The Infinite Nebula Star

Chrysth kept his eyes down so that Zalla couldn't see the state they were in, he knew, they had changed from the artificial gold to his very real, very bright, original silver. Where was Armgen? Chrysth winced as his bracelet buzzed, "Not now, Trine." He growled lowly to the fuzzy image slowly growing into a 3-D image, "I'm currently occupied, we will discuss later."

"Chrysth, we need to talk... and soon, I think I've stumbled across something." Trine was vague about her intentions, as she seemed to be aware of his current problems as she glanced at his turned away gaze.

"Right, talk to Zalla right now, I'll speak with you in... a half-hour. You were late for the meeting, by the way." He commented absently.

"There was a reason, don't worry." Trine said, her image winking out.

"Oh so you get pissed at me, but not her?" Zalla asked.

"The circumstances are different for the both of you." Chrysth said levelly.

"Chrysth, you're back so... soon." The man was taller, darker and... soft-looking, than Chrysth, he had a friendly smile towards Zalla and an easy demeanor in the face of the tensing of Chrysth's jaw.

"I am, Armgen, we will not talk here." He glanced up, and looked away once more.

"I see." Armgen seemed serious now, his face falling into a professional mask.

Chrysth walked away, leaving Zalla with firm instructions to only leave to room if conspiracy were to occur, but not to bother if the building was on fire. Armgen led him to the room designated for Chrysth, and only Chrysth, he even had a name tag on the door.

The darkness was a welcome relief from the cold whiteness of the marble Blesser halls of Metropolis, the walls papered with black velvet, the couches, the chairs, the drapes that blocked the frigid suns from this room, were all specifically black, heavy, and soft, everything he was not. Chrysth himself stood out in stark relief against the black room, his white robes making him even more noticeable in the blackness.

Chrysth fell into a chair, a sign of his exhaustion, so far from his usually composed demeanour. "They're back." Was all he said, finally looking up, "And they're getting worse."

"How so?" Armgen asked, sitting himself primly into one of the velvet couches and laying back.

Chrysth's head fell into his hands, "I see them, all of them, and I'm obedient..." Chrysth growled, his eyes flashing dangerously and a fist pounding into the wall with his frustration.

"You know, I bet bottling up these emotions doesn't help any." Armgen said, raising an eyebrow.

Chrysth smiled, a twisted, stunted, malicious thing, madness hinting at the edges of it, "Bottling is all I know how to do." He replied, glancing the man's way, but Armgen stayed professional, as he always did.

"You should get some friends, learn to open up to them, like you have me." Armgen said.

Chrysth snorted, "I open to you because you know how to make the nightmares stop." He growled, leaning his head against the velvet wall, "I open to you because I like this room and I can come in here with a reason."

"You can come here anytime, you ordered it made."

"I know that, it's my room. It belongs to me, but don't you think it would look odd, Chrysth, the Blesser Without Emotions, to be seen repeatedly entering a room I only come to for examinations. How would that look? Honestly."

"Yes, god forbid you have emotions." Armgen said sarcastically.

Chrysth gave him a warning glare, "Yes, whatever deities are up there, do forbid me have emotion, it is written that way, it will stay that way."

"One day you will explode, I just hope I'm not there to see the inevitable falling out." Armgen said, leaning back and relaxing, "It will be ugly, that's for sure."

"It already has exploded, more than once. When I entered the room it was white... when I left... it was red." He said softly.

"So it's true, you have killed." Armgen said, "I think you're the first human born to do so since... well, far before my time, and my great-great-great grandfathers time, when born humans were plentiful and we were not always from cloning and AI."

Chrysth's eyes darted to the doctor, flickers of glod returning to his irises, "So how do I make the nightmares cease?" He was back to his unfazed mask, empty and cold as it was.

The man sighed, "You'll want to express yourself more..."

"If I put more time, more... emotion into my swordsmanship, will it help?" Chrysth asked, turning away from the wall and standing straight, his eyes back to full golden and completely frigid.

"If you can figure out how." The brunette doctor raised his hands, "Not exactly what I meant, but..."

"Then it is settled, I am to work harder in my training and it will help the nightmares." Chrysth stood, wiping black fuzz from his white robes, "Thank you, Doctor."

~*~*~

"Chrysth." Trine spoke quietly over the holographic projector in his personal room, one he had set up himself outside of the Blesser's Halls. He had left Zalla to her own devices, deciding he'd find her later and possibly make her attend something borish and long-winded when he remembered the Summons from Trine. A fellow Blesser, she was younger than himself, but quite hands-on, when push came to shove. He preferred to lay in the background himself and set up the pieces where they were needed, but she was of course one of his trump cards, because no matter what, she always seemed to get what she needed to done, besides which, he was slightly warmer to her than many of the other, twit-headed morons that held high departments around him.

"Trine. Is it safe to speak over these waves?" He raised an eyebrow and folded his hands in his lap.

"Probably not, so here's what you do, so we can speak, meet me in the place where the trees touch the ground, where weeds cannot blossom and no woman dare set foot for falling." And the transmission was cut.

Chrysth's mouth quirked, oh yes, now he remembered why he liked her, she was clever, sharp-witted, and he acknowledged that as an admirable trait. The place where trees touch the ground, that was simple enough, though all trees touch the ground, their tops do not always, that was specifically for willows, so possibly a grove of willows? There were many, but where weeds cannot blossom, some where kempt, like a garden, so a willow garden, and no woman dare set foot for fear of falling... that was more tricky. Falling... falling... he crossed his ankles and stood, tucking a lock of white hair behind his ear, falling...

He grinned, very clever, Trine.

~*~*~

The Adonis garden was quiet, he supposed the maze was the reason why few came here, many had gotten lost and never returned, precious few could navigate it's winding bush walls and dark passages, he and Trine were both a part of this group, as they had both been initiated to Blesser status by navigating it. There were many different trials for becoming a Blesser, the maze was theirs, while the others had to deal with spurting flames and decidedly Gladiator-style fights.

He reached the centre of the maze and lo and behild, Trine sat on the benches in the middle, the willows drooping over, nearly hiding her from view, "So, what's going on?"