The Star 16

The young adept's brain short-circuited. The somewhat stunned but still functioning logic part was trying to feed cold buckets of uncomfortable consequences but simply couldn't compete against two powerful enemies. On an emotional level, the affection starved Sonny was nearly driven to tears over the outpouring of love, fear of rejection and blind devotion pouring from her unshielded mind. On a purely instinctual level, to put it bluntly, she was smoking hot and giving all the receptive signals the primal brain could ever hope to see in a desired mate.

With the barest minimal preparations necessary for comfort, they practically tore into each other like wild animals in their desperation for connection and release. In such a circumstance, it was inevitable that things would progress too quickly to completion for either party to be satisfied. There was but a scant pause to let sensitivities to die down to bearable levels before hunger and desire reasserted itself.

Somewhere along the way, far too soon for either of them, the life changing event was mixed with the growing presence of another that blended seamlessly, even as they appeared. Caught up in the moment, Sonny instinctually followed the familiar sense of physical pattern being blurred by supernatural power in an echoing answer. Not missing a stride, as soon as one pattern snapped back into form, the other followed.

Tension, need and raw emotions were no less potently moving, if more than subtly different in flavor. That overwhelming collection kept logic and the necessity for radical changes in interaction from interfering with unsatisfied hunger. It wasn't even fully realized until another explosive release of euphoria, banished frustration for a second time.

As one strongly guarded consciousness stared deeply into the open and vulnerable center of another, it was no less moved. As They strove to banish the fear and sadness They saw there, a growing feeling of discordant and complex emotion began building until another release was achieved and the reality of the situation harshly inserted it's presence in a way that could no longer be ignored or avoided. To keep the fragile sense of contentment he had wrapped around the stranger's horrifyingly low sense of self worth from shredding like tissue paper, Sonny suppressed the urge to recoil from the back of the stranger nestled against him.

With a few comforting moments of 'affectionate cuddling' provided at the cost of the ignored screaming occurring in the back of his mind, the young adept finally broke contact. Cleaning himself thoroughly with an act of supernatural power, he made some distance with the polite and gently delivered request to give him some time to understand everything that had just happened. That produced some ill-at-ease feelings of uncertainty in the stranger but Sonny was almost at the limit of having enough capacity to deal with his own emotions, much less walking on egg shells for someone else's.

The Enigma Plains wasn't a place where people separated from others unless they wanted to disappear. Sonny didn't go very before immediately dropping down into a sitting light trance to inspect the changes that his body went through. To his relief, he didn't really look much different.

Some of the fairly heavy androgyny he possessed, that had likely spurred some of Oliver's unwanted attention, had faded into a fresh faced and youthful masculinity. The softer set of his frame had hardened into something he could definitely appreciate as a positive. Aside from some other minor alterations that really only increased a certain sense of confidence, he hadn't changed as much externally as he had internally. Those bolstering and resilience providing changes, there was only reason to be thankful for.

From an aesthetic and even practical point of view, he was an idealized, tougher and more solid version of himself. It spoke volumes of how much Regen and Corvinus, 'cared' for him. It also pricked a little at the one potential way he hadn't fully fulfilled the fantasy version of him that they had held in their hearts. Overall, in a many faceted collection of small ways, he hadn't been quite 'manly' enough. It was a fact that he felt some wry humor about in the confusing situation he found himself in.

When he felt that he had recovered enough emotional equilibrium that he could safely give himself the time for, he returned. It was just in time to witness Corvinus and Cole testing each other's combat prowess. Seeing that they were truly doing it for practical reasons and not some sort of energy wasting strutting, he didn't interfere.

"I find myself quite confused. I hope you can shed some light on that," Yessamin said after she sauntered over to where Sonny was watching the display.

"You were dead. Oliver and I should have died. Whatever secret was buried in that volcano saved us. It's a pity there's no hope of anything of value still being there. Well, I suppose there could still be valuable materials but that's not something unique enough to matter to me or the Blue Zone Commission," Sonny said.

She gestured to the two sparring men, "And who are they?"

He smiled at her and said, "To my sight, you've already gotten to know Cole quite well. As for Corvinus... that's something I haven't quite figured out for myself."

Smirking, she replied, "Despite knowing him just as well as I have gotten to know Cole. Or, is it 'her'. You see, I distinctly remembering leaving with you in the company of a quite fetching female companion."

The young adept shrugged. "That's a complicated story and not mine to tell. Frankly, so is Cole's. Look, as far as I'm concerned, the three of us are close friends. Feel free to join us in that capacity if you can keep the scheming pointed at common goals and enemies.

"Take the time to get to know us the old fashioned way... And by that, I mean friendship. What you do or convince others to do with you for pleasure and comfort is fine but you don't have to...you know... if you don't want to.

"I can appreciate your mind and skills outside of the ones nature gave you. We all can, though it might be hard for Cole to pack away his interest now that you've gotten it... Despite that, you have every right to refuse that attention if you don't want it. I... just want that to be clear from the get go."

Raising an eye brow provocatively, she said, "Is he the only man that has interest?"

Sonny chuckled a little bitterly. "So many yesterdays I could and would have easily answered no. But now, things are complicated enough. I do think you're beautiful and I would have been happy, even honored, to be a notch on your belt before today."

Yessamin frowned, even looked a little angry, "Doubtless, like so many others... Do I strike you as the kind only interested in earning 'notches in a belt? Con-"

"I'm sorry. That is not what I was insinuating. But before today, how could I have been anything more without ripping the camp apart and causing endless trouble for both of us? You know how you built your power. That's what I was referring to. Please don't insult us both by misunderstanding me further, intentional or otherwise," the young adept said as he walked towards the two sparring men.

They had a good feel for each other. Anymore would be a precious waste of physical and mental stamina that might be needed to safely make distance from the caldera. That went for Cole and Corvinus as much as it did for Yessamin and Sonny.

Seeing him approach, with a guarded and almost defensive look, Cole said, "Corvinus here remembers things from the 'time away'. Some of it might be useful to us but he wants to share with you in... private. I'll keep our new lady friend company."

Sonny nodded. "Be careful."

"Just because I'm willing... The things I said to you when we were little, I haven't forgotten them. You're just not the person I was saying them too... yet. I hope you understand that once you are." the feline assassin popped off before immediately stalking away.

Corvinus, not looking overly happy, said, "Do you know what he's talking about?"

"It could be plans to become emperor of the universe or any other number of embarrassing things little kids say to each other because they haven't learned the meaning of what they're saying. I'm not bored enough to break that down yet," Sonny said.

It was a strange thing to see the man transform from the highly skilled combatant to the unsure and self conscious person standing in front of him. He gave the man a reassuring smile to goad Corvinus into saying whatever it was needed saying.

"I know that what you... what I am might be more than you can easily accept. I hope that you know that I would be Regen for you if I could. I may look the exact opposite of that ideal but half of who stands before you is still Regen... That's...not what I wanted to speak to you about but I wanted you to know that."

Sonny took a deep breath and let it out. "It is what it is and will be what it will be. I'd appreciate some time to understand what I feel about this without thinking that I'm hurting you. Know that your feelings did reach me. And if I hadn't accepted them on some level, what happened... wouldn't have happened at all.

"I want you to know that. But, let's set that aside long enough to cool down before we start slicing into it... What did you want to tell me?"

Corvinus took a few shaky breaths of his own and organized his thoughts. "There's much I cannot share for reasons that Regen has already expressed but there are some things you can know. Beyond the one which you wear, which is of us and thankfully still complete enough to be of use to you, there are two other artifacts within you of usefulness.

"The first looks like a dark tinted snow globe at first glance. But within, an isolated piece of property resides. Until such time as there is something of greater value to replace what lies within, do not open it. You can will yourself and all who touch it to enter its space. While you are inside, it will hide itself fairly well but not completely... It should only be used when it's needful here. I think this place is not only strange and dangerous to people.

"The second artifact is a silver disk that may grow or shrink. It is a craft which can traverse the lesser void of space and even the Greater Void if exposure is limited or the duration brief. It may take time for it to repair, invigorate itself and be of any actual use."

After Sonny had checked his inner space and inspected the items, Corvinus spoke in vague terms about the dragon ritual and the tier seven will working that lingered upon the young adept's soul. It ended up requiring him to speak about other matters of Greater Reality and things like the Maelstrom, outsiders and some other alien terms but Sonny was quick to catch on.

To say that his mind was blown would be an understatement. But at the same time, there was a part of him that already felt familiar and accepting of it which kept him chugging along and absorbing the useful tidbits. It became apparent, however that there were limits to the sharing. They could also tell the very moment Yessamin had tried to eavesdrop because Corvinus found himself unable to speak.

She quickly learned, as they began making distance from the inactive volcano, that her covert intelligence gathering skills were fairly useless within the group but were appreciated for the asset those abilities could be against others. She was a skilled empath and had some fairly strong contact telepathy but the three were so riddled with taboo secrets that laws of reality hindered her ability more often than their vigilance did.

Sonny could tell that she was up to tricks but he wanted to believe she could be better. The only way she could get better was to have a chance and a group of people willing to give it to her. Her aura was cloudy, a touch murky even but it wasn't dark.

With the second day and a second passing of the two hour night chill, one thing became obvious. She had fallen into the same mode she had been in at the camp, trading comfort for protection. And with Cole more than happy to accept that kind of seemingly emotionless exchange of services, Sonny was at a loss of how to see her past that.

No amount of words was going to persuade her from a proven strategy of survival. After having informed her more than once that she was entitled to whatever safety they could provide without that, he didn't feel like he had any right to interfere with the agreement between two consenting adults. He felt frustrated and angry, not at them but at the cruel and institutionalized callousness of their reality.

When it came to his own issues with Corvinus, even though it felt slightly comical, he held the somewhat larger and more intimidating person as he would a 'sweetheart' during the cold parts of the night. But until he could untangle his mind and heart from confusion, that was the limit of what he was willing to entertain.

Fortunately for him but sad for Corvinus, that seemed to be strangely effective. More than anything, the man seemed relieved not to be pushed away and treated coldly. The dissonance between the somewhat cold and rigidly disciplined warrior and the raw, fragile creature who used the flimsy excuse of the night chill to curl into his arms, as if seeking protection, was hard to understand.

It made the young adept wonder what had happened in Corvinus' past that such a mild and platonic gesture had that much power. He highly doubted that Regen's influence was the whole story. He resolved to get these damaged people to open up and start lancing some of these festering wounds at some point.

It wasn't that he felt he was any better. He was just as damaged in his own way. A thought occurred to him that he might be projecting his own desperate desire to heal and overcome his own demons onto them.

***

With some prompting from Corvinus, Sonny discovered a couple new and interesting abilities. At that moment, he was focusing on the most useful one. Within his spirit sight, an ethereal line winded out like an unrolled ball of yarn. If it could be trusted, it would lead them to another settlement or a group of people living like one.

With that mixed blessing in mind, the group stepped past the rocky hell. After having meandered past the worst of the dormant volcano's territory, a short and fat forest of sparse pygmy trees became denser and interlaced with a waxy and viciously barbed plant.

With a rueful look, Yessamin said, "Cole, be careful not to get scratched by those. I think they might be poisonous. They're producing a sort of... stay away from me feeling, almost like they're warning things away."

Suddenly interested, Sonny said, "Are the one growing these tiny cab apple looking pods producing that feeling stronger than the rest?"

Getting as close to one as she dared, she said, "The ones growing fruit... are the ones producing the feeling."

The young adept shook his head. "Those aren't fruit, they're cysts. The bug maturing within it is what's making that empathetic feeling. Still, the plants likely are poisonous...

"We might start seeing another above ground water source at any time. Stay away from it. The local ecosystem is really tight and highly opportunistic.

"It's going to be a little uncomfortable and ugly looking but we need to make you two full cover gear with what we've got. If one of these bugs can get into people, it's not a scary thing but they could be a serious hindrance. I highly doubt it would feel pleasant, either."

Once again, Corvinus not only showed a highly prized usefulness, he also showed Sonny how to be capable of much the same thing. For some reason, he took the young adept's praise with ironic humor, though the man couldn't explain why. Either way, although it was expensive, innate gift mixed with the suit's preservation power to produce a 'fabrication' effect.

Mixed with the advanced understanding of healing that the warrior had coaxed out of him earlier, Sonny was starting to actually feel the confidence his intuition was telling him he should have. Compared to the poser with a neat suit he felt like he was before, it was miles different. But in the passing of that self doubt, something else started to nag him.

After a couple more days of travel, the interactions between them started feeling subtly different. There was a shifting of trying hard to earn his acceptance to trying just as hard in pulling out all the latent potential the young adept hadn't discovered himself. It was a small thing for the moment but it seemed as if Corvinus was preparing to leave.