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Madison Scott-Clary
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<h1 id="ioan-balan-2346">Ioan Bălan — 2346</h1>
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<div class="codehilite"><pre><span></span><code><span class="err">Convergence T-0 days, 0 hours, 11 minutes (transmission delay: 7.23 days)</span>
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</code></pre></div>
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<p>Ioan#98ae38dc arrived at the appointed coffee shop a good hour in advance. The meeting had been eir idea, but it had also been eir primary source of stress during the day prior to it.</p>
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<p>The idea of meeting up with True Name in a neutral setting had not gone over as poorly as expected with May, at least. She hadn’t been pleased, to be sure, but given the news from Castor, she had accepted that the chances of further contact with her down-tree instance was likely anyway, and had stated that she was unwilling to engage with her further on the point.</p>
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<p>The idea of meeting up with True Name in a neutral setting had not gone over as poorly as expected with May, at least. She hadn’t been pleased, to be sure, but given the news from Castor, she had accepted that the chance of further contact with her down-tree instance was likely anyway, and had stated that she was unwilling to engage with her further on the point so ey might as well.</p>
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<p>So, ey had forked, given her double kisses on the cheeks along with #Tasker, and stepped away to sit and fret somewhere where ey’d not be a bother.</p>
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<p>The coffee shop was quite comfortable, familiar from when ey’d first met Dear so many years ago. A comfortable affair set in a simulacrum of a small town. Cute shops, gas lamps, brick-paved roads.</p>
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<p>The coffee shop was quite comfortable, familiar from when ey’d first met Dear so many years ago. A cozy affair set in a simulacrum of a small town. Cute shops, gas lamps, brick-paved roads.</p>
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<p>Inside, ey staked out an L-shaped couch for their meeting and sat, sipping eir way slowly through first a coffee and then a tea, figuring that eir nerves were jangly enough without the added caffeine.</p>
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<p>True Name arrived fifteen minutes before their scheduled time, looking far more collected and confident, far more herself, than she had the last time ey’d seen her. She smiled brightly to em, ordered her drink, and then sat primly on the couch across from em, blinking a cone of silence into existence as she did so.</p>
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<p>“Mx. Bălan, thank you for meeting with me. I was surprised — pleasantly so — to have received your invitation.”</p>
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<p>There was no shift in the skunk’s attentive expression, nor in her posture. She simply nodded and took a few laps of her drink, wiping a dollop of whipped cream from her nose after. “I appreciate that. I understand that our dynamic is complex and that of May Then My Name and I all the more so. We will never be close, you and I, but I can accept that.”</p>
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<p>“Right, and I don’t want all of our interactions to be stressful.”</p>
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<p>“If you will forgive a bit of small talk, may I ask after your partner’s well-being, at least? I understand through intraclade communications that she had…that there was…”</p>
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<p>“She wound up overwhelmed, yeah. She’s bounced back well enough, and we’ve been back at work.”</p>
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<p>“She wound up overwhelmed, yeah. She’s bounced back well enough for the most part, and we’ve been back at work.”</p>
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<p>True Name nodded, a hint of a bow. “Thank you, Ioan. It is encouraging to hear. And you are working on a play regarding our visitors on Castor?”</p>
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<p>“Bit by bit,” ey said, grinning. “I add to it every time we get a bit of news. That was another reason I wanted to meet up.”</p>
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<p>The calm smile that the skunk had been wearing slipped down into something more serious. “Yes. May I ask what information you have received?”</p>
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<p>“Bit by bit,” ey said. “I add to it every time we get a bit of news. That was another reason I wanted to meet up.”</p>
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<p>The calm smile that the skunk had been wearing slipped down into something more businesslike. “Yes. May I ask what information you have received?”</p>
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<p>Ioan pulled the few sheets of folded paper from eir pocket and unfolded them, skimming through the notes. “The talks have begun and sound like they’re going well enough on Castor, but that True Name and Why Ask Questions on Artemis are struggling, though they’ve been working through it as best they can. That’s the last I’ve heard.”</p>
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<p>Ey handed over the letters, already trimmed of clade-eyes-only and other personal information. True Name read through them quickly, nodding.</p>
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<p>“We have heard much the same. It was a calculated risk, sending myself and Why Ask Questions rather than a Jonas or someone else less affected by this time skew that they have mentioned.”</p>
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<p>“No,” she said at last, her shoulders sagging a fraction of an inch, enough to show some level of exhaustion that had previously been hidden. “It does not sound pleasant.”</p>
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<p>“End Waking put it, “when presented with the fragility of eternity once more, I cannot imagine that I would remain sane”. None of the Odists I’ve talked to sound happy about this.”</p>
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<p>“We are not,” she said. “Ioan, may I ask that we talk about–“</p>
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<p>“In a moment, True Name, I promise.” Ey took a deep breath, setting eir tea down on the table in front of the couch, turning to face the skunk. “Again, I don’t want to leave the air clouded between us, but this is important to me, too.”</p>
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<p>“In a moment, True Name, I promise.” Ey took a deep breath, setting eir tea down on the table in front of the couch, turning to face the skunk. “Again, I don’t want to leave the air clouded between us, but this is important to me, too. I’m sure you understand.”</p>
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<p>She nodded, straightening up as though steeling herself for a coming blow. “I imagine it is. Then yes, it is unpleasant. I do not think that either of my cocladists aboard Artemis are in any imminent danger, but it is bringing uncomfortable memories to the fore.”</p>
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<p>“End Waking said that, too. I have my concerns for your cocladists aboard Artemis, but I’m more worried about these uncomfortable memories cropping up across the clade.”</p>
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<p>“This is about Death Itself and I Do Not Know, is it not?” she asked, voice quiet, tightly controlled.</p>
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<p>Ey nodded.</p>
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<p>The skunk clutched her coffee closer to her chest, as though that might also serve to protect her. It certainly felt as though she was struggling not to close herself off from the topic entirely. “We are very old, Ioan, and the implication of eternity has affected us all differently. I am beginning to think that it has less to do with memory than we had all originally suspected, but all the same, we have all begun to struggle through the centuries.”</p>
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<p>The skunk clutched her coffee closer to her chest, as though that might serve to shield her. It certainly felt as though she was struggling not to close herself off from the topic entirely. “We are very old, Ioan, and the implication of eternity has affected us all differently. I am beginning to think that it has less to do with memory than we had all originally suspected, but all the same, we have all begun to struggle through the centuries.”</p>
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<p>Ey nodded, but remained silent. She was speaking slowly, and did not appear to have finished.</p>
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<p>“I did not talk with Death Itself much, and I was never able to speak with I Do Not Know. I did not know them except through observation. I am sorry– no.” She shook her head, frowning. “I was going to say that I am sorry that they are no longer with us, but you know as well as I that this is not some small loss for us to be brushed away with thoughts and prayers, even for those of us who did not speak with them. Sad is not the correct term. I am anxious.”</p>
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<p>“Anxious of how this madness, as End Waking called it, might affect you and yours?”</p>
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<p>She shrugged helplessly. “If I knew, perhaps I could fix it, bring back that easy confidence.”</p>
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<p>The conversation was veering further off-script. The skunk herself was veering far afield from the one ey’d pictured in eir head. “Your counterpart on Castor sounds much the same as I remember. The True Name on Pollux has, from what I hear, wound up in a relationship and started to guide more openly over the last few years.”</p>
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<p>Looking down to where she held her mug against her front, True Name blinked rapidly, nodding.</p>
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<p><em>Crying? Really?</em> Ey frowned, searching her face and posture for any hint that this was some calculated display of emotion. </p>
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<p>“Is it something about the L<sub>5</sub> System?” ey asked, hunting for something to fix, helpless to stop emself from doing so. “Is the culture that different here? Maybe something about the System itself? I’m trying to think of what might be different.”</p>
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<p><em>Tears? Really?</em> Ey frowned, searching her face and posture for any hint that this was some calculated display of emotion. </p>
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<p>“Is it something about the Legrange System?” ey asked, hunting for something to fix, helpless to stop emself from doing so. “Is the culture that different here? Maybe something about the System itself? I’m trying to think of what might be different.”</p>
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<p>“I do not know, Ioan.” She sniffed, sat up straighter, and smiled tiredly at em. “Again, if I did, perhaps there might be something that I could do to address it. I know what I am — what I have become — in comparison to my peers. While I am trying not to view that as a failing, it is…difficult.”</p>
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<p>“Something with Jonas, perhaps?”</p>
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<p>She looked away, ears pinned flat.</p>
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<p>She bowed again and stepped from the sim, leaving em to sit on the couch and finish eir tea, thinking about the differences between changing and forgetting. Without forgetting, all True Name had, all they <em>all</em> had, was the ability to change, and all they could do was hope that this would be enough to keep them all sane.</p>
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</article>
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<footer>
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<p>Page generated on 2022-01-11</p>
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<p>Page generated on 2022-01-16</p>
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<h1>Zk | 010</h1>
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</header>
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<article class="content">
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<h1 id="codrin-balanartemis-2346">Codrin Bălan#Artemis — 2346</h1>
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<h1 id="codrin-balancastor-2346">Codrin Bălan#Castor — 2346</h1>
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<div class="codehilite"><pre><span></span><code><span class="err">Convergence T-0 days, 1 hour, 2 minutes</span>
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</code></pre></div>
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<p>Iska nodded. What had begun as a curiously outsized and clumsy gesture had settled into something more akin to how True Name and Dear might nod. “<em>Anem,</em> yes, recorder Codrin Bălan. They were, <em>lu</em>…you might say animate, inanimate, and conceptual. In later evolutions of the language, they began to mark roles in society as they fell out of use in cases other than referring to individuals.”</p>
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<p>Codrin nodded, made note of this, and flipped to the next page as the discussion continued.</p>
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<p>Ey was finding the linguistics portion of the discussion particularly fascinating. Although many of the scientific topics incorporated history, this contained the most easily digestible for em. Both Why Ask Questions and Sarah had studied up on the topic intensely during the days and weeks leading up to the meetings.</p>
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<p>It would be interesting to compare notes with Codrin#Emissary, and ey was looking forward to the merger down the line. Ey wasn’t sure yet whether this was accompanied by a desire for the talks to be over, for there was also the fact that ey missed home greatly.</p>
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<p>It would be interesting to compare notes with Codrin#Artemis, and ey was looking forward to the merger down the line. Ey wasn’t sure yet whether this was accompanied by a desire for the talks to be over, for there was also the fact that ey missed home greatly.</p>
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<p>Ah well. Until then, ey dedicated as much of eir attention as ey could manage to keeping up on eir job as recorder. Each of the races continued in turn, describing various features and aspects of the language or languages of theirs which had made the transition through the convergences.</p>
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<p>Each, that is, except the firstracers, who did their best to express the features of their mode of communication, apologizing for being unable to express the languages that had existed during their biological period.</p>
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<p>“Thank you,” Why Ask Questions said. “I have a few questions on the use of metaphor and analo–“</p>
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<p>Most of those around the table jumped as a second instance of True Name appeared at the end of the table beside the fountain, bowed, and said, “My apologies for interrupting. #Artemis, please merge immediately.”</p>
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<p>After the second skunk quit, True Name #Artemis frowned. The frown deepened, then transmuted to one that bordered on panic.</p>
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<p>Most of those around the table jumped as a second instance of True Name appeared at the end of the table beside the fountain, bowed, and said, “My apologies for interrupting. #Castor, please merge immediately.”</p>
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<p>After the second skunk quit, True Name #Castor frowned. The frown deepened, then transmuted to one that bordered on panic.</p>
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<p>“Leader True Name, please explain,” Turun Ka said.</p>
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<p>She stood, composed herself, and bowed toward the Artemisian delegates. “My apologies. That was a second instance of myself bearing news. She quit and merged back with me so that I may have her memories. It was the fastest way to receive news. I would like to call a halt to the current topic and make an announcement.”</p>
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<p>The firstracer tilted its head up in assent. Codrin scanned the rest of the delegates and found a look of concern on Iska’s face, one recognizable from discussions on forking. Stolon appeared nonplussed, and Artante intensely focused.</p>
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<p>“The reasons for this deception are complicated, relating to the origins of both of the forks’ creation.” She clasped her paws on front of herself and bowed. “Please accept my apologies on this matter.”</p>
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<p>There was silence around the table for a few seconds, and then both parties set up separate cones of silence.</p>
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<p>True Name sat back down and faced the rest of the delegates on her side of the table. “Apologies are due to you three as well for being kept in the dark. We had our reasons, for doing so, which I will explain during our next break.”</p>
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<p>Codrin nodded. “I’d appreciate a more solid explanation, but I guess I should also say that our instances on Artemis had guessed this, as well. Codrin#Emissary’s theory was that, as Why Ask Question’s role was to manage sentiment sys-side and Answers Will Not Help’s was to manage phys-side.”</p>
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<p>Codrin nodded. “I’d appreciate a more solid explanation, but I guess I should also say that our instances on Artemis had guessed this, as well. Codrin#Artemis’s theory was that, as Why Ask Question’s role was to manage sentiment sys-side and Answers Will Not Help’s was to manage phys-side.”</p>
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<p>The skunk sat back, blinked rapidly, then laughed. “Well, then.”</p>
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<p>“The best laid schemes o’ skunks an’ Jonases,” Why Ask Questions said, giggling. “Gang aft agley.”</p>
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<p>“Well, that aside, I am unsure what to do with the remainder of the news from my position here on Castor,” True Name said. “Mx. Bălan will remember some of what we struggled with from eir meeting with Michelle. My counterpart has been holding her ground against it as best as possible but I suppose it was not the case with Answers Will Not Help. With them being on Artemis, her instance here on Castor will not receive a merge.”</p>
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<p>Why Ask Questions picked up from there, so smoothly that Codrin suspected that this scenario had been wargamed as thoroughly as any. “There were many aspects to that political referendum, both sys-side — that is, on the embedded side — and phys-side. True Name spread the work required for those aspects out over instances of her own. Answers Will Not Help and I were forked at the same time, both to encourage a positive attitude towards secession.”</p>
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<p>“Why Ask Questions focused on this task on the System, while Answers Will Not Help focused on sentiment phys-side through the usual text channels,” True Name said. “As each already had a specialization relating to two sides of a political event, we made the decision to do so here as well.”</p>
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<p>When it was clear that there wouldn’t be any further explanation from the Odists, Turun Ka said, “Thank you. Second question: what was it that you hoped to gain from this strategy?”</p>
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<p>“My goal in this case is the same as my goal during Secession and Launch — the effort that led to this vehicle — is to maintain the stability and continuity of our existence. I do not wish to govern or control, but I do have at my disposal a set of tools to help in my aims.”</p>
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<p>“My goal in this case is the same as my goal during Secession and Launch — the effort that led to this vehicle — which is to maintain the stability and continuity of our existence. I do not wish to govern or control, but I do have at my disposal a set of tools to help in my aims.”</p>
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<p>There was a silent conversation between the Artemisians during which Codrin finished up the notes ey’d been taking on the conversation. True Name was being surprisingly honest about the whole endeavor. Ey was sure there were some aspects that she was withholding, but the initial announcement and answers that she’d provided thus far contained no outright lies that ey could tell.</p>
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<p><em>Perhaps this too is a way of shaping their responses?</em> ey thought. <em>Or maybe she just can’t register them well enough to tell how best to lie.</em></p>
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<p>The silent conversation among the other delegates wrapped up, and Turun Ka spoke once more. “Thank you once again for your honesty. This event is one part of the confirmation we have required, and the talks will now move on to the next stage, after a one hour common time break.”</p>
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