“Rituals are a good signal to your unconscious that it is time to kick in.”

“Taking off your shoes is a sacred ritual. It is a hallowed moment of remembering the goodness of space and time. It is a way of celebrating the holy ground on which you stand.”

“The first time...' the Doctor said, snapping Chris out of his reverie, 'I don't remember, I was unconscious. The second time...I don't want to talk about.'The third time?'Unconscious.'The fourth time?'Atypical. There were some strange time and energy effects involved.'But, you know, what does it feel like? Is it good or bad?'Good,' said the Doctor, 'in the same way that driving a vehicle very, very fast is a good feeling, until pow!' He slapped his hands together suddenly. 'Like being shoved through a window. That's what it was like the fifth time.'What about the sixth time?'Unconscious.”

“What the hel—”“Finally! I can talk!” Janco said.Ari turned. Janco held the Sandseed’s scimitar in his hand. The man lay on the ground, unconscious.“Care to explain?” Ari asked.“Didn’t you see my signals?”“Yeah. But they didn’t make sense. Five into one and it’s an intrusion.”“It’s an illusion! Five of them are an illusion.”“That’s not the signal for illusion. This is.” Ari demonstrated the proper signal.“That’s what I did.”“No, you didn’t. You did a weird twisty thing with your pinky.”“I had a scimitar at my throat. I’d like to see you try signaling under those conditions.”Ari opened his mouth to retort, but thought better of it. They could argue for weeks and not resolve a thing. He changed tactics. “You did very well. You knocked him unconscious and stopped his magic.”As expected, Janco preened.”

“Life kicks you and you begin to die, it kicks you again and you don’t care anymore, it kicks you one last time and it puts hate it in your heart, the treachery of it all.”

“Baravetto was unconscious when we found him," Hi said. "What'd you do to the guy?""Kicked him in the balls, then brained him with a rolling pin. Twice.”