Under a Starless Sky novel Chapter 47

TL found Shen in the music room, playing the Bogányi. Technically, their piano was a recreation of Gergely’s Bogányi, created by him and Hungarian engineers to deliver unparalleled precision in tonal quality, while at the same time as giving a look that was ultra-modern. It was made of Carbon Fiber and wood. It was not affected by changes in humidity. Likely, most people would not be able to discern the disparity in scope between this and a Steinway, as most people could not discern between digital records, an LP’s played through vacuum tube transistor technology. Shen found the wild curves of the instrument erotically provocative, but then, he found most curves affected him so. It the very curves that gave increased clarity to the tones that emanated out- and increased their range. The original was built from scratch, 18,000 components, while this one was printed piece by piece and assembled.

Shen was performing Liszt - Concert Etude no.2 "La leggierezza.” TL did not interrupt him. She admired how far along his technique had come in this new life. Solitude and smart tech could allow for this. His eyes were closed. He was not using VR or even Heart Light to see. The last tones dissipated into the silence of the room. The walls that had shimmered in coherence to the music settled, light ‘ripples’ reflected off a pool that eventually stilled. He became aware of TL and nearly came unglued.

“Fuck! Don’t do that?!” Shen said.

“Sorry,” TL said. “I didn’t mean to.”

“You and Loxy both sneak up on me all the time,” Shen said. He got up and retired to one of the chairs that was available for listeners. He sat down and took up his tea. It was now just cool enough to drink. He held it to his lips, feeling the warmth of the cup, breathing the fumes. He drew his legs up into the chair, lotus position. TL sat on the arm of the chair and leaned into him.

“Ginger tea,” TL said. “Smells great.”

“You made it for me,” Shen said.

“Want to talk?” TL asked.

“I am broken,” Shen said.

“You’re out of practice being social,” TL said.

“I have always been difficult,” Shen said.

“Not always. Context is important,” TL reminded him.

“Why does everything come to fighting?” Shen said.

“Not everything,” TL said.

“Fighting or sex,” Shen corrected.

TL touched him affectionately. “There’s a balance,” she said. “You can’t be a push over. You also can’t be too aggressive. You have experienced enough extremes that you know what the ‘sweet spot’ is, but have yet to find a way to sustain it. Individuals and groups have desire to declare their boundaries and set forth expectations. That is something that must be continually negotiated. People who can’t negotiate with physical strength or emotional or spiritual intelligence, usually result to duplicity. That, too, is a form of negotiation, though it tends to be more destructive.”

“Yeah, I get that. But why am I...”

“Angry?” TL asked. “Sad? Lonely?”

“Yeah,” Shen said.

“Because the battle you are avoiding on the surface is full on rage inside you,” TL said. “Most the time, you’re pretty reasonable in the external world. Master the internal, and everything else will come together.”

“I have been working on it,” Shen said.

“You have. You have made huge strides,” TL said. “But now, it’s time to take what you have learned through our engagement out into the real world. You need friends. You need experience and practice. These are good people. I would like you to forge an alliance with Arne and his friends.”

“I like them, too,” Shen said. “I like Arne.”

“I bet all of their women are tall,” TL said.

“Compared to the Tamorians, yeah. Compared to me, yeah,” Shen said.

“And likely reflecting the beauty found in Icelandic women,” TL offered.

“And more reason not to go there,” Shen said.

“No, more the reason to go,” TL said. “If someone wants to hook up, I expect you to accommodate her. If someone wants a relationship, I want you to explore it.”

“No one there is going to want me. Tall people don’t want short men,” Shen said.

“Contrary to popular belief, there are tall women who like shorter men,” TL assured him. “Your belief otherwise tells me you’re processing that from your culture of origin, not theirs. You need to update your paradigm so you can do better math. You don’t know theirs well enough to do math. You like taller. You and I are the right difference in height that we have eye contact when intimate. I don’t want to see your chest in my face when we’re coupled; I want your eyes in line with mine. I want your lips on mine. A super tall guy, chest blinding my face as he hits the headboard with his head, that’s boring. If I wanted that, I’d get a robot.”

“Is that why we have a butler name Rock?” Shen asked.

“Oh. I like the Rock,” TL said.

“Me, too,” Shen said.

Shen’s eyes went distant.