"Pat, Dave just told me you're awake."Pat, Dave just told me you're awake. Come with me." Ken, of course. So, I turned towards the door, yawning gently, and opened it to the smiling visage of Ken Shardik. Ken was my only real friend - in a world like this, I can talk to anyone - I can 'get friendly' with anyone I want - but I know nobody as a friend. But I'd get more friends when I went through the Great Hall. I hoped. Loneliness is strange - I mean, you can take a walk unaccompanied along a beach, and not feel lonely, or stay in your room watching holocasts by yourself, and not feel lonely, but sometimes - it just hits you. Rather, it just bludgeons you repeatedly in the face. I'm glad I'm not completely alone, and have a friend like Ken. Ken smiled gently down at me. "I want to have a talk with you, cutie." I walked out of the room with him, his arm draped gently around my shoulder. "The SDisks aren't working, so we might as well walk..." I smiled, remembering a sign I saw a few days ago in the Castle: "SDisk temporarily in order." Ken continued, "...and talk. Do you know what going through the Great Hall means?" I did, but I knew he's more charitable when he thinks he's informing someone. So I shook my head. "First off, you're going to be a new person. Effectively, the old you dies, and you'll be born again, legally as well as physically. At least as far as Terra is concerned. So that means any ID you brought with you will be mere souvenirs in your future life. "Also, going to the Hall may take more than a day - it involves a long walk - at least it did when I brought someone else there." I looked up at him, feigning curiosity. "I'll tell you about Greta someday - but don't get any ideas - You're going alone." I nodded. Being alone was a familiar sensation. "But, I will show you through the Castle." he said, continuing down the hall. We saw P'nyssa, his lover. She's a femTindal, mostly blue furred, whose hands look similar to a hand-puppet - an open pad, with a thumb facing it, finely muscled. They're called mittens. Whatever. "Hello, Pat," she said, smiling gently, batting off an amorous Ken. She whispered something to him, and he nodded, giving her a final kiss. |