Ahn-Li: Uhh... No idea how you came up with that speculation... (very innocent whistle) I don't know nothing or so. I'm just the writer. Orsany? Who is that? (looking around)

Lazy.kender: Wow, what a review. Well, its not the quickest update ever, but I hope its still quick enough.

Guan: Thanks. :)

Anastasya: Umm, lemme think... there was some truth revealed about the true nature of the artifact(s) and Raistlin and Naranja showed what they really think of each other. Could that count?

Dally: This bunny thing has become a running gag between us, hasn't it? They're after us! Take cover everybody!

Kinryuu: I think I know what you mean about Raistlin becoming OOC in the end of the last chapter and I agree with you. Not very Raistlin-like. But before you judge too hard on me, please read on patiently for a little longer. ;) I don't want to spoil, but some things in this story that may appear strange or illogical at first, happen for a reason. (To give another hint, see first paragraph below.)

singvogel: Hi there. Welcome. I'm glad you enjoyed it. :)

Chapter 22 I'll Meet you at Midnight.

As soon as the upset gypsy had left the wagon Raistlin realized that he had just made a mistake. Loading off his own frustrations at somebody else might have been satisfying but it was plainly intolerable when he didn't want to risk his disguise ruined to soon. Kender didn't treat others the way he had just treated the girl. Raistlin didn't understand himself anymore. He definitely was stressed, who wouldn't be in a situation like this? Nonetheless he had always kept a cool head during the most dangerous events. Why did his self-control fail him constantly these days? Where had his cool logic gone? He frequently acted without thinking, he got more emotional then usual and he let himself get distracted much too easily. Raistlin couldn't explain his own change of behavior, he wasn't developing kender characteristics, was he? A cold feeling ran down his spine and made him shiver. Whatever happened to him, he had to work against it. For now, it was too late to undo the last event. With a little bit of luck, the gypsies would think of it as a normal argument between two young women. Besides the girl seemed to be a cheerful person, maybe she wouldn't take it too serious when she had overcome her primary anger.

Having reassured himself, Raistlin's thoughts centred around the crystal once again. He had to solve this puzzle quickly. It was the key to all his trouble. He knew, if he solved this riddle he would find out who was behind this. He had to look for the creator of the impressive structure. But were to begin, were to... exhaustion took over and he fell into a deep sleep...

He was again surrounded by the floating darkness. His staff spread light, but the darkness was still there, waiting for him. Luring him. He noticed a shadow a few steps away from him. SHE was there, too. Waiting for him? It seemed the kender seemed had spotted him likewise.

"Hey you are here again? Are you still angry at me? You are Raistlin, aren't you? I'm Nima. I think this is very strange that we meet again. Where are we? Will you attack me again or will you be civil now? Because, if you want to attack me, I'll better start running..."

The kender turned and made some steps away from him. Suddenly he heard her yell.

"Ouch that hurt. What happened to my foot?"

Raistlin walked closer. She sat on the ground holding her left ankle.

"I... You... had an accident." he explained smirking slightly.

The kender stared at him unbelieving. All of a sudden, Raistlin tumbled, overwhelmed by an overpowering dizziness. Moreover, he felt sick. He had to sink down on the ground next to her. Standing was impossible. Was she responsible for this?

"Lunatic kender... what did you do to me?"

"What I did to YOU, you're asking? What did YOU do to ME?" she answered likewise getting angry.

"One word more, girl and I rip out your impertinent tongue and make it a fine piece of tapestry in my study room."

Anger had taken over and Raistlin didn't realize he lost his temper the second time this day.

"You destroyed my life by forcing me to live in this travelling insane asylum you call a Carnival Show, I was stalked by this fluffy-minded friend of yours, humiliated by cursed kender and knocked out by rude little gnomes! I really feel like levelling the whole camp in a blow that makes the Cataclysm look like a funfair! And right now an unknown sickness tortures me to no end and if you cannot explain this, I'll rather insist you keep your mouth shut or I will start my apocalyptic ambitions with you!"

He had too quit there for lack of air, which gave her the opportunity to answer. Of course kender were immune to intimidation. Especially when it came from somebody kneeling on the ground, just barely keeping himself upright.

"YOU HAVE TROUBLE? HA! I HAVE TROUBLE! First of all your icky tower is just disgusting and then I have this terrible sickness with all the coughing and drinking that terrible tea, and then I go out and I see a lot of zombies because you have these monstrous eyes and I run away from everybody as I have never run before in all my life and then you and your dumb eyes make me drink for the first time and it tastes terrible as well and then I get horribly drunk and Dalamar carries me off and I think he will be really annoyed in the morning and I get sick and I get a headache just because you can't have normal eyes like everybody else and then I come here and suddenly my foot hurts like I don't know what and you tell me you had an awful time? You have no idea, man!!!"

They both stared at each other in shock, their tirades had left them speechless. Finally Nima learned that even capability of a kender-lung was limited. Lack of air likewise forced her to take a deep breath before she could go on. Raistlin thought frantically of a remark but the dizziness effectively prevented him from coherent thinking. He still had to cope with the fact that he just experienced the hangover of his life. He buried his forehead in his hand.

"What in the name of Thakisis' dark demons did you drink, you gods-cursed creature?"

"You know, I have a name." Nima stated annoyed, hesitantly trying to move her foot.

"Don't test my patience, kender!"

He sounded so angry she decided she better came up with the truth, now.

"Let me see," she pondered, "how many did I have? I had one ale, and then I coughed. You really should do something about your health. Did you ever think of visiting the sea for better climatic conditions? Well, what was I saying, ah yes, one ale. And then I had another one because one didn't help much and I guess that guy gave me a third. But from then its all blurring a little. I have the feeling I drank more, I'm not sure. Maybe I had four or five ales or so. It was enough to make the eyething go away. But you really should think about living at the sea. You know the salty air may help your lungs and-"

"Enough, stop it, kender, stop it."

Gods, it was like having yet another Tasselhoff. Maybe they were related. What was he thinking? Of course all kender were like this. He felt so sick he just wanted to be in his tower in his study in one of his comfortable chairs. He needed rest, he needed a good night's sleep and the kender's chatter didn't help much. Didn't he have a silencing spell? Or a death spell? Desperately he wondered how it went, but the spells appeared all confused and mixed up in his memory. What the hell did Paladine do when he ran around as Fizban? Did he secretly test all of Krynn's alcoholic beverages? Raistlin had to fight a hysterical laughter. Maybe the old man hadn't been senile all the time, he had probably just been drugged on a constant level and nobody had ever realized it. Did gods happen to have a reek of alcohol when their Avatars got drunk or did their divine heritage prevent them from that? Gods, was he really thinking about that? Exhausted and resigned he let himself sink back into the soft cushions of his favorite chair.

He heard the kender utter sounds of astonishment, but for a strange reason her voice was far away. He was just tired. She was bugging him with questions but he didn't care anymore. He only wanted to be left alone and sink into the sweet nothingness of sleep.

Open-mouthed, Nima watched the drunken mage staggering and finally standing up, just to let himself fall into a very big armchair that appeared behind him out of nothing. But there it was, solid and wooden. Where it had come from she couldn't tell. Raistlin just snuggled into some velvet cushions as if about to sleep. At first she shot questions at him of how he had done that. They were in the strange room with all the strange whirling colors again and she hadn't seen any furniture in this place before. But the mage didn't answer. He just ignored her and fell asleep. Nima wasn't used to being ignored.

"Hey", she yelled. "Raistlin-mage, talk to me!"

He didn't answer. She limped over to him, watching his sleeping form.

"Hey, don't be sleepy." she tried it a second time. No reaction. Mischief glittered in her eyes and she poked him. He didn't even bother to move.

"Are you dead?"

She poked him again.

"Wake up!"

The game was getting boring. She looked around. The whirling colors were as before, nothing had changed. Only the armchair was there and the man. He sat in the chair, relaxed. The staff of Magius lay casually on his knees, one hand still circling around it. Even in sleep he wouldn't let it go. His face had lost its permanent frown and the golden skin reflected the lively colors. The white hair fell down his shoulders in soft waves. He looked much younger now.

"Hey, you look nearly nice when you are not scowling all the time."

No answer.

"Maybe when you wake up, we can have a civilized talk. You don't have to shout at me all the time. It's not my fault that this has happened. I know, you think I borrowed your body, and it's true, we kender often borrow a lot of strange things, but I didn't want to borrow this one. Not even accidentally. Its not that I found it somewhere. I was just there and I don't know why. And I gave it back to you, you see? You are you and I am myself again. I hope it stays this way. I'm sorry about the drunkenness, too. I didn't have any better ideas at that time. But now I think we should try to find out where we are. The colors are nice but somehow irritating. I don't know where on Krynn we are. Maybe your magic can help, don't you think?"

He slept. She also hadn't really expected an answer. Nima sighed. Great. Her only comrade was sleeping. And she wanted so dearly to learn more about him.

"You have a strange personality." she told the sleeping man. "How did you grow to be what you are? I don't understand you."

She watched his chest moving slightly when he breathed. He was so tranquil now.

"Too bad that you are only nice when you're sleeping."

His hair shimmered like silver. Silver, gold and black, that was him. His hair was soft, she knew it. She had felt it on her own head, touching it with those golden, human fingers. Would it be different if she touched it now? He slept, he wouldn't mind.

"Do you mind?" she whispered.

No answer.

"Oh, fine."

Carefully, she bent over and touched his forehead. His skin was warm, warmer than she had expected. As if he had fever. No wonder he was sick. Her movement was slow and hesitant. Softly she let her fingers run along his temple and stroked his silver hair, forgetting everything around her. Strangely, this felt right somehow.

When she was about to repeat the gesture a second time, his left hand suddenly rose up, catching her limb in a painful grip. He stared at her, eyes blazing. Nima gasped from pain and shock.

"What do you think you are doing, kender?" he snarled.

tbc