He reached with his free hand to brush her hair away from her face. "I know you said that too,
复件 (25) air max,
monster beats, Rav. Don't feel bad: I would have caught on by now anyway." "Yeah," she said softly. Then she was looking him straight in the eye. "But know this. One human to another: You are a human now. And there could have been a Qeng Ho, and you could have been exactly what you remember. And whatever the past,
复件 (92) air max2, you could be great in the future." Ghostly echoes, more than memory and less than reason: For an instant he saw her with wiser eyes. She loves you, foolish one. Almost laughter, kindly laughter. He slid his arms around her, drawing her tight against him. She was so real. He felt her slip her leg between his. To laugh. Like heart massage, unthinking reflex bringing a mind back to life. So foolish, so trivial, but, "I -- I want to come back." The words came out strangled in sobs. "There's so much inside me now, so much I can't understand. I'm lost inside my own head." She didn't say anything, probably couldn't even understand his speech. For a moment, all he knew was the feel of her in his arms, hugging back. Oh please, I do want to come back. Making it on the bridge of a starship was something Ravna had never done before. But then she'd never had her own starship before, either. They don't call this a bottom lugger for nothing. In the excitement, Pham lost his tiedown. They floated free,
复件 (7) air max, occasionally bumping into walls and discarded clothing, or drifting through tears. After many minutes, they ended up with their heads just a few centimeters off the floor, the rest of them angled off toward the ceiling. She was vaguely aware that her pants were flying like a banner from where they had caught on her ankle. The affair wasn't quite the stuff of romance fiction. For one thing, floating free you just couldn't get any leverage. For another.... Pham leaned back from her, relaxing his grip on her back. She brushed aside his red hair and looked into bloodshot eyes. "You know," he said shakily, "I never guessed I could cry so hard my face hurt." She smiled back. "You've led a charmed life then." She arched her back against his hands, then drew him gently close. They floated in silence for several minutes, their bodies relaxing into each other's curves, sensing nothing but each other. Then: "Thank you, Ravna." "... my pleasure." Her voice came dreamy serious, and she hugged him tighter. Strange, all the things he had been to her, some frightening, some endearing,
复件 (2) 复件 air max1, some enraging. And some she couldn't have admitted -- even to herself -- till now. For the first time since the fall of Relay, she felt real hope. A silly physical reaction maybe ... but maybe not. Here in her arms was a guy who might be the equal of any story book adventurer, and more: someone who had been part of a Power. "Pham ... what do you think really happened back on Relay? Why was Old One murdered?" Pham's chuckle seemed unforced,
复件 (15) air max1, but his arms stiffened around her. "You're asking me? I was dying at the time, remember.... No, that's wrong. Old One, He was dying at the time." He was silent for a minute. The bridge turned slowly around them, silent views on the stars beyond. "My godself was in pain, I know that. He was desperate, panicked.... But He was also trying to do something to me before He died." His voice went soft, wondering. "Yes. It was like I was some cheap piece of luggage, and He was stuffing me with every piece of crap that he could move. You know, ten kilos in a nine kilo sack. He knew it was hurting me -- I was part of Him, after all -- but that didn't matter."
