and smiled, the curve of his full lips unconsciously sensual. "...though I think what I feel for you is close." He let that float on the air for a moment, his fingers still dancing slowly on the piano's keys under Puck's hands as he held the other's tropical blue gaze.

"If you wish I will share my insights with the Anavasi, for whatever worth they might glean from them. They are friends of yours?" Puck nodded. "Then I will do it for you." Surtr said with a wry smile. "I shared my insight with Infinity already, a few weeks past. She seems to be blooming into the position of leadership. I attended one of the Cult meetings... as an observer only." He studied the dance of fingers, the contrast of Puck's hands over his. "Perhaps your Anavasi could speak with her about the discussion of Teras... She is trying to set up a project where all Terats... and non-Terats... can come and learn in an open forum." Slender shoulders shrugged. "I cannot say how successful it will be, but it is her ideal she is pursuing, at least. Not some tired pseudo-religious dogma."

[Shosuro Miren]

Puck let the little thrill from Surtr's words flow through his touch. "Well, I couldn't give you the standard romantic relationship experience. I have many lovers and have no inclination to change that." He turned his face up enough for his breath to caress over the red-haired nova's ear. "I'd be willing to show you what I know, though." He grinned, "And you might find a few others that spark your interest, as well, if you feel like meeting new people."

He snuggled back against Surtr's shoulder. "I'll say something to Chang, but it'll probably be Darion and Geth that go talk to her. They'll pick everything they learn to pieces while they talk to her, maybe not out loud - they're more polite than Chang - but they'll also give her a fair hearing and make suggestions if they think there's merit to her project. They'll also bring everything they learn to everyone else, just in case others are interested. Which I think some will be."

He traced his fingers along the back of Surtr's, unable to resist the mild tease. "So, are you going to give romance a taste?"

[Courtney Adams]

"I thought I already had." Surtr said gently, a teasing smile of his own on his lips as he feigned surprise before saying "Oh, you mean sex." His chuckle was warm, Puck could feel the sound in his veins like fine liquor, a reflection of the fire Surtr was feeling in his own body at Puck's nearness.

"Not just sex." Puck scolded lightly, nudging up against Surtr in an almost-catlike fashion. "Well, maybe mostly sex." he added as though in afterthought, laughing softly himself. The elemental young man relaxed against him, not quite a surrender... no, that wouldn't be Surtr... but a gesture of trust.

"I already love you." The flame-haired Adonis told Puck in a soft murmur, before turning his head and kissing him on the lips. It was a delicate kiss, little more than a brushing caress of lip on lip, but it seemed to both youths that sparks burned there in that fleeting contact. The notes of the piano swelled in a cascade of emotion made sound, an accompaniment that faded back down to background as the kiss ceased. Surtr looked into Puck's eyes from that closeness for a moment more, then straightened up somewhat. "I want you, too." he told the luminescent Exalt! leader frankly. "Sometimes, I believe, too much. True to my path, I am Fire, and fire consumes in order to burn. Would I be jealous that I am not your only physical lover? Maybe. I do not know for sure." he shrugged, then sighed. "Would my jealousy be terrible? Almost certainly." He stopped playing and put a hand to Puck's face, stroking his cheek delicately with slender fingers.

"I know some of the depths of myself. I am as much a destroyer as any Monster, should I find cause." He smiled then, admiring Puck's flawless beauty. "For one I love, I think I might set the sky on fire, scorch the Earth, and cause the rivers to run with flame." Amber eyes glowed fiercely as Surtr chuckled, a happy sound. "Luckily, there are very few whom I love."

[Shosuro Miren]

Puck smiled into Surtr's hand, dipping his head just enough to kiss the inside of his wrist. It was good to see his Nursery-mate opening up a little more, and not a little flattering for what he was saying. For the most part. He took the amber-eyed nova's hands in his own, holding them so he could run his thumbs over Surtr's palms. "Why don't we start slowly, then? I admit that I'd love to 'port you from here directly to my bed and see just how passionate you do burn, but I won't put my other lovers - many who are baselines and could be killed in even a single moment's worth of uncontrolled anger - at risk simply because I've wanted you with all the passion that a flame embodies since the first moment we met."

He smiled and leaned up, returning Surtr's kiss to reassure his friend and hopefully soon-to-be lover that he meant no harm or insult in his words. When he pulled back, he brought Surtr's palms to his lips, kissing them just above the inner wrist. "Shall we start with a proper date? It is a baseline tradition, but a fun one. And after that perhaps I could introduce you to some of those lovers, so that you might come to know them. Might be even make new friends or lovers yourself."

He grinned, that wickedness Surtr had known in the Nursery playing across his impossibly perfect lips. "And for this date, if you are agreeable to it, we are not nearly so bound as baselines in where we go or what we do. A meal and entertainment, that is the basics. We might find a restaurant somewhere here on Earth, or take a picnic to some distant planet for our meal." His eyes danced in merry indulgence, "And I think I'd rather see what sort of entertainment you'd prefer than offer up suggestions of my own. I am, after all, so very predictable."

[Courtney Adams]

"Only to yourself, maybe. Though I have doubts as to your own ability to predict what you might do." Surtr said lightly. "A date... What would I choose to do for a date...?" Golden eyes pondered as they studied Puck, then their owner smiled. "I have it. A tour."

"A tour?" Puck couldn't help but laugh at the light in Surtr's smile. "What kind of tour?" He slid off the piano stool and stood, delighting in how Surtr allowed himself to be drawn along with him.

"Art galleries, famous sights. The palazzos of Venice and Florence, the Louvre, even the Vatican. The Great Wall of China." Surtr's enthusiasm danced in his voice. "If a date is a baseline tradition, then let us see some other traditional things. I have read about these places, and seen pictures, but that is a long step from being there." He shrugged, his face composing itself a little. "I realise that as Terats there is an expectation that we regard 'merely human' art as prosaic and beneath us... But humankind isn't something I feel I need to leave behind me like our elders seem to obsess over."

[Shosuro Miren]

They started with the Louvre, Surtr acquiescing to Puck transporting them both out of respect for not setting anything in the Blackburn on fire. It was a strange but not unpleasant sensation, being filled with quantum from another nova and then the rush of travelling through the ambient quantum of the world to emerge just outside the sprawling museum. Puck paid for their tickets with an international money card that had been tucked in the wallet in his pocket, despite the protestation from the baseline ticket handler that the Louvre had a standing policy of allowing novas free entrance.

"Then consider it a donation," Puck said in exotically accented French, smiling at the woman - who nearly fainted and had to call in the arrival of two novas and ask for an early lunch break - and then sweeping past her with an arm around Surtr's waist. The difference in their height made it easy for him to nuzzle against the taller's nova's arm; Surtr could feel the blissful excitement radiating from the dark-clad figure at his side. "So, anything you want to see first? They installed a new Egyptian floor last year and they have a touring exhibit of South American art and artifacts taking you from the oldest known civilizations there through to modern artists from all over the continent. It's supposed to be quite the experience, especially if you go during a guided tour."

He pointed a convenient map at the center of the lobby. "There's also a cafe under the glass pyramid, and the permanent collections, of course." He grinned up at his date, "Just lead the way, I'll follow."

[Courtney Adams]

Checking the schedule, the two novas saw that the next guided tour of the South American exhibit wasn't until 2 pm, so Surtr elected to start by browsing the Egyptian floor. Ignoring the whispers and stares as they walked arm-in-arm, Surtr whirled through the exhibit with a hunger that Puck could only sit back and enjoy, reading the information plaques avidly and critically studying the examples of sculpture, jewelry and masonry on display. The grave goods fascinated him, as did the details of the mummification process. He was both amused and interested in the explanation on Egyptian beliefs, drawing a few lighthearted comparisons between the mythic forms of the tales and some of the aspects of Teras that would have probably given Clarion an apoplexy, but made Puck laugh so hard he was glad he didn't need to breathe.

The tour was less of an overall success, at least from Surtr's point of view. The baseline guide kept staring at Puck when she wasn't talking, and sometimes required a verbal prod from Surtr to keep going. The people sharing the tour with them were likewise paying more attention to the two Terats that to the exhibit on pre-Christian Peruvian pottery. Puck treated them all with mildly flirtatious courtesy, whereas Surtr barely registered their existence, too interested in the art on display.

There was an awkward moment as they exited the Louvre a few hours later, some paparazzi, having been denied entrance to the museum, had decided instead to gather at the door. As they started to snap photographs Surtr looked over at them and frowned and Puck, reading the situation with his customary speed, decided to whisk his (delightfully) volatile date away before something... or someone... caught fire.

"Don't mind them." he told Surtr as they briskly walked across the square, ignoring the following photographers. "Where do you want to go next?"

"Venice, I think." Surtr replied instantly, dismissing his irritation with the baselines as he linked arms fondly. He leaned over and kissed Puck on the cheek. "There's several old palazzos there that double as art galleries and museums. "We can take a gondola together between them, too." he added with slight smile, his enthusiasm glowing past his calm mien. "And have coffee in the Piazza San Marco."

[Shosuro Miren]

Surtr felt the rush of Puck's quantum again and then they were standing in front of the Palazzo Grassi, a modern art museum near the Piazza San Marco. Puck felt a closeness of a linked member of Exalt! as they appeared in on the street; he reached out and smiled as he recognized the mind. *Hello, shadow lover. And what are you doing in Venice this afternoon?*

*Buying presents for the girls. Which is a bit harder when they can pester me for what I'm doing from half a world away,* the grumping was mostly good-natured.*You're nearby....and in a very good mood. What's going on?*

*I am on date,* Puck sent with giddiness that had Darrik nearly laughing out loud. *With Surtr, someone I grew up with in the Nursery.* A picture followed on the thoughts, overlaid with the complex emotions that the flame-haired nova inspired in him.

"Darrik - Shadowheart - is close by. We could walk over to the Piazza San Marco and the three of us have some coffee, maybe lunch, if you're up for meeting an Exalt! member." Puck looked up at Surtr, an adorably hopeful look on his face.

[Courtney Adams]

Surtr considered that for a moment as he looked up at the outer architecture of the Palazzo Grassi, the late afternoon sun striking bright sparks of fire from the uncut length of his hair as it flowed down his back, the colour contrasting with the brown of the suede jacket he wore over a green t-shirt. He was all autumn shades, the intrinsic earthiness not so much clashing with his astonishing beauty as it did blend with it to make him somehow super-real, rather than ethereal. His eyes flashed brilliant gold as they turned to Puck, a mixture of inquisitiveness and good-humored suspicion shaping his gaze as he considered the fey youth on his arm.

"A chance meeting?" he asked with a wry tilt of his lips.

"I swear." Puck replied sincerely, though his eyes danced with humor. Surtr brought out the mischief in him, the urge to push limits, to find the point where the red-headed youth's composure wobbled and tickle him there. Surtr leaned down and kissed him on the lips.

"Then let's go and meet Darrik." he said agreeably, enjoying the way Puck lit up and almost dragged him along the canal-side path. The centered, somewhat detached part of Surtr was amused at the simple pleasure he took in making his friend happy. Such a small thing, and yet it was not trivial at all. Like he'd realised talking to Infinity a couple of weeks ago, there was a pleasure in the simple company of these two particular peers that was more than carnal. Perhaps his innate self-reliance allowed him to see that more clearly - having no innate psychological need to be liked or accepted, he was able to appreciate the joy of friendship and love without worry or fear. A paradox that he would need to meditate on, perhaps. Certainly he had felt nervous while making overtures to Infi, or telling Puck how he felt... but if they had rejected him or treated him harshly, Surtr knew that his centeredness would have allowed him to ride that disappointment with minimal grief.

"He's just up ahead." Puck said with a broad smile, his own senses already having picked Shadowheart out from the background melange of sounds and smells.

[Toby Lupin]

Darrik had a bit of people around him, aside from the flustered and anxious gallery manager personally handling the art transactions with the nova, who aside from reputation, and social power, had money to burn. It was a wonder they didn't bow at his feet and scrape, to say the least.

"Yes, that will do thank you." Darrik said, finishing off the conversation as he felt the presence of Puck's link stronger. He turned and the group seemed to part for him, as he smiled ingratingly at the irridescent nova- and damn.

The image was one thing. The burning assured presence was another. But this was Puck's date, and Darrik had no intentions to butt in too far, enticing as the prospect. "Well, fancy seeing you here Puck." He raised up a hand, gesturing to Sutr. "I'm Darrik, or Shadowheart. You must be...?" the pause offering Surtr a place of introduction.

[Courtney Adams]

"I must be Surtr." the youth replied, shimmering eyes regarding Shadowheart with aloof interest. This, then, was one of Puck's allies. Puck had mentioned that Shadowheart was a member of Exalt!, after all. The black-clad nova was beautiful beyond compare... but then Surtr would expect little else of someone Puck drew into his orbit. And yet there was a sense of power about him, too. Surtr idly wondered what it was that made Shadowheart and Puck allies, beyond the likely sexual element - it was a long step from playmate to peer, after all. But then, Puck was not as cynical and manipulative a person as many - to his almost childlike innocence, an ally was a friend was a peer. Even baselines were worthy of Puck's boundless consideration, a fact that Surtr found as charming as he did incomprehensible.

He remembered seeing Darrik at the Teragen meeting some weeks past, moving with Puck and WhiteRain's Anavasi crowd. So, more of a peer for all of that, assuming he was a Terat and no mere hanger-on. The flame-nova doubted that of this one, though. There was too much presence here for Shadowheart to be a sheep.

"I remember seeing you at the Terat meeting, as full of event as it was." he murmured politely. "And Puck mentioned that you are part of his Exalt! project as well... Though I confess I have little understanding of what that means." He gave Puck a rare smile. "All I know is that the baseline media chatter incessantly about you, but I never trust second-hand sources." He motioned with his free hand in the general direction of the Piazza San Marco. "Perhaps you can both tell me of it while we take coffee?"

[Shosuro Miren]

Puck linked his other arm with Darrik, sauntering down the street like a besotted school-boy. The three of them quite literally stopped traffic; the proximity alarms and mandatory brake controls - which had be instituted by the UN after several incidents involving Bombshell on public streets - took over the street. Puck wove the three of them through the stalled cars, trying not to giggle at the commotion they were causing. He knew they'd pay for it in a bit, when the paparazzi showed up and annoyed Surtr, disrupting their coffee. For now, though, he liked the attention the picture the three of them made.

The coffee and anything else they wanted - including the waitress and the cafe manager - were emphatically gratis. Puck debated making an issue of it, like he had at the museum, but the cafe was a for-profit business, not a repository of history and art. Once they were settled in with drinks, a list of phone numbers from hopeful employees, and a sampler platter of the cafe's choicest fare, Puck smiled at Surtr. "Mmm, well, the best way I can think of to explain it is to say that it is the philosophy of Teras experimentally applied outside of the confines Teragen movement. Anyone can apply for membership, those that show they have the capability, determination, and self-control to have a chance of understanding the philosophy and successfully applying it to their life becomes a member. Members do just that: study the philosophy of self-determination and self-evolution - Teras, in the very brief and understated - and apply it to their lives. Working with others provides different insights of the philosophy and help each other achieve their goals. The farther along they go on the path, the more boundaries they push, and the more they discover who they are, who they want to be, and how to go from the former to the latter."

"That, at least," he grinned at both of them, sipping his tea, "is my intention with the organization. It's an organic thing though, I'm discovering. The members have surprised me a number of times already."

[Toby Lupin]

Darrik leaned back and added, "And we'll have more, undoubtedly." He observed Surtr's proud face and decided to throw in his personal thoughts. "I know some- many Terats would argue that Teras is for the Teragen only. But in some respects, Teras is just a word. It could have been named Kablon, for whatever reason, and all that it means, what we associate with Teras would be unaffected by the name change. What it does stand for, and include is the fervent belief in self-determination and evolution as Puck said. Naturally, all novas should have the rights to those, but it's not ours exclusively."

He took a sip of coffee and went on. "Besides, how many baselines do you think really understand what the Teragen is ultimately about? Not even the self-proclaimed groupies really know, far from it. Exalt! given enough time, could reduce the outside pressure on us to some extent. The more baselines and novas learn to accept or embrace this basic tenet, we'll have a little less of the- *sigh*" That sigh came as the flashing lights of the paparazzi interjected.

Darrik scowled, not even willing to humor the vultures for once, especially as Surtr was visibly showing irritation. He raised a finger, and a thin but opaque black sheet of dark seemed to plaster the windows around them, and forming and general curtain to give them privacy. "Sorry, Surtr. You will have to expect this in our company. I think you got the gist of my opinion though."

[Courtney Adams]

"Indeed." Surtr replied with a politely inscrutable nod that left the other two wondering whether he was talking about the paparazzi or about Darrik's opinion. Sitting with a straight-backed elegant poise that put Darrik in mind of Orsaiz, he picked up the small cup of gourmet espresso and sipped at it, eyebrow twitching upwards slightly as he savored the taste and aroma. With the same cool deliberation, he set the cup down and added several spoons of sugar, sweetening the drink before taking another sip. Satisfied, he leaned forwards, cradling the cup in his hands as he peered over the top of it at both Puck and Darrik for a moment.

"You speak of rights..." he began, eyes narrowed in focus, then stopped and shook his head. "Wait, let me begin properly. Firstly, I think it admirable on an intellectual level to engage other sentient species in a test of the basic principles of Teras. It serves many purposes, not least of which is the application of sapience on self-determination. I have doubts, however." He shrugged lightly. "Mainly centered around the fact that Puck is the linchpin of this project." The smile he directed at the shimmering nova was fond and slightly reproving. "You beguile, my friend. Baselines... and some novas... see you, hear your words, admire you and wish to be close to you. That closeness may lead them to seek to rise to your level, but then it may also lead them to simply bask in your presence and approval, as Mal no doubt experiences with many Terats." He took another sip of his coffee, the delicate motions of his lips on the edge of the cup attracting the eye. "How can you be sure you are simply not creating a human Cult of Puck?" he asked with a slight smile. "If that suits your purposes, mind, then by all means continue. I care little about such things save on the abstract."

"And Darrik... You speak of novas and baselines having the rights to self-determination and evolution." He frowned slightly as he considered that. "I do not agree - the principle of having rights is a baseline conceit, born of a system where all live in a hierarchical structure. Those in power 'grant' rights to those without. Those without power rely on the powerful to protect those rights." He flicked a finger as though tossing aside garbage. "I reject that system. It is a comforting lie, a warm blanket to indicate control where none exists."

"I do not see myself as morally having any more rights than the zips out on the pavement. But I do have more ability to enforce my desires, making their rights only as relevant as I choose to grant. Were I to contest with one more powerful than myself, only then would my 'right' to self-determination be decided - by me, not by another."

"There is no quantum force of fairness. There are no particles of justice and equality in nature. That you seek to impose such speaks of your character, for good or ill. But I say to you that only the Western baseline belief in 'rights' has spared our species from outright slavery and extinction. In China, and other places, our 'rights' are non-existent save where we can enforce them ourselves. And even in supposedly enlightened cultures, the undercurrent of hypocrisy is staggering." He paused, helping himself to a sweet pastry. "Our granted rights are a shield to keep us pacified, from behind which our enemies poke at us while bleating about how they protect our rights."

"I ramble... Suffice to say that there is no 'should' where rights are concerned. You seize them for yourself, holding them in a grip so tight that death is necessary to seperate you from them. There are those who have that Will - the rest have only such rights as they are given."

[Shosuro Miren]

*Puck, there's a boy at here, a nova named Potential. He says he need to talk to you. He's upset - really upset.* An image of Infinity's little brother sobbing on the floor in the entrance of the Exalt! headquarters in New York flashed from Eric's mind to Puck's. Darrik could hear the concerned chatter running rampant through the link. To Surtr's eyes, the two beautiful novas that had been so focused on his words suddenly had far-away looks, tensing in their chairs.

"Surtr, I'm sorry, but I need to go to New York. Potential's there. Something is very wrong." Despite being the same age as Surtr, Potential had yet to leave the Nursery save for the brief outing to the large Teragen meeting a few weeks before. He stood, holding a hand out to Darrik, and then the other to Surtr. "You can come, if you'd like, but we'll have to finish our date some other time."

They appeared only a few feet from the sobbing young man; Puck was immediately on the floor, pulling him onto his lap and cradling him there. "Potential, what's wrong? What happened? Did someone hurt you? Is everyone else alright?" He was fairly certain that the Nursery was either safe or entirely destroyed; either way, he needed to know more from Potential first.

Continued in Infinity Infinite.

[Quantum Fire]

End of Thread

XP: 2 Standard, 2 Baseline, 2 Nova

Note: This thread got a bit of extra XP for a thread that involves only 2 PC's, in part due to excellent rollplaying and for amusing me a time or two