010

[contract_star]

[Hei appears, looking rather irritated, and promptly heads off along the Astral Plane, walking with a purpose and looking like he's searching for something.]

By M11, I think...

[Keeps walking, mostly in silence, though he mutters to himself occasionally. After a bit he comes upon his telescope and his expression darkens. The telescope has been knocked over and is lying on its side. Hei crouches down, sighing heavily.]

This on top of the rest of it...

[Disappears for a moment, coming back with a toolkit and a bag of sandwiches. He settles down and starts going to work on his poor, beat-up telescope.]

Comments

[lamb_of_gold]

I see. I'd feel terrible if anything irreparable happened...

[contract_star]

[Smiles at him.] No, it's all fixable. The lens was fine, after all, which is kind of a miracle. It's just the casing and the eyepiece.

[lamb_of_gold]

That is good to hear, then.

[contract_star]

[Smiles again and nods, then goes back to work.] I'm kind of glad for the distraction, too.

[lamb_of_gold]

Oh?

[contract_star]

[Doesn't look up from his telescope, working on the eyepiece now.] They want me to infiltrate a cult. It's rather annoying.

[lamb_of_gold]

I can see how that would be troublesome. How large a cult?

[contract_star]

Big enough, and getting bigger. [Now the annoyance shows on his face.] They worship the Gate.

[lamb_of_gold]

I'm morbidly curious as to why.

[contract_star]

Because it's mysterious and its effects are worldwide, which to some means that it must be mystical and godly.

[lamb_of_gold]

Anything advanced enough appears as magic to the ignorant.

[contract_star]

Too true. [Pauses.] But apparently they have ties to...a terrorist group, so it needs to be done.

[lamb_of_gold]

Ah, now there is cause for concern...You seem troubled by it.

[contract_star]

...Not really. [Hei needs to learn to stop lying to psychics :|]

[lamb_of_gold]

[Someone can see through your bullshit]

[contract_star]

...

I used to know the person in charge of the terrorists.

[lamb_of_gold]

Define "know."

[contract_star]

She was...[Jaw tightens.] She was my friend. Or I thought she was.

Did I tell you about South America and Heaven's Gate?

[lamb_of_gold]

You've mentioned it several times, but you've said nothing of the details.

[contract_star]

Amber was with me in South America.

[Stops working and sets down his tools, staring down at his scope and at the stars beneath it.]

I trusted her, but she betrayed me. My whole team was killed. And South America disappeared.

[Long pause.] My sister disappeared at the same time.

[lamb_of_gold]

I'm sorry.

[contract_star]

It's alright. It was five years ago. [There's an "I should be over it by now, dammit" in his tone.]

[lamb_of_gold]

[Just nods, somewhat empathetically]