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Madison Scott-Clary
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<h1 id="ioan-balan-2346">Ioan Bălan — 2346</h1>
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<h1 id="ioan-balan-2346">Ioan Bălan — 2346</h1>
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<p>“I never wanted this. I never wanted any of this!” the skunk shouted, stamping her foot and jabbing her finger toward em. “You talk about how much I mean to you, how much this place means, and then what? Nothing ever comes of it.”</p>
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<p>“I never wanted this. I never wanted any of this!” the woman shouted, stamping her foot and jabbing her finger toward em. “You talk about how much I mean to you, how much this place means, and then what? Nothing ever comes of it.”</p>
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<p>“What the hell <em>is</em> supposed to come of it?” Ey stood quickly enough to knock the chair back onto the ground, all but lunging toward her. She stood half a head shorter than em, but, having decided that this wasn’t menacing enough, ey forked two times in quick succession, three of em stomping toward her.</p>
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<p>“What the hell <em>is</em> supposed to come of it?” Ey stood quickly enough to knock the chair back onto the ground, all but lunging toward her. She stood half a head shorter than em, but, having decided that this wasn’t menacing enough, ey forked two times in quick succession, three of em stomping toward her.</p>
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<p>Rather than quail under the onslaught or simply run away, she stood up straighter, arms crossed. “Really? Are you really sure that you need this to make your point?”</p>
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<p>Rather than quail under the onslaught or simply run away, she stood up straighter, arms crossed, her round face proud and defiant, framed by curls. “Really? Are you really sure that you need this to make your point?”</p>
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<p>Ey — all three of em — faltered in eir advance as the skunk continued.</p>
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<p>Ey — all three of em — faltered in eir advance as the skunk continued.</p>
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<p>“I never, <em>ever</em> should have stayed around here,” she said, voice suddenly frigid. “And I certainly never should have stayed with an asshole like you.”</p>
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<p>“I never, <em>ever</em> should have stayed around here,” she said, voice suddenly frigid. “And I certainly never should have stayed with an asshole like you.”</p>
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<p>With the slam of the door still ringing in the air, eir two forks quit as ey stumbled back to the chair, slowly righted it, sat down heavily, and buried eir face in eir hands.</p>
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<p>With the slam of the door still ringing in the air, eir two forks quit as ey stumbled back to the chair, slowly righted it, sat down heavily, and buried eir face in eir hands.</p>
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<p>Ey laughed and reached up to tug at one of her ears. “Well now’s your–“</p>
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<p>Ey laughed and reached up to tug at one of her ears. “Well now’s your–“</p>
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<p>The longer ey held still like that, the deeper May’s frown grew, the more her tail twitched this way and that in agitation. Still, she let the silence be and didn’t touch em, unwilling to interrupt what must be a rather long sensorium message.</p>
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<p>The longer ey held still like that, the deeper May’s frown grew, the more her tail twitched this way and that in agitation. Still, she let the silence be and didn’t touch em, unwilling to interrupt what must be a rather long sensorium message.</p>
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<p>Finally, ey sagged, rubbing eir hands against eir face. “Uh, sorry. Can you send a fork back home? I’m going to have to try and push that out of mind for the time being, and I don’t want both of us to be in that state.”</p>
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<p>Finally, ey sagged, rubbing eir hands against eir face. “Uh, sorry. Can you send a fork back home? I’m going to have to try and push that out of mind for the time being, and I don’t want both of us to be in that state.”</p>
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<p>The skunk nodded and forked off a new May, who quickly stepped from the sim. The remaining instance sighed and slipped her arms around eir middle. “You cannot leave me totally in the dark, my dear, or I will be distracted for worrying about something I do not know. Can you at least tell me something so that I don’t lose my fucking mind?”</p>
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<p>The skunk nodded and forked off a new May, who quickly stepped from the sim. The remaining instance sighed and slipped her arms around eir middle. “You cannot leave me totally in the dark, my dear, or I will be distracted worrying about something I do not know. Can you at least tell me something so that I don’t lose my fucking mind?”</p>
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<p>Ioan grinned and returned the hug, resting eir chin atop her head. “Dreamer Module,” ey mumbled. “That enough for you?”</p>
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<p>Ioan grinned and returned the hug, resting eir chin atop her head. “Dreamer Module,” ey mumbled. “That enough for you?”</p>
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<p>Back at the house, the root instance of Ioan was walking circles around the dining room table, ‘pacing holes in the rug’ as May would say.</p>
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<p>Back at the house, the root instance of Ioan was walking circles around the dining room table, ‘pacing holes in the rug’ as May would say.</p>
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<p>Did say, it turned out, when she first entered.</p>
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<p>Did say, it turned out, when she first entered.</p>
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<p>The skunk frowned, sitting up straighter in her chair. “So they are going to upload to Castor?”</p>
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<p>The skunk frowned, sitting up straighter in her chair. “So they are going to upload to Castor?”</p>
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<p>“It sounded like they were forty days out from their closest approach. Codrin didn’t know when exactly the upload window was.” Ey frowned as ey picked apart the remaining bits of message. “Apparently they’ve named the remote ship Artemis and the aliens Artemisians. That’s about all I know about it, other than Tycho said ‘yes’ and Codrin will be working with him on it.”</p>
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<p>“It sounded like they were forty days out from their closest approach. Codrin didn’t know when exactly the upload window was.” Ey frowned as ey picked apart the remaining bits of message. “Apparently they’ve named the remote ship Artemis and the aliens Artemisians. That’s about all I know about it, other than Tycho said ‘yes’ and Codrin will be working with him on it.”</p>
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<p>“I am assuming more will be coming soon, knowing you and Codrin.” She doodled on the surface of the table with a blunt claw. “I am also assuming that other Odists are not far behind in meddling. How long ago did this happen?”</p>
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<p>“I am assuming more will be coming soon, knowing you and Codrin.” She doodled on the surface of the table with a blunt claw. “I am also assuming that other Odists are not far behind in meddling. How long ago did this happen?”</p>
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<p>Ioan squinted, then shrugged and just brushed eir hand along the table, a sheet of paper unrolling from nothing with the message itself written on it. Ey handed this to May, who read carefully.</p>
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<p>Ioan squinted, then shrugged and just brushed eir hand along the table, a sheet of paper unrolling from nothing with the message itself written on it. Ey unlocked the clade-eyes-only ACLs andhanded this to May, who read carefully.</p>
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<p>“So, sevenish days ago. Nothing we can do but wait for further messages. Anything we send back will be two weeks too late.” She hesitated, set the paper down, and looked at em searchingly. “What do you make of the second half, though?”</p>
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<p>“So, eightish days ago. Nothing we can do but wait for further messages. Anything we send back will be two weeks too late.” She hesitated, set the paper down, and looked at em searchingly. “What do you make of the second half, though?”</p>
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<p>“I’m still trying to process that.”</p>
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<p>“I’m still trying to process that.”</p>
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<p>“Do you not feel the same?” She reached out a paw to take one of eir hands in her own. “You got into theatre after all, did you not? You are not doing much in the way of history, these days, other than the occasional paper. Did you really feel as though you had been sucked into all those projects with no input?”</p>
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<p>“Do you not feel the same?” She reached out a paw to take one of eir hands in her own. “You got into theatre after all, did you not? You are not doing much in the way of history, these days, other than the occasional paper. Did you really feel as though you had been sucked into all those projects with no input?”</p>
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<p>Ey let her lace her fingers with ears as ey thought. Words were a long time coming. “A little, I suppose, but this bit about feeling a lack of agency is new to me. I don’t know that I ever felt that strongly about being dragged along or anything.”</p>
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<p>Ey let her lace her fingers with ears as ey thought. Words were a long time coming. “A little, I suppose, but this bit about feeling a lack of agency is new to me. I don’t know that I ever felt that strongly about being dragged along or anything.”</p>
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<p>“Perhaps it is Dear.”</p>
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<p>“Perhaps it is Dear.”</p>
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<p>“How do you mean?”</p>
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<p>“How do you mean?”</p>
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<p>She squeezed eir fingers between her own. “I think Codrin and Dear settled into a life of their own, but you know Dear. It is intensely focused on these big dramatic gestures. And before you say it, I am focused on drama, but rarely are my actions in life dramatic. I am happy with the life we have built. I am happy living with you and loving you and pushing you into writing increasingly weird plays.”</p>
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<p>She squeezed eir fingers between her own. “I think Codrin and Dear settled into a life of their own, but you know Dear. It is intensely focused on these big dramatic gestures. And before you say it, I am focused on drama, but rarely are my actions in life dramatic. I am happy with the life we have built. I am happy living with you and loving you and pushing you into writing increasingly weird plays.”</p>
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<p>Ey laughed, lifting her paw to kiss at her knuckles. “Well, sure. You got me to settle down, I guess. I don’t think Dear is capable of settling down.”</p>
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<p>Ey laughed, lifting her paw to kiss at her knuckles. “Well, sure. You got me to settle down, I guess. I don’t think Dear is capable of settling down, but its patterns are familiar. It will do as it does and drag others with it.”</p>
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<p>“I hope you do not resent me for that,” she said, tapping at eir chin with a finger. “I do not get the impression that you are unhappy, my dear, but I occasionally worry that your life now is not entirely the one that you wished to build.”</p>
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<p>“I hope you do not resent me for that,” she said, tapping at eir chin with a finger. “I do not get the impression that you are unhappy, my dear, but I occasionally worry that your life now is not entirely the one that you wished to build.”</p>
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<p>“I have no idea. I don’t think I had any real plans for building a life.” Ey sighed. “Which I guess is kind of where ey’s coming from. Without direction, any influence feels like getting yanked around. I felt yanked around by True Name shoving you into my life, though I love you dearly now that you’re here.”</p>
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<p>“I have no idea. I don’t think I had any real plans for building a life.” Ey sighed. “Which I guess is kind of where ey’s coming from. Without direction, any influence feels like getting yanked around. I felt yanked around by True Name shoving you into my life, though I love you dearly now that you’re here.”</p>
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<p>May beamed at this, and ey was reminded of eir promise to emself to say that more often. </p>
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<p>May beamed at this, and ey was reminded of eir promise to emself to say that more often. </p>
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<p>Ey nodded. “I’ll do that, yeah. Any suggestions?”</p>
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<p>Ey nodded. “I’ll do that, yeah. Any suggestions?”</p>
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<p>“Perhaps ey could do a grand gesture and surprise Dear. I have loved it every time that you have surprised me. I do not think that Codrin has learned how to do that yet.”</p>
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<p>“Perhaps ey could do a grand gesture and surprise Dear. I have loved it every time that you have surprised me. I do not think that Codrin has learned how to do that yet.”</p>
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<p>“I’m not sure I know how to teach someone how to do grand gestures.”</p>
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<p>“I’m not sure I know how to teach someone how to do grand gestures.”</p>
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<p>She tugged at eir fingers. “You have become a playwright and performer, my dear, do not sell yourself short. Besides, to hear Dear tell it, ey is not incapable. The name thing, the surprise dinner, the forking stuff. Ey is just shy, perhaps.”</p>
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<p>She tugged at eir fingers. “You have become a playwright and performer, my dear, do not sell yourself short. Besides, to hear Dear tell it, ey is not incapable. The name thing, the surprise dinner a few years back, the forking stuff for its gallery show. Ey is just shy, perhaps.”</p>
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<p>“It’s a Bălan thing,” ey said.</p>
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<p>“It’s a Bălan thing,” ey said.</p>
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<p>“And it is our job as Odists to fuck with you until you break out of it. I have faith in em, just as I had faith in you.” She slid the paper back across the table to em. “You just need to pass that on.”</p>
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<p>“And it is our job as Odists to fuck with you until you break out of it. I have faith in em, just as I had faith in you.” She slid the paper back across the table to em. “You just need to pass that on.”</p>
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<p>Page generated on 2021-12-09</p>
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<p>Page generated on 2021-12-19</p>
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<h1 id="tycho-braheartemis-2346">Tycho Brahe#Artemis — 2346</h1>
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<h1 id="tycho-braheartemis-2346">Tycho Brahe#Artemis — 2346</h1>
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<p>The dream continued.</p>
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<p>The dream repeated that night.</p>
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<p>And as before, the hallway continued some however many miles dream-logic determined it must, and as before, he kept walking down it, kept walking and walking and walking, right hand always trailing along the wall. That wall was of smooth stone, something coarser than marble and smoother than concrete, and as he felt it play out beneath his fingers, he heard the voices ahead of him.</p>
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<p>And as before, the hallway continued however many miles dream-logic determined it must, and as before, he kept walking down it, kept walking and walking and walking, right hand always trailing along the wall. That wall was of smooth stone, something coarser than marble and smoother than concrete, and as he felt it play out beneath his fingers, he heard the voices ahead of him.</p>
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<p>And there was a room, there ahead of him. He could see the light spilling into the comparatively dim hallway. Sunlight, cool and bright. He could see that the left-hand wall of the hallway continued. A corner, then, the hallway dumping him out into the southeast corner of the room. Southeast…how did he know that?</p>
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<p>And there was a room, there ahead of him. He could see the light spilling into the comparatively dim hallway. Sunlight, cool and bright. He could see that the left-hand wall of the hallway continued. A corner, then, the hallway dumping him out into the southeast corner of the room. Southeast…how did he know that?</p>
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<p>And there on that wall, shadows played. Shadows of leaves, the arc of a fountain.</p>
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<p>And there on that wall, shadows played. Shadows of leaves, the arc of a fountain.</p>
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<p>And in that room, that soft rush of water only served to muffle the voices of so many others. They had to be the Artemisians. They had to be. But the water was just loud enough, added just enough white noise, that he could pick out no singular detail. There were fricatives. There were plosives. There were ejectives.</p>
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<p>And in that room, that soft rush of water only served to muffle the voices of so many others. They had to be the Artemisians. They had to be. But the water was just loud enough, added just enough white noise, that he could pick out no singular detail. There were fricatives. There were plosives. There were ejectives.</p>
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<p>And then he was blinded by the sun.</p>
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<p>And then he was blinded by the sun.</p>
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<p>And then he awoke, the lights of the room staring down at him reprovingly.</p>
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<p>And then he awoke, the lights of the room staring down at him reprovingly.</p>
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<p>The dream seemed determined always to cling to him, as it had the day before, and even as he showered and dressed, even after True Name once more met him at his door and handed him his coffee, he tried as hard as he could to remember even the smallest detail of those voices.</p>
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<p>The dream seemed determined always to cling to him, as it had the day before, and even as he showered and dressed, even after True Name once more met him at his door and handed him his coffee, he tried as hard as he could to remember even the smallest detail of those voices.</p>
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<p>“You seem distracted today,” the skunk observed. “Not just tired, I mean. What is on your mind?”</p>
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<p>“You seem distracted today,” the skunk observed. “Not just tired. What is on your mind?”</p>
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<p>He jolted to awareness and smiled sheepishly to her. “Uh, just a dream sticking with me from last night. Second night in a row I’ve dreamed about them.”</p>
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<p>He jolted to awareness and smiled sheepishly to her. “Uh, just a dream sticking with me from last night. Second night in a row I’ve dreamed about them.”</p>
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<p>“The Artemisians?”</p>
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<p>“The Artemisians?”</p>
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<p>He nodded. “Just like I can hear them talking, but not any details about them. I can hear <em>that</em> they’re talking, I guess. I keep trying to learn more and then waking up.”</p>
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<p>He nodded. “Just like I can hear them talking, but not any details about them. I can hear <em>that</em> they’re talking, I guess. I keep trying to learn more and then waking up.”</p>
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<p>She nodded.</p>
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<p>She nodded.</p>
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<p>“What about when each of the races joined? That would give us an idea of how long they’ve been around.”</p>
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<p>“What about when each of the races joined? That would give us an idea of how long they’ve been around.”</p>
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<p>“Good one.” She grinned, tapping her pen against the table. “I knew we kept you around for a reason.”</p>
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<p>“Good one.” She grinned, tapping her pen against the table. “I knew we kept you around for a reason.”</p>
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<p>Had she said it in any other tone of voice, had all these Odists not been so good at choosing his responses for him, it could have easily come off as insulting, but it was said with such obvious affection that he laughed. Something about her was ever-so-slightly different from Answers Will Not Help, though he couldn’t put his finger on it. She was more earnest, perhaps. More focused on making him feel good rather than just seemingly always on the edge of laughter.</p>
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<p>Had she said it in any other tone of voice, had all these Odists not been so good at choosing his responses for him, it could have easily come off as insulting, but it was said with such obvious affection that he laughed. Something about her was ever-so-slightly different from Answers Will Not Help, though he couldn’t put his finger on it. She was more earnest, perhaps. More focused on making him feel good rather than only seeming always on the edge of laughter.</p>
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<p>“Should we also ask where they came from?” she continued.</p>
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<p>“Should we also ask where they came from?” she continued.</p>
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<p>He frowned. “I don’t know about that one. It can be a very involved answer. Perhaps a separate set of questions for science down the line, since those will take them more time to come up with. Maybe we can come up with a list of questions to have them prepare answers for at the conference.”</p>
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<p>He frowned. “I don’t know about that one. It can be a very involved answer. Perhaps a separate set of questions for science down the line, since those will take them more time to come up with. Maybe we can come up with a list of questions to have them prepare answers for at the conference.”</p>
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<p>“Oh! Delightful idea!” She paused, and he imagined that she must be sending off a note to one of her cocladists. “We will tackle that a separate time. I agree with you, though, that keeping this to more cultural and social topics will help. We can offer similar in return. Let us ask about leisure activities, then. What kind of stories do they tell? How do they tell them? Is storytelling limited to certain individuals, or considered a skilled trade? Is there a concept of work to make leisure time important?”</p>
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<p>“Oh! Delightful idea!” She paused, and he imagined that she must be sending off a note to one of her cocladists. “We will tackle that a separate time. I agree with you, though, that keeping this to more cultural and social topics will help. We can offer similar in return. Let us ask about leisure activities, then. What kind of stories do they tell? How do they tell them? Is storytelling limited to certain individuals, or considered a skilled trade? Is there a concept of work to make leisure time important?”</p>
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<p>She laughed delightedly and clapped her hands. “Oh, I absolutely love it, my dear. I only have one request of you.”</p>
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<p>She laughed delightedly and clapped her hands. “Oh, I absolutely love it, my dear. I only have one request of you.”</p>
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<p>“Yes?”</p>
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<p>“Yes?”</p>
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<p>“That must be the entire question. We can expand on the others with our little sub-questions and a paragraph of why we are asking them, but for this last one, it must be the only three words that they read pertaining to it. “Do you dream?”“</p>
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<p>“That must be the entire question. We can expand on the others with our little sub-questions and a paragraph of why we are asking them, but for this last one, it must be the only three words that they read pertaining to it. “Do you dream?”“</p>
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<p>He blinked, nonplussed. “Are you sure?”</p>
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<p>He blinked, tilting his head. “Are you sure?”</p>
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<p>“Of course I fucking am,” she said, grinning widely. “I am the politician, you are the nerd. Now, let us hammer out some answers to these questions for ourselves that we can send. Answers to the first four, I mean. We will not answer “Do you dream?” for ourselves.”</p>
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<p>“Of course I fucking am,” she said, grinning widely. “I am the politician, you are the nerd. Now, let us hammer out some answers to these questions for ourselves that we can send. Answers to the first four, I mean. We will not answer “Do you dream?” for ourselves.”</p>
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<p>Tycho stopped himself from asking why, realizing she would likely answer in the same way. “Alright, then. This is fun, thanks for giving me the chance to work on it.”</p>
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<p>Tycho stopped himself from asking why, realizing she would likely answer in the same way. “Alright, then. This is fun, thanks for giving me the chance to work on it.”</p>
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<p>“Of course, of course.” she giggled leaning across the table to ruffle his thinning hair. “You fucking taskers, you need breaks, too.”</p>
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<p>“Of course, of course.” she giggled leaning across the table to ruffle his thinning hair. “You fucking taskers, you need breaks, too.”</p>
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<p>He laughed, struggling to re-comb his hair with only his fingers, once more surprised at just how comfortable she made him feel. He liked her, whoever she was.</p>
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<p>He laughed, struggling to re-comb his hair with only his fingers, once more surprised at just how comfortable she made him feel. He liked her, whoever she was.</p>
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