update from sparkleup

writing/post-self/mitzvot/ioan/001.md

@@ -100,4 +100,82 @@ The skunk gave a hint of a bow in acknowledgement. "It is part of a larger work
 
 Ey nodded. There was so much to process in just the new tech, not to mention the reminder that, even if ey'd long since started thinking of True Name as a complete and complex person, she still had her fingers in just about every political pie that could possibly exist on the three incarnations of the System.
 
+"Does writing not wear you out, Ioan?"
+
+"Well, sometimes," ey hedged. "I guess it depends on what all is going into whatever it is that I'm writing. The *History* wore me out at some points, particularly during research, but for the most part, writing was just...what I did. It didn't wear me out any more than breathing might."
+
+She laughed. "And theatre?"
+
+"Oh, that definitely wears me out."
+
+"I remember that, yes. Even just standing backstage, waiting for one's moment to enter felt exhausting sometimes. I would get all worn out and want nothing more than to go home and fall over, afterwards."
+
+"Didn't you go get shitty diner food or whatever?"
+
+"Oh, nearly every time," she said, grinning. "I would never let so sacred an act be spoiled by something as silly as sleep."
+
+Ey nodded. "A Finger Pointing holds to it like a ritual, yeah. It's a toss up whether or not she drinks me under the table."
+
+"Of course." The skunk grinned and finished her coffee before setting it down on the table. "We studied long and hard to build up such a tolerance."
+
+"Doesn't sound super healthy."
+
+"I suppose not. At least, not back phys-side."
+
+"I noticed that seems to be unevenly distributed," ey said. "May and I rarely drink unless it's with someone else, but Dear and its partners seem to drink quite a bit."
+
+"So I have heard. There are a few aspects of our past life that wound up only picked up by a few of us, beyond the obvious interests. Drinking, theatre and art, furry, that sort of thing. I have never figured out whether there is any rhyme or reason to it."
+
+Ey nodded. "Makes me wonder if I might've done the same, if I were more of a dispersionista."
+
+"Perhaps," she said, shrugging. "Codrin has diverged quite a bit from you. They both have. You can put at least some of that on us, though. May Then My Name and Dear, at least."
+
+"Right," ey said, laughing. "May's fond of saying that it's the Odists' job to fuck with us until we loosen up."
+
+True Name folded her paws in her lap primly, grinning to em.
+
+*This is it,* ey thought. *This is why I keep coming back. Even if she is consciously turning up the friendliness to maintain some weird status quo, or even if she is only doing it subconsciously, she's still nice to be around.*
+
+Ey considered letting the topic continue, but the thought was intriguing enough to voice out loud. "Why do you do this, True Name? Get coffee with me, I mean."
+
+"There is nothing nefarious about it, if that is what you are asking," she said, bowing her head briefly. "In confidence?"
+
+"Of course. I imagine most of what you say is in confidence."
+
+"Indeed. I trust that you will not share the news about the A/V advancements yet."
+
+Ey nodded.
+
+"Right. Then I suppose it is just nice to have a friend, for lack of a better term."
+
+A conversation from years back wafted up through eir memory. "You said back during the convergence, "We will never be close, you and I". Has that changed?"
+
+"I do not know. Has it?"
+
+Ey frowned.
+
+"That is why I say 'for lack of a better term'. We are on good terms, are we not? We are able to co-exist, to talk about news and nonsense, yes? To chat?" She shrugged, smiled to em. "That is perilously close to friendship, I think. If you do not feel that the label fits, I understand, but I stand by what I said: it is nice to have a friend. Someone who is not another me."
+
+"Aren't you friends with Jonas?"
+
+The hesitation was brief, but still notable. "We make pretty good colleagues, and we have a mode of interaction that is comfortable for us, but the dynamic that you and I have is far closer to friendship than that of mine and his."
+
+Ey tilted eir head, asking, "Was that always the case?"
+
+The skunk's expression never changed, but her tone grew far more careful as she bowed her head politely and said, "I am not comfortable with this topic, my dear."
+
+"Of course. Sorry, True Name."
+
+She nodded once more. "Thank you for being understanding. All of that to say that I enjoy our coffee and co-working sessions because there is a sense of friendship to them, and even I need that sometimes."
+
+"Well, I'm happy to provide," ey said. The Bălan clade seemed to have undergone a collective reevaluation of True Name over the last few years, but even so, the plain earnestness led to a moment of tamping down suspicion that ey was simply being played. "And for what it's worth, that lines up with my thoughts. Glad we have the chance to do so."
+
+She raised her cup in acknowledgment. "Thank you, Ioan. That is perhaps a good note to end on, as I would like to consolidate memories across my instances."
+
+Ey nodded. "Sure. Until next time?"
+
+The skunk stood and bowed. "Yes. Until next time. Enjoy the rest of your day, my dear."
+
+The cone of silence dropped, letting in a jolt of noise, and the skunk stepped from the sim. Ey finished eir coffee, then stepped back home.
+
 <!-- a bit more here, then back home with May that evening, talking about TN, we learn more about how May feels about her. -->