[ accidental video ]

[likeboudica]

[ The feed clicks on to reveal Tessa, face somewhere between stoic and utterly, utterly shocked, addressing someone off-screen. ]

I do not-- wish to talk about these things, ma'am.

[ A short hesitation. ] I am aware that I should know, indeed, but I would prefer to-- read a book. [ It sounds like even that concession cost her. ]

Comments

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[likeboudica]

I find it rather disconcerting.

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[saidrepent]

[He pauses before responding again.]

What year did you say you were from, again?

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[likeboudica]

1878.

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[saidrepent]

Right... [Of course.] I don't know if you've picked up on this yet, but...things have changed since then. [A pause.] Things like societal attitudes towards sexuality, for one.

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[likeboudica]

I had rather gathered that, but even so it is not something that I personally enjoy talking about.

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[saidrepent]

That's fair.

In that case, I would suggest being a little more firm with the people trying to talk to you about it.

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[likeboudica]

I think the best course of action for me will be to avoid the network. I am not quite convinced that telling a cursed person I do not wish to speak of it will have the desired effect. [ ....... she's tried. ]

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[saidrepent]

Have you tried walking away?

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[likeboudica]

That would be very impolite.

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[saidrepent]

I'd wager that what they're doing is even more impolite.

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[likeboudica]

But they are cursed, are they not?

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[saidrepent]

Sure, but that doesn't mean you have to stand there and indulge them if you don't want to.

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[likeboudica]

I am hardly indulging them, I should think.

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[saidrepent]

You're providing them with an audience. I'd say that's indulging enough.

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[likeboudica]

I have made clear my preference not to speak of such topics to those that attempted to use me as their audience.

What is it like in your world and time, are such topics acceptable? [ She can talk about it, too. In the extreme abstract. ]

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[saidrepent]

Then that's their problem, not yours.

[And then she changes the subject...sort of. He gives a short sigh before continuing:] Sometimes. It depends on the neighborhood, usually.

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[likeboudica]

[ Tessa wonders what that sigh means, but she can hardly ask him about it directly. ]

I suppose there are very many different neighborhoods, still. Are you from Earth, or is it another planet as well as another time?

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[saidrepent]

Earth. [Something of a thoughtful pause follows.] Lots of things have changed, but it's still Earth.

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[likeboudica]

[ A brief hesitation, but-- regardless of how ridiculous the question may seem, it is something that is important to her. ] Are there still books?

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[saidrepent]

[There's a question he wasn't expecting.]

Actual bound-paper books, you mean? [He pauses again.] They're pretty archaic, but I'm sure they're around somewhere.

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[likeboudica]

Oh. [ A pause. ] But do you still have stories? On a, another medium than paper books?

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[saidrepent]

Of course there are still stories. There are movies and television...for people who have the time to spare on them, anyway.

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[likeboudica]

But no written words in some form?

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[saidrepent]

Electronically, sure. But there aren't many books around, at least not like you know them.

Most people don't really have the time to sit around and do much reading, anyway.

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[likeboudica]

Oh.

[ pause, and then, because she has to say something, but a world without books in which people have no time to read is terrifying and terrible to her. ] I see.