TSW 10: Kasra's Dream with Lily

	IcePickLobtomy	Time: ??? Location: ???
	IcePickLobtomy	You are in a forest, lush with the dark-green of pine-trees and furs. Standing on the edge of a pond to be exact, the waters rippling in the rain. The constant beat of the drops meld into a heavy drone, as they strike the ground and splash on the small pound before you. The silvery and dark colored needles seem to fade into tones of gray and gray green in the heavy rain. It's cool, a...
	IcePickLobtomy	...comfortable cold as the water drops onto your hair and face. The distinct scent of wet earth and fresh rains lingers in the air.
	Kasra	stands up and does some basic stretches, before looking around for Lily or another archaically armed and armored warrior to assist.
	IcePickLobtomy	Lily is standing on a small, moss covered jetty that extends into the pound. She's wearing a bright yellow rain-jacket that extends down to her knees.
	IcePickLobtomy	*pond
	Kasra	"Hi, Lily! You look good in yellow!"
	IcePickLobtomy	"Thank you Kasra."
	Kasra	"Are you okay? You seem quiet."
	IcePickLobtomy	"Oh, sorry. I was just enjoying the weather, and a tad lost in thought."
	Kasra	"You like the rain? Weirdo."
	IcePickLobtomy	"It's peaceful. I find the sound to be soothing." She turns to face you, red eyes in a sharp contrast to the paleness of her skin. "There's beauty in life, in whatever form it takes. Without the rains this place would die. So they too are beautiful."
	Kasra	"Well, yeah. But I'm getting wet."
	IcePickLobtomy	"Oh, right." She pulls off the rain-jacket and passes it to you. "Sorry, I wasn't expecting you, I'd have brought a spare if I was."
	Kasra	"No, you can keep it. I'm not actually getting wet."
	Kasra	gestures nonsensically. "Not, really /me/ me."
	IcePickLobtomy	"I don't mind, and discomfort is discomfort."
	Kasra	"Yeah, but this isn't...well, never mind."
	IcePickLobtomy	She shrugs and sets the coat down on the ground. "So, how are you doing?"
	Kasra	"Well...I think I need to start talking more to Dr. Wernbeck."
	IcePickLobtomy	"About what?"
	Kasra	"I've been...really...emotional lately. Something's bugging me, but I don't know..."
	IcePickLobtomy	"You're not sure why you have been?"
	Kasra	"Yeahhh. I don't know. I've just been losing my temper and I don't get it. I /never/ do that."
	IcePickLobtomy	"Well, what happened that made you lose your temper?"
	Kasra	"I...nothing! Just a reporter said something, and...I guess it's not my temper, I just get so worked up about stuff."
	IcePickLobtomy	"They said something offensive to you, correct? She called into question your motivation for piloting."
	Kasra	"Well, but I know better than that."
	IcePickLobtomy	"And you think you should have had better control over your emotions?"
	Kasra	"No, it's because I /do/ have better control over it, so, something's going on. You know?"
	IcePickLobtomy	She nods. "Are you more worried that you felt so, or at your failure to not act on those feelings?"
	Kasra	"I...both?"
	IcePickLobtomy	She nods sympathetically "It's hard to deal with them. It's never easy."
	Kasra	"It's not that they're hard to deal with, it's just that...I don't even know why it's happening."
	IcePickLobtomy	She lays a hand on your shoulder. "There are a lot of reasons, some better than others."
	Kasra	"It just bothers me that I can't...well, nevermind. Not much to say about it."
	IcePickLobtomy	"I'd like to hear what you have to say Kasra, though if you'd rather not I won't press."
	Kasra	"No there's just nothing to say about it." He lapses into silence for a moment. "Hey uh, do you remember Mary?"
	Kasra	"Mary, the squadmate I mentioned? Kind of overweight?"
	IcePickLobtomy	"I do."
	IcePickLobtomy	Lily chuckles at your description "I wouldn't say that to her face."
	Kasra	"Well, not like that!" The shortlived grin fades and Kasra clears his throat before continuing.
	Kasra	"So...I think she might...like me. I tried asking John what to do about it, but I don't think he gets it."
	IcePickLobtomy	"Ahh. And if that was the case, would you return her feelings?"
	Kasra	snorts. "No!" After looking at Lily he clears his throat and repeats more levelly. "No."
	IcePickLobtomy	"Well, I suggest you not worry about it. Nothing may come of it, and if she does make her intentions clear then you should tell her that you are not interested her."
	Kasra	"You think it will just blow over like that?
	IcePickLobtomy	"No. Such matters are rarely so simple."
	Kasra	slumps. "I was afraid of that."
	IcePickLobtomy	She pats your back
	IcePickLobtomy	"It's not a situation that I would like to see you in, but my wants matter very little I have found. Be honest, but gentle, with her if it comes to that. It won't be pretty, but it will be the best path here. Not a good one, but the least harmful."
	Kasra	"There's no...non-harmful way?"
	IcePickLobtomy	"Right, so we were just going over some ideas for a party. Prom is coming up, but us underclassman don't get anything fun like that, so we were thinking about having a party or something."
	IcePickLobtomy	"There. . . may be no way of sparing her that pain Kasra. If she wants to be with you, and you don't return that feeling. . . There's nothing you can do other than be honest with her on that account, and to not be overly cruel. Opening yourself up to another like that leaves you vulnerable. Rejection. . " She trails off "Rejection always hurts Kasra, just a matter of how well it is handled."
	Kasra	"Well, let's hope its just some teenage crush and it doesn't come to that. Have you ever been in a realationship?"
	IcePickLobtomy	"I have."
	Kasra	"...how did that work?"
	IcePickLobtomy	"Some worked, others didn't. Some lasted for years, others only a night. Some. . . never started for one reason or another." She sounds wistful "My first was. . it didn't go the way I wanted. There was someone else, and. . it still hurts, not much but it never stopped." She sits down and pulls her shoes off, letting her feet slip into the water. "They say you never forget your first love,...
	IcePickLobtomy	...they say a lot of things, but that one is true."
	Kasra	"How long ago was that?
	IcePickLobtomy	"Kasra," Her tone is playful "Don't you know not to ask a girl her age?" Her smile dies "Like many things I could say that it is complicated and give you a non-answer, but for what matters it was years and years ago."
	Kasra	puts his hands above his head. "Never asked your age," he takes a slow step back. "Never."
	Kasra	"Should I start running?
	IcePickLobtomy	"I never held any intent to harm you Kasra, nor do I intend to change that."
	Kasra	"No, no! I know, I was kidding, sorry!"
	IcePickLobtomy	"Oh." She sound relived "Oh that's good. Sorry I'm . . acutly aware of how unsettling my appearance can be to others. Red eyes are rarely seen as a good omen."
	Kasra	"I knew you before I knew that. Besides, Robin and Lana are fine too."
	IcePickLobtomy	"And for that I am thankful."
	Kasra	"Do you wanna talk about him?"
	IcePickLobtomy	"If you'd like to hear about him, though I am not permitted to speak in too much detail."
	Kasra	"I'm used to that too. METI, remember?"
	IcePickLobtomy	"So the question remains, would you like to hear about him?"
	Kasra	"Of course!"
	IcePickLobtomy	"Well to start with. . . He was. . . more like Mary than you or I. He was, kind and. . . not someone given to violence, that is not to say he did not fight. He was far braver than her gave himself credit for as well. He was deeply troubled, though we all were I suppose. He had deep seated pain that never left him. He died young."
	IcePickLobtomy	"I wasn't aware of my feelings for him until it was too late, and even if I had there was another in his heart."
	Kasra	"Sounds like something out of a book. Sorry about that."
	IcePickLobtomy	"All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and their entrances, And one man in his time plays many part.," She sighs. "What is a recounting but a story by another name? And I will freely admit that nostalgia and time have softened his edges and faults and that I no longer recall them."
	Kasra	"I guess that happens. You're a fan of Shakespeare?"
	IcePickLobtomy	"To a extant."
	Kasra	"Is that to both things??
	IcePickLobtomy	"To being a fan of Shakespear. I have a appreciation for all art."
	IcePickLobtomy	"Shakespeare included."
	Kasra	"I've never been too fond of poetry myself. Do books count?"
	IcePickLobtomy	"Books, music, painting, dance."
	IcePickLobtomy	Kasra for a moment you hear the distant crackle of static.
	IcePickLobtomy	And then you dream.
	IcePickLobtomy	You dream of strange vistas and starless skies.