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Transgressions
"We're in trouble, int we?"
Taris said it quietly. Tavakh just nodded without saying anything.
"We're up shit creek without a paddle?"
He nodded again.
"We're screwed bigtime?"
He held a finger up to her still translucent lips. "Yes, we are."
She gave him a brief moment of peace in deference to his finger.
"Tavi?"
"Yes?"
"Where's she at now?" Her tone was very serious. "I mean, is she just .. annihilated?"
"No." Tavakh just didn't sound very happy about it.
"But that is possible, right? Emptiness, absence, all that stuff don't even matter if yer annihilated, right?"
"No, it doesn't."
"So how come you say she ain't ... just ... gone?" She looked at him with pleading eyes.
"Taris, I've been there."
She looked suddenly suspicious. "There as in through the looking glass lahk the book?"
Tavakh again nodded without speaking.
She poked at him. "You ain't corporeal yet."
"Not everything we're told turns out to be true, Taris." Tavakh looked at Navica through the condensation on the glass.
Taris had been created to have practical knowledge as well as wisdom. "So all our sexual energy speeds us up, makes us stronger, what?"
"All of that and more."
She looked at him, a challenge in her eyes. "Could we have saved her?"
Tavakh looked angry for a second. "No, of course not!"
"What can you do, then?"
"I can push solid objects if I focus my power beyond my hands."
"Then you coulda pusht'er off the table." She folded her arms in front of her.
"No, I can't move things with animus. The spiritual inertia is too great."
"Then ya coulda pullt the table out from under her?"
"Well, not today." Tavakh had tried that. The man's body had been in the way.
"So where is she?"
Tavakh fumbled in his robe. "In here."
He placed a small tin on the ledge of the window.
Taris looked at it skeptically. "Jubess?"
"Zubes."
"Zoobs?"
"Zubes."
"She's innair?" Taris scrunched here eyes up and bent down to it.
"Don't open it or she'll scatter." Tavakh was watching the young spirit closely.
"Where'd ya git thuh tiyun?"
"It was in the pocket of his jacket."
"Low zen gez."
"Lozenges, yes, they're for his throat."
"Oh, yeah, of course, right?" She grinned and hugged him "I'm glad you saved her."
"We saved her. None of this could have happened with my energy alone."
"Yer takin' a moment tuh remahnd me we're circlin' thuh same drain, huh?"
"Nicely put, as always." He rummaged around in his robe again. "There's something else."
"Whut?"
He held out his hand, and Taris saw a dozen or more pellets, green, covered with what seemed to be sugar.
She bent towards them and sniffed. "Wuzzat?"
"Zubes. What you smell is menthol and eucalyptus."
"Kin ah have one?"
"I think we can have just one each." Tavakh watched her take it in her mouth as he slipped one into his own.
"Thass quite bracing, innit?"
"That's the idea, it cleans out the sinuses & soothes the throat."
Taris suddenly had a thought. "But if you grabbed this, and we have it, dun that put him at the scene of the crahm?"
"It does, yes."
Taris nodded confirmation of her own hypothesis. "Yeah, iss evidents."
"I know, but I had to put her somewhere."
"So bung wunna them zoobs back out there, why doncha?" She peered sideways at the sadly numb Colavito, at Raitt with his camera. "These two look lahk they could use a break."
Tavakh looked at her and grinned. "Brilliant!"
"Yeah, thass why ahm a perfect bein' 'n yer mah sahdkick er whatever." She grinned back.
Tavakh looked for an opening down by the air vent. He slipped a lozenge in the hole & pushed it out. The man's eyes were drawn to the movement immediately.
They watched the scene unfold before them, right to the point where Raitt tapped Colavito's nose.
Taris nodded. "That did it fer her."
Tavakh raised his eyebrows. "How so?"
"She's got the wet on now ferrim!" She smiled at him.
Tavakh was placing the tin back in his robe. "It's time we left."
"She's comin' with us?"
"Yes."
"Where we goin'?"
"I have no idea."
Taris squinted again. "Ah guess we're kinda 'spiritua non grata', huh?"
Tavakh nodded assent. "That we are."
"We're on the lam."
"Yes."
"Fleein' thuh scene uv thuh crahm?" She was grinning.
"That we are."
"Innit sexy?"
Tavakh began to see the upside almost immediately.
Taris said it quietly. Tavakh just nodded without saying anything.
"We're up shit creek without a paddle?"
He nodded again.
"We're screwed bigtime?"
He held a finger up to her still translucent lips. "Yes, we are."
She gave him a brief moment of peace in deference to his finger.
"Tavi?"
"Yes?"
"Where's she at now?" Her tone was very serious. "I mean, is she just .. annihilated?"
"No." Tavakh just didn't sound very happy about it.
"But that is possible, right? Emptiness, absence, all that stuff don't even matter if yer annihilated, right?"
"No, it doesn't."
"So how come you say she ain't ... just ... gone?" She looked at him with pleading eyes.
"Taris, I've been there."
She looked suddenly suspicious. "There as in through the looking glass lahk the book?"
Tavakh again nodded without speaking.
She poked at him. "You ain't corporeal yet."
"Not everything we're told turns out to be true, Taris." Tavakh looked at Navica through the condensation on the glass.
Taris had been created to have practical knowledge as well as wisdom. "So all our sexual energy speeds us up, makes us stronger, what?"
"All of that and more."
She looked at him, a challenge in her eyes. "Could we have saved her?"
Tavakh looked angry for a second. "No, of course not!"
"What can you do, then?"
"I can push solid objects if I focus my power beyond my hands."
"Then you coulda pusht'er off the table." She folded her arms in front of her.
"No, I can't move things with animus. The spiritual inertia is too great."
"Then ya coulda pullt the table out from under her?"
"Well, not today." Tavakh had tried that. The man's body had been in the way.
"So where is she?"
Tavakh fumbled in his robe. "In here."
He placed a small tin on the ledge of the window.
Taris looked at it skeptically. "Jubess?"
"Zubes."
"Zoobs?"
"Zubes."
"She's innair?" Taris scrunched here eyes up and bent down to it.
"Don't open it or she'll scatter." Tavakh was watching the young spirit closely.
"Where'd ya git thuh tiyun?"
"It was in the pocket of his jacket."
"Low zen gez."
"Lozenges, yes, they're for his throat."
"Oh, yeah, of course, right?" She grinned and hugged him "I'm glad you saved her."
"We saved her. None of this could have happened with my energy alone."
"Yer takin' a moment tuh remahnd me we're circlin' thuh same drain, huh?"
"Nicely put, as always." He rummaged around in his robe again. "There's something else."
"Whut?"
He held out his hand, and Taris saw a dozen or more pellets, green, covered with what seemed to be sugar.
She bent towards them and sniffed. "Wuzzat?"
"Zubes. What you smell is menthol and eucalyptus."
"Kin ah have one?"
"I think we can have just one each." Tavakh watched her take it in her mouth as he slipped one into his own.
"Thass quite bracing, innit?"
"That's the idea, it cleans out the sinuses & soothes the throat."
Taris suddenly had a thought. "But if you grabbed this, and we have it, dun that put him at the scene of the crahm?"
"It does, yes."
Taris nodded confirmation of her own hypothesis. "Yeah, iss evidents."
"I know, but I had to put her somewhere."
"So bung wunna them zoobs back out there, why doncha?" She peered sideways at the sadly numb Colavito, at Raitt with his camera. "These two look lahk they could use a break."
Tavakh looked at her and grinned. "Brilliant!"
"Yeah, thass why ahm a perfect bein' 'n yer mah sahdkick er whatever." She grinned back.
Tavakh looked for an opening down by the air vent. He slipped a lozenge in the hole & pushed it out. The man's eyes were drawn to the movement immediately.
They watched the scene unfold before them, right to the point where Raitt tapped Colavito's nose.
Taris nodded. "That did it fer her."
Tavakh raised his eyebrows. "How so?"
"She's got the wet on now ferrim!" She smiled at him.
Tavakh was placing the tin back in his robe. "It's time we left."
"She's comin' with us?"
"Yes."
"Where we goin'?"
"I have no idea."
Taris squinted again. "Ah guess we're kinda 'spiritua non grata', huh?"
Tavakh nodded assent. "That we are."
"We're on the lam."
"Yes."
"Fleein' thuh scene uv thuh crahm?" She was grinning.
"That we are."
"Innit sexy?"
Tavakh began to see the upside almost immediately.