From alt.pub.dragons-inn Tue Mar 22 16:50:43 1994 Xref: netcom.com alt.pub.dragons-inn:7155 Path: netcom.com!csus.edu!wupost!howland.reston.ans.net!news.cac.psu.edu!psuvm!asg102 Organization: Penn State University Date: Tue, 22 Mar 1994 08:38:37 EST From: The Dreamer Message-ID: <94081.083837ASG102@psuvm.psu.edu> Newsgroups: alt.pub.dragons-inn Subject: [ELR][LH] Ignorance is Bliss Lines: 206 ADMIN: This post occurs during Birth Rites and before Cursebreaking. It's a joint effort of Steve Hutchison and me (The Dreamer) and is copyright 1994 by us, so hands off :-). All rights reserved except for net propogation and archival purposes. -+-+-+-+-+- Two men stood on opposite sides of the small dark laboratory with their arms stretched wide. The one in BLACK had golden skin and angular facial features that suggested an ancestry of mixed races. The other wore a GRAY cloak that blew about him with swirls and wisps, like thick fog or smoke in some chaotic breeze. The thing between them was hard to look at without laughing insanely. It had no edges or pattern or shape. It could be best described as a thick rippling gray ... Something. "Erik, what's the matter?" asked the one in BLACK, "The field still has color." "Sorry Luthor." Erik sighed and blew out a puff of cinnamon scented steam and then flushed with embarrassment when he realized what he had done. Luthor put his arms down and the Something disappeared. "I need your full concentration if we are going to get the field anchored." "I know. I just keep thinking of Lex instead of the research. I don't see why we have to do this anyway. It's not like we need the money." Erik lowered his arms and looked at his pupil across the small lab. "You might not need the money, but I do. The vineyard will not be providing any income until the first batch of wine matures in a few years. Before then, I could use some money for a few investments that I have brewing." "Well, why don't you just FIND some platinum and use that Mr. Earth-Specialist?" "Oh, sure. I FIND the platinum and some poor old widow loses the same amount. No thank you. I have some morals." Luthor reached into his cloak, pulled out a quill, and began making some notes in his lab journal. "Oh, and I don't?" Erik flushed red. "No, that's not what I meant. You humans are so quick to read into things." Luthor's tone turned serious as he looked Erik in the eye. "I have the highest respect for you. You are a wonderful teacher and a kind soul. "You have fallen in love with another great man and I am very happy for you. It reminds me of when Rachel and I started courting." Luthor smiled at the memory. "Now, why don't you go see him and we'll try again tomorrow morning." Erik was about to protest, but the thought of spending the evening with Lex was too tempting. "Twist my arm." Luthor looked up in confusion. "Why would I want to do that?" Erik laughed, "It's just one of their expressions. I'll see you tomorrow then." He took a step back and his cloak enveloped him in obscurity. When the vapors cleared the room, was gone. Luthor shook his head and chuckled as he returned his attention to his journal. -=-=-=-=-=- "Love - Devotion Feeling - Emotion Don't be afraid to be weak Don't be too proud to be strong Just look into your heart my friend That will be the return to yourself The return to innocence. If you want, to start to laugh If you must, then start to cry Be yourself don't hide Just believe in destiny..." ----------------------------------------------------- Lex walked in the lighthouse courtyard, attempting to relax, but that was nearly impossible. He saw a stone, but he saw more than the stone ... its exact age, its exact composition, its exact mass, its exact origin. He looked away. And he saw a tree, but more than the tree ... its exact number of leaves, its exact age, its genetic code. He looked away again. All the information took away from the beauty of a simple stone or tree. In his eyes, they were reduced to statistics and raw components. He sighed deeply. He saw a cloud ... and it was just a cloud. He tried to tell its moisture content. With a snowy white smile, he realized that he couldn't. "Hello Erik," he call out to the sky. The cloud began a slow descent to the ground, forming into a roughly humanoid shape when it was within a few feet. From its middle stepped a man in a GRAY cloak. "I didn't want to disturb you. You seemed lost in thought." "Don't be silly. I'm always happy to see you," Erik replied. He threw his arms around his lover and swung him around. They stopped and kissed. Erik let out a small moan as Lex nibbled on his neck and began working his way down Erik's chest ever ... so ... slowly. Erik pulled away briefly; his face was flushed red. "Lex, not outside," he said trying to catch his breath, "someone might be watching." "I don't think anyone else is around ..." Lex began. Erik took a step away, when their physical contact was broken, information flooded forth. "Kev! I know you're hiding in that stone. Run off and give us our privacy." "You guys ain't no fun," Kev called back, and he jumped out of the decorative rock wall and ran toward the lighthouse. He stopped. "Hey, I wuz gonna ask, can da Rat and me go out to da Low City?" Lex stared at him for a moment. "You will anyway. Be careful. You're hair-triggered right now." "Ah, I kin handle it." Kev dove into the wall _beside_ the door, vanishing through it like a ghost. Lex took Erik's hand again and lead him across the courtyard to where a huge, gnarled olive tree with a wooden swing spread its bud laden branches toward the late afternoon sky. Lex sat down with his back against the tree and pulled Erik to him. Erik had his cloak spread out like a blanket under them to prevent contact with the damp thawing ground. He lay on it with his head resting in Lex's lap. They stayed that way for a few minutes in silence, simply enjoying each other's presence. Lex watched a group of gulls searching the beach for crabs, made vulnerable by the retreating tide. Erik stared at the clouds passing high above Generica, absently shaping them into obscure forms. "How's the research coming?" Lex asked looking down into Erik's stormy blue eyes. "Okay. Luthor is getting impatient with me because I'm rather distracted all the time. For some reason, I keep thinking of this handsome muscular man that I know." Erik propped himself up with his elbows and kissed Lex. "How's your head?" "I'll manage. It isn't as bad when I'm with you." "What about your brothers?" "Oh. Well." Lex frowned a little, hesitating before he said, "We're doing pretty bad, Erik. Kev isn't getting any benefit out of playing any more. Miro ... he's disappeared somewhere, he won't let us know where, but he's here in the Lighthouse. Last time I spotted him he _made_ me go away," and Lex's voice carried a hidden hurt that made Erik wince. "'Raf's locked himself in with the band. All he does is make music and drink and orgy with them -- they're the only ones who don't want something from him. And 'Raelf -- he's burning out trying to keep us all from permanent split. I almost wish Raye hadn't gone home to give birth. No, she had to go. That kid is fated to do some really major things." He dragged a hand through his hair. Erik sat up with his back to the tree and guided Lex to lie across his lap, facing the ground. "I'm sure that you will be able to work things out. I'd offer to Shadow you guys together for a bit, but I don't think I'd be able to manage more than one element at a time." Erik rubbed Lex's back soothingly. "Thanks for the offer. We might take you up on it, if Raye doesn't get back soon." Lex turned his head and looked around the courtyard again. Moments before, he had known everything about every part of this area. Now, he just lay in his beau's embrace and enjoyed the comfort of ignorance. -+-+-+-+-+- "...Don't care what people say Just follow your own way Don't give up and use the chance To return to innocence. That's not the beginning of the end That's the return to yourself The return to innocence." -"Return to Innocence" by Enigma, copyright 1994 by them Love and Peace and Cozy Spring Days, -The Dreamer-