Del looked back. "Cool," she said simply. "You have to come outside and look--"
"We know," Razorback said. "We're near the Carinae Nebula somewhere. Maria moved the planet."
"But have you been outside? You have to go outside and see it. It's beautiful!"
"We will," Xeno said, reaching out slowly as if to touch Del's hand. She thought the better of it, and withdrew her arm slowly. "Del... you are Del, right?"
"Of course I'm Del you--" She stopped, looked down at herself. "Now where did this come from?" she muttered, running her hands down her body. She was wearing a shining red dress shot through with gold threads. A gold chain hung from her neck, and a large, square-cut ruby hung just above the cut of the dress. "I haven't worn anything like this since high school."
"And you look lovely in it," Razorback said dryly. "But could someone please tell me what the hell is going on here?"
Xenogears moaned softly. "I think this planet has simply gone insane," she said peevishly.
"This isn't Maria's tinkering, is it, Del?" Razorback said quietly.
Delithita shook her head. Radiant light like laser beams shot out of the ruby to cast crimson light all over the room. Her eyes were bright, excited, joyous. For about the first time since Razor had seen her, she wasn't angry about anything. "No, I don't think so. She started a process and brought us here, but she isn't doing it all now. I think..." She turned her head to the side, as if listening to a faint sound. "Icey," she whispered.
"What about him?"
"He's in trouble," she said suddenly. "I have to get down to the Core. Stay here and kiss or something," she said, and slipped down into the floor and disappeared.
Razorback just stared at the spot she had been standing in, trying to process what had happened. Xenogears took his chin in her hand and turned his face to hers. "Yes, the planet has gone insane," she said dismissively, smiling at his dumbfounded expression.
"Um..."
"Shut up and kiss me, love..."
Delithita dropped from the sky directly in front of Tycho, dropping into a crouch with her hands touching the stone before straightening and going over to Icey's fallen figure.
"Where the hell did you come from?" Jehrico demanded, and she gestured upward vaguely as she examined Icey.
"What happened?"
"Tycho saw his eyes glowing--"
"How strange," she said, her voice thick with irony.
"Then he just collapsed. He fell here and we tried to take him back, but it's like he's made out of stone. It's like he weighs a ton."
"Could be," Del murmured, as she crouched beside him and looked him over.
"What?"
"Shut up," Del snapped. Jehrico instantly fell silent. Del put her hand on Icey's chest, closed her eyes. Icey's eyes snapped open, and he stammered a question. "Shut up," she told him, and he did, unwillingly. "Stand up, if you can," she said, and Icey tried, but failed.
"I'm too weak," he said. "What happened? Feels like I had a run-in with a--"
"Save your energy. I'll give you what I can." She leaned over him and kissed him gently on the lips. The glow returned to his eyes as he blinked with surprise.
Del sat back, leaning heavily against a boulder. "You should be able to get up now," she said, and he did. He stood immobile for a minute, his eyes closed, looking weak and nauseous, then took a slow, uncertain step, then another, stronger one.
"Damn..." Icey said. "What happened anyway?"
"I have no idea," Del said. "I wasn't here. Something has happened to you and you need to build your energy. So I gave you some of mine."
"Um... thanks..." he murmured. "Think I could get some more of that energy?" he said with a sudden grin.
Del rolled her eyes. "You never give up, do you?" She stood, her dress swirling around her legs, and wrapped her arms around him. As he stared at her in surprise, she kissed him, energetically and in detail.
"Wow," he said as she backed away and winked at him. "Energy indeed."
Delithita grinned, turned, and disappeared through the trees.
"Well well well," Tycho said, grinning at Icey.
"Can I pass out too?" Jehrico said, gazing after Del.
Icey merely stood there, shaking his head with a faint smile.
"Altas to Xenogears," the call came from the communicator on the desk. It was heard, but ignored, as the intended recipient was otherwise occupied. After a couple repeats, the caller gave up. "Altas to Razorback." This was similarly ineffective.
A good simulation of a disgusted sigh came over the intercomm. "Altas to Ghosts. Report to Ops at your convenience." The channel closed somewhat more abruptly than usual.
Some indeterminate time later, Xeno and Razor entered Ops. Altas gave them a level stare for a moment, then turned and typed quickly on his console.
"A mystery," he said.
"Oh, really? What a surprise," Razorback said, grinning. Xenogears smiled, leaning closer to him.
"I've completed the scans of this region of space," Atlas said. "And I've found something quite odd."
