Dani Lane: *scurries out of Battery Park after sensing freakiness.... guitar in hand, rubbing her temple*

Storyspeller: The throb in her temple doesn't recede, but seems to thrum in there, heavily, like a second heartbeat.

Dani Lane: *what the hell's going ON?? She rubs her temple*

Storyspeller: Her vision blurs a little in the wake of a throb, and there it is again, impossibly: the door to the theater. Wedged in between two buildings it can't possibly fit between.

Dani Lane: *blinks.... the fuck? she looks around... then looks back at it... ok, this is getting too weird...... but she wants answers... so she heads into the theater to seek them out*

Storyspeller: The door this time, features the classic greek masks of tradgedy and comedy. And the announcement board on the sidewalk informs her that "Now showing: 'Lost Voices: Cassandra.' Last showing." The words have a finality to them that chills the girl's soul.

Dani Lane: *she frowns a little.... looking around once she's inside* Hello?

Storyspeller: There is no light. It' very dark. Except on the stage. There, a single beam of light illuminates a woman in a sort of toga and veil-scarf that drapes from her head.

Dani Lane: *heads toward the stage, looking at the woman* What's going on?

Storyspeller: The woman does speak, but not to Dani. Her voice rages at the heavens. "The curse of Sight! That I should know that which is not known, and have none heed my words! To feel eternity's touch, and not be able to share it! To be alone, alone with my knowledge..." She despairs, letting her face fall into her hands. "To be able to change what is.." She sobbs, "And to have the world refuse the brilliance of potential!"

Dani Lane: uhhh.... *blinks, watching... sitting her guitar down*

Storyspeller: ((You may roll an intel + enigmas roll.))

Dani Lane: d10: intel + enigmas: 5,4,4,

Dani Lane: what's happening to me? *beside the stage now*

Dani Lane: ((*hums, waiting*))

Storyspeller: "The Gift of greatness...how many have held it in thier palm?" She regaurds her own. "How many can truly SEE and know?" She looks, at last, at Dani- not her specificly, the gaze is meant to sweep the absent audience, but it does include the girl at least for a moment. "We have no mouth with which to scream. They will not hear us. They will themselves not to hear it." The light on stage dims.

Dani Lane: whoa whoa whoa!! *as she light dims, she climbs onto the stage, heading over to the woman* please tell me what's goin on

Dani Lane: d10: init: 7,

Dani Lane: ((13))

Storyspeller: Dani becomes aware that that sword -is- coming down. She has a second to decide what to do about it.

Dani Lane: *defense!! Grab skillet, whack sword*

Storyspeller: Sword meets skillet with a chopping 'thock' sound. The feeling of before, of accomplishment, rises. whatever is going on, progress is a part of it.The light glints off of the sword for a moment. When the glare fades, there is no skillet, and there is no sword. Dani's feet are now immersed in sand, the lighting a dull red. A backdrop featuring a magnificent castle is visable from Dani's place on the sand covered stage. A small tribe of people are nearby. All of them, the actors in black from before, but dressed as some sort of sand nomads. One of them looks at her. "Is it you, Walker? You reckon we been slackin?"

Dani Lane: uhh.... no? *blinks*

Storyspeller: The girl from before and a small group of followers seemes prepared to depart. the strong male lead attempts to stop her. "There ain't no tomorrow morrow land and there ain't no sonic! You trek out there, to nothin!" He turns to Dani. "Tell 'er, Captian..."

Dani Lane: *looks at the others, wide eyed... lost* uhhh.... *looks at the castle*

Storyspeller: The girl glares at the man and his 'tribe' who, indeed, appear to be the larger group by far. She looks at Dani. "Captain, we have t'try. We have to get the knowin'."

Dani Lane: *ok.... whatever's going on..... she's not getting out of until it plays itself out..... and it seems that seeking knowledge is the curent lesson..... she looks at the girl.... and this girl seems to be the 'star' as it were....... so she nods to her* .. you're.... you're right..... we gotta try... we can't just stay here can we? *looks around at the others... hey, if it's a play, go with it* look around... what's here? We gotta try... now who wants to seek more..... and who wants to stay here and rot? *hopes she's doing the right thing*

Storyspeller: The others seem somehow depressed about this choice, but the feeling from before, it rises, again. The girl smiles, and begins to walk toward the castle.

Dani Lane: do you trust me or don't you? *it seems she's a captain of sorts.... thusly, the leader* if you do.... then trust me now....

Storyspeller: "Well, Captian, yeh said yeh'd come back, an yeh did..." The guy formerly in charge intones and they begin to gather prop supplies. Canteens, crude weapons made from stylized salvage. They fall into line behind Dani.

Dani Lane: alright then.... follow me.... *steps up to lead the way... apparently toward the castle..... secretly wondering what the HELL is going on..... trying to kep her cool*

Storyspeller: The backdrop soon ceases to be such, and as Dani walks toward it, the girl in front of her dissapers through the stage rear. While watching this, Dani has failed to notice that she's staring at a stone archway, the backdrop. Her outfit has changed, and she's in a brilliant looking black dress. Likewise, the actors following her are in modern day, designer suits, hair and makeup done so that they appear to be the same. Only the girl stands out, nd it's because she has a single red bloom in a buttonhole.

Dani Lane: *pauses, looking at herself.... then at the girl, quirking an inquisitive brow....... what now?*

Storyspeller: Her expression never changes, but she inclines her head toward the front of the stage, the way all the actors are facing.

Dani Lane: *faces that way... cautiously approaching*

Storyspeller: The seats now host a full audience. An audience of Danielle Lanes. Dani when she was 4. When she was 13. When she is 26 and the mother of two. An elderly Dani. Peppering the audience of Dani as she was and could be today, are the nevers and could be Dani Lanes as well. A child Dani of about 6 looks out from her battered face, hidden beneath her hair. Dani the late teen junkie takes a second to look away from her needle and let her glazed, dead eyes travel over the stage. Dani in an Armani suit looks profesionaly attentive. Dani the ordinary looks lost. A very dark Dani lurks near the back, her eyes full of knowledge that can't be good. Every one of them reguard the girl with contempt. The narrative voice, the one Dani first heard in the theatre speaks.

Storyspeller: "The frames of a woman's life come back to haunt her. It is she today who must find peace with them. Some were made by choices, some were made by fate. But what does the one who owns this phantoms have to say to them? What would God say to the people of this world, to answer thier painful accusations?"

Dani Lane: *blinks, frozen*

Dani Lane: ..... I'm.... sorry? *looking out over the audience... weirded out now*

Storyspeller: Some of them seem to accept that. Most of them don't.

Dani Lane: *blinks* what do y'all want? All I c'n say is I'm doin th' best I c'n do.... *overwhelmed.... she does the first thing that pops in her mind................ she sings* When you hear twin fiddles and a steel guitar, You're listenin' to the sound of the american heart... And opry music on a saturday night, Brings a smile to your face and a tear to your eye... Sing a song about the heartland, The only place I feel at home... Sing about the way a good man, Works until the daylight's gone... Sing the rain on the roof on a summer night, Where they still know wrong from right... Sing a song about the heartland, Sing a song about my life......

Dani Lane: There's a place where mornings are an endless blue, And you feel mother nature along with you... Where simple people livin' side by side, Still wave to their neighbor when they're drivin' by... Sing a song about the heartland... Sing a song about the heartland... Sing a song about my life........ *sighs.... looking down, not sure what to say*

Storyspeller: One, then another audience member begins to tap thier toe. From junkie, to mommy, to nursing home resident, they all respond to her song. The music that SHE likes. The part of herself that Dani saw in all of them, that universal connection, has been touched by this simple act of appealing. In the moment that they all respond to the music, amnosity fades, differences die, and the truth of all life is there reflected in this for Dani to see. People who hurt each other one moment will lay aside thier differences when something bigger threatens them, or speaks to them all and unites them. Everyone is connected. Everything is connected. And she can -change- the reality of the world, just as she made them all respond to her now.

Dani Lane: *looks around.... awed... then looks at the people on stage with her*

Storyspeller: The actors in this mental production simply bow thier heads to the audience, and still bowed, step back and exit stage right.

Dani Lane: hey... where y' goin? *looks for the one girl...* what d' I do now?

Storyspeller: The slow clapping of the audience builds until it is a deafening roar. Dani feels..elated. Godlike.

Dani Lane: *looks back to the audience... blinking.... then smiles.... tears welling a little..... and... well..... bows... not sure what else to do*

Storyspeller: The narrative can be heard over the clapping, somehow. "The curtain slowly falls over the stage. The star will walk this day amoung the people, and bein a new show." The audience, all applauding, begins to spin in her vision a little, as does the rest of the theater. It's interesting at first, but quickly dizzying.

Dani Lane: *getting dizzy, she touches her temple, closing her eyes*

Storyspeller: The throb from before seems to have returned for moment. The pulse of disorientation reaches a pitchn then fades, taking the pain with it. The gentle reintroduction of street sounds is changed. Dani becomes aware of serveral things at once, without knowing how. The first thing she realizes is that not much time has passed. Her mental..trip..or whatever, seemed to be long but was actualy little more than a few seconds. the second thing she notices..slowly at first, then overwhelmingly so on the streets of New York..is that she knows the exact distance between everything and herself, and feels people and things move toward and away from her, like some internal radar.

Dani Lane: *stands there a moment... looking around for the theater..... then just..... looks around................ whoa...*

Storyspeller: Evry item she looks at jumps out at her in perfect clarity. She can almost see the olidness of the building, the street, and she can feel the metal on the passing cab..thicker in some places than in others and some of it not metal at all but fiberglass. People are mostly, thankfully, left out of this mental breakdown of composition.

Dani Lane: *she reaches down for her guitar, not even noticing that she doesn't have to look to know where it is... eyes just scanning her surroundings in wonder... she needs to make a call.... her cell phone's battery is low... Fel said she'd be at Lime, that's... no, that's too far to walk.. she needs a cab, there's one about to turn onto her street a couple blocks away....... how does she KNOW all this??*

Storyspeller: And, as predicted, here come the cab.

Dani Lane: *she shoots her hand up to hail it... yes, she DEFINATELY has a call to make... maybe that crazy guy isn't crazy after all*

Storyspeller: The cab stops for her. The driver is a dark skinned man, from some eastern country. "Where to drive?"

Dani Lane: th' Lime.... it's.. *stops herself before spouting off how many miles it is... he knows where it is.... she just sheepishly gets in.... and digs out her cell phone to make a call* ((yay!! *G* THANK YOOOOOOOOOO *HUG!*))

Storyspeller: ((HUG! well done, and congratulations.)) The driver nods and begins to drive her there. Poor girl. He takes the long route, ensuring a higher fee.

Dani Lane: *catches onto that quickly.... and starts having him turn to take shortcuts to get them there faster.... possibly causing him to wonder how this seemingly out of place country girl knows these streets better than he does*