"What do you mean, 'manipulate time'?"

"Just what I said," the Sage replied. "Look at your left hand, how many marks do you see on it?"

"How many marks?" Crystal asked, looking at the back of her hand. "Uh, three, I think?"

"When did you put them there?"

Crystal considered the three black marks that looked like they'd been made with a thin permanent marker. "I'm not sure that I did."

"That's because you will. Or... well, it's complicated."

Crystal pulled a black marker out from her pocket. "When did that...?"

"Best not to question it. It's just easier."

Crystal took the cap from the marker and put the tip to her wrist, then watched wide-eyed as she traced over the line and it vanished, disappearing under the tip of pen. "What is going on?" She seemed more confused than anything.

"Just what I said. Time manipulation." The Sage shrugged. "We're running... not in opposite directions, exactly, but not in parallel. Which means that what you're doing is a little bit..." He struggled to explain it. "It's not predetermined, it's just that you've already done it."

"So how can we have a conversation?" Crystal asked, removing the second mark the same way she had the first.

"Practice," the Sage said. "Those are timing marks, so I know what to say and when."

"Why do you need to know those things?"

"Because I'm trying to solve a mystery."

"Does that mystery have anything to do with why I'm topless?"

"Maybe," he replied, watching her erase the final mark on her hand before putting the cap back on the marker and slipping it back into her pocket. "That's part of why I have to manipulate time."

"What do you mean, 'manipulate time'?"

"Just what I said," the Sage replies. "Look at your left hand, how many marks do you see on it?"

"How many marks?" Crystal asked, looking at the back of her hand. "Uh, three, I think?"

"When did you put them there?"

Crystal considered the three black marks that looked like they'd been made with a thin permanent marker. "I'm not sure that I did."

The Sage nodded. "They're there as timing marks. I must be setting something up."

Crystal pulled a black marker out from her pocket. "When did that...?"

"When you put it there a moment ago," the Sage replied.

Crystal took the cap from the marker and put the tip to her wrist, then watched wide-eyed as she traced over the line and it vanished, disappearing under the tip of pen. "What is going on?" She seemed more confused than anything.

"Just what I said. Time manipulation." The Sage shrugged. "The course of our timelines aren't exactly interacting normally. Which means that what you're doing is a little bit..." He struggled to explain it. "It's not predetermined, it's just that you've already done it. Twice, at least."

"So how can we have a conversation?" Crystal asked, removing the second mark the same way she had the first. "Wait, twice?"

"Practice," the Sage said. "Those are timing marks, so I know what to say and when. And yes, we just talked about this."

"Why do you need to know those things?"

"Because I'm trying to solve a mystery."

"And what do you mean we just talked about this?"

"Does everything seem familiar to you?" he asked as she erased the final mark on her hand.

"A... a bit." She frowned. "Does that mystery have anything to do with why I'm topless?" Crystal put the cap back on the marker and slipped it back into her pocket.

"Maybe I just like looking at pretty topless women while I manipulate time."

"What do you mean, 'manipulate time'?"

"Just what I said," the Sage replied. "Look at your left hand, how many marks do you see on it?"

"How many marks?" Crystal asked, looking at the back of her hand. "Uh, three, I think?"

It was clear to the Sage that there were no marks at all on the back of Crystal's hand. "When did you put them there?"

Crystal considered the three black marks that looked like they'd been made with a thin permanent marker. "I'm not sure that I did."

"I'm not sure that you did either. Which means that I must have."

"You don't... you don't know if you did it?" Crystal pulled a black marker out from her pocket. "When did that...?"

"I don't know if I will do it. Just like you will put that marker in your pocket."

Crystal nodded, taking the cap from the marker and putting the tip to her wrist. "But... if you know what I'm going to do, how come you don't know what you're going to do?" She watched wide-eyed as she traced over one of the marks and it vanished, disappearing under the tip of the pen. "What is going on?"

"Just what I said. Mind manipulation." The Sage shrugged. "The course of our timelines aren't exactly interacting—

"That's not what you said," Crystal interrupted. The tip of the marker was poised at the edge of the second non-existent mark.

"What?" The Sage sounded surprised.

Crystal drew the tip of the marker up the back of her hand. "You didn't say 'mind manipulation.' You said 'time manipulation.' Is this another Silver Tongue sort of thing going on?"

"Afraid I don't know what you're talking about," the Sage said. "But at least I'm starting to catch on to things."

"What... what 'things,' exactly?"

"I'm trying to solve a mystery," the Sage explained.

"So saying 'mind' instead of 'time' is a piece of the puzzle?" Crystal asked, putting the pen to her wrist a third time. "Does it have something to do with why I'm half-naked?"

The Sage grinned. "Maybe I just like looking at pretty topless women while I manipulate time."

Crystal blinked and tilted her head. She didn't finish her motion. She stopped miming holding a pen in her hand. "What do you mean, 'manipulate time'?" she asked.

"Just what I said," the Sage replied. "Look at your left hand, how many marks do you see on it?"

"How many marks?" Crystal asked, looking at the back of her hand. "Uh, three, I think? Or... or are there... any?"

It was clear to the Sage as well that there were no marks at all on the back of Crystal's hand. "When did you put them there?"

Crystal stared at the back of her hand. "I can't tell if there are any there at all."

"Now we're getting somewhere. The big question is, what did I do?"

"What do you mean?" Crystal reached into the pocket of jeans she's not wearing and pulls out a non-existent black permanent marker. She stared at the space between her fingers. "Is... is there a pen there?"

"So you're starting to see through the loop," the Sage said. "Excellent."

Her hand moved almost automatically towards her wrist. "The loop? See through? I'm sorry, I'm not following." Her hand moved the imaginary marker across the imaginary mark and stared. "What is going on?"

"That was three," the Sage said.

"Three?"

"Timing marks," he continued. "The next will be two."

Crystal watched, only watched, as her hand moved to erase the second mark that she couldn't see with a pen that didn't exist drawn from a pocket of pants she wasn't wearing. She resisted a little, but wasn't able to stop herself from miming the motion.

"And then?" the Sage asked.

"One," Crystal said, her knees going a little weak. She couldn't bring herself to say anything more.

"And the mystery clears up." The Sage chuckled. "In a moment, you're going to erase that last mark, and when you do, you also erase your last..."

"Resistance." The pen hand met her wrist again.

"Which means that..."

Her right hand drifted slowly. "I will obey."

The Sage nodded. "Because in the future, in my future, I'm going to implant this time loop in your mind..."

"Because you want me." The mark was gone. If she'd held one, the pen would have dropped from nerveless fingers.

"And also?"

"I want you. And I want this."

The Sage chuckled, putting his hand on Crystal's naked bottom, guiding her towards a bedroom. "Then let's have a discussion about how I manipulate time."

Crystal's voice was airy, and the hint of a smile pulled at her blank expression. "What do you mean, 'manipulate time'?"